I've seen it dozens of times: a destination marketing organization (DMO) or tourism board hires an agency that promises "proven results in China." What they deliver is a recycled playbook—the same influencer list, the same content formats, the same platform strategy they've used for every other client. It's efficient for the agency. It's a disaster for the client.
When every campaign looks the same, none of them stand out.
Why Templates Are So Tempting
I understand the appeal. Developing a truly custom strategy is expensive and time-consuming. It requires deep research, creative risk-taking, and a genuine understanding of both the destination and the target audience. A template, on the other hand, is a shortcut. It's a "proven" formula that can be deployed quickly and cheaply.
The problem? What worked for a ski resort in Colorado won't work for a beach destination in Mexico. What resonates with Gen Z travelers from Shanghai won't land with millennial families from Chengdu. The Chinese market is not a monolith, and treating it as one is a recipe for mediocrity.
"A template is a solution to someone else's problem. Your destination has its own unique story, its own target audience, and its own competitive landscape. It deserves its own strategy."
The Hidden Costs of "Efficiency"
When you deploy a cookie-cutter campaign, you're not just risking poor performance. You're actively damaging your brand in several ways:
- Blending into the Noise: If your content looks like everyone else's, you become invisible. Chinese social media is incredibly crowded. Standing out requires a distinct voice and a unique angle.
- Wasting Budget on the Wrong Audience: A generic strategy often targets the broadest possible audience. This means you're paying to reach people who have no interest in what you offer, while missing the high-intent travelers who do.
- Eroding Trust: Savvy Chinese consumers can spot inauthentic, mass-produced content a mile away. It signals that you don't care enough to understand them, which damages brand perception.
Signs You're Getting a Cookie-Cutter Strategy
- The agency proposes the same KOL (influencer) list they've used for other clients.
- The content plan is a generic template with your destination name swapped in.
- There's no discussion of your specific target audience segments or competitive positioning.
- Success metrics are focused on vanity (followers, likes) rather than business outcomes (inquiries, bookings).
- The strategy could apply to almost any destination without significant changes.
What a Custom Strategy Looks Like
A truly bespoke approach starts with questions, not answers. Before we write a single piece of content or contact a single influencer, we need to understand:
- Who is your ideal Chinese traveler? Not "Chinese tourists" in general, but a specific segment with defined demographics, psychographics, and travel behaviors.
- What is your unique value proposition? What can travelers experience in your destination that they can't get anywhere else? This is your story.
- Where does your audience discover travel inspiration? Is it Xiaohongshu? Douyin? WeChat groups? Travel forums? The answer dictates platform strategy.
- What does success look like for you? Is it brand awareness? Website traffic? Direct bookings? The goal shapes every tactical decision.
Only after answering these questions can you build a strategy that is truly tailored to your destination's needs. It takes more time and effort, but the results speak for themselves.
The Bottom Line
If you're investing in the Chinese market, you deserve more than a recycled playbook. You deserve a partner who will take the time to understand your destination, your audience, and your goals—and build a strategy from the ground up. Anything less is a waste of your budget and your potential.