WeChat’s new changes, and how it’ll impact your business accounts

Big changes recently came for WeChat Overseas Official accounts, as some of you might have noticed already. But what does this mean for administrators and users?

On June 13th, the following notification was posted:

This means that the end of WeChat Overseas Official platform is finally here. Everything will be moved over to the WeChat mainland platform. And that’s good news!

But why, and what changes can we expect?

1. Unrestricted Access

The WeChat overseas platform was originally developed as the international version of the mainland platform, meaning that those using the Chinese version of WeChat didn’t have access to the contents published on the overseas platform. They weren’t able to search, follow, or access the WeChat overseas official accounts.

But now with the updated policies, there’s no restriction in accessing any accounts! The process of switching over to the Chinese platform is simple — just needing to agree to the terms. Just make sure to migrate your account over to the mainland platform before Sept. 13, 2018, or all your information might be lost.

2. More Functions

There are certainly more functions for you to experiment with on the mainland platform. That includes an online shopping system, customized menu design, polls management, multiple customer service admins, etc. You probably won’t be needing all of these right now, but it’s always good to have options!

3. Advertisement Opportunities

Since WeChat launched the Personal Feed Ads in 2015, there’s been very few oversea users who have had the chance to see how these ads look in their personal feed. It’s a great option for local businesses to advertise on personal feeds, much like Facebook ads.

With the platform’s new updates and changes, we’re looking forward to seeing how businesses will use WeChat now to further connect with their followers!

As more WeChat policies are unveiled, we’ll keep you informed with updates on our blog and social media feeds! Need help with setting up your account? Give us a shout at info@spotlightwest.ca.

We will continue sharing more insights from the Asian Community and Chinese social trends on our #SpotOn blog, so make sure to follow us on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

How do Chinese People Really Celebrate the Dragon Boat Festival?

We’ve all heard of the Dragon Boat Festival, and most likely have participated in its festivities every year. But what’s the reasoning behind the celebrations?

It didn’t actually start off as something to celebrate. The Chinese Dragon Boat Festival first originated as a tradition to mourn over the loss of Qu Yuan, who was one of the most prominent poets in Ancient China’s history.

Also known as the Duan Wu Festival (端午节), the Dragon Boat Festival has a few different origin stories. The most well-known version is that the tradition started as a tribute to the poet and minister Qu Yuan, who committed suicide during the Warring States period. He jumped into the Mi Luo River because he failed in his advising role to the Emperor during an invasion, and subsequently lost the battle.

It’s believed that in order to distract the fish from damaging the patriotic poet’s body, people came up with the idea of throwing wrapped rice balls into the river to keep the creatures away. It’s also told that people began paddling down the river to look for his body, which evolved to what is now considered to be the origin of dragon boat races

So what exactly do Chinese people like to do to celebrate Dragon Boat Festival?

1. Enjoy Rice Dumplings

Because of the name “Dragon Boat”, people don’t associate the day with food as much. However, there’s ALWAYS food involved when it comes to Chinese holidays and celebrations.

One of the most iconic delicacies enjoyed during the Festival is Zong Zi (rice dumpling), which is sticky rice balls wrapped in reed leaves. The rice balls usually contain different types of stuffing depending on the region’s tradition; this includes stewed pork belly and marinated duck eggs to sweet treats like dates and red bean paste. There are hundreds of options to choose from. Social media influencers on Weibo even host contests to see whether people prefer “savory or sweet”.

2. Race Dragon Boats

Well, this is a given. Dragon Boat races have become a universally celebrated summer event across continents, and it’s a great opportunity for communities to connect and share stories. You don’t need to be extremely athletic or an expert in Chinese culture to participate — the races purely revolve around the spirit of sportsmanship and competition.

3. Hang Herbs

With the Dragon Boat Festival taking place at the beginning of summer, the weather is more humid and the households are prone to mold and bacteria. That’s why people believe that hanging up herbs in their homes would help clean the air and drive away insects. Common herbs include mugwort brushes (which smell very similar to sage) or calamus (some are a source of rattan and canes).

In our future #SpotOn blog posts, we will be sharing more insights from the Asian Community and Chinese social trends, so make sure to follow us on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

Asian Inspirations on How to Spend This Father’s Day

Still looking for the best way to spend some quality time with your dad for this Father’s Day? For the Asians in us, we at Spotlight West have some ideas on how to best treat your dad!

1. Father’s Day Dim Sum

Although there won’t be any Father’s Day discounts or specialties at local Chinese restaurants — unlike at those fancy brunch spots — spending a late Sunday morning to enjoy a full spread of delicious dim sum with dad while sipping on some sizzling hot Pu’erh would still be a rather welcoming plan for this Father’s Day. After all, sitting around a table of food is our favourite form of quality time, especially in Vancouver! Some of our top recommendations in town include Chef Tony Seafood Restaurant, the Deluxe Chinese Restaurant, Sun Sui Wah Seafood Restaurant, Dynasty Dumpling House, and Kirin Restaurant.

2. Visit a Local Craft Beer Brewery

Ok, maybe Craft Beer isn’t a typical Asian parent thing to do. But he might enjoy trying something different. If you missed the Vancouver Craft Beer Week this year, you still have a chance to taste some of the highlights by taking your dad to one of the breweries it showcased. Our recommendations include the Grapefruit Radler from Parallel 49 and the London Fog Ale from Faculty Brewing. Or better yet, why not indulge yourselves in the Father’s Day Brunch offered by Craft Beer Market? There’s never a bad day to enjoy a good beer.

3. An Urban Getaway at Parq Vancouver

Weekend getaways are not just for Mother’s Day or Valentine’s Day; a father could use some serious replenishing time too. The Parq Vancouver in downtown (right beside BC Place) which opened late last year might offer some fresh experiences for your family to relax. There are luxury hotel rooms, a world-class casino, whiskey lounges, and a rather sophisticated Asian food scene with 1886 Chinese Fine Dining — all in one place for your dad to experience.

4. BC Family Fishing Weekend

You know what they say — a bad day at fishing is better than a good day at the office. If your dad’s into spending his weekends on the water, take advantage of the upcoming BC Family Fishing Weekend, which happens from June 16 to 17. It’ll be the only time this year for Vancouverites to do some license-free fishing!

5. Vancouver Canadians’ Annual Father’s Day Catch

Maybe your dad is the athletic type, or at least tries to stay in shape. Bring your baseball gloves and balls down to Nat Bailey Stadium for a fun (and, “look dad, it’s free!”) tradition with the Vancouver Canadians’ annual Father’s Day catch. Hosting it again this year on June 17th between 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., the club wants you to bring your father onto the field as they invite everyone to their home turf to spend the day the good old fashioned way — with some catch.

6. Watching Golf

For those with dads who might appreciate some alone time on his appreciation day, set him up with his favourite snacks, turn the T.V. on to the US Open, and give him some peace and quiet for the afternoon. Or better yet, watch the golf tournament with him and show genuine interest in wanting to learn more.   

7. Prepare for the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival

Finally, don’t forget that the Chinese Dragon Boat Festival is also coming up! Invite your dad to join you in watching the annual Vancouver Dragon Boat race hosted by Concord Pacific, or getting ready for the annual celebration by preparing traditional foods together, such as rice dumplings. There’s a chance he might prefer that you make it and he eats it, but as long as you end up spending time with your parents, they’ll appreciate it!

In our future #SpotOn blog posts, we will be sharing more insights from the Asian Community and Chinese social trends, so make sure to follow us on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!

Five Reasons Your Business Needs a WeChat Official Account

If you live in a multicultural community like we do here in Vancouver, by now, you would have come across WeChat — a messaging app from China with more than 1 billion monthly users worldwide.

On top of simply sending messages, WeChat also allows you to follow official accounts of brands, celebrities, and any businesses or organizations able to establish their own accounts on the platform.

So why exactly do you need a WeChat official account? What can it do to help you reach a bigger audience and build brand awareness with the Chinese-speaking community?

We at Spotlight West have the top five reasons below!

1. Significant Presence (How many users are we talking about?)

According to Business Insider, WeChat is estimated to have gained more than 1 billion monthly active users as of the first quarter in 2018, generating billions of lifestyle and entertainment spend and ranking at No. 5 among all social networks worldwide — just after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, and Facebook Messenger. Since the majority of users are, of course, the Chinese consumer, those looking to connect with that audience and tap into that community (whether locally or overseas) must utilize the WeChat platform … starting right now.

Global Social Networks ranked by Monthly Active Users in millions (as of April 2018)

2. Multi-functional (What’s so special about it?)

Coming from a country leading in world population for centuries, WeChat — along with most other social apps in China — is designed to be as versatile as it can be. Other than its messaging feature, it is often used to transfer money, make payments, share content, create personal feeds, connect to e-commerce and third-party services (such as booking cabs or purchasing event tickets), and get direct information from official accounts. It’s reported that 80% of Chinese users are following and checking official accounts on a daily basis!

3. High Interaction (What can you do with your followers?)

Think about a WeChat official account as a Facebook page — where brands are able to update content on a daily basis. Meanwhile, since WeChat is fundamentally a messaging app, the relationship with your followers is also like running a Facebook Messenger account, with followers notified much like in the Messenger app. On one hand, followers have easy access to direct services and contents from their favourite brands, can share articles with selected friends, and able to engage and interact with promotional campaigns. On the other hand, brands can divide their followers into customized groups, select which comments to display, and pin the best responses to the top of the comment section.

Campaign by Dior’s Official WeChat Account that allows users to interact

4. User-Friendly (How easy is it to use?)

Other than it’s massive following (obviously), another statistic which stands out with WeChat is that 86.2% of its users are between the ages of 18 to 36 — basically a mix of Millennials and Generation Z. Catering to the appetites of this young audience, WeChat puts a strong focus on optimizing its interfaces. The users can choose to add different tags to each of their contacts, which helps organize their contact groups. Once into an official account, they can interact with the menu bar at the bottom of the page, which the brand can customize to allow followers to connect with campaigns, services, or previous posts.

WeChat Users by Age

What a WeChat Official Account Actually Looks Like

5. One-Way Communication (How can you “talk” to your followers?)

By being able to select which comments to display on their WeChat posts, brands are able to monitor more efficiently with aggressive or unwanted comments on the platform. When followers are provided with high interaction, you’re also guaranteed to maintain a power of control over the contents that they generate, which is very rare among other English-centric social media platforms.

There you have it! Go where the Chinese audiences are. Start setting up your WeChat Official Account now by giving us a shout at info@spotlightwest.ca.

In our future #SpotOn blog posts, we will be sharing more insights about Chinese social trends and platforms, so make sure to follow us on our Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter!