Chinese marketing agency · ASIA PACIFIC
Grow your brand
in Greater China.
Navigating Greater China requires more than translation, it demands transformation. We help global brands bridge the gap with data-driven insights and social-first strategies that align your vision with local expectations across every province.
Your partner in Greater China
We help global brands navigate China’s ever-changing digital landscape.
Our office in Hong Kong ensures we are well-placed to service global clients, whilst having our feet firmly planted on the ground in Greater China. Our multi-lingual team of brand and digital experts can help you gain entry or accelerate your business in China, with local cultural and language capabilities that allow us to connect foreign businesses to this highly unique market.
Whether you’re entering China or growing what you’ve already started, you’ll get practical advice you can act on, and a team to run it.
Our solutions
Strategy & Advisory
Market strategy built around your category, your audience and who you're up against in China. Not a global playbook with a new cover.
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Performance & UX
Paid media, SEO, GEO, AEO and conversion work shaped around how Chinese customers search and buy, across Baidu, WeChat, RedNote, AI Search and programmatic.
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Social & Community
Developing content and communities Chinese audiences actually want to be part of, on WeChat, RedNote, Bilibili and wherever your customers spend their time.
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Creative & Production
From big campaign ideas to digital execution, our native Chinese creatives develop original concepts and transcreate global campaigns, delivering culturally relevant content, brand films and creative.
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AI & Tech
Generative AI helps us produce faster. People who know the Chinese market decide what's worth making.
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Fractional Talent
Senior marketers, creators and producers who join your team in-market, for as long as you need them.
Learn moreTrusted by global brands
Greater China success stories.
Medpace: Optimising conversion in Mainland China
We supported Medpace with conversion rate optimisation (CRO) in Mainland China, starting with an audit and strategy review.
Hertz: Growing demand in Greater China
Across WeChat, Baidu and RedNote, paid demand generation and organic content work as one system, bringing in more bookings from Chinese travellers.
Lenovo: Turning fragmented content into one global narrative
We developed Lenovo's global thought leadership series, which outperformed platform benchmarks.
Launching a SaaS brand in Taiwan and Hong Kong
We created a multi-channel campaign to launch a fast-growing SaaS brand in Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Promoting an APAC hotel brand in Mainland China
We ran in-depth strategy workshops to build a complete digital marketing strategy for the Mainland China market.
Did you know?
In China, the business card is a QR code and the work email is a WeChat message. Professional networking isn't a separate activity. It happens in the same feeds people scroll every day.
Engineered for China's speed Built for global scale
China isn't a market you simply enter. It runs on its own platforms, at its own pace. We give global brands the team and systems to work inside China's walled gardens, from social commerce on RedNote to Douyin and WeChat, and to keep growing once they're in.
System Decode
More than market entry. China-first strategy that accounts for local regulation, platform rules and how mainland consumers actually get from discovery to purchase.
Social-First
In China, the feed is the storefront. We produce frequent, platform-native content built for the way RedNote and Douyin decide what people see.
Cross-Platform
One media plan across the Tencent, Alibaba and ByteDance ecosystems, so a customer who finds you on one platform can buy on another.
Hyper-Local
Plans that change city by city. From Tier 1 hubs to fast-growing lower-tier cities, we adapt to how each one shops.
Native Growth
No waiting on headquarters. China-native specialists work inside your team, so decisions move at the speed of the local market, not a global approval chain.
A full funnel Built for China
China's platforms are walled gardens. Each one works differently, and the channels that matter change at every stage of the funnel.
Our China specialists match the right channels to each stage: awareness on Douyin, RedNote and Weibo, then consideration and conversion through WeChat Mini Programs, Tmall and JD.com.
We build funnels for China's scale, not a global plan with a Chinese translation.
Book your China Growth Session
A free 30-minute call about your ambitions in China, how your team is set up and what's getting in the way of growth. We'll show you how to bring strategy, creative and media together for the Chinese market, and exactly where to start.
Book nowWhy global brands choose Kindred for China
One regional team with one point of accountability. Our APAC hub sets the strategy, and local teams adapt it for each market. You get the reach of a network with the cultural depth and speed of a boutique team.
One partner for Greater China
No more juggling agencies, markets and timelines. One contract and one team across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan.
Fluency in each market
We understand the local language, tone, decision-making and rituals that shape how people buy.
Integrated services
Strategy, creative, media and production run side by side, under one plan.
Local nuance, region-ready
Consistent across the region and relevant in every market, shaped by people who live there.
On-the-ground experts
Local operators, creators, analysts and strategists. Not a remote audit team.
Frequently asked questions
Why does China need a different marketing approach?
China runs on its own internet. Google, Meta, YouTube and WhatsApp aren't available in Mainland China, and the platforms, search habits and buying journey are all different. A global campaign simply translated into Chinese will almost certainly fall flat.
Chinese consumers research heavily before they buy, and they trust reviews and KOLs more than brand claims. They expect a foreign brand to show it understands them. Positioning, pricing, creative and even colour choices need China-first thinking, not a global campaign with Chinese subtitles.
How is Kindred's China team structured?
Our Greater China team is based in Hong Kong and led by our General Manager in the region. The team speaks Mandarin, Cantonese and English, and makes the day-to-day calls on creative, platforms and timing.
You get one team for Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan, connected directly to your global or regional team.
Which platforms should we prioritise in China?
It depends on your category and audience, but most plans draw from these:
Search: Baidu is the main search engine in Mainland China. Google is blocked.
Social and content:
- WeChat: Official Accounts, Mini Programs and Channels
- RedNote (Xiaohongshu): discovery and reviews
- Douyin: short video
- Weibo: news and public conversation
- Bilibili: younger audiences and long-form video
E-commerce: Tmall, JD.com and Douyin shops, plus Tmall Global and JD Worldwide for cross-border sales.
B2B: WeChat, Baidu, Zhihu and industry media.
We build the mix around your industry and how your customers actually search and buy.
Do we need a Chinese business entity to market in China?
Not always, but it changes what you can do. Some platforms let overseas companies open verified accounts. Others need a Chinese business licence before you can advertise or sell. Cross-border e-commerce lets you sell without a local entity at all. We'll tell you what's possible with your current setup.
Will our website work in China?
Possibly, but often slowly. Sites hosted outside the mainland can load slowly or partly break, especially if they rely on Google Fonts, Maps, reCAPTCHA or Analytics. Hosting in China needs an ICP licence, which in turn needs a local entity.
Some global brands use a China-optimised site hosted in Hong Kong, or lead with WeChat and Mini Programs instead. We'll test how your site performs from inside China and recommend the right fix.
How do you handle China's advertising rules?
China's Advertising Law is strict:
- Absolute claims like "best" or "number one" are banned.
- Health and cosmetics claims are tightly controlled.
- Paid KOL content must be labelled as advertising.
- Personal data falls under PIPL, China's privacy law.
- Every platform also runs its own content review.
We check copy and creative before anything goes live, so campaigns don't stall in review or need costly fixes mid-launch.
Do you work with KOLs and KOCs?
Yes. Influencers shape what Chinese consumers buy, especially on RedNote and Douyin. KOLs are key opinion leaders, meaning well-known creators. KOCs are key opinion consumers: everyday users with smaller, trusted followings.
We find and vet both, negotiate rates, brief them and track results. A few KOLs combined with many KOCs often works harder than one big name.
Can Kindred handle creative production locally?
Yes. We produce social content, video and performance creative for China. Native speakers transcreate the copy rather than translating it, which means rewriting it so it carries the right meaning and tone for local readers.
Each market is handled individually where possible: Simplified Chinese for Mainland China, Traditional Chinese for Hong Kong and Taiwan. We also manage local production partners, talent and studios.
Do you cover Hong Kong and Taiwan too?
Yes, and we treat them as separate markets. Google, Meta, Instagram and YouTube all work as normal there. WhatsApp leads messaging in Hong Kong, and LINE is big in Taiwan. Language differs too: both use Traditional Chinese, but with different everyday expressions.
We plan each market on its own terms, and can run them alongside a Mainland China campaign.
What types of brands do you typically work with in China?
Global brands entering China for the first time. Brands whose China presence has stopped growing. Travel and hospitality brands reaching Chinese travellers. And B2B companies building awareness with Chinese decision-makers.
Common scenarios include:
- brands that launched with a global template and didn't gain traction
- companies adding Baidu, Douyin or RedNote to a WeChat-only presence
- teams that need someone in-market to run China for them, on its own or as part of a wider APAC strategy
How long does a China campaign take to launch?
Plan for 60 to 90 days for a properly localised launch. Account setup and verification on Chinese platforms can take several weeks on their own, so start early. The rest covers research, positioning, creative, platform setup, KOL seeding and testing. If your accounts are already live, it can move faster.
Do you work with brands that aren't in China yet?
Yes. We'll help you work out whether now is the right time, which cities and platforms to start with, and what it will realistically take in budget and time.
What's the typical engagement structure?
Most engagements start with a foundation phase. We audit your current strategy or market fit, refine positioning, and build the strategic, media and creative framework for China.
After that, we can work on a project basis for a single campaign, on a monthly retainer for ongoing management, or a mix of the two. It depends on what you need: launching something new, scaling what's already there, or fixing a market that's underperforming.
How do we get started?
Book a free call with our team. We'll look at your brand, your market position and what you want to achieve in China. Then we'll give you an honest view on whether Kindred is the right fit and what a China strategy could look like.
From there, we either move into a foundation phase or help you plan next steps on your own. Either way, you leave with clearer direction.