Chinese Media Spend Lagging Behind Consumer Digital Habits

The rising Chinese middle class are spending more time with digital media, but advertisers have yet to reflect this shift with reallocated media budgets according to a new report.

“The Chinese middle class is not necessarily the richest, as a large number of young people are put into this category,” said Steven Chang, CEO of ZenithOptimedia Greater China, “but they definitely promise more wealth with a bigger purchasing power in the near future.”

Chang further observed that middle-class households were significantly more likely than the general public to spend time online, with their daily internet use being 34% higher, while their time spent on digital media rivalled that on TV.

“But the advertisers have not invested enough regarding the new habits of the emerging middle class,” he said. “About 45% of their time is devoted to the internet, but money invested to that end only takes up about 16%.”

The study from ZenithOptimedia Greater China – Discover China’s Emerging Middle Class – was based on the findings of a survey of about 17,700 respondents in 150 cities.

More details at WARC Asia.

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Tom Simpson

Tom Simpson

Tom Simpson is an operator, investor and writer working where AI, media, gaming and culture meet. He is the founder of AK3R, a boutique venture fund and advisory business backing and building companies in AI, agents, gaming, advertising and digital marketplaces, and writes the Hyperfuture Memo on how AI is reshaping markets, media and culture. He has spent around 20 years building media, advertising and gaming businesses across the UK, the US and Asia, including building AdColony’s Asia business through its exit, and founded Digital in Asia in 2013.

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