Baidu knows that Google doesn't know what Google doesn't know in China

Here is an interesting Google vs. Baidu (View or Download) video that has been making the WOM of rounds on Chinese BBS, blogs and mail forwards. We first saw this 2-3 months ago. Altough Baidu doesn't mention Google in the vid, it seems pretty obvious that Google is represented by the foreigner. It is made in the comedic style of Zhou Xing Chi（周星驰) (and isn't as racist as it seems, say my Chinese friends).



The most interesting thing to me about this is that it is NOT a TV commercial as far as we know. It is longer than a typical TVC in China and no one we know has seen it on TV. If this is the case, then Baidu is another company that understands that the computer is the central information and entertainment device of its target audience (not the TV).

Here's a translation:

Background: There is a poster challenging anyone to try to make sense of a Chinese text. The text is short, but has no "stops" such as periods, so it is a bit tricky to understand. A foreigner enters into the town claiming "he knows" how to interpret the text.

Foreigner: I know! Heh heh.

Tangbohu (a famous Chinese clever guy): Hahahaha~~ You may not know!

Tangbohu: I know you don’t know. I know you don’t know I know. YOU DON’T KNOW.

Foreigner: I know!

All: Ei? [audience is surprised at Foreigner's seeming agreement with Tangbohu that the foreigner does NOT know (as in does not "get it"]

Foreigner: Ei!I know!

Tangbohu: Not necessarily. I know you don’t know me, I know you don’t know me, haha~ I know you don’t know!

Foreigner: I know!

Tangbohu: I know that you don’t know I know. You don’t know that I know you don’t know!

Humor is always difficult to translate accross cultures and languages, so I won't try to explain in detail. Suffice it to say that it lies in the foreigner's ability to "know" individual words ("I," "you" "know" and "don't"), and not understand the meaning expressed by these words. He misunderstands context, and most importantly, he can't determine where the "stops" (separation of concepts) should occur. For example, the words "I know you don’t know" could have different meanings depending if you say "I know (stop) You don't know (stop)" OR I know you don't know (stop)"

You can see that Tangbohu is lecturing the foreigner by placing red “periods” where the concepts stop. Such understanding of context and "stop words" are essential for any sort of natural language processing and categorization (this is true for our own tools as well). And here, Baidu is making a strong suggestion that Google doesn’t "know” Chinese.

Here is a translation of the final part of the commercial:

If you have any question, just "Baidu it"!

1. Baidu understands Chinese the best, with custom developed stop word technology, understanding more precisely.
2. Baidu understands Chinese best. Machine learning understands just as human along with phonetic key words customized for Chinese language.
3. Baidu respects Chinese language most. Customized Chinese language processing and web page indexing technology.
4. Baidu focuses on Chinese language most. Worlds best Chinese language technology team. Unbeatable.
5. Baidu hosts the largest online community in the world with Tieba.
   

The video clearly tries to establish Baidu as the incumbent in Chinese search (in spite of the fact that Google has been around longer than Baidu). From our interaction with our hundred or so web search contractors, it would seem that there is some truth to this. Baidu seems to be the default choice for many, especially when searching Chinese.

baidu / google

You know you work at CIC data if...

As the year end approaches, I have thought some about CIC data development and what it now means to work here. What I really like about what we are doing is that we have alot of fun doing some serious stuff for our clients.

Here is how I see it:

If you work at CIC data (fun stuff):

• you love the fact that you are REQUIRED to read blogs and BBS while at work
• if you are away from the Internet for more than a day, you experience withdrawal symptoms
• you will likely have MSN (both a personal and corporate account), QQ, SKYPE chat programs going at the same time
• you have at least 5-10 IM conversations going on at once with friends, colleagues, and clients
• you receive phone calls on your computer
• Wiki, tags, Web 2.0, Keso, RSS, Toodou, Podcast, and Flickr are terms and people you cite every day
• you know about net stars like Mu Mu, Fu Rong Jie Jie and Back Dorm Boys long before most everyone else does
• you can’t stop talking about how cool blogs and BBS are to your friends, family and colleagues

That’s the fun stuff. What’s cool is that we use all of this fun stuff to do really COOL, meaningful stuff for some exciting companies.

So, in addition to the fun stuff, you can say that if you work at CIC data:

• you work with most famous international brands in China and all over the world
• you deliver actionable consumer insight based on the timely, unique and relevant conversational data
• you contribute to the creation of a methodology and process that is changing market research and PR in China
• you work late because you love your work
• you believe you can change the world…and you are (at least the market research world)

CIC data on the move

Been away from blogging this week...just too crazy around here. Lots of new business, new opportunites...and finally, a new office.


We're not moving far...just upstairs, but we basically double our current space.




Here is new contact info.

CIC data
977 Hong Qiao Road
Building 3, Suite 8E 10E
Shanghai, PR China 200050

Drop by any time....

Baidu seeks to cooperate with CIC data

The phone rang. Joyce, our receptionist answered. It was Baidu calling. They told Joyce they were seeking to "cooperate" (合作) with CIC data. "Ehhhxcellent," I said to myself in my best Mr. Burns voice, rubbing my hands together. The Google of China" was a-knocking, wanting to invest in our company. I asked my partner Vennie to discuss with the gentleman on the phone (being from China, her Chinese is much better than mine) how we might work together.

Baidu's cooperation involved us purchasing Baidu's version of Adwords. Hmmm....

Vennie: So this is not "free" cooperation?

Baidu rep: No, it is not, you need to pay," Baidu boy answered.

Vennie: Ohh....I see. I think we are more interested in the free type of cooperation. Is that possible?

Baidu rep: Yes, but you will need to wait.

Vennie: I see, how long do we need to wait?

Baidu rep: You should wait until pies rain down from the sky! (天上掉馅饼)

Vennie: Well, then...we'll be waiting.

Such professionals, those Baidu reps. I do have to hand it to them for finding us though. The rep got said they got our phone number from the Internet Content Provider License (ICP) burea with whom we registered only 1 week ago. Clearly Baidu has a network set up to sell their services the old fashion way: cold calling. Will Google need to follow?

What Dell could learn from my "Mr. Tailor" in China

Dell customer service, which took a major word of mouth shellacking this summer, could learn a lot from my tailor here in Shanghai. His name is "Mr. Tailor." His business has grown exponentially in the 8 years he has been making clothes for me (his prices are VERY cheap). He is so busy that he now outsources much of the work to other tailors around town so he can focus on meeting with clients. Like many of the small Chinese businesses that serve the expat community, he has no advertising, no website, and no product literature.

So how did his business grow? Completely by word of mouth. I found about from him in 1998 from my friend Wolf. Wolf heard about him from his boss David. David heard about him at a German Chamber of Commerce dinner. And I have told countless others who have told countless others. Why? Because he does great work, his phone is always on, and he alters pants he made for me 5 years ago without limit

Then there is the satellite TV guy. Satellite dishes are illegal in China. And he sells a pirated version of an illegal satellite. Yes, that's right: a pirated version of an illegal satellite system. His business is booming and has been so for years. Why? Because (according to my friend) his phone is always on, will come anytime there's a problem, will sometimes call to make sure there are no problems, and sells at a reasonable price.

And there a many other business people that depend on WOM: maids, Chinese teachers, DVD stores, money changers....

For various legal and fiscal reasons, Mr. Tailor and Mr. Satellite and others like them must depend solely on word of mouth to be successful. And they know that good products and services are essential at sustaining good word of mouth. It seems an amazingly simple.

McDonald's (USA) Missed Opportunity for Genuine Word of Mouth

Spike Jones on the awesome Brains on Fire blog rightly takes McDonald's to task for its current US McRib sandwich "farewell" campaign . What's unfortunate is that they make it LOOK as if it is a fan club that is behind the campaign, when in fact, it is a McDonald's sponsored site (you must take pains to notice the disclaimer on the bottom right of the page; see red arrow in the pic above). This is not a grass roots campaign, but an astroturfing (need proxy) campaign. Here's a bit about the agency behind it.




Why not empower Mcrib fans to share their love with the world? McDonald's has plenty of fans. Check out the kinda weird, but nonetheless addictive McChronicles blog or do a Google search for "mcrib fans" and you will see sites like "McRib: the Sandwich of Kings." You can even find the love in wine discussion forums. The people behind these sites and discussions are the ones who likely would have naturally "come to the rescue" of the sandwich. Why not reate a site that makes it easy for fans to share their stories (instead just send pics which are surprisingly few on the current site) and tell their friends about it? Get the media in touch with these fanatics so they can hear true fans' passion and share it with the world.

To make a web site that looks like consumer generated media means that McDondald's understands CGM's power and importance. So why fake it?

All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned from the Internet

Growing up, I had the privilege of learning to play tennis at a country club with professional instruction. I spent a couple of years going to clinic every afternoon after school and during the summers. I was no prodigy, but I developed a competitive game.

So I played tennis the other night with my colleagues Denis, Robin and Moses (apologies for the crappy pic made with a crappy phone; I am in pain witout my Treo). I was looking forward to "schooling" them in tennis (especially after they schooled me in ping pong and badminton).

However, I was quickly put to the test with these guys. After Robin pounded the 10th or so rocket forehand pass down the line on me, I had asked him where he had learned to play. Did he have a coach? Did he learn at college? "No," he said. "I learned from downloading videos off the Internet."

Tennis is not an especially popular sport in China, but like most any hobby or sport, you can find plenty of information and communities on BBS and blogs.


You can find discussions on BMX, hiking....even belly dancing (the dancer at Zahara Middle Eastern restaurant in Shanghai also learned her moves from the Internet, she told us last time we were there). Like their counterparts in the West, Chinese netizens are using the 'net to find the long tail.

Why TiVo will not work in China (and why Video IPOD might)

Fons from China Herald wrote a piece on why TiVo would never work in (mainland) China.

While I don't necessarily agree with his reasons WHY TiVo would not work in China, I do agree that it will not work. I believe the reason it wouldn't work is that many within the target audience already have "time-shift" machines: they're called computers. The 'net generation in China watches much of their video entertainment on the computer, spending much less time on TV. Chinse Bit Torrent sites are plentiful, each filled with local, Taiwanese, Hong Kongnese and overseas TV shows and movies. Some of my staff have multiple external hard drives filled with media downloaded from the Internet. Almost none have DVD players. Check out the waiting area on any flight to China: it will be filled with Chinese 'netizens, notebook computers open, playing videos downloaded from the 'net.

On the flipside, Apple could do a killer business with Video IPOD. The 'net kids are pre-disposed to downloading video media spend and more time on the 'net than they do watching TV. They would love to have a cool, portable device to view it. But its gotta cost less than US $300 to hit a critical mass.