10 Marketing Trends in China to Watch in 2025

As the curtains close on a turbulent 2024 marked by global economic headwinds and widespread fatigue, many brands, marketers, and consumers find themselves looking ahead to 2025 with cautious optimism.

Economic indicators suggest a modest rebound—what some analysts are calling a “wobbly recovery.” However, from the reemergence of brand advertising to the proliferation of AI-driven creative content, the year ahead is likely to usher in a variety of nuanced shifts rather than a dramatic turnaround.

Below are ten key marketing trends poised to define 2025, drawn from industry data, consumer behavior surveys, and the evolving realities of an uncertain global marketplace.

1. Brand Mindshare Revisited: The Comeback of Brand Advertising

After years of “traffic-first” strategies, which focused heavily on short-form video promotions and livestream sales to drive immediate conversions, brands are waking up to the stark limits of pure volume-chasing.

As user acquisition costs rise and short-term sales plateau, the long-term value of brand equity is becoming increasingly apparent.

Shift to Brand Building. China’s leading digital platforms—such as and TikTok’s Chinese counterpart, Douyin—are spotlighting “mindshare” as a critical metric.

Traditional brand advertising is being revisited by marketers who realize that brand loyalty and sustained awareness cannot rely on fleeting viral moments alone.

What’s Driving the Change. Ad fatigue and higher competition in short-video platforms have reduced the returns on performance-focused campaigns.

New or reconfigured tools from major tech players now measure “brand recall” or “brand mindshare,” reaffirming the need to invest in brand advertising that resonates beyond a single purchase.

“We’re seeing advertisers look past immediate traffic,” says a Shanghai-based marketing consultant, “and instead return to building stories that stick in consumers’ minds.”

2. Low-Spend Culture Continues, White-Label Products on the Rise

Global economic uncertainties, stagnant wages, and consumer wariness over discretionary spending have sustained what is often termed the “consumption downgrade.” With this, demand for lower-priced alternatives and white-label goods remains robust.

Expansion of White-Label Chains. In major Chinese cities like Beijing, lower-priced clothing chains and supermarkets offering no-name or in-house brands are proliferating.

Shoppers—once keen to pay top dollar for global labels—are prioritizing cost-effectiveness.

Implications for Established Brands. This shift challenges high-margin brands reliant on brand premium. Though some consumers still crave brand cachet, many now weigh functionality and price over logos, pushing established brands to rethink pricing strategies.

3. “Value-for-Money” Overtakes “Bargain Basement”

While certain shoppers are chasing the lowest possible price, a growing middle segment of consumers is gravitating toward products that offer solid “quality-price ratio”.

They are willing to pay more than rock-bottom prices—provided the products meet higher standards of quality and reliability.

Rising Middle-Market Opportunities. According to a report by First Financial, “quality-price ratio” now trumps purely low-cost propositions for a significant number of urban consumers.

Brands that successfully balance decent quality with fair pricing stand to gain in 2025.

Moving Beyond a Race to the Bottom. Critics of pure “price wars” note that they often lead to shrinking profit margins and compromised quality.

In contrast, emphasizing “value for money” allows for modest price points without eroding brand image. It is a positioning strategy that resonates with cost-conscious yet discerning consumers.