Latest Articles

Reconnection: The UMS China Social Media Platforms Guide

Brands with experience in the China market know that it is a completely different landscape from the West. And while WeChat has been an essential platform for many brands to test the market, it’s just the tip of the iceberg. China’s vast digital landscape is packed with opportunities to reach […]

PIE LIVE 23 – How can I market effectively to international students?

During the PIE LIVE 23 Australia conference, UMS Founder Jessica Miao appeared on a panel to share her views on how to market effectively to international students. Helen Packer, senior reporter at The PIE News moderated the panel discussion. Helen: What does your research show about how students are finding […]

‘Report Card’ on International Education: Lessons from PIE LIVE 23 Conference

The PIE LIVE 2023 conference last week was packed with insights from professionals in international education from around Australia and New Zealand. There was an excellent range of panel sessions and presentations that provided updates and perspectives on the state of recovery in the sector, and key issues that will […]

Leveraging Little Red Book to Engage Prospective Chinese Students: Insights and Strategies

As Australia looks to engage prospective students in China to regain pre-pandemic numbers, it is important that marketers are aware of the different ecosystems of apps in China to effectively create and deploy engaging content. However, marketing strategies that might have been successful before the pandemic will need to be […]

The Recovery of Australian International Education: A Billion Dollar Opportunity

In 2019, the Chinese international student market contributed an estimated $12.1 million dollars to the Australian economy[1], and made up 37.3% of all international students in the country[2]. When the pandemic swept across the globe in 2020, many students returned to their home countries and no longer enrolled in overseas […]

Opening the Little Red Book: Strategic Partnership between Xiaohongshu and Tourism New Zealand

The strategic partnership between Tourism New Zealand and Xiaohongshu was formally announced in Shanghai on June 29th during the week-long delegation of New Zealand Business leaders to China. Prime Minister Chris Hipkins launched the initiative with Xiaohongshu’s chief marketing officer, Wang Yajuan. A selfie taken with Hipkins by Yajuan, posted […]

The Middle-Kingdom discovers Middle-Earth

As global travel starts to make a comeback and return to a ‘new normal’, New Zealand is engaging with China to rekindle its tourism industry, an industry that faced considerable setbacks during the COVID-19 pandemic and recent flooding events. New Zealand exported NZD$3.4 billion of services to China in 2019 […]

Classroom Comeback: Recovery Options for International Education in NZ

This week, New Zealand’s Prime Minister is visiting China and attention is turning to the state of recovery in the international education sector. During the visit, an agreement was signed in Beijing regarding the mutual recognition of higher education degrees. This will be valuable for New Zealand to build up […]

From imported and synthetic to local and natural

As technology and manufacturing processes in China increase, so does the quality of goods they create and the willingness of Chinese to purchase products made domestically. China is quickly catching up to meet the high demands of its consumers and is steadily gaining their trust back, but how will this […]

Fresh Green Shoots – China’s emerging sustainable consumer

(Image Source: Wikimedia Commons – Chen Wu) Sustainability has become a regular part of Western marketing vocabulary and consumers now hold brands to a much higher level, and expect them to take appropriate steps to protect the environment and support social causes. In China, awareness and support of sustainability (and […]