Western companies in China : the example of DANONE

In the last past twenty years, the growing Chinese market has attracted worldwide companies. As a matter of fact western companies understood that China was a huge opportunity to make business and profits. As a different market with its specific consumers and culture, companies have been forced to adapt their marketing strategy and of course their product to be successful in such a different country.

We can take the example of DANONE story on the Chinese market which began in failure on the sale of yogurt. Indeed it seems difficult to make Chinese eat yogurt when Chinese are known to consume only 7kg of milk per person per year on average, against 200kg in the West. From this failure DANONE learned that we have to adapt the product we sell to the specific consumer who will consume our product. Today products beneficial to health are top selling products of the brand because Chinese consumers are very concerned about the medical interest of what they eat. Now every DANONE advertisement remind the medicinal benefits of each product.