Master's Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, Tongji University (College of Arts & Communications), course: Master in Communication, language: English, abstract: In recent years, China’s Automotive Market has grown tremendously and reached the goal to be the worlds biggest. With the increase of automotive competitors, not only from local but also foreign organizations, a car brand needs to understand its audience well in order to apply its marketing communication strategies. In other words, apply the correct messages and related media to communicate with the targeted Chinese consumers successfully. China has currently 1.3billion individual consumers on the market, out of which over 350 are USD Billionaires and 500 million are below age 30. These two distinctive statistics of the consumer market are specifically pointed out, as they are the key to acknowledging that the consumers in China are changing. Recent studies have shown that the purchasing criteria, decision making process and used communication channels are quite different of the younger consumers than those of the ‘lost generation’ who acquired sudden wealth after the Cultural Revolution. Though, the newly rich, now in their 50’s, are still the main target group of luxury brands in China, a good marketer always has to be able to predict future developments. With the modernization of the Chinese society, the costumers who will inherit the fortunes of the “lost generation” and rise in line with the rise of the countries economy is namely Generation Y. Who are these successors of the post-revolution newly rich consumers and how do we communicate a product to them successfully? On the basis of my unquestionable fascination by China’s Automotive Market and German Luxury car brands, I will pursue to answer the above question in order to give an overview for a marketer as to how successfully communicate a car to Chinese Generation Y consumer. Due to research in this field still being at an embryonic stage I will personally carry out an empirical investigation and outline who this consumer is, how they process information, their usage of mass and personal communication and acknowledge their attitude towards German luxury car brands. Finally, on the basis of the research findings I will define Chinese Generation Y car purchasing behavior and create a marketing communication strategy for a German Luxury car brand in China wishing to engage with the consumer in question.

Master's Thesis from the year 2012 in the subject Communications - Public Relations, Advertising, Marketing, Social Media, Tongji University (College of Arts & Communications), course: Master in Communication, language: English, abstract: In recent years, China's Automotive Market has grown tremendously and reached the goal to be the worlds biggest. With the increase of automotive competitors, not only from local but also foreign organizations, a car brand needs to understand its audience well in order to apply its marketing communication strategies. In other words, apply the correct messages and related media to communicate with the targeted Chinese consumers successfully. China has currently 1.3billion individual consumers on the market, out of which over 350 are USD Billionaires and 500 million are below age 30. These two distinctive statistics of the consumer market are specifically pointed out, as they are the key to acknowledging that the consumers in China are changing. Recent studies have shown that the purchasing criteria, decision making process and used communication channels are quite different of the younger consumers than those of the 'lost generation' who acquired sudden wealth after the Cultural Revolution. Though, the newly rich, now in their 50's, are still the main target group of luxury brands in China, a good marketer always has to be able to predict future developments. With the modernization of the Chinese society, the costumers who will inherit the fortunes of the "lost generation" and rise in line with the rise of the countries economy is namely Generation Y. Who are these successors of the post-revolution newly rich consumers and how do we communicate a product to them successfully? On the basis of my unquestionable fascination by China's Automotive Market and German Luxury car brands, I will pursue to answer the above question in order to give an overview for a marketer as to how successfully communicate a car to Chinese Generation

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject Business economics - Business Management, Corporate Governance, grade: A, University of Cambridge, language: English, abstract: This research study aims at making great contribution to the existing literature on country of origin concept from the viewpoint of the Chinese customers. This study will specifically investigate two key points. Firstly, the significance of the manufacturing nation of the product compared to the attributes of the choice of the Chinese consumers and secondly, the relative significance of the country image aspect of the consumer’s preference of the foreign goods. It is important to conduct a systematic investigation regarding the concept of country of origin in the developing countries as it has its effects on the exporters, foreign manufacturers, domestic manufacturers, marketers, and various channel intermediaries wishing or doing business in such countries. It also has its effect on the policy makers and government of the developing nations trying to develop domestic manufacturing competencies during intense competition from the foreign brands and also for the academics that are interested in comprehending the behavior of the consumers in the developing countries (Barbosa, 2010).

In 2009, the PRC overtook the USA as the biggest automotive market in the world in production as well as in sales. With economic problems like stagnating real income, rising raw material prices and credit-driven consumerism in the industrial countries the importance of the Chinese market for car companies will even grow. Saturated passenger car markets in the USA and Western Europe and low rates of motorization in new automotive markets like China focus the attention of the market participants on these new, growing markets. The focus of this study is on the passenger vehicle market and lines out why the Chinese market is profitable and attractive for international manufacturers. Moreover, it shows how to deal with the problems and how to use the opportunities regarding the dimensions of internationalization. Firstly, the PEST-Analysis of the Chinese automobile market lines out the political-legal, economic, socio-cultural and technological factors. In such a rapidly changing and growing as well as culturally completely different country like the PRC, the framework conditions and circumstances are of big importance for foreign enterprises willing to do business there. The third chapter deals with possible internationalization strategies for China by showing possibilities of timing and market development strategies plus options for locating business markets. This is also further established in the fourth chapter, in which the internationalization strategies of two German enterprises are analyzed. Furthermore the fourth chapter analyses the internationalization strategies of VW and BMW. At the end of this thesis, the results are summarized in two SWOT-analyses of both firms including measures on how to deal with threats in the PRC and on how to benefit from strengths and opportunities.