At Influence Matters, we follow the global technology megatrends closely and regularly discuss them with leading editors in Chinese media to make sure we can counsel our clients on their approach to the Chinese market.
Here are some of the trends that our team leader and Semicon specialist Poppy is following for 2022, and some a few comments she collected from editors keeping an eye on these trends in China.
2022 Megatrends
Driven by Covid 19 and the fast development of fundamental technologies such as 5G, AI, IoT, Cloud Computing, we witnessed a new wave of megatrends in 2021, creating big buzz and hot discussions.
Incorporating our observations with our discussions with Chinese media, we identified three megatrends for the tech industry in China: Metaverse, EV, ESG. We expect these topics to be at the center of the technology agenda in China and will have a significant impact on media communication in 2022 and the following years.
The Metaverse
After Facebook announced changing its name to Meta, the concept of Metaverse – to experience and live online in a virtual world – fast became the buzzword of 2021. To achieve this, the Metaverse requires a comprehensive set of technologies as the underlying support, such as 5G, VR, cloud computing, digital twin, etc, bringing significant opportunities to the tech industry.
In the words of leading Chinese media:
EETimes China (semiconductor media): “Although there are many companies claiming to build a meta-universe, we believe that a truly complete 3D virtual world is only a “simulation of the physical laws of the physical world”, which has a huge technical threshold.”
Technode (tech media): “Metaverse will take a long time to achieve. It attracted an extensive level of attention. To understand it more clearly, we need to temporize.”
36Kr (business media): “Metaverse involves technologies in a variety of fields, causing a fiery wave of entrepreneurship and investment. But if its development goes out of control, or it is manipulated by some speculative capital, we will see a powerful force to burst the bubble.”
LifeWeek (mass media): “Metaverse will be achieved through the collaborations of many technologies. People will get real feelings in a virtual world. What is the real meta-universe, what impact will it have on society, and what is the prospect of development? It is currently unknown.”
Electronic Vehicles (EV)
Driven by the government’s support and the EV manufacturers’ efforts, the EV industry is in fast development and will experience a take-off in the coming years. According to BYD’s estimation (a leading EV manufacturer in China), new energy vehicles, which include electric cars, will account for 70% of China’s new car sales by 2030[1]. With the rising of the market, EV triggered hot discussions amongst end consumers and active engagements from media and market players. In the semiconductor industry, EV has also been a hot topic in tradeshows, as well as for summits and webinars.
[1]CNBC, China’s electric car leaders predict new energy vehicles will dominate the local market by 2030, https://www.cnbc.com/2021/06/15/chinas-top-ev-car-makers-predict-new-energy-vehicles-will-dominate.html
In the words of leading Chinese media:
Voice (semiconductor media): “EVs could be the next iPhone. Due to the high volume of chip consumption, this rising star triggered the big chip shortage. In the next decade, many semiconductor companies will be working hard on the competitions in the EV segment.”
Maker (tech media): “The sales of EV will continue to increase in the future. However, this market is currently in a knockout stage. Car-makers who cannot catch up in marketing promotion, performance, and R&D capability might not survive.”
Caijing Magazine (business media): “In the next five to ten years, driven by the government’s policies, EV will be a long-term promising market. Batteries will be the key and will be interesting for investors.”
Beijing Daily (mass media): “Because of the smarter features and better driving experience, more and more consumers prefer to choose EV. The rise of this market will also facilitate the government to achieve carbon neutrality goal.”
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG)
On September 22, 2020, General Secretary Xi Jinping proposed at the 75th United Nations General Assembly the goal of “China’s carbon dioxide emissions will reach the peak by 2030 and strive to achieve carbon neutrality by 2060” (referred to as the dual carbon goal). Since then, ESG has become the key focus in China’s national strategy and a long-term topic for investment, industrial transformation, and media discussions. In the coming 2022 and the future, more carbon emission reduction policies will be released. This is an ESG policy hotspot that deserves attention.
In the words of leading Chinese media:
Chip Things (semiconductor media): “The semiconductor industry produces a significant amount of carbon emissions. But sustainability is not less important than securing production capacity. Chip-makers should work with industry chain partners and take their own ESG actions.”
Geekpark (tech media): “In the past, ESG could be ‘Green Washing’ for some companies. But from now on, it will become an important component. There will be pains and difficulties, but we must persist.”
Caijing Magazine (business media): “ESG is important and meaningful. It will have a significant positive impact on the development of many areas, including manufacturing, agriculture, technology, etc.”
Xinhua Net (mass media): “The government’s control of carbon emissions has pushed listed companies to actively implement ESG concepts and regulate the development of many industries. At the same time, ESG has also attracted the capital market’s attention, and stimulated the development of technologies and products of relevance to it.”
How you can leverage the trends and work with the press in China:
Media’s Angles
To expand brand exposure in media channels, these megatrends are good opportunities for semiconductor companies to focus on. Understanding the angles and the reach of different kinds of media is the key to work with them.
Depending on different positions and target audience’s interests, the Chinese media discuss about these hot topics in different ways. In this article, we will introduce the differences amongst semiconductor, general tech, business and mass media.
Semiconductor Media
Semiconductor media care about the technology details and love to make in-depth industry analysis because their target audience are mostly industry practitioners. To satisfy readers’ business and professional needs, the semiconductor media will analyze the underlying theories and details of the technologies and introduce how these underly things enable the development of megatrends.
General Tech
General tech media focus more about how the megatrends can be put into real applications. Their target audience are mainly tech enthusiasts and people who care about technology developments. To satisfy their needs, the general tech media are keen on introducing the new technical considerations of a megatrend, and the impact to end-users and to the future directions of the tech industry.
Business and Mass
Business and mass media prefer to introduce how the megatrend can influence the development of an industry, a geographic area, or people’s life. Generally, they will look at the impact on the Chinese society. Their readers are mainly people who care about tech as well as China’s economic development.
Influence Matters works with a wide range of Chinese media and has built privileged relationships key editors in all of the leading business, technology and vertical industries’ press.
Get in touch to discuss how we can help increase your brand awareness and reach customers and decision makers in China.
