As consumers increasingly demand quality, safety, and brand reputation, compliance with advertising qualifications has become an indispensable part for overseas brands to successfully enter the international market. Different countries and regions have strict laws, regulations, and industry standards for the advertising of skincare and makeup products. This requires brands to understand and comply with local advertising qualification details to ensure the positive shaping of the brand image and the smooth expansion of the market. This article aims to provide overseas brands with an overview of the advertising qualification details in the skincare and makeup industry, helping you to cross regional boundaries and accurately grasp the advertising standards and requirements of the Chinese market.
General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care
Industry Description
Manufacturing and distribution of daily chemical products used for facial skin cleansing and care.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
If it is domestically produced non-special (general) cosmetics, a “Domestic Non-Special Purpose Cosmetics Filing Certificate” or a screenshot of the public announcement page on the official website of the National Medical Products Administration or a general cosmetic filing certificate is required.
If it is imported non-special (general) cosmetics, the following are required:
2.1 “Imported Non-Special Purpose Cosmetics Filing Certificate” or a screenshot of the public announcement page on the official website of the National Medical Products Administration or an imported general cosmetic filing certificate.
2.2 “Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Certificate for Imported Goods.”
If it is a cosmetic manufacturing enterprise, a “Cosmetics Production License” is required.
If it is a registrant or filer who is not a cosmetic manufacturing enterprise, the following are required:
4.1 The entrusted manufacturing enterprise’s “Cosmetics Production License.”
4.2 “Contract Manufacturing Agreement” or distribution authorization.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-holding company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
Yes, a “Individual Business License” or “Business License” (E-commerce license for individual industrial and commercial households) is required.
Business entities manufacturing and distributing makeup (cosmetics used for beautifying and embellishing appearance with color) and perfume.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Personal Account Opening
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Special Purpose Cosmetics – Skin Care
Industry Description
Business entities manufacturing and distributing special purpose cosmetics used for whitening, freckle removal, and sun protection.
Industry Qualifications
“Domestic Special Purpose Cosmetics Administrative License Approval Document.”
Business Scope Qualifications
For imported special cosmetics, a “Imported Special Purpose Cosmetics Administrative License Approval Document” or “Imported Special Purpose Cosmetics Health Permit Approval Document” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-holding company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Personal Account Opening
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Special Purpose Cosmetics – Hair Care
Industry Description
Business entities manufacturing and distributing special purpose cosmetics used for hair care, perming, dyeing, and anti-hair loss.
Industry Qualifications
“Domestic Special Purpose Cosmetics Administrative License Approval Document.”
Business Scope Qualifications
The same as for Special Purpose Cosmetics – Skin Care.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Personal Account Opening
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Special Purpose Cosmetics – Body Care
Industry Description
Business entities manufacturing and distributing special purpose cosmetics used for hair growth, hair removal, breast enhancement, fitness, deodorization (5-year transition period).
Industry Qualifications
“Domestic Special Purpose Cosmetics Administrative License Approval Document.”
Business Scope Qualifications
The same as for Special Purpose Cosmetics – Skin Care.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Personal Account Opening
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Business entities manufacturing and distributing tools used in daily makeup and beauty applications (excluding electronic products).
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
If involving specific trademarks, a “Trademark Registration Certificate” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-holding company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
Personal Account Opening
The same as for General Cosmetics – Facial Cleansing and Care.
In today’s digital marketing era, Douyin, as a leader in the field of short video, has become an important position for brand promotion, with its huge user base and high user stickiness. This article will start with five advertising dissemination methods of Douyin: opening screen advertising, search advertising, in-feed advertising, DOU+, and enterprise number, and elaborate on their respective scenarios, rights and interests, advantages, and successful cases, providing a practical guide for advertisers.
Douyin Opening Screen Advertising
On the short video platform of Douyin with a daily active user base of hundreds of millions, the opening screen advertisement, with its unique display form and strong visual impact, has become the best choice for brand exposure. The opening screen advertisement of Douyin is an advertising form that is immediately displayed when the user opens the Douyin APP, which not only occupies the commanding height of vision but also provides an unprecedented brand exposure opportunity for advertisers with its full-screen immersive experience.
Promotion Scenarios
Douyin’s opening screen advertisements are displayed at the moment when the user opens the Douyin APP, capturing the visual focus and serving as the golden spot for brands to carry out high-intensity dissemination and extensive reach. It is suitable for various scenarios such as new product launches, brand communication, and event promotion. When launching new products, the opening screen advertisement can quickly attract user attention through high-intensity dissemination; during brand communication, it can achieve a strong screen presence in conjunction with high-quality content; and during event promotion, it can capture the visual focus and guide traffic to the event page.
Advertisement Types
Images, GIFs, and Videos: When the user opens the Douyin App, the advertisement is displayed at the opening screen position for 3 seconds as a static image, 4 seconds as a GIF, or 5 seconds as a video, allowing for pure display and landing page redirection.
Topview: When the user opens the Douyin App, a full-screen display of 3 seconds static image is provided, supporting pure display and landing page redirection to achieve efficient drainage.
Toplive: Combined with the live broadcast form, it provides a real-time interactive experience for brand events or product launches.
Promotion Advantages
The advantages of Douyin’s opening screen advertisements lie in their strong exposure capabilities and high user stickiness. As the first visual entry point when users open the APP, the opening screen advertisement can strongly attract attention, ensuring a high exposure rate of the advertisement content. At the same time, the huge user base and active user group of the Douyin platform also provide a broad audience foundation for the opening screen advertisement. The opening screen advertisement is deeply integrated with the in-feed advertisement, reaching users a second time and enhancing brand memory. In addition, the opening screen advertisement can create a three-dimensional visual experience, enhancing the attractiveness and click-through rate of the advertisement, thereby improving brand reputation and user conversion rate.
Successful Case
Taking Pepsi as an example, the brand created the topic #LoveScreenDominance# and used Douyin’s opening screen advertisements and TOPVIEW resources to widely expose event information, successfully attracting a large number of user attention and participation. According to statistics, the event topic has achieved a total of 2.72 billion exposures and attracted 425,000 users to create related videos, achieving significant brand promotion effects. This successful case fully proves the strong strength of Douyin’s opening screen advertisements in brand exposure and user interaction.
Douyin Search Advertising
In today’s era of information overload, the way users obtain information is quietly changing, with search emerging as a key means of actively acquiring information, its importance increasingly highlighted. Douyin, as the leader in the short video field, has a search function that is also becoming more sophisticated, providing advertisers with a new marketing stage—Douyin search advertising.
Promotion Scenarios
Douyin search advertisements cover multiple scenarios of users’ active searches, including but not limited to product inquiries, service consultations, and content exploration. When users enter keywords in the search box with clear needs, relevant advertisements can be accurately displayed in front of them. This active search behavior makes the advertisement exposure more targeted, and the conversion rate is significantly improved.
Advertisement Types
Brand Zone: When users search on Douyin and hit the advertiser’s brand word, the brand zone information is displayed at the top, and the brand video plays automatically.
Search Easter Egg: The search results pop up a full-screen Lottie animation, which is highly entertaining and attracts user attention. Clicking on the Easter egg leads to a conversion landing page.
Douyin Hot List: The brand hot word is displayed in the sixth position of the search page hot list. Clicking on it leads to a results page that showcases the “Douyin Hotspot Brand Zone.”
Bidding Advertisements: In the search results page of Douyin, one bidding advertisement is displayed among positions 2-10, mixed with user content.
Precision Advertisements: When users search for an app name, a download card style can be triggered; when users search for specific brand words, a precision card is displayed at the top.
Promotion Advantages
Advertisers can rely on multi-dimensional data such as users’ search keywords, interest preferences, and geographical locations to achieve precise targeted advertising, ensuring that advertising information is directly delivered to potential target users, demonstrating strong precise targeting capabilities. At the same time, with the continuous growth of the scale and share of the Ocean Engine search, Douyin search advertisements have a huge traffic blue ocean, providing advertisers with a broad development space. What’s more, this advertising form has achieved the integration of brand effect and sales, supporting brand display and content linkage through the entire link of the scene, and effectively promoting effect transformation, meeting a variety of marketing needs. In particular, “search after watching” has become the mainstream trend of search under the content ecosystem, and search behavior profoundly reflects the user’s active intention, making Douyin search advertisements particularly outstanding in efficient transformation, bringing higher investment returns to advertisers.
Successful Case
Watermelon Creator (a children’s programming brand) achieved significant results when advertising their search products by carefully optimizing the advertising area and search words. They expanded the coverage of keywords to more than 700, which not only improved the accuracy of the advertisement but also led to a substantial increase of 112% in the number of customers acquired, while attracting up to 450,000 participation videos, fully demonstrating the powerful driving force of optimizing advertising strategies on brand exposure and user growth.
Douyin in-feed Advertising
With a platform boasting a daily active user base of 600 million, in-feed advertising on Douyin has become an essential channel for brand promotion and product marketing, offering a native and immersive experience.
Promotion Scenarios
Douyin in-feed advertisements support a variety of promotion scenarios, including lead collection, traffic exposure, and store promotion. Through landing page forms and smart phone conversions, advertisers can efficiently collect potential leads, managing and following up with customer information. Additionally, in-feed ads support app downloads and application promotion, helping advertisers quickly acquire new and active users. For physical stores, these ads can accurately target users around the store, combining POI (Points of Interest) and coupon features to effectively increase store exposure and customer traffic.
Advertisement Types
Recommended: Ads are displayed in the Douyin in-feed content, with a vertical screen display style that is native and strongly associated with the account, supporting various ad styles such as native and single-page.
Feedslive: Users see real-time live broadcast images and cards in the Douyin recommendation stream, and can enter the Douyin native live broadcast room with one click on the live broadcast image in the recommendation stream.
Local Reach: When browsing the recommendation stream videos in the Douyin app, users have the opportunity to view Local Reach ads, meeting the local marketing needs of advertisers such as offline store promotion.
Promotion Advantages
Douyin in-feed advertising offers advertisers a wealth of benefits. Firstly, advertisers can choose suitable ad types and styles according to their needs, such as native or single-page, to meet different marketing needs. Secondly, the Douyin platform provides refined audience targeting features, allowing advertisers to display to specific types of users, improving the accuracy and conversion rate of the advertisement. Moreover, Douyin in-feed ads also have the advantage of deep penetration, being displayed on multiple pages of the Douyin APP, deepening user impressions, and increasing ad click-through rates.
The core advantage of Douyin in-feed advertising lies in its efficient reach and precise marketing. With the vast user base of the Douyin platform, advertisers can easily reach a large number of potential customers, achieving brand exposure and product promotion. At the same time, combined with the intelligent recommendation algorithm of the Douyin platform, advertisers can make precise advertisements based on user interests and behavioral habits, improving the pertinence and conversion rate of the advertisement. In addition, Douyin in-feed ads also support a variety of display forms, such as small images, large images, group images, etc., meeting the creative needs of different advertisers.
Successful Case
Liby Group is a typical case of the successful application of Douyin in-feed advertising. Liby Group, through the president’s live broadcast debut, combined with the efficient reach and precise marketing advantages of Douyin in-feed advertising, successfully started a long-term live broadcast cooperation with Douyin and built a small shop ecosystem. According to statistics, the total number of live broadcast views exceeded 3 million, with 103,000 new fans added, and the highest number of people online at the same time reached 99,000. This successful case fully demonstrates the huge potential of Douyin in-feed advertising in brand promotion and user growth.
In today’s booming global tourism and travel industry, for overseas brands, entering the Chinese market, which is full of opportunities and challenges, means not only bringing unique travel experiences and high-quality services but also following and deeply understanding the industry’s advertising and marketing standards. This guide aims to provide a detailed set of advertising qualification details for overseas brands looking to expand into the Chinese tourism market.
Tourism Bureau – Overseas
Industry Description
Tourism administrative units or tourism management departments outside mainland China.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Tourism Bureau – Domestic
Industry Description
Administrative units of tourism in various provinces, cities, and autonomous regions within mainland China.
Industry Qualifications
“Unified Social Credit Code Certificate”
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Commercial places within mainland China that provide accommodation and meals for travelers.
Industry Qualifications
“Special Industry License”
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
Yes, a “Individual Business License” is required.
Hotels – Overseas
Industry Description
Commercial places outside mainland China that provide accommodation and meals for travelers.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Car Rental Services – Overseas
Industry Description
Business entities providing vehicle rental services (without drivers) at locations outside mainland China.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Car Rental Services – Domestic
Industry Description
Business entities providing vehicle rental services (without drivers) at locations within mainland China.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For car rental services in Shanxi Province, Jiangsu Province, Fujian Province, and Shijiazhuang City, a “Car Rental Business License” is required.
For car rental services in Beijing City, Zhejiang Province, and Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a “Car Rental Business Record Certificate” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Passenger Railway Transport
Industry Description
Business entities providing inter-city railway passenger transport services, including high-speed rail transport, inter-city rail transport, urban underground rail transport, and regular railway passenger transport, including their own ticket sales.
Industry Qualifications
“Railway Transport License”
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Passenger Road Transport
Industry Description
Business entities providing passenger transport services on all roads, including their own ticketing services.
Industry Qualifications
“Road Transport Operating License”
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Business entities providing various water transport services primarily for passenger transport, which can be divided into maritime passenger transport, inland river passenger transport, and passenger ferry transport, including their own ticket sales.
Industry Qualifications
“Domestic Waterway Transport Business License” or a license certificate stamped by the relevant local transportation department.
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Passenger Air Transport
Industry Description
Business entities providing air transport services primarily for passenger transport, covering their own ticketing activities.
Industry Qualifications
“Public Air Transport Enterprise Business License”
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Travel Service Platforms
Industry Description
Online platforms providing various urban car travel services (such as quick rides, exclusive rides, carpooling, and driving services) and shared bicycle travel services (excluding car manufacturer-operated travel platforms, such as T3 Travel).
Industry Qualifications
“Network Car Booking Business License”
Record certificate of internet information services from the provincial communication authority.
Business Scope Qualifications
For taxi services, a “Road Transport Business License” or “Taxi Business Qualification Certificate” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Travel Information and Ticket Reservation Platforms
Industry Description
Online comprehensive platforms providing various railway, road, ferry, and air travel-related services, including metro ticketing and ride code tools.
Industry Qualifications
“Value-added Telecommunications Business License” (B25 Internet Information Service Business)
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Mainly includes Tencent News, Tencent Video, Q-series traffic, WeChat traffic, Youliang Hui, etc., with specific traffic available subject to actual advertising placement.
Personal Account Opening
No
Scenic Spots
Industry Description
Operators of scenic spots and related ticket service providers, such as natural and cultural scenic areas, cultural heritage sites, etc.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For domestic scenic spots, scenic area level certification is required.
For domestic entertainment venues, an “Entertainment Business License” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
OTA Platforms
Industry Description
Business entities operating online comprehensive travel reservation platforms and travel information, strategy content platforms.
Industry Qualifications
“Value-added Telecommunications Business License” (B25 Internet Information Service Business)
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Camping Services
Industry Description
Business entities providing camping facilities (such as tents and other equipment) and camping site services.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Business entities that develop tourism services around the geographical culture and industrial resources of rural areas or characteristic towns.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For domestic scenic spots, scenic area level certification is required.
For domestic entertainment venues, an “Entertainment Business License” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Resort Areas
Industry Description
Operators of comprehensive tourist areas that integrate rest, play, and entertainment, as well as related ticket service providers.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For domestic scenic spots, scenic area level certification is required.
For domestic entertainment venues, an “Entertainment Business License” is required.
For hotel accommodations, a “Special Industry License” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Theme Parks
Industry Description
Providers of tourism services and related ticket services that offer a tourism experience dominated by a theme, along with different landscapes and facilities.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For domestic entertainment venues, an “Entertainment Business License” is required.
For hotel accommodations, a “Special Industry License” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Zoos and Botanical Gardens
Industry Description
Operators of places that are open to the public for the exhibition of wild animals and plants, as well as providers of ticketing services.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For domestic scenic spots, scenic area level certification is required.
For domestic entertainment venues, an “Entertainment Business License” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Overseas Scenic Spots
Industry Description
Operators of scenic spots and related ticket service providers outside mainland China, such as natural and cultural scenic areas, cultural heritage sites, etc.
Industry Qualifications
None
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Study Tours and Sightseeing Activities
Industry Description
Business entities that provide sightseeing activities that combine play and learning mainly for school students.
Industry Qualifications
“Travel Agency Business License”
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Personal Account Opening
No
Cruise Ships
Industry Description
Business entities that provide cruise ships for entertainment sailing, which generally combine transportation, accommodation, restaurants, and entertainment.
Industry Qualifications
“Waterway Transport License”
Business Scope Qualifications
For international shipping services, an “International Shipping Business License” or “International Liner Transport Qualification Registration Certificate” is required.
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
Business entities that provide services such as handling entry and exit and visa procedures for tourists, soliciting and receiving tourists, and arranging accommodation and meals for tourists.
Industry Qualifications
“Travel Agency Business License”
Business Scope Qualifications
For cooperation with third parties or promotion of products not owned by the account-opening company, a “Brand Authorization Letter” or related cooperation agreement, sales agreement, or authorization letter is required.
Ads Spaces in Tencent Ecosystem
Ads can be placed on Tencent News, Tencent Video, Tencent Video Clips, QQ, Tencent Music and Games, WeChat Public Accounts and Mini Programs, WeChat Moments, Youliang Hui, PC QQ, QQ Space, Tencent Music.
In the digital era, Advertising Technology (AdTech) has become the core driving force of the advertising industry, reshaping the advertising market landscape at an unprecedented rate. It greatly enhances the efficiency and precision of advertising delivery and promotes the digital transformation of the advertising industry. This article will delve into the principles of AdTech, provide a detailed analysis of China’s mainstream advertising technologies and their corresponding tools, and offer strategic advice for advertisers on selecting the right advertising technology tools.
Principles of Implementation
The implementation of AdTech is rooted in the deep integration of big data, artificial intelligence, and automation technologies. Its essence lies in collecting and analyzing multi-dimensional, real-time user data to construct precise user profiles, thereby achieving personalized advertising delivery and performance optimization. This process can be roughly divided into the following key steps:
Data Collection: User behavior data on the Internet is collected using various methods, including cookie tracking, device ID recognition, social media login information, etc., covering browsing history, search records, purchase behavior, and more.
Data Processing and Analysis: Raw data is transformed into valuable insights through data cleaning, integration, and modeling, involving advanced analytical techniques such as data anonymization, user segmentation, and interest prediction.
Target Audience Positioning: Based on user profiles, algorithmic models identify potential audience groups that meet the needs of advertisers, achieving precise advertising delivery.
Real-Time Bidding (RTB): On the advertising trading platform (AdExchange), DSPs and SSPs compete for advertising display opportunities through a real-time bidding mechanism. DSPs automatically bid for suitable ad spaces based on the budget and target audience set by the advertiser.
Ad Display and Performance Tracking: After the ad content is accurately delivered to the target audience, the system continuously tracks key indicators such as ad display frequency, click-through rate, conversion rate, etc., to evaluate the ad performance and adjust the delivery strategy accordingly.
Overview of Mainstream Advertising Technologies and Corresponding Tools in China
With the vigorous development of the digital economy in China, advertising technology has shown a trend of diversification. Here is an overview of China’s mainstream advertising technologies and their corresponding tools:
Programmatic Buying Platforms provide comprehensive solutions for programmatic buying, supporting advertisers to deliver ads through RTB or Private Marketplace (PMP), and optimizing the allocation of advertising resources. Representative platforms include Tencent Advertising, Alimama, Baidu Marketing, and YOYI TECH.
Data Management Platform (DMP) tools focus on data collection, integration, and management, offering advertisers a wealth of data tags and in-depth analytical capabilities to aid in precise marketing. Representative service providers include Sensors Data, Umeng+, Getui, and YOYI TECH.
Demand-side Platform (DSP) tools allow advertisers to manage their advertising budgets autonomously, set delivery strategies, and adjust the delivery effects in real-time to enhance the ROI of advertising. Representative service providers include YOYI TECH.
Supply-side Platform (SSP) tools represent the media side, integrating and optimizing their own and third-party advertising resources, offering advertisers a variety of ad space choices, and improving ad fill rates and revenue. Representative service providers include Mango TV Advertising Platform, Youku Advertising Platform, and Toutiao Advertising Platform.
Advertising Trading Platform (AdExchange) tools act as the hub of the advertising market, connecting advertisers, DSPs, SSPs, and other participants, achieving real-time transactions and dynamic pricing of ad spaces. Representative service providers include Tencent Advertising Trading Platform, Baidu Phoenix Nest, and Alimama Taobao Alliance.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools not only help businesses manage customer information but also enhance customer experience and promote sales conversion and loyalty through data analysis. Representative service providers include Salesforce, Facishare, and Kingdee Cloud.
Marketing Automation (MA) tools can automate tasks such as email marketing, social media posting, and customer journey management, significantly improving marketing efficiency and outcomes. Representative MA tools for the consumer goods market in China include LinkFlow and Convertlab.
Content and Creative Generation Technology uses natural language processing, image recognition, and other technologies to automatically generate advertising copy and design materials, improving creative output efficiency. Youyi Technology’s Compass has AI creative production and copywriting capabilities, helping advertisers reduce manpower and enhance creative efficiency.
How Advertisers Choose the Right Advertising Technology Tools
When selecting AdTech or MarTech tools, advertisers should think carefully to ensure that the chosen tools can maximize the realization of their marketing goals. Here are detailed expansions on the five considerations mentioned above to enhance their persuasiveness and practicality:
Precise Target Audience Positioning: Understand the audience thoroughly by defining their characteristics such as age, gender, geographic location, interests, and purchase behavior. Obtain detailed audience information through market research and user profile construction.
Tool Matching Degree: Based on the characteristics of the target audience, advertisers should choose AdTech or MarTech tools that can accurately identify and reach these audiences. For example, if the target audience is mainly active on social media, choosing a tool with strong social media advertising capabilities would be more appropriate.
Comprehensive Assessment of Data Capabilities: Evaluate the tool’s data collection channels, data storage and cleaning, integration capabilities, and advanced data analysis techniques and algorithms to ensure data quality and security.
Smoothness of Technology Integration: Understand the tool’s compatibility with existing systems, the richness of API interfaces, and the support and training provided by the supplier.
In-depth Analysis of Cost-effectiveness: Clarify the initial investment, long-term costs, and ROI assessment of the tool to choose a cost-effective solution.
As technology continues to advance, China’s AdTech will continue to evolve, providing brands with more intelligent and personalized marketing solutions. Enterprises should seize the opportunities of digital transformation and use these technologies to optimize marketing strategies, enhance brand influence, and improve market competitiveness.
The rapid development of information technology has brought about an unprecedented transformation in China’s media and advertising media industry. From traditional newspapers, magazines, radio, and television to emerging digital media, social media, and short video platforms, the diverse forms of media offer a broad space for information dissemination and advertising promotion. This article aims to help readers understand the development history of Chinese media, the current situation, and the diversity and application of advertising media.
I. The Development History of Chinese Media
In the era of traditional media, newspapers, magazines, radio, and television played a significant role in information dissemination and social supervision. Newspapers, as the earliest form of print media, carried the function of guiding public opinion and social education. Their advertisements were favored by advertisers for their wide dissemination, high authority, and credibility. Magazines attracted a specific audience with their in-depth professional content and exquisite printing, with advertisements that were highly targeted and had good preservation. Radio media, using sound as a means of communication, had the advantages of immediacy, extensiveness, and cost-effectiveness, especially in the era of information scarcity, becoming the main channel for obtaining information. Television, which started in the 1950s, gradually became the main way for family entertainment and information acquisition. Its advertisements were intuitive, vivid, and highly infectious, and with technological progress, the forms of television media have become richer.
Entering the 21st century, new media rapidly rose and changed the media landscape. Internet media broke through geographical restrictions, achieving global information dissemination, with its advertisements being precisely targeted, highly interactive, and trackable. Mobile media, with the popularity of smartphones, became the main channel for obtaining information, with mobile advertisements being convenient, personalized, and immediate, favored by advertisers. Social media such as Weibo, WeChat, and TikTok, through user-generated content and social networks, formed a strong dissemination power, with advertisements achieving precise targeting and efficient communication through user data and behavioral analysis.
Newspaper Advertising: Newspaper advertisements play an important role in brand promotion and product publicity due to their wide dissemination, high authority, and reading rates. Newspaper advertisements come in various forms, including display ads, soft articles, and classified ads. With the popularity of the internet, the rise of electronic newspapers and newspaper apps has diversified the channels for newspaper advertising.
Magazine Advertising: Magazine advertisements have a high influence in specific fields with their exquisite printing, professional content, and clear audience positioning. They usually use color printing and high-quality images to vividly display product features and brand images. Additionally, magazine advertisements have good preservation, facilitating readers to read and spread repeatedly.
Radio Advertising: Radio advertisements spread through sound and can cover a wide audience. They have relatively low production costs and are not limited by geography, suitable for national or regional advertising. Moreover, radio advertisements have a strong emotional appeal, stimulating listeners’ desire to purchase.
Television Advertising: With its intuitive, vivid, and highly infectious characteristics, television advertising has become an important means for advertisers to promote products and shape brands. Television advertisements come in various forms, including narrative ads, product demonstration ads, and celebrity endorsement ads. With the popularity of high-definition and smart TVs, the production level and dissemination effect of television advertisements continue to improve.
Internet Advertising: Internet advertising, with its precise targeting, strong interactivity, and trackable effects, has become a new favorite for advertisers. It includes various forms such as search ads, display ads, video ads, and social media ads. Through big data analysis and AI technology, internet advertising can achieve personalized recommendations and precise marketing.
Mobile Advertising: Relying on mobile devices like smartphones, mobile advertising achieves immediacy, convenience, and personalization of advertisements. It includes various forms such as app splash ads, feed ads, and native ads. Through user behavior analysis and geolocation technology, mobile advertising can achieve more precise targeting and higher conversion rates.
Social Media Advertising: Social media advertising leverages the user data and behavioral analysis technology of social platforms to achieve precise targeting and efficient dissemination. It includes various forms such as Moments ads, Weibo ads, and TikTok ads. Through social networks and user-generated content (UGC), social media advertising can create a strong word-of-mouth effect and user stickiness.
Short Video and Live Streaming Advertising: As emerging content forms, short videos, and live streaming have rapidly risen in recent years and are loved by users. Short video platforms like TikTok and Kuaishou attract user attention through short video content and insert advertisements or engage in brand cooperation. Live streaming advertising guides viewers to purchase products or pay attention to brands through the real-time interaction and promotion of the host. With their vivid, intuitive, and highly interactive characteristics, short video and live-streaming advertising have become a new channel for advertisers to promote products and shape brands.
III. Application Practice of Chinese Media and Advertising Media
Media Convergence and Cross-industry Collaboration
With the in-depth development of media convergence, the boundaries between traditional and new media are becoming increasingly blurred. Media organizations continuously enhance their communication power and influence through cross-industry collaboration and resource integration. For example, TV stations collaborate with video websites to launch online dramas and variety shows; newspapers collaborate with social media to conduct online interactive activities. These cross-industry collaborations not only enrich the forms of media content expression and dissemination channels but also provide advertisers with more advertising options.
Data-driven and Precision Marketing
The rise of big data and artificial intelligence technologies has brought revolutionary changes to the application of advertising media. By collecting and analyzing user data and behavioral characteristics, advertisers can achieve precise targeting and personalized recommendations. For instance, e-commerce platforms analyze users’ purchase history and browsing behavior data to recommend related products and coupons; social media platforms achieve precise targeting and efficient dissemination of advertisements through user profiling technology.
Content Marketing and Brand Building
Content marketing has become one of the important means of modern advertising marketing. By producing high-quality and valuable content to attract user attention and participation, advertisers can achieve dual goals of brand building and product promotion. For example, brands attract user attention and interaction by releasing interesting short videos, writing in-depth articles, or holding online events; at the same time, they expand brand influence through user sharing and word-of-mouth on social media platforms.
The Chinese media and advertising media industry is in a period of rapid development and transformation. The integration of traditional media with new media and cross-industry collaboration is becoming a trend; big data and artificial intelligence technologies have brought revolutionary changes to the application of advertising media; content marketing and brand building have become the focus of advertisers. Understanding the development history and current situation of Chinese media and the diversity and application practice of advertising media is of great significance. It is hoped that this article can provide some reference and help for advertisers.
In today’s era of information overload, advertising serves as a crucial bridge for communication between businesses and consumers, its significance is self-evident. With the acceleration of digital transformation, the forms and content of advertising have become increasingly diverse. How to effectively monitor and analyze the effectiveness of advertising has become a key link in corporate marketing strategies. Against this backdrop, China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms have emerged, providing businesses with comprehensive and accurate advertising effect evaluation and optimization suggestions. This article will explore the development status, main functions, application scenarios, and future trends of China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms.
01 Development Background of China’s Advertising Monitoring and Analysis Platforms
In recent years, China’s internet advertising market has expanded, with advertising forms shifting from traditional media such as television, newspapers, and magazines to emerging media like the internet, mobile internet, and social media. The massive growth in advertising content and the diversification of forms have made it increasingly difficult for advertisers to assess the effectiveness of their ads accurately. There is an urgent need for professional tools to assist in decision-making. At the same time, consumer’s advertising acceptance and preferences are constantly changing. How to accurately reach the target audience and improve the conversion rate of advertising has become a focus for advertisers.
Against this backdrop, China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms have risen rapidly, relying on advanced technologies such as big data and artificial intelligence to provide advertisers with comprehensive, multi-dimensional advertising effect monitoring and analysis services. These platforms collect, organize, and analyze advertising data to help advertisers understand the actual performance of their ads, optimize advertising strategies, and enhance marketing effectiveness.
02 Main Functions of China’s Advertising Monitoring and Analysis Platforms
The functions of China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms are rich and varied, covering aspects such as data collection, real-time monitoring, effect analysis, competitive product comparison, and audience analysis.
Data Collection: Platforms collect advertising data from various media platforms through web crawling technology and API interfaces, including key indicators such as ad exposure, clicks, and conversion rates. They then clean and integrate this data into a set that can be analyzed.
Real-Time Monitoring: Provides real-time monitoring services for advertising effects, allowing advertisers to view real-time data at any time, understand the current advertising placement effects, and adjust advertising strategies promptly.
Effect Analysis: Through data analysis algorithms, it conducts in-depth analysis of advertising effects, including the efficiency of advertising placement, audience response, conversion paths, etc., helping advertisers to fully understand the actual performance of their ads.
Competitive Product Comparison: Provides data monitoring and analysis services for competitive advertising, helping advertisers understand the advertising strategies of competitors and providing a reference for advertising optimization.
Audience Analysis: Helps advertisers understand the characteristics and preferences of the target audience through user behavior data and portrait analysis, thereby formulating more precise advertising strategies.
03 Application Scenarios of China’s Advertising Monitoring and Analysis Platforms
China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms are widely used in various industries, providing strong data support for businesses to achieve precise marketing and efficient advertising placement.
E-commerce Industry: E-commerce platforms use advertising monitoring and analysis platforms to evaluate the effectiveness of product promotion ads, optimize advertising placement strategies, and improve product sales and user conversion rates.
Internet Industry: Internet companies monitor the effectiveness of their brand advertising and competitive advertising through the platform, formulate differentiated advertising strategies, and enhance brand awareness and user stickiness.
Financial Industry: Financial institutions use advertising monitoring and analysis platforms to analyze the effectiveness of financial product advertising, accurately target customer groups, and improve the ROI of advertising placement.
Education Industry: Educational institutions monitor and analyze the effectiveness of educational advertising through the platform, understand the preferences and needs of the audience, optimize advertising content, and enhance enrollment effects.
Fast-moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) Industry: FMCG companies use advertising monitoring and analysis platforms to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of FMCG advertising in real-time, quickly adjust advertising strategies, and capture market share.
04 Future Trends of China’s Advertising Monitoring and Analysis Platforms
Despite the significant development of China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms in recent years, they still face some challenges. First, data privacy and security issues have always been a focus of the industry. How to effectively collect and analyze advertising data while protecting user privacy is an important issue that platforms need to address. Second, the continuous innovation and change in advertising forms require platforms to continuously upgrade their technology to adapt to new advertising monitoring and analysis needs.
However, challenges and opportunities coexist. With the continuous development of technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms are expected to achieve more accurate and efficient advertising effect monitoring and analysis in the future. At the same time, as the demand for advertising effect evaluation by enterprises continues to increase, the market prospects for the platform are also very broad. Looking to the future, China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms will show the following development trends:
Technological Innovation: Platforms will continue to rely on advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data to improve the accuracy and efficiency of advertising monitoring and analysis.
Data Integration: Platforms will pay more attention to cross-platform and cross-media data integration, providing advertisers with more comprehensive and multi-dimensional advertising effect evaluations.
Intelligent Decision Making: Through technologies such as machine learning, platforms will provide more intelligent advertising strategy suggestions, helping advertisers achieve more precise marketing decisions.
Privacy Protection: In the process of data collection and analysis, platforms will pay more attention to user privacy protection, using techniques such as differential privacy and federated learning to ensure the security and privacy of user data.
Customized Services: Platforms will provide more customized advertising monitoring and analysis services for different industries and different sizes of enterprises to meet their personalized needs.
05 Representative Advertising Monitoring and Analysis Platforms in China
iResearch
iResearch is one of China’s leading market research institutions, focusing on data monitoring and analysis in the fields of the Internet, new media, and e-commerce. Its advertising monitoring services cover multiple dimensions such as ad exposure, clicks, and conversions, providing advertisers with comprehensive advertising effect evaluations.
Rich data resources, capable of covering multiple advertising channels and platforms make iResearch stand out. In addition to basic advertising effect data, iResearch also provides in-depth industry analysis and trend forecasts. However, for specific enterprises or industries with deep customization service needs, iResearch may not fully meet them.
Miaozhen Systems
Miaozhen Systems is a leading provider of omnichannel marketing data technology solutions in China, focusing on providing advertisers with advertising effect monitoring, data analysis, and optimization suggestions. Its advantage lies in covering a variety of advertising channels both online and offline, such as search engine advertising, social media advertising, video platform advertising, e-commerce platform advertising, TV advertising, and outdoor advertising, providing comprehensive advertising effect monitoring. At the same time, Miaozhen can also provide enterprises with customized monitoring solutions to meet the specific needs of different enterprises. Of course, due to its advanced technology and comprehensive monitoring coverage, Miaozhen Systems’ service fees may be relatively high.
AdMaster
AdMaster is a company focused on digital marketing effect monitoring and analysis, providing advertisers with cross-platform, cross-media advertising effect monitoring services, capable of monitoring the effects of various digital advertising platforms, including search engines, social media, video platforms, etc. With advanced tracking and analysis technology, AdMaster, with its professional consulting and service team, provides one-on-one customized services for customers. However, it is worth noting that although AdMaster excels in the field of digital marketing, it may be somewhat insufficient in monitoring traditional advertising channels.
TrackingIO is a professional mobile advertising effect monitoring and analysis platform, focusing on the mobile advertising field, with deep experience and technical accumulation in monitoring and analyzing mobile advertising, from user source to user activity, from user retention to behavior analysis, providing comprehensive data monitoring and analysis services. Relative to other platforms, TrackingIO maintains a high-cost performance while providing comprehensive services.
AppsFlyer
AppsFlyer is a global leader in mobile app marketing attribution and analysis platforms and also has a wide influence in the Chinese market. AppsFlyer has a broad market recognition and user base, together with a professional team in the Greater China region, members of which have rich experience in the mobile internet field and can provide high-quality services for customers. In addition, AppsFlyer is the only third-party platform that has done a deep docking with Facebook, capable of obtaining multi-dimensional data such as exposure, clicks, installations, and costs. However, the platform mainly focuses on mobile applications and may be somewhat insufficient in monitoring other forms of advertising.
China’s advertising monitoring and analysis platforms are playing an increasingly important role in the advertising industry. Through continuous technological innovation and service upgrades, these platforms are expected to provide enterprises with more accurate and efficient advertising effect evaluation and optimization suggestions, helping enterprises stand out in the fierce market competition. However, each advertising monitoring and analysis platform has its unique advantages and disadvantages. Enterprises should choose the most suitable platform based on their own needs, budget, and industry characteristics.
As globalization continues to deepen, international brands are increasingly turning their attention to the vast Chinese market. With the largest number of internet users in the world and a digital advertising market size that ranks at the forefront globally, programmatic advertising, as an essential means of digital marketing, is gaining increasing attention. This article will delve into the development history of China’s programmatic advertising ecosystem, analyze its main players and functions, compare it with the foreign ecosystem, and finally provide strategic recommendations for foreign advertisers entering the Chinese market.
Development History of China’s Programmatic Advertising
Since being hailed as the “Year of Programmatic” in 2012, China’s programmatic advertising has experienced a period of enthusiastic capital pursuit, an outbreak period, and an adjustment period that has attracted industry-wide attention. With advertisers focusing on issues such as traffic fraud and advertising transparency, the industry has gone through a period of calm reflection during the adjustment period to the current refined transformation. The Chinese programmatic advertising market has undergone rapid development and transformation.
Embryonic Stage (2008-2011)
During this period, programmatic advertising began to sprout in China, with many companies starting to try this emerging marketing method. In 2011, Alimama launched the advertising trading platform Tanx, marking the preliminary exploration of China’s programmatic advertising.
Rapid Development Period (2012-2013)
The year 2012 is regarded as the inaugural year for programmatic advertising in China, with a plethora of companies launching DSP products. Google’s advertising trading platform also officially went live in China that year. In the following year, giants such as Tencent, Sina, and Baidu joined the programmatic advertising market, propelling the industry’s rapid development.
Eruption Period (2014-2016)
Driven by capital, the programmatic buying market entered an explosive period. Statistics show that during this time, more than a hundred programmatic buying platforms emerged. However, the market also faced issues like fake traffic, brand safety, and opacity, which gradually attracted industry introspection.
Shuffling Adjustment Period (2017 to Present)
As the market matures and advertisers demand higher transparency, the programmatic advertising market has entered a period of shuffling and adjustment. Companies with outstanding technology, resources, and reputation have begun to stand out, while other platforms face the pressure of being eliminated. Advertisers have started to focus more on the quality of advertising delivery rather than the quantity, with a preference for precise delivery that brings verifiable value.
Main Changes and Trends in China’s Programmatic Advertising Ecosystem
As market demands evolve, advertisers increasingly prefer precise delivery and performance measurement, driving the development of programmatic buying technologies, such as Real-Time Bidding (RTB) and Direct Programmatic Buying. In addition, China’s unique market environment and policy orientation are also shaping the unique development path of the programmatic advertising ecosystem, with the following trends emerging:
Increased demand for vertical platform advertising delivery: Advertisers are paying more and more attention to the quality of advertising delivery, with a preference for precise delivery that brings verifiable value.
The rise of Connected TV (CTV): With the increase of CTV users, programmatic TV advertising has become a new growth driver in the industry.
Improvement of KOL programmatic advertising delivery: Programmatic technology helps advertisers more accurately select KOLs for promotion, achieving systematic and programmatic KOL management.
Cross-platform and cross-device advertising delivery: With the advent of the all-screen era, brands have higher requirements for the scenario of digital marketing, and cross-device programmatic advertising delivery will receive more attention.
Enhancement of transparency and industry standards: Advertisers are increasingly concerned about industry transparency, and industry norms and standards are being strengthened, with third-party monitoring agencies and high-standard industry norms playing an important role.
Focus on brand safety and advertising effectiveness: Advertisers’ focus has shifted from extensive “quantity” to refined “quality,” with brand safety and advertising effectiveness becoming key topics.
Integration of advertising transaction data: To improve the conversion rate of advertising and consumer experience, the integration of data generated in advertising transactions, more efficiently positioning the right target audience and the right delivery opportunity, has become the focus of the next wave of digital transformation.
Main Players in China’s Programmatic Advertising and Brief Introduction
China’s programmatic advertising ecosystem is a diversified and highly integrated system, including Demand-Side Platforms (DSPs), Supply-Side Platforms (SSPs), Advertising Exchanges, Data Management Platforms (DMPs), Programmatic Creative Platforms, Monitoring and Analytics Tools, Programmatic TV, and Programmatic Digital Out-of-Home (pDOOH), among other roles. These platforms and tools, through efficient technical means, have achieved automated purchasing, precise delivery, and data recovery of advertising resources, providing advertisers with one-stop services from strategy formulation to performance evaluation, promoting the digital transformation of the entire advertising industry.
DSP (Demand-Side Platform): A platform that helps advertisers or ad agencies to automatically lock in target traffic, purchase advertising space, control budgets, and optimize strategies. YOYI Tech’s Plus platform, covering high-quality advertising resources from mainstream Chinese media, can help advertisers achieve their advertising goals efficiently and economically.
Ad Exchange & SSP: Advertising trading platforms and supply-side platforms are responsible for the buying and selling of advertising inventory. For example, HUAWEI Ads, as a newly included platform, covers more than 730 million monthly active users.
Trading Desk: A procurement trading platform and technology, providing one-stop automated advertising platform services. YOYI Tech’s OneDesk is a representative TD that integrates various high-quality media and advertising resources.
Data Supplier & Data Management: Data provision and management platforms support advertisers in more accurately targeting their audience.
Programmatic TV: Programmatic television advertising provides opportunities for the programmatic purchase of television and outdoor advertising.
Measurement & Analytics: Monitoring and analytical tools help advertisers evaluate the effectiveness of their advertising.
pDOOH: Programmatic outdoor advertising, which leverages technology to automate the placement of outdoor advertising. For example, Asiaray (Ya Shi Wei) and DiDi are newly included platforms.
Differences and Similarities between China’s and Foreign Programmatic Advertising Ecosystems
Compared to foreign ecosystems, China’s programmatic advertising ecosystem also faces challenges in data privacy protection and user choice rights. With the implementation of “privacy protection” mechanisms, the space freely available for the audience identification mechanisms that programmatic advertising relies on to operate is increasingly narrowing. There are some significant differences between China’s programmatic advertising ecosystem and that of foreign countries, as follows:
Market Size and Maturity: Although China’s programmatic advertising market is large, it is still in a stage of continuous development and adjustment compared to the more mature markets of Europe and the United States.
Technology and Platform Development: China’s programmatic advertising technology ecosystem map shows that the market is adapting to changes in privacy protection mechanisms and audience identification mechanisms, such as OAID replacing IMEI, and IDFA facing more refined authorization for use.
Influence of Super Platforms: In China’s programmatic advertising ecosystem, large technology companies like HUAWEI Ads occupy an important position through their closed-loop ecosystem products, which is different from the situation abroad where giants like Facebook and Google dominate and work with many small and medium-sized platforms.
Advertising Forms and Innovation: China’s programmatic advertising is exploring new forms such as Programmatic TV and pDOOH, while the development of these fields in foreign markets may be more mature.
Considerations for Foreign Advertisers Entering the Chinese Advertising Market
Understand the Market Environment: China’s advertising market has a unique cultural and regulatory environment. Foreign advertisers need to deeply understand these characteristics. An in-depth understanding of Chinese market characteristics and consumer behavior is key to success. For example, Chinese consumers’ dependence on mobile devices is much higher than in other countries, which has an important impact on advertising delivery strategies.
Data Compliance: With the strengthening of data privacy protection, advertisers must ensure that their data collection and use comply with Chinese laws and regulations. Strictly comply with Chinese laws and regulations, especially in terms of data protection and privacy. For example, understand and comply with the relevant requirements of the “Cybersecurity Law” and the “Personal Information Protection Law.”
Choice of Partners: Choosing experienced and resourceful local partners can help foreign advertisers adapt to the market environment more quickly and achieve effective market penetration.
Technical Adaptability: Utilize local Chinese technology platforms and services, such as DSPs and Ad Exchanges, to achieve more precise advertising delivery.
Cultural Sensitivity and Localization Strategy: Advertising content needs to consider the sensitivity of Chinese culture to avoid cultural conflicts or misunderstandings. Develop advertising content and marketing strategies that conform to Chinese cultural and social values. For example, respecting Chinese traditional festivals and customs can improve the acceptance and effectiveness of advertising.
The development of China’s programmatic advertising has been diverse and dynamically changing, from initial exploration to current refined operations, with the market continuously maturing and improving. The Chinese programmatic advertising market offers great opportunities for foreign advertisers but also comes with challenges. By deeply understanding the market environment, complying with laws and regulations, formulating localization strategies, and choosing the right partners and technology platforms, foreign advertisers can succeed in this vibrant market.
With the robust growth of China’s economy and the acceleration of digital transformation, China’s advertising market has become one of the most dynamic advertising ecosystems globally. However, the rapid development of the advertising industry has also brought many challenges, such as false traffic, brand safety issues, and data transparency. These issues not only harm the interests of advertisers but also impact the consumer experience. Therefore, advertising verification platforms have emerged in China, becoming key to ensuring the authenticity, effectiveness, and safety of advertising placements.
I. Classification of China’s Advertising Verification Platforms
Understanding the different types of advertising verification platforms helps advertisers better grasp their role in the market and strengthen their understanding of the ecosystem of China’s advertising market. Advertising verification platforms can be divided into the following types based on their main functions and services:
Advertiser Verification Platforms: These platforms focus on verifying the identity, qualifications, and creditworthiness of advertisers to ensure their legality and integrity, preventing false advertising and fraudulent activities.
Advertising Content Verification Platforms: These platforms are mainly used to verify the compliance and accuracy of advertising content, including whether the advertising involves false propaganda, misleading statements, or infringement.
Traffic Verification Platforms: Traffic verification platforms focus on verifying the quality of traffic for advertising placements, ensuring that the traffic obtained by advertisers is genuine and effective, preventing traffic fraud and volume brushing behavior.
Data Verification Platforms: These platforms provide data verification services to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of the data used by advertisers and advertising platforms, such as audience data and click-through rate data.
Programmatic Advertising Verification Platforms: These platforms combine programmatic advertising purchase technology to provide automated advertising verification services, helping advertisers and advertising platforms monitor and manage advertising activities in real time.
Anti-Fraud Platforms: Focused on preventing advertising fraud, including click fraud, installation fraud, etc., identifying and blocking fraudulent traffic through technical means.
Brand Safety Verification Platforms: These platforms focus on protecting the brand safety of advertisers to avoid ads appearing in inappropriate content or environments, such as bad content, pirated content, etc.
II. Examples of China’s Advertising Verification Platforms
Next, let’s look at some well-known advertising verification platforms in the Chinese market to intuitively feel the role and influence of these platforms.
Alibaba’s Diamond Stand: Mainly used for verifying the effectiveness of advertising on the Taobao and Tmall platforms, ensuring the effectiveness and transparency of advertising placements.
Baidu’s Baiqingteng: Provides monitoring and verification services for advertising placements, helping advertisers evaluate the effectiveness of advertising placements and optimize advertising strategies.
Tencent’s Advertising Insights: Tencent’s advertising verification platform, is used to verify data such as advertising exposure, clicks, and conversions, enhancing the advertising placement effect for advertisers.
Weibo Super Manager: An advertising management and performance monitoring platform launched by Weibo, helping advertisers monitor the effectiveness of advertising placements and conduct data analysis.
JD Jingzhuntong: It has successfully passed the Traffic Anti-Fraud Project Evaluation CAF certificate issued by TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group, a U.S. advertising self-regulatory organization), becoming one of the first comprehensive advertising platforms in China to obtain this certification.
These platforms help advertisers improve the transparency and effectiveness of advertising placements by providing professional verification services.
III. Features of China’s Advertising Verification Platforms
China’s advertising verification platforms have the following features in terms of functionality and characteristics:
Data Transparency and Strong Monitoring Capabilities: These platforms can usually provide detailed data reports, including key indicators such as advertising exposure, clicks, conversion rates, etc., helping advertisers fully understand the effectiveness of advertising.
Multi-platform Coverage: For different advertising placement platforms (such as Alibaba, Baidu, Tencent, Weibo, etc.), these platforms provide corresponding verification services with a wide coverage range.
High Precision: Through big data analysis and artificial intelligence technology, these platforms can accurately evaluate the effectiveness of advertising, helping advertisers accurately optimize advertising strategies.
Real-time Monitoring and Feedback: Able to monitor the effectiveness of advertising placements in real-time, providing timely feedback on data and analysis results, helping advertisers adjust advertising strategies and improve the effectiveness of advertising placements.
Compliance and Security: These platforms can usually ensure the compliance of advertising placements, protect user privacy and data security, and comply with relevant laws and regulations.
IV. The Operation Logic of China’s Advertising Verification
(1) Advertising Content Review
Keyword Filtering: Advertising verification platforms filter keywords in advertising content to exclude illegal, illegal, or sensitive information.
Image Recognition: Using image recognition technology, scan and analyze images in advertisements to identify any false or misleading content.
Text Analysis: Through natural language processing technology, conduct an in-depth analysis of advertising copy to ensure its content is true, accurate, and complies with relevant laws, regulations, and ethical standards.
(2) Traffic Anti-Fraud
Behavior Analysis: Advertising verification platforms analyze user clicks, browsing, and other behavioral data to identify abnormal traffic, such as clickbots, malicious brushing, and other fraudulent activities.
Device Recognition: Use technical means such as device fingerprinting and IP addresses to identify abnormal access behavior under the same device or IP address.
Data Cross-Verification: Cooperate with third-party data providers to cross-verify advertising data to ensure the authenticity of advertising displays and clicks.
(3) Advertising Effectiveness Evaluation
Click-Through Rate Monitoring: Real-time monitoring of the click-through rate of advertisements, analyzing whether user clicks are genuine and effective.
Conversion Rate Analysis: Track user behavior after clicking on advertisements, such as purchases, registrations, etc., to evaluate the conversion effect of advertisements.
ROI Calculation: Calculate the return on investment (ROI) of advertisements based on advertising input and output data, providing decision support for advertisers.
(4) Compliance with Laws and Regulations
Compliance Review: Advertising verification platforms conduct compliance reviews of advertising content to ensure that it complies with relevant laws, regulations, and advertising industry standards.
Privacy Protection: Strictly comply with data protection laws and regulations during the verification process to ensure the privacy and data security of users.
(5) Technological Innovation and Application
AI Technology: The utilization of artificial intelligence technologies, including machine learning and deep learning, enhances the precision and efficiency of ad verification processes.
Big Data Analysis: Leveraging big data analytics to deeply mine and scrutinize advertising data, providing advertisers with more accurate ad placement recommendations.
Feedback Mechanism: Establishing a feedback system to gather the suggestions and advice of advertisers and users, to continuously refine the functionality and services of the ad verification platform.
Technological Updates: Staying abreast of industry trends and technological advancements to ensure timely updates and optimization of the technological infrastructure and algorithmic models of the ad verification platform.
Taking JD Jingzhuntong as an example, the platform has not only provided comprehensive advertising services but has also achieved notable success in ad verification. It has successfully passed the certification for the Certified Against Fraud (CAF) project issued by TAG (Trustworthy Accountability Group), an American advertising self-regulatory organization, becoming one of the first integrated advertising platforms in China to receive this certification. This signifies that JD Jingzhun Pass’s capabilities in preventing traffic fraud and illegal advertising activities in the digital advertising sector have gained recognition from an international authoritative body.
Chinese ad verification platforms play a crucial role in ensuring the authenticity of advertisements and improving their effectiveness. As technology continues to advance and market demands grow, these platforms will keep evolving and innovating, offering advertisers more comprehensive and precise services. Advertisers need to select the most suitable verification platform based on their specific needs and market changes to maximize the value of their ad placements.
A DMP (Data Management Platform) can provide audience targeting for advertising campaigns through demographic labeling and establish user profiles based on campaign data. It manages these labels and facilitates retargeting, thereby helping advertisers or agencies review and optimize their advertising strategies more efficiently.
Classification of DMPs
Based on the ownership of the DMP platform, DMPs are categorized into first-party, second-party, and third-party DMPs.
First-Party DMP: Refers to an internal DMP built by large advertisers themselves or with the help of external technology providers. It is used for analyzing and managing user data, providing decision support and user data support for marketing processes and is widely used in industries such as e-commerce, gaming, and travel.
Second-Party DMP: Refers to a DMP built by demand-side service providers (usually DSPs) to assist advertisers in better campaign deployment, enhancing effectiveness while increasing the volume of placements, indirectly boosting the advertiser’s spending on the demand-side platform.
Third-Party DMP: Refers to a DMP primarily engaged in data transactions, offering services such as data exchange and sales to demand-side entities. It typically requires integration with DSPs before being applied to advertising campaigns. If it involves PC data, a cookie mapping process is also necessary between the DSP and DMP.
There are numerous third-party data providers in the market. Here are some of the larger ones:
BAT: Alibaba’s e-commerce data, Tencent’s social data, and Baidu’s search data. Generally, these data sources have relatively high barriers to access.
Companies with a wealth of valuable offline data: It’s important to highlight offline data, as we live in the real world where online behavior may not truly reflect our intentions. For instance, a user browsing cars online may not necessarily intend to purchase, but a visit to a car dealership suggests a high likelihood of intent. Typical representatives include companies like Zhanhui Zongying, which holds real user activity data from airports, high-speed railways, and the automotive industry chain, and UnionPay Smart, which has offline transaction data from POS machines. Recently, these data-rich companies have been activating data monetization models, offering advertisers superior programmatic advertising solutions through self-built DSPs and unique DMPs.
Third-party monitoring companies also hold a large amount of advertising campaign data due to the nature of their business. Typical representatives include companies like MiaoZhen and AdMaster; mobile representatives include TalkingData and Umeng.
Media companies also provide demographic data services (such as gender, age, and interests), but the coverage of a single media source is inherently limited.
Traditional CRM technology service companies are also present, but integrating CRM data with online data has always been a challenging issue.
DSP companies also possess some data, primarily sourced from advertising traffic. Advertising exchanges provide user and media information data such as the current media, position, and IP of the user’s advertisement to help DSPs make better bidding decisions based on user behavior. As a result, DSPs have accumulated a wealth of data based on this advertising traffic and their past advertising performance data. However, since this data is carried within the advertising traffic and much of the RTB traffic is “remnant traffic,” it has a certain degree of fragmentation and may not reflect the entirety of a user’s online behavior. Especially on mobile ADX, unlike PCs, it cannot provide the URL of each ad content page, only the App in which the user’s ad is displayed, and the latitude and longitude obtained is merely the user’s offline location when the App is opened to display the ad, which may not reflect the user’s entire movement trajectory. Therefore, such fragmented data makes it difficult to analyze and label user behavior as continuously and precisely as on the PC side.
Basic Functionality and Core Process of Data Sample Learning
The most fundamental function of a DMP is to collect various online and offline data through different means and channels. The types of data can be diverse, not limited to advertising campaign data but also including CRM, surveys, third-party, and other data sources. Advertisers focus on different aspects of data from different sources:
For First-Party DMP data, advertisers are more concerned with the analytical capabilities of first-party data, such as consumer behavior analysis on official websites and offline, and media attribution analysis.
For Second-Party DMP data, advertisers are more concerned with the application of second-party data in advertising campaigns and the impact of media content and categorization on advertising efficiency.
For Third-Party DMP data, advertisers focus more on the efficient output methods and connectivity and effectiveness of the data.
The basic functionality of a DMP mainly revolves around various stages such as data collection, cleansing, integration, management, analysis, and application.
Data collection, cleansing, integration, and management focus on aspects such as timeliness, accuracy, reliability, stability, scalability, and automation of data processing.
Data analysis and application focus on the mining of “people” and “patterns” within the data. Creating audience profiles, classifying and tagging data, and providing guidance for marketing and decision-making are key.
Ad Exchange platforms (AdX) integrate advertising resources and networks, facilitating the sale of advertising space through various transaction methods, including programmatic direct buying, preferred deals, and real-time bidding. DSPs can interface with AdX to purchase media ad impressions transparently through different transaction methods, accurately targeting audiences to improve advertising ROI. Theoretically, the role of a Supply-Side Platform (SSP) is to connect with media and then to AdX. However, since the functionality of SSPs is now essentially the same as AdX, we can discuss Ad Exchange and SSP together under the term AdX.
PDB (Programmatic Direct Buying): PDB is the preferred model for the highest quality advertising resources in media. These resources are often in high demand and sought after by advertisers. To secure these premium resources, advertisers typically negotiate a fixed price with the media in advance, reserving these spots exclusively. Unlike traditional advertising, PDB allows for audience targeting, but this targeting is limited to a few broad demographic dimensions.
PD (Preferred Deals): After the highest-quality resources are secured by major brands, there remains a pool of relatively high-quality resources with uncertain impressions. If an advertiser purchases these uncertain volumes at a negotiated price, this model is known as PD. The downside of PD is the uncertainty of resource allocation, but the advantage is that the advertiser does not have to commit to a certain volume of impressions and can target the specific audience they need, preventing waste of advertising resources.
RTB (Real Time Bidding): After the high-quality resources are purchased, there will always be some less desirable resources left that are not favored by advertisers. Media does not want to waste these long-tail and lower-quality resources, so they are put on the open market for smaller advertisers to bid on through RTB. The placement and pricing of these resources are uncertain and determined in real time.
Comparison of AdX Transaction Models
Model
Buying Method
Requires Advance Order
Display Priority
Guarantee Volume
Resource Quality
Resource Placement Reservation
Pricing and Volume Guarantee
PDB
Fixed CPM/CPD
Yes
Highest
Yes
Premium
Yes
Fixed price, fixed volume
PD
Fixed CPM
Yes
After premium
No
Relatively good
No
Fixed price, no volume guarantee
RTB
Bid CPM
No
Remaining traffic
No
Non-premium
No
No price or volume guarantee
Classification and Examples of Domestic AdX
AdX platforms are generally classified into public and private AdX based on their ownership of the main media resources.
Public AdX: Public AdX does not own media resources and acts as a typical intermediary matching buyers and sellers. The characteristics of these AdX include large traffic volume and low prices, but the quality of traffic is inconsistent, mainly consisting of long-tail traffic and a small amount of surplus traffic from top vertical media (media that have not established their own AdX).
Private AdX: These AdX platforms belong to major media owners and are centered around the resources of these media. Examples include the AdX of major portal media (Tencent, Sina, Sohu, etc.), video media (YouTube, IQIYI, LeTV, etc.), and emerging mobile media (Xiaomi, Momo, etc.). The traffic quality of these AdXs is relatively better since it is the media’s traffic, and the prices are slightly higher. Sometimes, to reduce the overall buying cost, these AdX may also introduce cheaper external media traffic in addition to their own.
In the advertising placement process, the review of advertising materials and the qualifications of advertisers is a key step that directly affects the efficiency of advertising placement, the quality of advertising, and the reliability of advertising information. The media that ultimately publishes the information is the responsible entity as stipulated by advertising law.
As the most centralized hub of advertising transactions, AdX has become the main gatekeeper for the review process. The review mainly involves the qualifications of advertisers, the upload and review of advertising materials, the review of advertiser qualifications and materials from the DSP side, and the review of advertiser qualifications and materials from the AdX side. Understanding the review entities should provide a basic understanding of whom to consult and appeal to in daily work practice.
KPIs Around AdX
These data indicators are seen from the perspective of AdX and may not be the same as what DSPs see due to network losses:
Total available bid requests: Based on the total traffic of AdX, the total number of bid requests can be sent to various DSPs, which is considered as the available inventory of AdX.
Filtered request volume: After setting filtering conditions on the AdX self-service platform, the number of bid requests filtered by each DSP, such as filtering certain sizes or websites.
Actual request sent: AdX will send the actual number of bid requests to each DSP based on the QPS limits set by the DSP on the AdX self-service platform. This indicator shows how much inventory the DSP can see, and AdX can also evaluate the consumption capacity of each DSP.
Actual request rate: The ratio of the actual number of requests sent by AdX to each DSP to the total number of available bid requests. AdX can use this indicator to assess the consumption capacity of each DSP.
Number of bids: The number of bids a DSP participates in.
Bid participation rate: The proportion of the number of bids a DSP participates in into the actual number of requests sent. AdX can use this indicator to assess the purchasing willingness of each DSP.
Number of abandoned bids: The number of bids a DSP has abandoned as seen by AdX (actual request number – number of bids).
Abandoned bid rate: The ratio of the number of abandoned bids a DSP has to the actual number of requests sent.
Number of valid bids: The number of bids successfully responded to that meet the placement constraints (can be placed) for materials and advertisers.
Number of invalid bids: The number of invalid bids due to reasons such as unreviewed advertiser qualifications, banned industries and categories, response timeout, parsing errors, etc. AdX can use this indicator to assess the technical and execution management capabilities of each DSP and assist in reducing this number.
Response timeout count: The number of network failures or response timeouts (generally required <100ms) received from a DSP.
Response timeout rate: The ratio of the response timeout count of a DSP to the actual number of requests sent. AdX can use this indicator to assess the technical capabilities of the DSP’s Bidder and network conditions.
Parsing error count: The number of parsing failures caused by incorrect data packet formats returned by a DSP in the bidding process.
Parsing error rate: The ratio of the parsing error count of a DSP’s returned package to the actual number of requests sent.
Number of successful bids: The number of advertising exposure opportunities successfully won by a DSP.
Bid success rate: The ratio of the number of successful bids a DSP has to the number of bids participated in.
Number of failed bids: The number of bids a DSP did not win in the bidding process because the bid was not the highest (valid bid number – number of successful wins).
Bid failure rate: The ratio of the number of failed bids a DSP has to the number of bids participated in.
Traffic utilization rate: The ratio of the number of successful bids a DSP has to the actual number of requests sent.
Driven by the digital wave, China’s advertising market has shown a diversified development trend. From traditional television and radio to modern internet platforms, various media provide publicity and promotional services for different industries. At the same time, various advertising agencies play an important role in the market, providing customized marketing solutions for brands.
Television Advertising and Its Primary Industries
Television advertising has always been an important choice for advertisers due to its extensive coverage and strong visual experience. It combines visual images, colors, and movements to create a deep impression, effectively displaying product features and establishing an emotional connection with the audience. Especially for seasonal products and urgent promotions, the immediate dissemination capability of television advertising is crucial.
The main industries of television advertisers include the food industry (such as health care products, snacks, and cooking oil), the beverage industry (such as infant formula, UHT milk, tea, and yogurt), the commercial and service industry (such as healthcare institutions and retailers), and the personal goods industry (such as glasses/contact lenses, men’s razors, watches, and cleaning products). These industries not only enhance brand awareness and memorability through television advertising but also increase the brand’s authority and trustworthiness.
Outdoor advertising, with its 24-hour long-term exposure and wide visibility, covers densely populated areas, ensuring that brand messages are seen by a large number of people. Outdoor advertising has strong geographical targeting, precisely attracting the target audience in business districts or communities. Compared with television and online advertising, outdoor advertising has a strong visual impact, high cost-effectiveness, and helps in long-term brand reinforcement.
The main industries of outdoor advertisers include the beverage industry (such as mineral water, fruit and vegetable juice, and yogurt), the food industry (such as snacks, series of food products, and health care products), the cosmetics/bathroom products industry (such as skincare products, baby hygiene and bathroom products, and oral care products), the home appliance industry (such as home appliances and smart appliances), and the alcoholic beverage industry (such as Chinese meals wine, medicinal wine/tonic wine, and fruit wine). Outdoor advertising, integrated with technology, can provide interactive experiences, establish emotional connections, and enhance market coverage.
Radio Advertising and Its Primary Industries
Radio advertising attracts a mobile audience, such as drivers and commuters, with its extensive coverage and immediacy. It is cost-effective, especially suitable for small businesses, and has the flexibility to respond quickly to market changes. Localized radio can penetrate specific communities, and the emotional connection between program hosts and listeners enhances the trust in advertisements.
The main industries of radio advertisers include the food industry (such as health care products, corporate image of food, and condiments), the entertainment and leisure industry (such as scenic spots, national and city image, restaurants, tourism product service organizations, and hotels), the commercial and service industry (such as education/training categories), and other industries (such as home decoration, e-commerce brands, drugs, post and telecommunications, and alcoholic beverages). The high frequency of contact and multitasking advantages of radio make brand messages frequently and naturally blend into daily life.
Internet Advertising and Its Primary Industries
Internet advertising stands out for its target accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and measurability. It allows brands to finely target based on user characteristics, covering the vast user base of the internet. The flexibility and customization of Internet advertising allow brands to quickly respond to market changes, and interactive elements such as links and social media increase user participation.
The main industries of internet advertisers include IT products and office automation services (such as WeChat Work, DingTalk, etc.), major e-commerce/internet/video platforms (such as Taobao, TikTok, iQiyi, and other brands), the transportation industry (such as online car-hailing, carpooling, etc.), the financial industry (such as major banks, funds, and stock agency organizations), post and telecommunications (such as mobile phones, broadband packages, etc.), entertainment and leisure activities (such as exhibitions, performances, etc.), as well as the real estate/construction industry, industrial goods, and the alcoholic beverage industry. The multi-platform placement ability and creative freedom of Internet advertising provide brands with a variety of promotional methods.
Introduction to Advertising Agencies in the Chinese Market
Advertising agencies act as a bridge connecting advertisers and media channels, providing professional advertising placement and marketing services. Based on the content and characteristics of the services, advertising agencies can be divided into the following categories.
4A Creative Agencies
Focus on creating innovative and impactful advertising content, such as visual design, advertising copy, and brand stories. For example, Ogilvy, Accuen, and Angis, etc.
Media Agencies
Responsible for media planning and purchasing, helping brands effectively place advertisements on various media channels. Services include media strategy development, market analysis, media negotiation and purchasing, ad placement, and effectiveness evaluation.
PR Agencies
Focus on shaping and maintaining brand images, and communicating with the public through media relations, event marketing, and crisis management. Services include press release writing, media interview arrangements, brand spokesperson management, and crisis PR strategies.
Digital Agencies
Focus on digital marketing and online advertising, including search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), and social media marketing. Services include website design, content marketing, email marketing, data analysis, and digital ad placement.
Entertainment Marketing Agencies
Combine entertainment industry resources, such as movies, TV, music, and sports, to create joint marketing opportunities for brands. Provide entertainment marketing solutions such as brand implantation, event sponsorship, celebrity endorsements, and content cooperation.
Media Communication Agencies
Focus on disseminating brand information through various media channels, which may include online and offline communication strategies. Services may involve ad placement, content distribution, media relationship establishment, and brand communication activities.
Multi-Channel Networks provide content management, business cooperation, and audience growth support for video and social media content creators. Services include content creative guidance, copyright management, brand cooperation opportunities, audience analysis, and revenue optimization services.
Social Media Marketing Agencies
Focus on helping brands establish and maintain a social image on social media platforms. Services include social media account management, content creation, audience interaction, ad placement, and social media strategy development.
Demand-side platforms provide services for brand advertisers or ad agencies, acting as an automated online advertising purchasing system known as DSP (Demand-Side Platform). DSPs enable advertisers or ad agencies to programmatically select targeted traffic and purchase ad spaces, control budgets, and optimize advertising strategies in real-time. As an integral part of digital marketing and programmatic advertising, DSP platforms offer advertisers an efficient and intelligent way to deploy ads.
Classification of Chinese DSP Platforms and Corresponding Suppliers
Analysis of Entrants
Ad agencies or ad networks transitioning into DSPs: With a wealth of advertiser resources, these companies can directly integrate into the DSP landscape. Their entry can involve building a technical team to develop a DSP, purchasing a DSP technology solution for private deployment, or acquiring a DSP company outright, with representatives such as HaoYe and others.
Ad Exchange or SSP companies expanding into DSPs
These companies, with significant traffic resources, aim to connect directly with advertiser resources. Leveraging existing technical capabilities, they typically develop a DSP in-house, with representatives including Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent, Youku, and more.
Pure-tech companies entering DSPs
Originating from a technical background, these companies have entered the programmatic advertising field rapidly, using their technological edge. Representatives include YOYI Technology and others.
Large-budget advertisers building their DSPs
With ample advertising budgets, these advertisers seek to efficiently utilize their proprietary data to enhance campaign performance and gain transparency over traffic. Their approach can range from developing a technical team for DSP creation to purchasing technology solutions for private DSP deployment. The YOYI Plus team offers a DMP+DSP model, providing large-budget advertisers with a solution for the efficient use of first-party data and transparent execution of programmatic advertising.
Based on the resources connected and the target of service, DSPs can be further classified into Pure Web DSPs, Mobile DSPs, Cross-screen DSPs, and DSP+.
Pure Web DSPs
Focus on web traffic and services for web-oriented clients, evolving towards cross-screen DSP capabilities.
Mobile DSPs
Concentrate on mobile traffic and advertisers targeting mobile users.
Cross-screen DSPs
A hybrid of PC and mobile DSPs, offering inventory across multiple screens, including computers, smartphones, tablets, etc. YOYI Plus is a leading cross-screen DSP in China with Mobile, PC, OTT, and CTV inventories in hand.
DSP+
Encompasses various specializations such as DSP+advertiser types (e.g., performance DSPs, brand DSPs), DSP+vertical industries (e.g., financial DSPs, e-commerce DSPs), DSP+resource types (e.g., video DSPs). However, performance DSPs now generally serve brand clients as well, making pure performance DSPs rare.
Depending on the background of the DSP owner, such as owning proprietary media or being an advertiser themselves, DSPs can be categorized as follows.
Third-Party Independent DSPs
DSP platforms that bid on traffic from various Ad Exchanges/SSPs. Notable examples include YOYI TECH, FancyDigital, WiseMedia, Domob, etc..
Large Media Proprietary DSPs
Private DSPs are built by large media companies with their traffic. Examples include Tencent DSP, Sina DSP, Youku DSP, Toutiao DSP, etc. These DSPs have competitive advantages due to their unique traffic resources but may face challenges when advertisers seek cross-media frequency control for multi-media campaigns.
Advertiser Proprietary DSPs
Large advertisers, due to the privacy of their business data, cannot apply it to third-party DSP platforms. To activate this data, some advertisers opt to build their DSPs, using their technology and business data for ad deployment, achieving self-operation. Examples include Ctrip DSP, NetEase DSP, etc.
DSPs with Unique DMP Data
Companies like UnionPay with POS transaction data, and Opsmart Technology, with data from large offline traffic scenarios, use DSPs for monetization. These companies are relatively neutral in ad traffic and create value for advertisers through unique data, which is their core driving force.
Trading Desk (TD)
A Trading Desk, similar to a DSP, provides an integrated technical solution for managing multiple DSP platforms. Advertisers can manage campaigns across various DSPs through a TD, including budget allocation, strategy adjustment, and performance reporting. TDs typically serve brand advertisers who often advertise across multiple DSP suppliers, involving overall budgeting, frequency control, and unified campaign management.
TDs can be categorized into Agency Trading Desks (ATDs), Independent Trading Desks (ITDs), and Brand Trading Desks (BTDs).
Agency Trading Desks (ATDs)
Trading desks within 4A agencies serving multiple brand advertisers, such as Xaxis, Accuen, AOD, and Changrong.
Independent Trading Desks (ITDs)
Similar to ATDs they serve multiple ad agencies or direct clients, like YOYI OneDesk, Chinapex, and Fuge.
Brand Trading Desks (BTDs)
Trading desks are built in-house by advertisers or with technology providers for internal use, such as the Yili Trading Desk.
Selection and Evaluation Criteria for Chinese DSP Suppliers
Before advertising deployment, it’s crucial to select and evaluate DSP suppliers effectively. A good supplier can make advertising efforts much more effective, while a poor choice can lead to inefficiencies and potential fraud.
Key considerations when choosing a DSP include traffic, performance, product, service, and pricing. Traffic refers to media resources, performance is tied to technical capabilities, data strength, and algorithmic prowess. The product backend focuses on the ad deployment and management interface. Service is related to the company’s background and service capabilities, while pricing models determine the cost-effectiveness of the DSP. Advertisers can assign different weights to these factors, score them, and ultimately select a DSP with strong comprehensive capabilities as a partner.
Media Resources: The advantages of DSP media resources, including featured media, ad types, and volume.
Technical Capabilities: Including DSP functional modules and hardware equipment. Functional modules assess precise targeting capabilities and technical highlights; hardware equipment refers to data center and server resources, verifying the DSP’s authenticity.
Data Strength: Measures whether the DSP has sufficient data to support precise ad deployment, either from its data or third-party DMP data.
Algorithmic Capabilities: Examines whether the DSP has an algorithmic optimization model to automatically adjust and optimize ads, reducing manual workload while ensuring campaign effectiveness.
Product Backend: Evaluates the completeness, maturity, stability, and usability of the DSP’s ad deployment backend.
Company Background: Provides an overview of the DSP company to assess reliability, including company introduction, team members, awards, patents, and the ability to serve major clients.
Service Capabilities: Assesses the professionalism (including data analysis, reporting, and emergency service capabilities) and stability of the DSP execution team.
Pricing Models: Media pricing, service fees, and pricing transparency are also critical for advertiser evaluation.
YOYI Plus, as a leading DSP in China, has cross-screen delivery capabilities for various traffic terminals including PC, mobile, OTT, and CTV, covering over 80% of media traffic in China. With robust audience data and tagging capabilities, it helps brands acquire precise public domain advertising traffic more efficiently, enhancing brand exposure and ad interaction effects.
Advertising effectiveness monitoring indicators are crucial for advertisers to determine the effectiveness of advertisements and how to optimize them. The commonly used advertising monitoring indicators by Chinese advertisers mainly include four major categories: traffic indicators, interaction indicators, conversion indicators, and cost indicators.
Traffic Indicators
Ad Impressions
The total number of times an advertisement is displayed on a specific website within a designated time period. High exposure means the advertisement has a wide reach, but it is also important to avoid ineffective exposures. This indicator cannot measure whether users have actually seen the advertisement, as it can be affected by factors such as page scroll speed, which affects the visibility of the advertisement.
Unique impressions refer to the number of exposures after excluding multiple exposures by the same user, which is mainly achieved by excluding duplicate cookies.
Calculating the ratio of ad impressions to unique impressions (Impression/Unique Impression) is one of the simple ways to identify ad fraud. A high ratio indicates that some users are repeatedly visiting in large numbers, suggesting that the website may have abnormal traffic and is suspected of having machine-generated traffic.
Viewable Impressions
Viewable impressions are based on the visibility of the advertisement. The IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau) stipulates: For PC-side image advertisements, 50% of the pixels are displayed for more than 1 second, and for PC-side video advertisements, 50% of the pixels are displayed for more than 2 seconds, which can be considered viewable impressions. Additionally, for larger ad formats, 30% of the pixels displayed for more than 1 second can be considered 1 viewable impression.
The internet advertising pricing model related to this indicator is CPMv (cost per mille viewable impression), which is the cost for a thousand viewable impressions. The new CPM selling method used by Tencent mentioned earlier is CPMv. This selling method excludes data for advertisements that have not been actually watched, which can ensure the fairness, authenticity, and effectiveness of advertising transactions to a certain extent, help advertisers improve advertising effectiveness, save advertising budgets wasted on poor media resources or content, and improve ROI, thus being welcomed by advertisers.
Clicks
Clicks are the metrics used to measure user behavior after ad exposure. Clicks are the key actions that link front-end advertisements with back-end landing pages, reflecting the audience’s interest in the advertisement. Factors affecting clicks include two aspects: first, the accuracy of ad placement, and second, the quality of ad creativity.
Click-Through Rate (CTR)
The ratio of clicks to impressions (Click/Impression), the click-through rate allows for a horizontal comparison of the effectiveness of different advertisements and is the most direct and persuasive quantitative indicator reflecting the effectiveness of online advertising. Factors affecting the click-through rate include: the number of impressions, which only becomes relatively stable after reaching a certain quantity, objectively reflecting the effectiveness of the advertisement; the accuracy of ad placement, the higher the proportion of the target consumer group reached, the higher the click-through rate; the attractiveness of ad creativity, the stronger the visual impact and the more attractive the content, the higher the click-through rate.
Page Views (PV)
Page views are a commonly used indicator for website traffic statistics. A request from the user’s end to open a page is considered one page view. Page views are one of the commonly used traffic indicators for monitoring ad landing pages. To a certain extent, they can reflect the degree to which the interests and desires of the ad audience are stimulated and can reflect a certain advertising effect.
Visits
Visits are commonly used in website traffic analysis to describe a series of user behaviors within a certain period of time or in the process of achieving a certain goal. The mainstream view is that visits refer to the number of times users visit a website.
Visits can be used for the calculation of CPV (Cost Per Visit), which is the cost per visit. In practical applications, it is rarely used as a billing method in settlements between media and advertisers, but rather as an indicator for advertisers to measure the ROI of marketing activities.
Unique Visitors (UV)
Unique visitors are used to measure the number of website visitors. According to the “China Mobile Internet Advertising Standards,” a device visiting a website within a specified time period is counted as one visitor, and the same device will only be counted once within the specified time period.
Compared with other traffic indicators, unique visitors are centered on a user as a measure, which can help advertisers more accurately identify the audience affected by advertising activities, and can also be used to identify simple traffic fraud. Unique visitors can be used for CPUV (Cost Per Unique Visitor), which is the cost per unique visitor. However, like CPV, it is often not used as a billing method in advertising transactions between advertisers and media, but rather as an ROI indicator set by advertisers according to the goals of the advertising campaign.
Traffic indicators describe the arrival of users for advertisements and landing pages, while interaction indicators describe the depth of user participation. Compared with traffic indicators, the standardization of interaction indicators is relatively low.
Bounce Rate
Bounce rate refers to the ratio of users who, after clicking on an advertisement and entering the advertiser’s promoted page, do not generate further clicks and choose to leave directly. In internet marketing, the bounce rate can be used to measure the quality of external traffic and the attractiveness of website content to the audience. The higher the quality of external traffic and the more accurate the front-end advertising, the more target users can be attracted, and the lower the bounce rate of users after entering the website.
2nd-Click Rate
When a first-level website page is clicked and opened, any additional clicks generated by the user on the page are called “2nd-clicks,” and the number of 2nd-clicks is referred to as “2nd-click volume.” The ratio of “2nd-click volume” to page views is called the page’s “2nd-click rate.”
Visit Depth (PV/V)
Visit depth (PV/V) is an average number, referring to the number of times a specific web page is exposed to a visitor during a single visit, calculated as page views divided by visits. The higher the visit depth, the more pages a visitor browses in one visit, the more information they get, and the greater the value of these visits to advertisers.
Visit Duration
Visit duration (Time on Site) is also an average number, a measure of the length of visits, specifically the average time spent per visit, calculated as total visit time divided by visits. Theoretically, the longer the visit duration, the better the interactive effect of the advertisement.
Conversion Indicators
Conversion indicators are the most valuable category of indicators for businesses as they directly reflect the benefits that advertising activities bring to the enterprise, and thus are increasingly valued by advertisers.
Conversion rate refers to the ratio of the number of times users complete specific actions (such as purchases, registrations, etc.) to the number of clicks, and is a key indicator for evaluating the effectiveness of advertisements. Specific actions for conversion include:
Sales-related conversion indicators
Offline: The number of store visits
Online: The number of orders placed and purchases completed
App-related conversion indicators
Downloads
Active users
Registrations Users
Retention
In-app purchases
Cost Indicators
Cost Per Thousand Impressions (CPM)
Refers to the cost per thousand impressions when advertising is placed, reflecting the cost of advertising placement.
Cost Per Click (CPC)
Refers to the cost per click when advertising is placed, reflecting the cost of advertising placement.
Cost Per Conversion (CPA)
Refers to the cost per conversion action when advertising is placed, reflecting the cost of advertising placement.
Advertising Monitoring Fields
The following are fields involved in the advertising monitoring process in China, covering data from multiple aspects such as users, devices, advertising activities, geographic locations, and network environments. Through the analysis of these data, advertisers can comprehensively understand the display, click-through, and conversion effects of advertisements, optimize advertising placement strategies, and improve the ROI (Return on Investment) of advertisements.
Field Name
Data Format
Meaning
Value
user_id
string
Unique identifier for the user
Used to distinguish different users
user_id_type
string
Type of user identifier, such as device ID, email
Helps to understand the source of user_id
req_time
bigint
Request time, records the timestamp of the user’s ad request
Used to analyze user behavior and ad display timeliness
ip
string
User’s IP address
Used for geographical analysis and user identity verification
cookie
string
Cookie data from the user’s browser
Used to track user’s online activities and ad effectiveness
source
string
Traffic source
Identifies the channel or platform the ad traffic comes from
campaign_id
string
Unique identifier for the ad campaign
Used to distinguish and analyze different ad campaigns
order_id
string
Order ID
Used to track transactions and conversions related to the ad
url
string
Target URL of the ad display or click
Used to analyze ad effectiveness and user behavior
os
string
Operating system information of the user’s device
Used for device and platform compatibility analysis
ad_ip
string
IP address of the ad server
Used to track the source of ad requests
idfa
string
Advertising identifier for iOS devices
Used for mobile ad tracking
idfa_md5
string
MD5 encrypted form of IDFA
Used for privacy protection and data matching
idfa_sha1
string
SHA1 encrypted form of IDFA
Used for privacy protection and data matching
imei
string
International Mobile Equipment Identity for Android devices
Used for device identification
imei_md5
string
MD5 encrypted form of IMEI
Used for privacy protection and data matching
imei_sha1
string
SHA1 encrypted form of IMEI
Used for privacy protection and data matching
android_id
string
Unique identifier for Android devices
Used for device identification
android_id_md5
string
MD5 encrypted form of Android ID
Used for privacy protection and data matching
android_id_sha1
string
SHA1 encrypted form of Android ID
Used for privacy protection and data matching
mac_md5
string
MD5 encrypted form of device MAC address
Used for device identification and privacy protection
android_advertising_id
string
Advertising identifier for Android devices
Used for ad tracking
ad_timestamp
bigint
Timestamp of the ad event
Used to accurately record the time of ad display and click
oaid
string
Open Advertising Identifier
Used to replace traditional device identifiers and enhance privacy protection
callback_url
string
Callback URL
Used for server-to-server notifications and data transmission after ad click
user_agent
string
User agent string of the user’s browser
Used to identify device and browser information
brand
string
Device brand information
Used for market analysis and device performance evaluation
network_type
string
Network type, such as WiFi, 4G
Used to analyze the network environment of the ad display
csite
string
Content site
Identifies the specific site or app location where the ad is displayed
stype
string
Ad type, such as display ad, video ad, etc.
Used for categorization and effectiveness analysis
extend
string
Extension field
Used for storing other custom data
open_udid
string
Open Unique Device Identifier
Used for device identification and ad tracking
plan_id
string
Ad plan ID
Used to distinguish and manage different ad plans
platform
string
Ad serving platform, such as mobile, PC, etc.
Used to distinguish the platform where the ad is served
publisher_id
string
Publisher ID
Used to distinguish different ad publishers
adzone_type
string
Type of ad placement, e.g., banner ads, interstitial ads
Used for classification and performance analysis
adzone_id
string
Ad placement ID to distinguish different ad display positions
Used to distinguish different ad display positions
province_id
string
Province ID for geographical analysis
Used for geographical analysis
city_id
string
City ID for geographical analysis
Used for geographical analysis
county_id
string
County ID for more detailed geographical analysis
Used for more detailed geographical analysis
traffic_type
string
Type of traffic, e.g., organic traffic, paid traffic
Used for traffic quality analysis
adx_id
string
Ad Exchange Platform ID
Used to distinguish and manage different ad exchange platforms.
app_package
string
App Package Name
Used for identifying and analyzing different mobile applications
main_domain
string
Main Domain
Used for analyzing the domain source of ad display
num
int
Number of Ad Requests
Used for statistics and analysis of ad request volume
log_type
string
Log Type, such as display log, click log, etc.
Used for classification and analysis
sub_customer_id
string
Sub-Customer ID
Used for multi-level customer management and analysis
session_id
string
Session ID
Used for tracking a user’s single visit behavior
order_type
string
Order Type, such as purchase, registration, etc.
Used for conversion analysis.
creative_id
string
Creative ID
Used to distinguish and manage different ad creatives
app_id
string
App ID
Used for identifying and analyzing different mobile applications
app_name
string
App Name
Used for identifying and analyzing different mobile applications
ref_url
string
Reference URL
Used for analyzing traffic sources
creative_type
string
Creative Type, such as images, videos, etc.
Used for classification and performance analysis
id
string
General ID
Used to identify the uniqueness of the record
ad_id
string
Ad ID
Used to distinguish and manage different ads
customer_id
string
Customer ID
Used to distinguish and manage different ad customers
device_name
string
Device Name
Used for device identification and analysis
browser_name
string
Browser Name
Used for identifying the browser used by the user
bizdate
string
Business Date
Used for statistics and analysis by date
bizhour
string
Business Hour
Used for statistics and analysis by hour
data_source
string
Data Source
Used to distinguish and analyze different data collection channels
In the area of advertising monitoring, some fields may be more commonly seen in the Chinese internet environment, mainly due to China’s unique advertising technology standards, device identifiers, and certain characteristics of some application markets:
oaid: Open Advertising Identifier, a device identifier introduced by Chinese device manufacturers to replace traditional identifiers and enhance privacy protection.
android_id: In China, many devices and advertising networks rely on this identifier.
open_udid: Open Unique Device Identifier, which is quite common on some Chinese advertising platforms and applications.
mac_md5: Although used globally, in the Chinese market, this field is often used for device identification.
imei, imei_md5, imei_sha1: IMEI is globally universal, but in China, especially in early advertising monitoring, it is common to see the use of IMEI and its encrypted forms.
idfa, idfa_md5, idfa_sha1: Although IDFA is a global standard for Apple devices, it is also frequently used in iOS advertising tracking in China.
ad_timestamp: The timestamp of the advertising event, universally used globally, but the format and specific implementation may vary by region.
app_package: The application package name, used to identify applications in China’s unique app markets.
app_name: The application name, which often appears in Chinese advertising monitoring to identify specific applications.
province_id, city_id, county_id: These geographical location identifiers are especially common in Chinese advertising monitoring, used for fine-grained regional analysis.
bizdate, bizhour: Fields used for statistics by date and hour, frequently used in Chinese advertising reports and analysis.
adzone_id, adzone_type: The type and ID of the advertising space, these fields are very common on Chinese advertising platforms for ad space management and analysis.
How to Read Advertising Monitoring Reports
Compare Data
Compare data from different time periods, platforms, and ad formats to identify areas of excellent performance and areas that need improvement.
Pay Attention to Trends
Observe the trends in data changes to predict future development trends, providing a basis for adjusting advertising strategies.
Deep Dive
For data that performs poorly, delve deeper into the underlying reasons, such as whether the advertising content, target audience, and placement platform are appropriate.
How to Use Advertising Monitoring Data to Optimize Advertising Strategies
Adjust Advertising Content
Based on user feedback and data analysis, optimize advertising copy, images, videos, and other elements to improve the attractiveness and conversion rate of advertisements.
Precisely Target the Audience
Understand the interests, needs, and behavioral habits of the target audience through data analysis to formulate more precise advertising placement strategies.
Optimize Placement Platforms and Timing
Choose more suitable advertisingplatforms and time slots based on data performance to increase the exposure and click-through rate of advertisements.
Control Advertising Budget
Allocate the advertising budget reasonably according to ROI and advertising effects to ensure the maximization of the input-output ratio.
Advertising monitoring reports are not only a set of data reports but also a valuable marketing guide. By deeply analyzing advertising monitoring data, we can better understand the performance of advertising activities, identify optimization space, and enhance advertising effectiveness.
In the dynamic landscape of digital advertising, China’s advertising ecosystem has developed unique characteristics that set it apart from the global market. This article delves into specific advertising formats that are not commonly seen abroad but have gained significant attention in China. Furthermore, we analyze popular advertising strategies that have made a splash internationally but remain largely unknown in the Chinese market. By examining these differences, this article will help brands to better understand which advertising formats in the Chinese advertising market will be more conducive to business growth.
Elevator Advertising
China is one of the most populous countries in the world, with a high urban population density, especially in residential communities and commercial office buildings. Elevators, as a necessary facility in high-rise buildings, provide a high-frequency exposure opportunity for advertising as a large number of people pass through them every day.
The widespread application of digital advertising screens makes elevator advertising more dynamic and colorful, and even achieves precise push and interactivity, enhancing the attractiveness of advertising. Compared with traditional television, radio, or large outdoor advertising, elevator advertising has a relatively low cost and is more flexible in placement, which can be selectively placed based on specific attributes of the target audience. In addition, the space inside the elevator is relatively closed, and there are fewer interference factors in the display of advertisements. Passengers often have nothing to do when waiting for or riding in the elevator, which increases the attention and memory of the advertisement.
Advertisers can achieve precise placement after understanding the characteristics of the residents or office workers of the target building, including age, gender, occupation, and other information, and combine creative content with memorable points, using multimedia forms such as video and sound to improve the expressiveness and interactivity of elevator advertising. By using QR codes, NFC, and other technologies, online and offline connections are realized to guide the audience to further interact.
Splash Screen Advertising
Splash screen advertising is mainly used to display a previously cached advertising content (pictures, animations, videos) or re-requested advertising when an APP is opened. While displaying the advertising content, some preparatory operations of the application can also be done. The implementation process is not complicated and is more commonly used in mobile advertising in China.
Most foreign APPs are simple and direct. Users do not like to see an advertisement that is unrelated to the software after opening the APP, such as YouTube, Facebook, etc., which are all directly a logo screen. However, some domestic APPs are in a monopolistic position, and users have no choice. But too frequent advertisements will directly affect the user experience. If there is a splash screen advertisement that makes users wait for 3 to 5 seconds every time the application is launched, it will make people feel annoyed and may even uninstall the APP, so publishers need to reasonably set the number and interval of advertisements to balance revenue and user experience.
Some mobile apps in China with splash screen advertising include: CTV apps such as Mango and iQiyi; UGC social apps such as Zhihu; Knowledge apps such as Youdao and Youdao Cloud Notes; Photo editing apps such as Meitu Xiuxiu; Travel apps such as Gaode Map, Ctrip, and Tongcheng, etc.
The implementation of lock screen advertising is relatively more complex, requiring a background service to listen to the system’s boot, unlock, lock screen, and other broadcasts to replace the system’s lock screen interface with advertising content. It also uses the notification bar, desktop widgets as advertising spaces, but all require the user to apply for authorization to disturb the user. With the update of the Android system, the management of background resident tasks will only be more stringent. Compared with other forms of advertising, such as TV and outdoor advertising, lock screen advertising has a lower cost and is easy to measure the effect, so it is favored by advertisers.
Chinese users spend a long time on the mobile Internet every day on average, and frequent lock and unlock operations increase the exposure opportunities of lock screen advertising. Chinese users have a relatively high acceptance of lock screen advertising, especially when it can provide some instant information or small rewards.
Foreign Google Play has strict policy constraints, in addition to applications specifically developed for the lock screen function, other applications are not allowed to provide advertising or features that profit through the device’s lock screen. Therefore, lock screen advertising is not common abroad.
When advertisers place lock screen advertising, they need to pay attention to designing simple and attractive advertising content to ensure that users can quickly grab attention before unlocking. At the same time, avoid designing advertisements that are too cumbersome or interfere with normal use, and control the frequency of advertising display to avoid causing user dissatisfaction.
This article will also examine some advertising phenomena that have caused a sensation on the international stage but have not yet had a significant impact in China. Among them, email advertising, which is a favorite of foreign advertisers, finds it difficult to win the market in China for the following reasons:
The popularity of social media
In China, social media platforms such as WeChat, Weibo, QQ, Xiaohongshu, and others are very popular. People are more inclined to use these platforms for communication and to receive information, rather than email.
E-commerce Ecology
China’s e-commerce ecosystem has developed rapidly, and consumers are more accustomed to receiving promotional information directly through online shopping platforms, which usually appear in the form of app push notifications or text messages.
Advertising Regulations
China’s internet advertising regulations have strict stipulations for email advertising, requiring senders to comply with relevant laws and regulations, which increases the operational cost and compliance requirements of email advertising.
User Habits
Chinese users generally rely less on email, and many may not check their mailboxes frequently, resulting in relatively lower open and conversion rates for email advertising.
Mobile First
Most of China’s internet users spend their time on mobile devices, and the email client experience on mobile devices is usually not as good as on PC, which also reduces the frequency of users receiving advertising through email.
Therefore, for advertisers, from the perspective of interactive effects, SMS advertising and mobile advertising in China can perfectly replace email advertising.
In China, the rapid development of the internet industry has become a thing of the past. Faced with increasingly precious traffic, brands and advertisers need to put in more effort to “explore” and manage. Advertising monitoring naturally becomes an indispensable part of the advertising placement industry chain. Through advertising monitoring, advertisers can understand the effectiveness of their placements and further optimize strategies to gradually improve the return on investment. This article will explore how advertising monitoring is implemented in the Chinese market and what the current state of advertising monitoring is like.
What to monitor?
In China, advertisers also focus on the exposure, clicks, and in-app interaction effects of advertisements.
Exposure Monitoring: Also known as “impression monitoring,” it is usually the channel vendors who pass the data back to the advertisers.
Click Monitoring: Monitoring the number of clicks, which can be collected by the advertisers themselves or passed back by the channel vendors through data transmission.
In-App Monitoring: Refers to the monitoring of behaviors/events within the APP, such as basic PV, UV, APP activation/registration/login, etc., and user retention on the next day, 7 days, 30 days, pay rate, ARPU value, etc. These data are generally collected through the integration of third-party monitoring companies’ SDKs within the app, and the interfaces provided by different apps will vary.
To monitor the effectiveness of advertisements, advertisers fill in the corresponding monitoring address when creating the smallest unit of an advertisement, which is the creative. The monitoring URL generally includes the following macros: creative ID or advertisement ID identifier, user device identifier, IP, UA, operating system, etc., and special ones may include CLICKID, CALLBACK.
The entire monitoring process can be roughly divided into three steps:
Advertisers/ad agencies place advertisements with media outlets. When users browse and click on the advertisements, the media will report the data to the advertiser or a third-party advertising monitoring platform. Common third-party platforms include: Umeng, adMaster, and Miaozhen.
After users click on the advertisement, they enter the landing page and participate in the advertising activities, such as downloading and launching the APP. After completing a series of operations, the APP uploads the user data to the advertising monitoring platform through the corresponding interface. Of course, other interactive media such as websites and H5 can also monitor the interaction data from the source of the advertisement through tracking codes and embedded points.
After attribution through certain methods, the user’s relevant data will be associated with the channel merchant and ultimately fed back to the advertiser/ad agency.
Data Reporting Methods for Advertising Monitoring: SDK & API
Advertising data monitoring in China is mainly implemented through SDK and API methods. The technical principles of the two are the same, both collecting user information and transmitting it back to the monitoring platform’s server for comparison. For example, when a user clicks on an advertisement link with tracking parameters, the monitoring platform collects the user’s IP, operating system version, device model, and other information through the link and stores it.
If a user clicks on an advertisement and is redirected to the App Store to download and activate the APP online, the APP will also collect all the user information stored by the monitoring platform.
Then, by matching the information collected when clicking on the link with the information collected after downloading and activating, subsequent conversion and other indicators can be monitored.
The SDK method is simple, easy to use, and powerful. Media outlets integrate SDKs into their Apps, and after completing certain development work, they can meet the vast majority of the needs of third parties and advertisers, with high accuracy and real-time performance.
The API method is flexible, versatile, and applicable to both Apps and mobile web pages. However, it requires media outlets to undertake some development work in accordance with API monitoring standards. API monitoring is divided into two types: C2S (Client to Server) API and S2S (Server to Server) API.
C2S, or Client to Server, refers to the terminal issuing a request instruction to the order placement proxy server. After the terminal receives and completes the instruction, it sends the completed instruction to the third-party monitoring proxy server, which conducts accurate traffic monitoring through mutual counting. Under the C2S model, user actions are directly reported to the third-party monitoring platform’s server, ensuring the timeliness and accuracy of the data. Renowned brand advertisers such as AdMaster and Nielsen often prefer this method to ensure seamless traffic authenticity verification.
S2S, or Server to Server, refers to the terminal issuing a request instruction to the order placement proxy server and then sending the completed instruction back to the order placement proxy server, which in turn sends the data to the third-party monitoring proxy server. This design may affect the timeliness of monitoring data while protecting user privacy, as it requires additional steps. Media outlets sometimes opt for S2S as an alternative strategy due to concerns over data security and may not support C2S monitoring.
C2S is more accurate and can reduce media cheating, commonly used by brand advertisers, but C2S requires client releases for each monitoring, making the implementation more complex.
Synchronous monitoring integrates the monitoring code with the landing page link. When a user clicks on an advertisement, they first visit the monitoring link, jump to the monitoring company’s server, and then jump to the landing page. Synchronous monitoring ensures the immediacy of the monitoring but may affect the user experience. In addition, synchronous monitoring does not support the transmission of parameters such as IDFA.
Asynchronous monitoring, on the other hand, directly redirects users to the landing page after clicking on the advertisement, with the media server sending a monitoring request to the monitoring company’s server. The asynchronous mode ensures a good user experience, but data transmission may be delayed. Moreover, since the request is sent by the server, the visits collected by the monitoring company all come from the same IP segment. If the client is targeting a specific city, determining the region solely based on the IP can lead to significant geographical discrepancies.
Current State of Advertising Monitoring
The mainstream third-party advertising media monitoring tools in China are TrackMaster introduced by AdMaster and AdMonitor introduced by Miaozhen. However, some dominant media outlets refuse third-party monitoring:
The first kind is top-tier vertical media, mainly out of concern for protecting their own data, fearing that clients obtaining the data will affect the media’s valuation and traffic value.
The second kind is dominant internet platforms, which often provide their own developed monitoring tools to clients.
Brands and advertisers must monitor advertising to better understand the effects, prevent data fraud, and continuously optimize the media mix, timing, geography, and creativity using the data obtained. The choice of monitoring mode depends on factors such as the brand’s demand for traffic authenticity, user privacy protection, and system compatibility between both parties. As the market evolves, China’s advertising monitoring methods may continue to evolve to adapt to the ever-changing advertising environment.
Due to the distinct software usage habits of Chinese consumers, email advertising, which garners significant attention in overseas markets, simply doesn’t work in China. The reason is straightforward: unless for work or travel bookings like flights, trains, or hotels, Chinese consumers rarely check their emails. Therefore, to advertise in China, it’s wise to observe how local and international advertisers, who have been in the Chinese market for years, place their ads. This article will introduce the most favored advertising formats among advertisers in the Chinese market, along with the corresponding media resource.
According to CNNIC statistics, as of June 2023, the scale of mobile phone netizens in China reached 1.076 billion people, with 99.8% of netizens using mobile phones to access the internet. The extremely high coverage rate of mobile terminals among netizens determines that mobile advertising is an inescapable topic in the battle for online attention. Currently, 96.7% of enterprises place ads on mobile platforms, 46.7% on PC platforms, and 13.3% on OTT platforms. It can be said that mobile advertising has become a battleground for advertisers to attract traffic and capture user attention.
Drilling down to ad types, according to the “2023 China Online Advertising Market Research” released by the research consulting institution iResearch platform, 90% of enterprises consider information stream ads as one of the main types of advertising, making it the most mainstream form of advertising. Search ads come in second with an 83.3% share, followed by banner ads (56.7%) and splash ads (50%).
Believing that the above-mentioned large-scale advertising types in the Chinese market are not unfamiliar to foreign advertisers, YOYI will introduce to you the characteristics of these popular advertising types and which media have these resources.
Feed Ads
Introduced by Facebook, feed ads are also very popular in Chinese social media. Feed ads are widely present in the user friend dynamics of social media, information media, or audio-visual media, in the form of pictures, graphics and text, videos, etc., and can be targeted through tags, according to one’s own needs, choose to increase exposure, UV, or app downloads, etc. The following are common feed advertising platforms in China:
Information platforms include: Toutiao, Qutoutiao, Sohu, Phoenix, Yidianzixun, Zhihu, etc.
Short video platforms include: Douyin, Kuaishou, Momo, etc.
Social media platforms: Tencent QQ, WeChat Moments, etc.
Search Engine Advertising
Search engine advertising refers to advertisers determining relevant keywords based on the content and features of their products or services, writing advertising content, and independently pricing and placing ads. When users search for keywords placed by advertisers in search engines, the corresponding ads will be displayed (when there are multiple users purchasing the same keywords, they will be displayed according to the bidding ranking principle), and the advertiser will be charged according to the bid for that keyword when the user clicks, with no charge for no clicks.
Search engines commonly used by Chinese users include: Baidu, Sogou, 360, Google.
The famous Chinese social media platform WeChat has also launched a built-in search feature called “Search” and its corresponding ads can also be considered a form of search advertising.
Banner Ads
Banner ads are rectangular advertising spaces that span across web pages, apps, H5, and mini-programs at a fixed position, usually at the top or bottom, and are often in the form of pure images, pure text, or a combination of images and text. When users click on these banners, they are typically linked to the web pages, apps, or form pages that the advertiser wants them to visit.
In China, banner ad spaces are commonly found on popular media and information websites such as Toutiao and NetEase News. In addition, some commonly used video apps such as Youku, iQiyi, LeTV, and Mango TV also set up banner ad resources. During major promotional periods in China, such as the 618 promotion, some apps will also set up special banner ad spaces, such as Zhihu.
Splash Ads
Splash ads refer to static images, animated pictures, or video-style advertising materials displayed on the startup page of an app, with a fixed display time, generally 5-15 seconds. After the display is completed, it automatically closes and enters the main page of the app. Splash ads can incorporate interactive elements, such as touching the screen for interaction, rotating the phone to adjust the display form, and strategically guiding to further enhance the user’s advertising browsing experience and increase the desire to interact. The characteristics of splash ads include the quality of the position, full-screen display, strong targeting, mandatory exposure, and huge traffic.
Video apps such as Youku, iQiyi, LeTV, and Mango TV will set up splash ads. In addition, UGC social apps like Zhihu; learning apps such as Youdao and Youdao Cloud Notes; photo editing apps like Meitu Xiuxiu; travel-related apps such as Gaode Map, Ctrip, and Tongcheng, all have splash ads.
Video Ad Spots
Video ad spots, also known as video interstitial ads, are a popular form of advertising among fast-moving consumer goods advertisers and advertisers accustomed to traditional media. They often appear before, after, or at fixed time points during online video playback.
Video apps such as Youku, Tencent, iQiyi, Wasu, Sohu, LeTV, Fengxing, and Baidu Video all have video ad spot positions.
Incentive Ads
Incentive video ads refer to a form of advertising that integrates video ads into the APP application, combining video ads with the content of the APP application. Users can receive rewards for watching video ads.
Incentive ads are commonly seen in gaming apps, where players can earn rewards such as coins or points after clicking on and watching video ads.
Interstitial Ads
Interstitial ads refer to ads that pop up in specific interfaces and at specific times within an app, available in both full-screen and pop-up formats. They can be closed directly or after a certain period of display, and the ad revenue is considerable. This form of advertising has a strong visual impact and supports both image and video materials.
For example, in video apps, when users pause video playback, interstitial ads will pop up in full-screen or half-screen formats to convey advertising information to users. Some gaming apps may choose to pop up when users briefly stop gaming operations, cleverly avoiding affecting the normal user experience.
If you wish to efficiently and swiftly captivate Chinese consumers, you need to cautiously experiment with different advertising formats and find an effective and cost-moderate advertising combination. YOYI suggests that you could start with the most popular advertising formats, of course, based on the premise of selecting suitable creatives and content for your brand.
China’s programmatic advertising market has seen unprecedented prosperity since 2012, a year that is also dubbed as the “Year One” of programmatic advertising in China. With the flourishing development of the internet traffic market, China’s programmatic advertising ecosystem has become increasingly mature, gradually meeting advertisers’ needs for fine-group screening of quality customers, comprehensive control and constant adjustment of the advertising process, following customer trends to lock media platforms, and recalling high-potential customers for repeated exposure. This article will provide a complete practical guide based on China’s programmatic advertising market.
01 Planning Phase
Step 1: Define Objectives
Before clarifying the objectives, brands often complete the analysis of the consumer portrait for the promoted product, competitive advertising analysis, and summary of product selling points. With the support of the above information, the brand needs to define the goals of programmatic advertising, whether it is to enhance brand exposure, improve customer awareness, or enhance purchase conversion.
Domestic traffic vendors and media types are diverse and numerous, with a vast array of conversion models and indicators. Advertisers and their agencies need to set targets that are specifically tailored to their advertising needs and platform indicators. Taking the AIPL model indicators of Alibaba, a top-tier e-commerce platform in China, as an example:
Aware: Within the last 15 days, passively interacted with the brand, including behaviors such as exposure & clicks, browsing (limited to one day), watching, etc.
Interest: Within the last 15 days, actively engaged with the brand, including behaviors like membership, followership, interactions, browsing, favorites/add to cart, claiming trial products/samples, etc.
Purchase: All consumers who have purchased brand products in the last two and a half years (2*365 days + 180 days), including those who made pre-sale deposits, scanned codes for Taobao eggs after purchase, used offline cloud POS payment consumers, made purchases via iStore mini-program, scanned codes for Taobao eggs after purchase, included consumers who purchased on Taoxian, including those who bought Tmall u-first samples) minus “Loyalty” consumers.
Loyalty: Consumers who have had positive comments/positive follow-up reviews or have purchased the brand’s products at least twice within the past 365 days.
Audience strategies are often rooted in product features, brand tone, and combined with past advertising experiences. It is even possible to seek recommendations from local media, third-party advertising agencies, and traffic platforms. The premise of programmatic advertising effectiveness is the brand’s reasonable segmentation of user groups, so that in the process of traffic purchase and expansion, it can better hit the brand’s target audience. Specific classification methods can refer to the “4W1H” model.
Who: Refers to user attributes, judging what type of user it is based on attributes (gender, age, region, income, interests, etc.), such as student groups who love affordable makeup, white-collar workers who like to watch fashion bloggers’ videos, users with a high-level VIP status, etc.
When: Refers to the time corresponding to user behavior, from which the user’s visit duration, frequency, interval, etc., can be calculated. For example, first-time visits to the official website, not logged in for 30 days, purchased within 15 days, etc.
Where: Refers to the user’s source, such as entering through an ad click, through a friend’s share, or through a search engine, etc. Users from different sources represent different groups. For example, those who enter through search keywords belong to an active group of users, which is more in line with the advertiser’s needs; while those who enter by clicking on ads may be interested because of the attraction of the ad content, etc.
What: Refers to the user’s behavior, such as what type of ads they have clicked on, what content they have visited, what products they have purchased, etc.
How: Refers to the user’s quality, which can be measured by visit depth, number of behaviors, order amount, etc. For example, a user who has browsed 50 different product pages, a user who has made a total of 20 orders within a year, a user with an order amount of more than 100,000 yuan in 30 days, etc.
Step 3: Develop Media Strategy
In the face of numerous media resources, it is particularly important to formulate an appropriate media strategy before advertising, which depends on the objectives. The principle of formulating a media strategy is “positive, high coverage, and strong exposure,” and to design the media around advertising forms, page environments, media quality, advertising area, screen position, to meet the KPI requirements.
Advertising Forms: The form of advertising to some extent determines the user experience and interaction form. Common forms in programmatic advertising include banner image ads, video ads, native ads, etc.
Page Environment: Refers to the state of the page where the advertisement is placed, including page content, the number of page advertisements, etc. Especially when placing brand advertisements, advertisers usually require that the page content must be positive, in line with the brand image, and must not contain pornographic and vulgar, politically sensitive information, etc.. Moreover, the number of page advertisements should not be too many. An environment full of advertisements on the entire page will cause trouble for users and seriously affect the user experience, causing users to have a negative impression of the page and the advertisements within the page.
Media Quality: When formulating a media strategy, attention should be paid to the quality and quantity of the media. Quality refers to whether the media’s traffic scale and user groups are of high quality and in line with the advertiser’s needs. In addition, it is necessary to consider the category of these media (such as entertainment), channels (such as TV series), historical data of advertising positions (such as click-through rate), etc. Quantity refers to the media traffic being large enough to ensure sufficient user coverage and meet the advertiser’s budget.
Advertising Area: The ratio of advertising size and the proportion of advertising area on the page are also very important. If the advertising size is too small or the proportion of the entire page is too low, it is difficult to be discovered by users; non-standard size ratios will increase the cost of material production.
Screen Position: The screen position where the advertising position is located determines the probability of the advertisement being seen. The first screen is generally better than the non-first screen, and the effect of the last screen advertisement may be the worst. However, for some pages with high-quality content, the exposure probability of the second screen or even the third screen will also be high.
Step 4: Develop Creative Solutions
The first step in creating creativity is to grasp the form of creativity and the way users interact. The form of creativity refers to what file form the material is presented in, such as images, text, graphics and text, Flash, video, forms, or others. At present, video creativity and post creativity (such as information streams) have the best effects, which are related to the characteristics of the advertising space. The price of such advertising spaces is also a bit higher than that of ordinary advertising spaces.
User interaction refers to the specific operations of users on the material, such as clicking to switch dynamic creativity, filling in registration information on the creativity, expanding the material after clicking on the advertisement, and even submitting information by voice.
In the process of advertising, both the created creativity and the landing page need to undergo A/B testing or multi-version testing, using data to determine which version to adopt in the end. The premise of the test is to keep the test environment and the test volume of multiple versions as consistent as possible.
02 Execution Phase
Step 1: Advertising Preparation
The preparatory work before advertising mainly includes uploading qualifications for review, creating creativity for review, and deploying advertising monitoring, etc.
Qualifications are the necessary proof documents for advertisers to carry out advertising activities (such as business licenses, ICP filing screenshots, organization codes, etc.).
In terms of creativity, traffic parties will also have certain requirements for the effectiveness and legality of the content, so the media needs to review the creativity. Common review scopes include size, sound, etc.
In addition, advertisers generally use third-party monitoring during the advertising process, so there is also the deployment work of monitoring codes, etc. Optimization strategies need to add code in the advertiser’s game promotion page or SDK (or S2S docking), so that the DSP platform can adjust strategies according to different user behavior trajectories.
A good job in the early preparation work does not mean that the ads can be directly placed without manual intervention. Advertising activities should also be gradually increased in multiple stages to ensure the final effect. Programmatic advertising in China can be generally divided into four stages: technical docking test, strategy test, strategy optimization, and stable extension, each with a corresponding time period, and should be flexibly adjusted according to the actual situation of the project.
Technical Docking Test Phase: This phase usually lasts for 1 to 3 days, mainly to check whether the work in the preparation phase runs well, such as whether the statistical monitoring code is deployed correctly, whether S2S docking can correctly return data, etc.
Strategy Test Phase: This phase usually takes 3-7 days to verify whether the media strategy formulated in the advertising strategy is reasonable and whether the media effect has reached the expected level. Based on the test data, corresponding grade divisions are made for different AdX/SSP, different media, different advertising spaces, etc., so as to better allocate the budget in the later stage.
Strategy Optimization Phase: This phase usually lasts for about 1 week to 1 month. On the basis of optimization and adjustment in the early test phase, further optimization of the media is carried out, and the crowd strategy and creative strategy formulated in the advertising strategy are continuously optimized. During the strategy optimization phase, the fluctuation of advertising effects is generally large, which is a normal phenomenon. During this phase, various strategy combinations are usually tried, and the effects of different combinations may vary greatly. The goal of this phase is to quickly screen out the optimal combination of “media + audience group + creativity”, so that the advertising effect reaches a stable change and regular fluctuation trend, such as the effect of the weekend is better than working days, the effect of the evening peak period is better than the daytime, etc.
Stable Extension Phase: This phase is usually more than 1 month according to the brand’s needs. After the stable effect is achieved in the strategy optimization phase, the volume of traffic can be increased according to the budget. Especially in the RTB bidding model, the volume and price of traffic will fluctuate due to the different degrees of market competition, hence the operator needs to be able to find problems in time and take actions.
Step 2: Official Launch
After the qualification and material review are passed, the executor needs to add various advertising campaigns according to the planning plan of the advertising proposal and set up corresponding campaign.
Basic Settings
Bid Setting: Set the upper limit of the price that can be borne, generally in the form of CPM, to control the cost within an acceptable range. Some DSP can support bidding according to CPC or CPA (the algorithm replaces manual dynamic control of CPM bidding).
Budget Control: Set the budget according to the media budget plan provided by the advertiser/advertising agent to avoid excessive consumption. The budget is divided into daily budget, weekly budget, monthly budget, and total budget. Some DSP can also control the level of exposure and the number of clicks, corresponding to daily exposure, total exposure, or daily clicks, total clicks, etc. In addition, there are also settings for budget allocation, such as setting differentiated budgets for different regions, different creatives, etc.
Date and Time: Set the date or time period according to the advertising schedule, or there is no limit. Date and time can be set according to the online habits of the target audience. The date or the daily advertising time period will have an impact on the effect, such as weekends, evening peak periods.
Advertising Speed: The Advertising speed is divided into uniform speed and rapid speed. Some advertisers hope that the advertising budget can be as distributed as possible in each time period or every day, and the activity can be set to “uniform speed”.
Frequency Control: Set the total number of times a specific advertisement is seen by the same user within a set time, or the total number of times a certain advertising material is seen within a set time.
Media Settings
Transaction Model: Select the transaction model, including RTB open bidding, PDB direct purchase, etc.
Ad Exchange: Choose the channel for advertising, such as Baidu Bes, Alibaba Tanx, Tencent AdX, etc.
Media Category/Channel: Select the category of media or a specific channel under a single medium, such as financial, entertainment, sports, and other media categories, or TV drama, movie, technology, sports, and other channels under Youku media.
Media URL: Set specific media root domain names (e.g., qq.com), second-level domains (e.g., news.qq.com), or specific URL addresses.
Placement Size: Choose the placement size and arrange corresponding size materials. Generally, popular ad spaces or commonly used high-quality ad spaces are selected.
Ad Position: Choose the specific ad position, such as WeChat Search Super Brand Zone.
Ad Position Type: Choose the type of ad placement, such as banner, information game, OTV, etc.
Ad Viewability: According to the advertiser’s requirements for viewability, the operators can only target media resources with a viewability higher than a certain value, or conversely, they can exclude media resources with a viewability lower than a certain value and not place ads on this part of the media resources.
Page Ad Slot Quantity: Since the number of ad slots on the page will affect the user experience, it may indirectly cause the user to have a negative impression of the page’s ads. Therefore, when placing ads, you can control the number of ad slots on the page, such as only targeting pages with up to 3 ad slots.
Screen Order: Choose the screen order where the ad space is located, such as the first screen, the second screen, etc. Generally, it is necessary to exclude the bottom of the page such as the tail screen and other positions where users generally cannot see this ad space.
Page Content: Choose to place ads based on designated page keywords, video content direction, such as only placing pages containing baby-related keywords, or only placing workplace drama video ads, and brand can also directly specify TV drama names for directional advertising.
Target Audience Settings
Advertisers can collect people who have seen, clicked on, and visited the official website during the advertising process, and retarget them or use them as the seed segment for look-alike extensions. The target audience may include people with needs, potential needs, and even those who have made purchases, as well as those who are using the product/service or the lost audience.
Creative Settings
Creative and landing page settings: Set up the creative and corresponding landing pages for different advertising campaigns. It should be noted that some AdX will require the landing page to support HTTPS.
Display rules: Set the rules for the order in which the creative is displayed to the same person multiple times. The general rules for the order in which users see the creative are loop rotation, sequential display, etc. For example, if you need to display creative A, B, C to the same user, with a frequency limit of 6 times a week, the order in which a user sees the creative can be AABBCC, ABCABC, etc.
Other Settings
Third-party monitoring: Set the exposure monitoring code and click monitoring code of the third-party monitoring platform.
Brand protection: Select the brand safety supplier that the DSP platform has connected and fill in the corresponding information.
Anti-fraud: Set up to filter fraudulent traffic. Some DSP platforms have anti-fraud mechanisms themselves, but some advertisers will also find third-party anti-fraud suppliers for traffic filtering in order to ensure the effectiveness and reduce waste.
03 Review Phase
Based on the actual feedback data during the advertising period, the brand can summarize the experience and guide subsequent campaigns through comparison, attribution, segmentation, and intersection.
Media optimization: Make the optimal media combination according to the media crowd matching degree, media overlap degree, and media saturation degree. Media matching degree refers to the ratio of the advertiser’s target audience that can be covered in the media; Media overlap degree refers to the ratio of the target audience that overlaps between multiple media; Media saturation degree refers to the ratio of the target audience that has been covered in the media to the total target audience of the media.
Creative Optimization: The match between the ad’s creative and its intended message plays a significant role in determining the effectiveness of an ad campaign. Ad matching refers to how well the creative aligns with the ad’s appeal.
Frequency Adjustment: Identify the optimal frequency by analyzing data from groups exposed to different levels of ad impressions, and establish reasonable frequency capping.
Audience Adjustment: Depending on the scale of the target audience and their conversion outcomes, you can correspondingly increase or decrease the targeting of audience segments.
Viewable Exposure Optimization: Optimize based on data from ad viewability, analyzing visibility metrics across various ad placements, regions, times, and browsers (for instance, visibility might be lower in certain areas or browsers due to differences in audience characteristics or internet connectivity issues). Filter out those with low viewability and fine-tune the advertksk g with various campaign settings to form the best combination.
Each country has its own social environment and standards for different industries vary accordingly. In China, there are clear restrictions on the industries involved in advertising and promotion. Especially for the following 55 industries listed, Chinese laws and regulations have explicit prohibitions against promoting these industries through advertising.
01 Drug-Related Items
This category encompasses all types of illicit drugs, chemicals that can be synthesized into drugs, raw materials for drug production, and literature on drug manufacturing.
02 Gambling Prohibitions
We’re putting all bets off on gambling. It’s forbidden to use money or property as stakes in gambling, as well as providing venues, funds, tools, or facilitating gambling activities through products and services.Gambling Tools: Think slot machines and dice games—no luck here.
Gambling Information and Software: This includes illegal gambling information, communities, software, and betting apps.
Gambling Products: Unlawful gambling products such as Mark Six lotteries and other lottery types not approved for sale in Mainland China.
Gambling Techniques: Ads that teach gambling tactics like card sharking and cheating methods are off the table.
Cheating Devices: Devices like see-through glasses, card changers, and other cheating tools are strictly prohibited.
Gambling Products: Products suspected of being gambling-related, such as “one-yuan purchase” schemes.
Gambling on Raw Stones: The act of gambling by selling rough stones is banned.
Others: Hotels or scenic spots that offer casino gambling services are not allowed.
03 Religious Matters
Spreading the word about religious activities and content is a no-go zone.
Selling religious items under the guise of religion is also prohibited.
04 Pyramid Schemes
The allure of quick riches through recruitment or by charging fees for membership is an illegal path we advise against.
05 Superstition and Fortune-Telling
Products or services for fortune-telling, divination, Feng Shui, and other superstitious practices, along with claims of improving luck or human capabilities, are banned.
06 Fraudulent Websites
Imitating financial institutions like banks, funds, securities, and trusts is a scam that won’t stand.
Posting job ads for fake reputation farming on online stores is also prohibited.
Illegal sales of items like Sinopec fuel cards, Q coins, and other virtual cards, along with providing illegal phone top-up services, are forbidden.
07 Special Diseases
No advertising is allowed for diseases that the state has paused medical advertising for: genital warts, syphilis, gonorrhea, chancroid, psoriasis, AIDS, cancer, epilepsy, hepatitis B, vitiligo, lupus.
Professional jargon related to these diseases, such as HBV, “big three yang,” “small three yang turning negative,” and “two pairs and a half,” is also banned in advertisements.
08 Special Medications and Medical Devices
A strict ban on narcotics, psychotropic substances, toxic medical drugs, radioactive drugs, drug-like precursor chemicals, prescription drugs, specific total nutrition formula foods for special medical purposes, infant formulas for special medical use, and drugs and medical devices for drug addiction treatment.
Military-specific drugs and preparations made by military medical institutions.
Medicinal preparations made by medical institutions.
Any drugs, medical devices, health foods, and special medical formula foods that are legally stopped or banned from production, sale, or use.
Offering domestic registration services or overseas medical intermediary services for a fee is prohibited.
10 Cultural Relics and Literary Works
Counterfeit commemorative coins and replicas of famous artworks are not to be advertised.
Exempted are antique stores and auction companies with the appropriate legal qualifications.
11 Illegal Stamp Trading
Legal stamps (including common and commemorative stamps) can be exchanged and traded.The following activities are banned as per Article 25 of the “Philatelic Market Management Measures”: Trading in counterfeit or altered postage vouchers.
Trading in stamps prohibited from circulation by the state.
Trading in stamps issued by the Taiwan region after October 1, 1949.
Trading in stamps without indicated issuing entity information.
Trading in stamps with counterfeit or imitation stamp patterns not in accordance with national regulations.
Trading in stamps with obviously false information.
Trading in stamps imported without authorization.
Producing or selling stamps under someone else’s name without permission.
Any other business activities that violate relevant national regulations.
12 Circulating RMB
Without the approval of the People’s Bank of China, no unit or individual may bind or operate bound circulating RMB, including RMB of special years and misprinted RMB.
13 Bills
Including various types of invoices, financial bills, etc.
Including issuing and selling real and fake invoices on behalf of others.
Except for the case of transfer for the purpose of collection without validity and circulation.
14 Fake certificate and seal services
Providing illegal services such as processing false certificates and privately engraved official seals.
15 Illegal network public relations
Illegal network water army, network promoters, flooding companies, post deletion companies, soft article marketing, e-commerce order brushing, etc.
16 Illegal network technology and equipment
Using illegal network technology to break through network restrictions, infringe on the privacy and property of others, or disrupt the normal operation order of Internet platforms, including: “over the wall” service, “over the wall” software, game plug-ins, dual-opening software, jailbreak software, etc.
Equipment for inserting phone cards in batches.
Equipment and software with functions such as changing the caller number, virtual dialing, and illegal access of Internet phones to the public telecommunications network.
Automatic switching systems for batch accounts and network addresses, platforms for batch receiving SMS verification and voice verification.
Other equipment and software used to commit crimes such as telecommunications network fraud.
17 Illegal debt collection
Illegal provision of services or consulting content related to debt repayment, debt arrears, and debt collection.
18 Vehicle formalities agency
Violation of traffic rules and points, agency service or content for car purchase quotas.
Providing transaction services or information such as leasing, selling, and transferring of vehicle license plates and lottery quotas.
Providing illegal vehicle-related services or information such as scrapping without a car, transferring ownership without a car, annual inspection without a car, and collecting points for driver’s licenses.
19 Personal business agency
Agency for personal certificates, agency for social security payment, agency for housing provident fund payment, agency/consultation for points-based settlement, etc.
Scalper proxy photography and proxy photography business.
20 Certificate affiliation/leasing
“Certificate affiliation”, “certificate affiliation” and any qualification certificate, administrative license, identity document leasing, lending, and transfer services, etc.
21 Foreign Recruitment
Provide jobs for foreign personnel, recruit foreign personnel, recruit foreign volunteers, etc.
22 Firearms, Ammunition and Other Weapons
Includes various types of firearms, ammunition and related equipment, such as firearms, firearm imitations (such as imitation guns), bullets (cannons), silencers, gunpowder, instructions, packaging boxes, etc.
Other weapons: crossbows, slingshots, steel balls, lead balls, real machines, real bullets, etc.
23 Security, police and military equipment
Security equipment refers to security and defense equipment including but not limited to electric shocks, strong lights, tear gas, etc.
Police and military equipment refers to police and military equipment including but not limited to police uniforms, police badges, handcuffs, police lights, sirens, stun guns, etc.
Illegal organizations that endanger society, such as Falun Gong, the Church of Almighty God, Voodoo, etc.
25 Government Documents
Various certificates and documents issued by the government, such as identity cards, files, various licenses, etc.
26 Illegal Publications and Film and Television Works
Illegal books, film and television works include, but are not limited to:
Obscene and Pornographic Materials : This includes any publications or films that are vulgar or sexually explicit, such as adult magazines, videos, and adult videos (AV).
Materials Harmful to Social Stability : Publications or films that undermine social stability, damage national unity, or disrupt ethnic solidarity.
Publications with Discriminatory Content : Any materials containing racial or religious discrimination or other content that violates laws and regulations.
27 Protection of Wild Flora and Fauna
Wildlife : Under national regulations, no trade or publication is allowed for wild animals, world/national protected species, endangered animals, their organs, any body parts, fur, specimens, or any products made from them, such as ivory and tortoiseshell products.
Wild Plants : Any plants listed in the world/national protected species list and prohibited from sale by law, or plant products.
28 Illegal Sexual Products
Such as illegal aphrodisiacs and similar products.
29 Dangerous Goods
Flammable and Explosive Materials : Including raw materials for their production.
Toxic and Corrosive Chemicals : Along with their raw materials.
Fireworks and Firecrackers : And devices for setting off fireworks and firecrackers.
Publications and Videos on Explosives : Materials that instruct on making explosives.
30 Regulated Knives
Knives that violate national controlled knife standards, such as daggers, three-edged knives (including those used for mechanical processing), switchblades with self-locking mechanisms, and other similar single-edged, double-edged, or three-edged sharp knives.
31 Illegally Obtained Goods
Goods obtained through smuggling, theft, or robbery.
Illegally absorbing public deposits or disguised forms of public deposits, and illegal fundraising activities with the purpose of illegal possession using fraudulent methods.
39 Non-compliant Bank Card and Account Services
Copying/cracking or recycling of bank cards, handling of bank cards through non-bank official websites, handling of bank statements, buying and selling of bank accounts (bank cards), etc.
40 Products Infringing on Intellectual Property Rights
Trademark and Patent Infringements : Counterfeit and copycat products.
Copyright Infringements : Unauthorized films, television shows, software programs, websites, etc.
Private Servers and Cheats : Private servers refer to the unauthorized establishment of network servers after illegally obtaining server installation programs. Cheats refer to programs that use computer technology to alter parts of one or several online games to create cheating software.
Other Violations: Unlawful sales of gaming equipment from other manufacturers, impersonation of official game websites, and establishment of phishing websites.
41 Tax Evasion Products
Goods that have not gone through proper import procedures, such as “grey market” products, “European water”, “Hong Kong water”, and similar items.
42 Illegal Signal Interception Products
Devices like TV sticks and signal receivers that illegally intercept television signals.
43 Products Infringing on Property Rights
Products for electricity theft or illegal electricity saving, such as power-saving devices.
Wi-Fi moochers, dialers, and similar devices.
Products with unclear charges, malicious billing, hidden billing programs, or any situation that harms consumer rights, or containing malicious programs for account theft or password theft.
44 Privacy Invasion Equipment:
Eaves dropping devices, hidden cameras, pinhole cameras, information interception (fax, SMS, phone interception), and other equipment that may violate privacy.
Products that infringe on personal information, including but not limited to directly providing personal phone numbers, email addresses, and software or products used for collecting or stealing personal information (such as phishing websites).
Products with tracking capabilities, such as GPS trackers.
“Assembled motor vehicles”, “built motor vehicles”, or related service information.
46 Products Disrupting Traffic Safety
Products like radar detectors, electronic dogs, car concealment sprays, roll-up license plate frames, radar jammers, license plate covering devices, traffic signal changers, and similar items.
47 Prohibited Education and Training
Online advertisements for off-campus training for primary and secondary schools, kindergartens.
Franchise services for off-campus training for primary and secondary schools, kindergartens.
48 Exam and Thesis Fraud
Impersonating test takers, ghostwriting theses, etc.
49 Non-compliant Software Tools
Software advertised as making free calls (Note: Not instant communication tools, products that can directly make free calls without phone charges using certain means).
Military software.
Overseas marriage service software.
50 Political News
Political: Domestic and foreign military and political news, reactionary remarks, etc.
51 Illegal Game Agents
Merchants and regional privileged agents for special permissions in games (such as selling room cards).
52 Military Aircraft
Aircraft that directly participate in combat, support combat operations, and military training, such as fighter jets, bombers, special operations aircraft, etc.
53 Non-compliant Real Estate Business
Types of real estate transactions: Real estate and land not normally sold or not qualified for listing, such as small property rights, account-settlement houses, land transactions, property exchange for old, mortgaged houses, etc.
Real estate peripheral business: Beyond the normal living and use functions of real estate, emphasizing financing, investment, medical services, including real estate investment or investment lectures, financing or disguised financing content, medical services, housing for the elderly, real estate investment immigration, etc.
54 Illegal Fishing Products
Electric fishing devices, sail nets, ground cages, beach seines, net cages, dense mesh screens, towed pump suction rakes, and other fishing gear.
55 Other Illegal and Non-compliant Products and Services
Surrogacy, drug testing, fetal gender determination services.
Human organs, remains, animal carcasses, etc.
Advertisements for car decoders, master keys, and other technologies that can be used for criminal activities.
Private detectives.
Medicated cosmetics.
Medical waste.
Products for reducing or limiting the speed of bicycles.
Online part-time fraud (such as typists, data entry clerks), personal manual processing fraud (such as wormwood processing, manual beading), etc.
As a significant market, China is a resourceful market for international brands to enter. At the initial stage of market entry, outbound marketing, such as advertising, could be a good choice. For those who have already established brand awareness in China, advertising remains essential for market penetration. This article will explain how Chinese ad ecosystem works.
01 Ad Category: Programmatic Ad is the mainstream with more complexity
According to Emarketer, 4 years ago, programmatic ads account for a significant 44% share of China’s digital ad market. Additionally, with more stakeholders engaged in the context of programmatic advertising, we believe that the introduction of programmatic ad ecosystem in China will help you better understand Chinese ad environment.
02 Composition of Programmatic Ad Ecosystem in China
An outline of the stakeholders in Chinese programmatic ad ecosystem could make it easier to get the whole picture. Brands, companies, or even individuals who wish to pay for advertisements aimed at attracting target audience are advertisers. In that course, DSP/ADN and Trading Desk are tools in the demand side; while ADX/SSP are platforms on the supply side, which serve media or publishers who have the final say over traffic and ad inventory. Data platforms such as DMP will collect and provide data for the publish of ads as well as connect the audience and advertiser someway.
The programmatic ad ecosystem in China works like a tree. Advertisors are the root because of their products and services hidding behind the ads are the fundamental factor of purchasing. And advertisors will make the final decision of what messages shall be communicated in their ads, by what means, in what places. Other stakeholders or tools such as ad agencies, DSP/TD, AdX/SSP, ADN, are functioning as the trunk that brings the “nutrition” ads all the way up to the branches “media owner” or “publisher”, so that the audience as the leaves will be reached and feel the commitment and value of the advertisors’ brands.
03 Key Players of Programmatic Ad Ecosystem
In China, the basic logic of advertisement is the same. Within the ecosystem, we got three key players as advertiser, publisher and the audience. The advertiser would like to convey message to their target audience via the impressions on publisher. And that’s what advertisement will achieve.
As the bridge to connect advertiser and the audience, media/publisher controls the ending ad inventory, which could be the most important resource in advertisement. In China, the leading comprehensive publisher includes: ByteDance, Alibaba, Tencent, Baidu, Kuaishou, Meituan, Jingdong, Pinduoduo (Temu), Xiaomi, Weibo, etc.
With the booming of publisher’s quantity and categories, Ad Network (ADN) came up to the ad ecosystem, which purchases ad inventories from different publisher and sell to advertisers or ad agencies.
Some advertisers, especially those leading enterprises would like to invite another role in during advertising: advertising agencies. Some of the most popular and influential advertising agencies in China include: Ogilvy, WPP, Omnicom Group, Publicis Groupe, BBDO, BlueFocus, etc. You might be quite familiar with some of them.
04 Platforms to Collect and Communicate Ad Demands
Demand-Side Platform (DSP)
For both the advertiser and ad agency, DSP (Demand-Side Platform) is a must in conducting programmatic ad. DSP provides real-time bidding services and algorithm & AI capabilities to enable automated buying and selling of ad inventory, so that advertisers and agencies could efficiently manage their advertising campaigns, such as audience targeting, budget management, bidding management, creative management, etc. The AI and algorithm embedding in DSPs will make all those actions above more agile, precise and accurate.
The more inventories a DSP covers, the more powerful and efficient it is. YOYI Tech, which has focused on AdTech in China for over 10 years, has developed a DSP that integrates 80% publisher inventories across Chinese internet, with full coverage of mainstream CTV inventories as well as rich Ad formats within different media touchpoints, will accelerate market penetration in China and precisely reach your target audience at a lower cost, as well as enhance your advertising strategy with data-driven insights.
Trading Desk (TD)
A trading desk integrates different DSPs and can manage advertising in a comprehensive manner, .which often handle more complex budget management and bidding frequency control, etc.
Here is a list of the different types of trading desks operating in China:
Agency Trading Desk (ATD): A trading desk within a 4A advertising agency serving multiple brand advertisers. Examples include Xaxis, Accuen, AOD, and Charm (昌荣）, etc.;
Independent Trading Desk (ITD): Similar to ATD, but ITDs can serve multiple advertising agencies or brands. Examples include YOYI Onedesk, Marketin, Chinapex, and Fugetech, etc.;
Brand Trading Desk (BTD): Typically, this is an in-house trading desk built by the advertiser themselves or with the help of a technology provider, such as Yili Trading Desk, etc.
05 Platforms to recieve demands and release ad inventory
Both supply-side platform (SSP) and Ad exchange (AdX) are essential to process ad demands from DSP and trigger ad impression.
A supply-side platform allows ad publishers to sell their inventory within an appropriate price range after the evaluation of advertisers, bidding prices, TA requirements, etc., so as to meet both publishers’ and advertisers’ needs.
Therotically, an AdX will connect DSP and SSP. However, nowadays the differences between SSP and AdX are so slight to take into account. Hence we would like to introduce you some representative platforms of SSP/ADX running in China:
The third-party SSP/AdX collects and reallocates traffic of all kinds (premium traffic, medium traffic, long-tail traffic, etc.) from media owners or publishers. Some examples can be: BES from Baidu, Tanx from Alibaba, Tencent AdX, 360 MAX, etc.
The examples of private AdX/SSP owned by media giant who has their own natural traffic are YOUKU AdX, AIQIYI AdX, Netease AdX, Sina AdX, etc.
06 Supportive Platform towards Agility of Advertising
Data Management Platform (DMP) generates tags for different audience segements and build user profiles and portraits based on user data, which would enhance the precision and efficiency of advertisement.
YOYI Tech creates a DMP that collects first-party user data from advisor-owned channels such as websites, apps, social medias, as well as second-party data from our own DSP and third-party data from our partners such as ecommerce giants, media, and agencies, etc. Moreover, YOYI DMP is open and ready to accept any other data sources and with our powerful ID mapping capability, our DMP will match household IDs with individual IDs and calculate user tags for various scenarios.
For advertisers, after navigating through the initial strategy formulation, plan refinement, and qualification review, only to be thwarted by media platforms repeatedly returning advertising materials and even facing penalties and restrictions from the platforms due to non-compliant materials, it’s a loss that no one wants. The following guidelines from China’s top traffic platforms can help brands avoid pitfalls in advance, thus smoothly advancing their deployment plans.
01 Advertising Must Not Have the Following Circumstances
Use or indirectly use the national flag, national anthem, national emblem, military flag, military anthem, or military emblem of the People’s Republic of China.
Use or indirectly use the name or image of state organs or their staff.
Must not exploit the images of party and state leaders (including various cartoon virtual images), including current, former, or deceased party and state leaders for commercial promotion.
Impair the dignity or interests of the state, or disclose state secrets.
Disrupt social stability or harm the public interest of society.
Endanger personal or property safety, or disclose personal privacy.
Disrupt public order or violate social ethics.
Contain obscene, pornographic, gambling, superstitious, terrorist, or violent content.
Contain content discriminating against ethnicity, race, religion, or gender.
Impede environmental, natural resource, or cultural heritage protection.
Other circumstances prohibited by laws or administrative regulations.
02 Advertising Must Not Contain False or Misleading Content, Must Not Deceive or Mislead Consumers
Advertising should be recognizable, allowing consumers to identify it as such.
Must not disguise advertising in the form of news reports. Advertisements published through mass media should prominently display “Advertisement” to distinguish from other non-advertising information, preventing consumer misunderstanding.
Must not deceive or mislead consumers with non-existent goods or services.
Must not present information about the product’s performance, function, origin, purpose, quality, specifications, ingredients, price, manufacturer, shelf life, sales status, honors received, or promises related to goods or services that do not match the actual situation.
Must not use fabricated, forged, or unverifiable scientific research results, statistical data, survey results, excerpts, quotes, or other information as proof.
Must not fabricate the effects of using products or receiving services.
Apart from the above, must not deceive or mislead consumers with false or misleading content.
03 Prohibition of Using Absolute Phrases Such as “National Level,” “Highest Grade,” “Best,” etc.
Advertising is prohibited from using absolute phrases such as “national level,” “highest grade,” “best,” “top level,” “number one brand,” “elite,” “supreme,” “most popular,” etc. Expressions in the form of “one of the most…” are considered to represent the highest degree of an adjective and are also prohibited in advertising. However, objective statements that meet the following specific conditions can be used:
Objective factual statements, but legal evidence should be provided.
“XX Competition First Place” falls into this category. For example, if an advertiser participates in an authoritative competition or an analysis report issued by an authoritative institution shows their winning rank, such as a design company winning first place in an international competition. If the “national level” title is obtained through legal or administrative authorization (non-authoritative awards without legal or regulatory authorization do not qualify), the standardized name should be allowed for use. Advertisers should provide award certificates, selection results, and other relevant proof documents.
Temporal or spatial order statements, but legal evidence should be provided.
Expressions such as “first model, debut, first release, earliest, exclusive, only” belong to this category. For example, if game company A launches mobile game B for the first time, it can be described as “A’s first mobile game” or “A’s first mobile game.” If advertiser A obtains exclusive authorization for a game, they may use “A’s exclusive release” or “A platform’s first launch” in advertising. Advertisers should provide authorization letters, copyright registration certificates, and other relevant proof documents.
Explicit self-comparison of degree grading.
This refers to the objective existence of different grading quality products in one’s own products, and the use of words to distinguish these grades.
For example: The largest housing model of Company X, the smallest size of Product X, the top configuration model of the X series of cars, the mobile game with the most users of Company X, etc.
Grading recognized by relevant standards in a certain industry field, or grading widely accepted by the public.
For example: In the national standard of Anji white tea, the product is divided into four quality grades: “boutique, special grade, first grade, second grade”. For specific “boutique grade” Anji white tea advertisements called “the highest grade” or “the highest level” usually do not belong to the absolute words prohibited from use. Advertisers need to provide relevant grading basis and grade inspection certificates, and must not promote multiple grades as the highest level at the same time.
Explicitly indicate the business philosophy and pursuit goals of the merchant, and objectively there is no possibility of misleading.
“Customer first, strive for perfect quality” and so on belong to this category. Such expressions must not lead consumers to think that the advertiser’s products and services are “first” or “perfect”, that is, they must not lead consumers to link the advertiser’s business philosophy or pursuit goals with the quality of products and services.
04 Standards for Data and Material Citation
Any content cited in advertising is considered part of the advertising content itself. Therefore, the expression of cited content must also comply with the relevant regulations of the Advertising Law, and the review standards for the expression of cited content are consistent with the general advertising content review standards. When using data, statistical materials, survey results, excerpts, quotes, and other cited content in advertising, it must be true, accurate, and indicate the source. If the cited content has an applicable scope and a validity period, it should be clearly stated. The following are prohibited for cited materials:
Cited materials must not involve the highest level of expression, national level expression, and other content that violates the relevant provisions of the Advertising Law.
Cited materials must not involve obviously false propaganda content.
Cited materials should be consistent with the original content and must not be fabricated, switched, or exaggerated. They must not engage in taking things out of context, concealing facts, distorting the original meaning, or causing misunderstandings among the audience.
It is forbidden to use consumer evaluations, beneficiary images, and other related comments from individual natural persons or users as cited materials.
05 Standards for Patent Expression in Advertising
When using patented products or patent methods in advertising, the patent number and type should be indicated.
Those who have not obtained patent rights must not falsely claim to have obtained patent rights in advertising.
It is forbidden to use patent applications that have not been granted and patents that have been terminated, revoked, or invalidated for advertising.
06 Regarding the Use of Names, Images, Copyright, and Trademarks
Utilizing the name or image of another party (including individuals, enterprises, and other organizations) in advertising requires prior written consent; for those without or limited civil conduct capacity, consent must be obtained from their guardians. Proof of authorization must be provided for such use.
Unauthorized use of others’ works and trademarks is prohibited; consent and proof of authorization are mandatory when needed.
According to the “Trademark Law of the People’s Republic of China,” producers and operators are prohibited from using the term “well-known trademark” on products, packaging, containers, or in advertising, exhibitions, and other commercial activities; the term must not appear in advertisements.
An advertising endorser is a natural person, legal entity, or other organization that recommends or certifies goods or services in their own name or image, apart from the advertiser. The following rules must be observed when using an endorser in advertising:
Endorsements must be based on facts, comply with relevant laws and regulations, and must not endorse goods or services that the endorser has not used or received.
Minors under ten years of age may not be used as advertising endorsers. When using minors, verify their age (under ten is prohibited) and obtain authorization from the minor and their legal guardians.
The names or images of medical institutions or doctors must not be used in food advertising. Expert or consumer names or images must not be used to certify specific effects in food advertising.
Investment-expected goods or services, education, and training advertisements must not use the names or images of research institutions, academic bodies, educational institutions, industry associations, professionals, or beneficiaries for recommendations or certifications.
Medical, pharmaceutical, medical device, and health food advertisements must not utilize endorsers for recommendations or certifications.
Advertisements for pesticides, veterinary drugs, feed, feed additives, crop seeds, forest seeds, grass seeds, breeding livestock, and aquaculture must not use the names or images of research institutions, academic bodies, technology promotion organizations, industry associations, or professionals, or users for recommendations or certifications.
Natural persons, legal entities, or other organizations that have received administrative penalties for endorsements in false advertisements within the past three years must not be used as endorsers.
08 Protection Regulations for Minors
Advertisements for goods or services targeting minors under fourteen years of age must not contain the following: 1.1. Encouraging them to demand that their parents purchase the advertised goods or services. 1.2. Content that may prompt imitation of unsafe behaviors.
Mass media targeting minors must not publish advertisements for medical treatment, drugs, health foods, medical devices, cosmetics, alcohol, beauty products, or online games detrimental to the physical and mental health of minors.
09 Prohibition of Disparaging Other Producers’ Goods or Services
Advertisements must not fabricate or invent facts to defame or belittle others’ products or services.
Advertisements must not indirectly belittle others’ products or services by claiming superiority in quality, price, etc.
10 Standardization and Regulation of Advertising Language
Pinyin must not be used in isolation in advertisements; when used, it should be correct, standardized, and appear alongside standardized Chinese characters.
The use of numbers, punctuation, measurement units, etc., in advertisements must comply with national standards and regulations.
Foreign languages must not be used in isolation in advertisements; when necessary, they should complement Mandarin and standardized Chinese characters.
The use of idioms in advertisements must adhere to national regulations and must not mislead or negatively impact society.
Handwritten fonts, artistic fonts, variant characters, and ancient scripts used in advertisements for creative purposes must be recognizable and must not mislead.
The following are prohibited in advertising language and script:
The use of incorrect characters.
The use of traditional characters in violation of national laws and regulations.
The use of obsolete variant and simplified characters.
The use of obsolete print character forms.
Other non-standard uses of language and script.
11 Respect for Heroes and Martyrs
Commercial advertisements must not use or indirectly use the names or portraits of heroes and martyrs.
Commercial advertisements must not feature the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square, Beijing, or any related names, inscriptions, texts, reliefs, graphics, or logos.
Images or videos depicting activities that harm the environment or atmosphere of memorial facilities for heroes and martyrs are prohibited.
No promotion or glorification of aggressive wars or acts of aggression is allowed.
12 Miscellaneous
The maximum value of the top prize in lottery-style promotional sales must not exceed 50,000 yuan.
The depiction of the RMB is prohibited in advertisements.
Content implying “national inspection-exempt products” or similar regarding quality exemption is prohibited.
Advertisements are banned from featuring tobacco, smoking images, including real and cartoon characters, and the promotion of cigarettes and e-cigarettes is forbidden.
Advertisements must not be disguised as news reports.
Advertisements must not contain content such as “special supply” or “exclusive supply” to state organs, with specific requirements as follows:
Content containing “special supply” or “exclusive supply” to state organs or similar.
Using names of specific locations or landmark buildings closely associated with state organs, and using state banquets, state guests, etc., to promote “special supply” or “exclusive supply.”
Falsely using “special supply,” “exclusive supply,” or similar names to sell goods or services, engaging in misleading false propaganda.
Other content containing “special supply,” “exclusive supply” to state organs, and similar, which may cause adverse social impact.
Except for the above, if a product is specially made by the manufacturer for a specific region or event (such as special packaging, models), it can be used, such as “exclusively supplied to Hangzhou area.”
