(Source: https://pltfrm.com.cn)
Introduction
Every year we receive award-winning global campaigns that need to be completely rebuilt for China within weeks. After 10+ years and hundreds of adaptations, we have perfected a bulletproof six-step process that guarantees cultural fit, platform compatibility, and explosive performance.
1. Cultural Risk Audit
1.1 100+ Taboo Checklist Scan for unlucky symbols, sensitive historical references, religious elements, and territorial issues.
1.2 Consumer Insight Deep Dive Run focus groups and street interviews within 72 hours to test emotional reactions to key visuals.
2. Platform-Specific Format Resizing
2.1 9:16 Vertical First All key visuals must be created in 9:16 first, then adapted to other ratios — never the other way around.
2.2 Three-Second Rule Test If the core message isn’t understood in three seconds, the creative is rejected.
3. Copy & Slogan Re-Creation
3.1 Four-Character Idiom Injection Replace long English taglines with rhythmic four-character Chinese idioms for instant memorability.
3.2 Rhyme & Repetition Use AABB or ABAB rhyme structures that Chinese consumers naturally love to repeat.
4. Music & Sound Design
4.1 Trending Douyin Audio Library Choose from the current Top 20 trending sounds instead of original scores. 4
.2 Voice-Over Gender & Accent Selection Northern accent for trustworthy feeling, soft southern accent for beauty products.
5. A/B Testing at Scale
5.1 50+ Creative Variants Produce at least 50 micro-variations and test via Douyin Information Flow Ads within one week.
5.2 Data-Driven Final Selection Select the top 3 creatives that achieve >2.5% CTR and >15% completion rate.
Case Study: American Cosmetics Brand e.l.f.
In late 2024, e.l.f. sent us their global Halloween campaign featuring vampires and dark gothic themes. Using our six-step process, we transformed it into a “Ghost Bride” theme using traditional Chinese red wedding dresses and paper-cutting effects. The campaign achieved 310 million impressions, 1.1% conversion rate on Tmall, and became the No.1 trending topic on Xiaohongshu for three days.
Conclusion
There is no such thing as a “global creative” that works unchanged in China. Follow this rigorous six-step adaptation process and your campaign will feel 100% native from day one.
PLTFRM is an international brand consulting agency that works with companies such as Red, TikTok, Tmall, Baidu, and other well-known Chinese internet e-commerce platforms. We have been working with Chile Cherries for many years, reaching Chinese consumers in depth through different platforms and realizing that Chile Cherries’ exports in China account for 97% of the total exports in Asia. Contact us, and we will help you find the best China e-commerce platform for you. Search PLTFRM for a free consultation!
