What can you learn from 750,000 social media posts in China each day? Sean Smith of Isentia explores how technology is disrupting market research.
No Facebook. No Twitter. No YouTube. With stifling regulations around social media use, how can New Zealand businesses’ use social media to enter Chinese markets?
The basic premise remains the same – the way in which Chinese consumers engage with social media platforms is not dissimilar to here, nor is their decision-making journey. Needless to say, understanding the landscape is paramount for any company aspiring to capitalise on the booming Chinese economy. It’s certainly an opportunity worth pursuing – this year China’s GDP is estimated to exceed US $12.1 trillion (NZ $16.44 trillion).
An obvious difference from the outset is the sheer volume of online conversations that happen within China’s firewalls.
This is not surprising given the 740 million-odd internet users, and is exacerbated by the fact that social media is a much larger phenomenon in Chinese culture than it is here in New Zealand.
In today’s digital world, this level of activity offers businesses unprecedented access to millions of organic conversations unfolding in the alluring Chinese market – in real time. The million-dollar question is, how can this information be used to help businesses make important decisions about when to launch a product in the market and drive sales?
Givenchy and Mr Bags
A great example of the power of social media in China is the partnership between Givenchy and blogger Tao Liang, better known as Mr Bags.
He uses his encyclopaedic fashion knowledge to retain over 2.7 million Weibo readers and a further 600,000 WeChat followers; keen to be ‘in the know’ on the latest handbag trends and the current “it” bag.
In an act of extreme commercial nous, in 2017 Mr Bags called for his followers to nominate a potential collaborator for the blogger. When Givenchy emerged as the overwhelming favourite, the brand took the opportunity to launch a limited-edition handbag on Valentine’s Day via Mr Bags’ social channels. What followed the announcement was a 12-minute frenzy seeing Givenchy part with 1.2 million RMB’s (NZ$247,000) worth of handbags – a complete sell-out. Needless to say, the campaign was deemed a success.
Listen to many, speak to a few
By now it’s no secret that social media isn’t just a broadcast platform. In fact, true to the proverb “we have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say”, there’s far greater power in using social media to understand a potential customer’s motivations.
In today’s world, social media provides market research on an unprecedented scale.
Once upon a time, businesses invested heavily in market research groups to understand consumer insight.
Test groups were enticed with gift vouchers or free products to partake in a fishbowl-style exercise, where they were asked to provide honest and open feedback as eager marketers and communicators looked on.
Despite questions being developed using the latest, tested methodology and astute moderators, the quality and authenticity of the data was often in question.
Let me be clear – this has less to do with the methodology and more a reflection that as consumers, we find it much easier to speak the whole truth when we think we’re not being watched.
With such a high level of human involvement, it is also incredibly difficult to collect data consistently and without bias.
Technology: the market research disruptor
Why might technology make consumers more honest and open with their feedback? The truth is people are more honest in a casual setting. Therefore, dialogue about a product or service that’s exchanged in the comfort of someone’s home (behind a screen) will often be more candid than their responses to a survey.
At Isentia, Mediaportal’s cloud-based technology trawls video, audio and digital content across more than 4,400 print items, 1750 broadcast items, 62,500 online news sites, 6 million blogs and 300,000 forums. Processing seven million news items each day a rate of 234 stories per second, it presents summaries to clients in real-time.
For China enthusiasts, the technology mines over 750,000 WeChat and Weibo posts daily and uses this information to unearth the Mr Bags’ opportunities – the people or issues relevant to specific industries – so that businesses can make informed decisions based on both data and sentiment in foreign markets.
What’s more, the nature of social media means the survey technically never ends. Social media listening provides continued real-time pulse checking and the perfect new product incubator. It’s more than watching @mentions and comments pour in via your social profiles, mobile apps or blogs.
“If you’re only paying attention to notifications, you’re missing a huge group of people that are talking about you, your brand and your product.”
The true value is in tracking conversations around specific topics, keywords, phrases, brands or industries, and leveraging these insights to discover opportunities or create content for those audience.
Data – a modern marketing and communications must-have
It is now hard to imagine a marketing and communications industry that doesn’t rely on data to inform strategy, new product development and campaigns.
Much of what took place in marketing and communications teams, even as recently as a decade or so back, was based on assumption. We *think* that this product would be of interest to this audience, so we *figured* the best way to tell them about it would be mostly via a TV ad campaign.
“But data is now essential for any smart and savvy marketer or communicator and presents the opportunity to tap into foreign markets with a level of insight that has never been more accurate or accessible.”
When you combine and embrace the use of technology, social media, and analyse the data that it provides – you can not only quickly test and learn new products, but also give the fans what they want.
Givenchy were clever and reaped the rewards of listening, embracing and reacting to their consumers’ want, making it big in China. Now it is your time to get onboard and reap the results.
Loren is an experienced marketing professional who translates data and insights using Isentia solutions into trends and research, bringing clients closer to the benefits of audience intelligence. Loren thrives on introducing the groundbreaking ways in which data and insights can help a brand or organisation, enabling them to exceed their strategic objectives and goals.
This is not a list of what to do to be more successful. Or a list about the highly successful morning habits of CEOs and CIOs.
Instead, it’s a call-out to others who read the titles of articles like these on a Monday and sometimes feel exhausted by the amount of additional ‘work’ that is actually recommended to be more productive or successful.
This is, however, a question as to whether our push for productively has blurred into so many areas of life that we’ve forgotten why we strive to be increasingly efficient in the first place. Are we now too focused on volume, rather than value?
For example, in the last week alone we’ve seen the launch of a five-minute workout video series, been served an ad for an app which gives you the world’s best nonfiction books in bite-sized formats and scrolled past a ‘mindfulness in microseconds’ Instagram post.
While squeezing more into everyday life is a common challenge (and arguably a goal) for many professionals, it does present an interesting behavioural shift where we start to use smart technology to speed up activities that perhaps we shouldn’t.
Working in the always-on media Industry, we work with some of the most pressed-for-time people on a daily basis.
These communications and marketing professionals are dealing with huge amounts of fragmented media across channels that sometimes need urgent attenuation or action, particularly in times of crisis. However, this is where our technology thrives – it puts in the hard yards for them. Crunching huge volumes of data, providing the tools to report, alert, shred and more, and helping to give back time that should be spent on the more important strategic tasks, away from a computer.
From a professional standpoint this could mean more time for pitching ideas, benchmarking results against business strategy or presenting to the board. This is where value is achieved – with time spent on activities that need extra thinking space and deserve focus. From a personal standpoint, this may mean taking time back to pick up the kids from school, getting to yoga or simply enjoying a cup of tea in silence.
It’s not a case about fitting more into the day, but about filling your day with more valuable activities. Smart technology holds so much power in helping us spend less time on task-based needs like emails, to-do lists and life admin to free up the time for (hopefully) more than a ‘mindfulness in microseconds’ quick fix.
Remember, effort is not the same as impact.
"
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Blog
The push to be ‘on’ by 6am
This is not a list of what to do to be more successful. Or a list about the highly successful morning habits of CEOs and CIOs.
From programmer to industry leader, as one of Australia’s only Chief Information Officers in technology, Andrea Walsh has shattered the glass ceiling. And she’s championing other women, while she’s at it.
So, is she a game changer? Let’s find out. I’m Sarah Harris. Welcome to Game Changers.
Sarah: Andrea, welcome to Game Changers, now you are one of Australia’s only female CIOs of a technology company. You must see yourself as a bit of a role model?
Andrea: I never thought I was, but having been in the role now for number of years I look around and I do think where are all the other women, where are all the females.
Sarah: And, where are they?
Andrea: There is just a real shortage of women in I.T and technology, which is a real shame.
Sarah: So, tell us a little bit about Isentia and what it actually does.
Andrea: So, Isentia is a media monitoring company. And basically what that means is we take information and news from across varying countries, about 18 countries, multiple languages, and we filter that and disseminate it to what is important to our clients and what are the leading issues that they need to focus on. An average day, there’s about 7 million news items that we’re processing.
Sarah: That is a big job, lots of information to get through. So, what does your role as CIO involve?
Andrea: So, I lead the technology team. We are responsible for all the systems and the technology that processes those 7 million items a day. And we also provide all the services for our clients and tools for them to be able to do their job each day.
Sarah: Why do you think there’s a lack of women in IT roles?
Andrea: I think through education. I don’t think that girls are encouraged to take up sciences and engineering when they’re younger. It’s very much seen as, ‘it’s for the boys’. I think it starts really early on. And then I also think women don’t put themselves forward necessarily for opportunities, and roles to re-train. And maybe say, I might be interested but unless I’m absolutely sure I not going to give it a go.
Sarah: You are quoted as saying, “we’re on the cusp of a technological revolution”. What are you most excited about?
Andrea: There is so much. I think that’s what’s exciting. I think with cloud technology, it’s enabled a lot of organisations to be able to experiment with technologies. And things like artificial intelligence, so looking at machine learning. And I think that will really shape future roles and jobs.
Sarah: You really passionate, which I love, about women moving up in the industry. In particular, girls learning how to code. For someone who is not as technologically advanced as you, perhaps, explain to me what coding actually is.
Andrea: It’s basically creating something using computer and technology. Sometimes, yes, it has to be, or can be, detailed lines of programming. But some of the tools that are available, especially to young children who are interested in coding, enables kids to build stories, cartoons and make videos.
Sarah: The number of girls studying, as you said before, STEM, which is science, technology, engineering and mathematics, it is slowly increasing. Which is brilliant. But it’s not at a rate of ‘the boys’ just yet.
Andrea: No. Certainly not. And I think that it is great that it is slowly increasing. But it’s got a considerable way to go.
Sarah: Well, how do we change that?
Andrea: I think again, it goes back to the education. It’s encouraging girls and young children to get involved in these subjects. And I also think that they have maybe a brand, or an image, issue with engineering and IT often see as ‘it’s for the boys’. I think it’s also about the parents and the carers. So often we teach our children when they come home about doing their homework, reading, writing, maths. But what about the children who want to learn technology, and they want to learn to code? And if the parents aren’t IT, how do they support them. So I think it’s really about, as I say, the education, but then also then about the parents and finding these great programs that are out there to give the kids opportunity.
Sarah: Your daughter is eight and she’s already taken an interest.
Andrea: When I first showed her the iPad, she just took it instantly. It was quite amazing to experience. We certainly encourage here to use it. There’s s o many educational programs for children that you can use on the iPad. So I’m a big advocate of it.
Sarah: It does bring up that other thing as well, because I have a little boy who’s 18 months, and he’s very savvy when it comes to technology. You know, he’s coming up to the television and trying to swipe it like an Ipad. But I do kind of worry that (you know) we’re introducing technology to these kids too early, because there’s been research that show that it’s actually changing the chemistry of the brain. When should we be introducing this sort of stuff to our kids? Because as a parent you sort of think to yourself, I don’t want my kids to have their head in technology all the time. But at the same time, you don’t want to hold them back, because that’s the future.
Andrea: I think its each individual parent’s choice. For our daughter’s, Charlotte, we introduced it quite early on, so it was before kindergarten. But we’re very strict with her, both from what she can do on there and so content she can see. And also how long she spends on there, because the last thing we want is to build a relationship and the communication is with the back of an Ipad all of the time.
Sarah: IT is a well-paying field, but there id still a gender pay gap when it comes to technology, isn’t there?
Andrea: Where I work at Isentia, we pay the market rate and we pay on skills regardless of gender. But it is a known issue within many industries and with many organisations and that’s something we need to address.
Sarah: What advice you want to give to women that you mentor?
Andrea: I would say, seek every opportunity. Just go for it – what can you lose at the end of the day? I think work with other areas of the business as well; get to know the business and the industry in which you work. Do things that are potentially outside your remit so you can learn and grow from them.
Sarah: You are a trailblazer and a Game Changer. Thank you for joining us today.
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Blog
Isentia’s CIO, Andrea Walsh on Game Changers
From programmer to industry leader, as one of Australia’s only Chief Information Officers in technology, Andrea Walsh has shattered the glass ceiling. And she’s championing other women, while she’s at it.
In our last update, housing coverage centred on advice for mortgage holders amid rising rates and cost-of-living pressures. In this second release of the series, the conversation has shifted, with news increasingly framing Australia’s housing challenge through construction, innovation, and government action. Reports highlight fast-tracked developments, AI-powered modular builds, and reforms to cut red tape, alongside community-driven projects in Nhulunbuy and pressures on urban infrastructure, showing that solving the crisis requires building both faster and smarter. The patterns in coverage reveal which stories and policy levers are gaining traction, and how different angles from scale and efficiency to localised community impact are shaping the wider conversation.
Government policy is driving much of this coverage, shaping the narratives that dominate media discussion. First-home buyer programs such as the Home Guarantee (5% Deposit Scheme), Help to Buy, and Regional First Home Buyer Guarantee are frequently cited, alongside social and affordable housing initiatives including the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund, NSW’s $610 million Social Housing Accelerator Fund, and state-level projects in Toowoomba and Wagga Wagga. Coverage of supply-side reforms, Melbourne high-rise plans, and debates over negative gearing, capital gains, and rental caps illustrates how policy and regulation frame public debate. Across outlets and regions, the way these stories are told signals which elements of housing policy are resonating, which have momentum, and where attention is likely to shift next.
Where previous reporting centred on interest rates and mortgage advice, a calm, and financial “top-down” discussion, the shift to construction and reform places the emphasis on system-level solutions. Yet, as before, a gap remains between media coverage and social discourse.
On social media, the conversation continues to unfold as a “bottom-up” outcry. This month, debates over housing affordability and accessibility have been increasingly framed through immigration. Political groups such as Pauline Hanson’s One Nation and the Family First Party Australia are amplifying anti-immigration narratives on X and Facebook, claiming that new arrivals are the direct cause of housing stress. These messages are countered by voices rejecting both the logic and the racism seen to underpin such rhetoric, instead pointing to investors as the real drivers of market pressures and reframing housing as a human right. Demonstrations such as March for Australia have further fuelled this dynamic, with slogans tying immigration to Labor, raising the risk of political damage.
The conversation shows right-leaning voices continue to dominate online, with more balanced perspectives struggling for visibility. Policy proposals like a “bedroom tax” appear to have amplified anxieties about population growth, giving further oxygen to anti-immigration claims.
Layered over this, the Reserve Bank’s three rate cuts in recent months have become a fresh point of contention. Some argue that lower rates are simply inflating house prices, benefiting existing homeowners while worsening conditions for would-be buyers and savers deepening the perception of a system stacked against the public.
While the media is foregrounding structural solutions to increase supply, public discourse is still driven by frustration, identity politics, and competing narratives of blame. Solving the housing crisis will not only require practical reforms but also careful navigation of the volatile public conversation that risks overshadowing those solutions.
Housing narratives in the media and online: Building solutions, blaming people
In our last update, housing coverage centred on advice for mortgage holders amid rising rates and cost-of-living pressures. In this second release of the series, the conversation has shifted, with news increasingly framing Australia’s housing challenge through construction, innovation, and government action. Reports highlight fast-tracked developments, AI-powered modular builds, and reforms to cut red tape, […]
How is media coverage shaping views of Brisbane 2032 and its global impact?
The stories that resonate, whether it is a stadium cost blowout, a community campaign to preserve green space, or the push to include Australian Rules Football in the program, capture how Australians are gearing up for a once-in-a-generation Games. These specific, contested, and human stories shape the narratives across news and social media and ultimately reflect how the country is experiencing and remembering Brisbane 2032.
Leading Topics: News vs. social
The difference is while the news media is overwhelmingly concerned with the logistics of the Games, the public is more interested in its social and economic consequences.
On social media, the conversation is a mix of excitement and concern, with a strong focus on what the Games will feel like. Discussions about social impact and economic outcomes are prominent, as people debate everything from housing affordability to the potential for new community arts programs.
In the news, the narrative is far more narrow. An incredible amount of the coverage is dedicated to infrastructure, with a particular focus on the cost and controversy surrounding the main stadium. The second-largest topic is the political jousting that accompanies these infrastructure debates.
The most discussed stakeholders are institutions and communities, not individuals
While politicians dominate the news, what's making a real impact on social media are the communities and institutions at the heart of the conversation.
In the news, the most-quoted voices around Brisbane 2032 are overwhelmingly political figures, led by the Queensland Premier and Deputy Premier. Much of the coverage has centred on Premier Crisafulli’s media appearances, including a notable stop at Rockhampton’s Fitzroy River to promote plans for a feasibility study into using the site for rowing events despite concerns about crocodiles and currents.
The Deputy Premier, meanwhile, has been most prominent for his push to build a new stadium at Victoria Park. That proposal has fuelled debate over whether Brisbane 2032 is shifting away from being a sporting project to a political land grab. The discussion is further sharpened by Queensland’s reported shortage of tradies, with calls for urgent measures to recruit more skilled workers to meet the surge in construction and infrastructure demand tied to the Games.
Even Donald Trump makes an appearance in the coverage, with Brisbane’s bid to host the Quad Leaders’ Summit drawing headlines and gaining the support of Prime Minister Albanese.
On social media, the conversation is being shaped largely by organisations and grassroots communities. Victoria Park, now at the centre of the stadium debate, has become a focal point for how people see the legacy of Brisbane 2032, and Queensland more broadly. Campaigns to preserve the green space are gaining traction, amplified both by smaller local outlets such as The Westender and by national publications including ABC and The Guardian.
Defining "legacy": The public hopes and media narratives
The term "legacy" represents the most significant challenge in the Brisbane 2032 narrative, as the data reveals a mismatch between the public's focus on experience and the media's framing of cost and conflict.
On social media, the legacy conversation is aspirational and driven by the sporting theme, where discussions about preserving green spaces like Victoria Park highlight a desire for tangible, long-term community benefits. Other cities are also seizing the aspirational momentum of events like Brisbane 2032, with figures such as Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate using social media to highlight for hyper-local audiences the potential returns on investing in this opportunity. News coverage frames legacy as a political and economic undertaking, dominated by the cost of stadiums, the allocation of funding, and the political conflict between the government and its opposition.
Framing the use of the Fitzroy River as an opportunity for sustainability or presenting construction timelines as local job creation makes the connection between political debates and the community and sporting outcomes people truly care about more resonant, while also painting a positive vision for the legacy of Brisbane 2032.
Specificity wins: Vague PR is ignored, detailed stories drive engagement
Generic ‘good news’ posts or Olympic press tend to generate weaker engagement The content that captures public attention is highly specific, and often human-centric or controversial.
On social media, the most engaging content included the debate around HYROX judging standards, the passionate campaign to include Lawn Bowls in the games, and celebrating the specific achievements of individual swimmers.
In the news, it’s not the general updates that resonate, but detailed reports, whether on cost blowouts at specific venues, the impact of turning a local river into an Olympic event site, or the campaign to include Australian Rules Football in the program.
Media moments and narratives gain traction when meaning is applied. Shift content strategies from generalities to detailed storytelling, focus on journeys, the tangible impact of a new community facility, or a transparent explanation of a complex issue for example. The battle for the hearts and minds of the public ahead of Brisbane 2032 will be won in these details.
See how the right analysis can help you anticipate risks, shape messaging and connect with your audiences. Request a free demo.
Winning the Brisbane 2032 narrative: A media analysis
How is media coverage shaping views of Brisbane 2032 and its global impact? The stories that resonate, whether it is a stadium cost blowout, a community campaign to preserve green space, or the push to include Australian Rules Football in the program, capture how Australians are gearing up for a once-in-a-generation Games. These specific, contested, […]
