China may be on the verge of taking over the US as the biggest economy on the planet but Professor Qing Wang says the nation of more than 1.3 billion people is lagging behind in the world of marketing.

The Warwick Business School Professor of Marketing and Innovation’s research looks at consumer behaviour and the differences between Chinese and Western firms.

And Professor Wang, who was visiting professor at the same Tsinghua University that Chinese President Xi Jinping graduated from, believes although China is producing great technology it has to become better at marketing if its firms are to rival brands like Apple or Facebook.

Professor Wang said: “Chinese businesses innovate by having a much stronger technical orientation. They are not very strong in branding or in marketing even though they come up with new products very often."

 

 

 

“The West is very much focused on how to connect at an emotional level with consumers. That shows clearly that the Chinese are still very much in the catch-up phase in terms of the maturity of their businesses.

“When I first told Chinese businesses this they were very sceptical about it. They consider marketing as lying and cheating, there was a negative connotation to marketing.”

Professor Qing Wang teaches buying behaviour on Warwick Business School's undergraduate courses.