Long before the holiday, makers of cleaning supplies can do a related promotion because at the close of a year, Chinese families clean their homes thoroughly to sweep away ill fortune and to make way for coming good luck. One of 12 different years represented by animals, this year is the year of the dragon, the most auspicious of the 12. A month after the start of a new year marks an ideal time to do business. That s when the Chinese pour money into presents, decorations, food, shoes, clothing and essentially anything that shows prosperity. This is a time for creative Web marketing.
Opportunities continue to exist in the Chinese online community throughout the year.
The China Internet Network Information Center, a government agency under the Chinese Academy of Sciences, tracks Internet use in China in semi-annual surveys. Its survey issued in January showed that the number of Chinese people online increased by a whopping 324 percent in 1999, from 2.1 million to 8.9 million. By 2005, an estimated 140 million people 10 percent of the country s population will be online. As with any strategic marketing initiative, it pays to learn strategies to use and avoid when addressing this market. For instance, the color red signifies happiness and good luck.