From scroll to stream: How Chinese brands can win on the global stage

In recent years, Chinese brands like BYD, Lenovo and Shein have emerged as formidable players internationally, going to head to head with other long-established global firms.

To achieve this growth, many brands have primarily focused their media buying strategy on short-term gains, prioritizing performance-driven advertising as a main lever through channels like social media and search, often at the expense of long-term brand-building.

However, this is no longer enough to sustain brand growth.

In the era of fragmented audiences that are quick to forget your brand when your competitor is just one scroll, tap or click away, strong brand recognition is essential. It is doubly essential for Chinese brands aiming to break through on the global stage, whether they be in automotive, tech or fashion, as their competitors are often entrenched firms with years, if not decades, of accumulated brand love.

A recent example is BYD, which sponsored the Euro 2024 soccer tournament earlier this year and gained enormous brand recognition in the European market. Investing in brand-building activities should become the new normal. Indeed, with the continuous rise in advertising and user acquisition costs, we are now seeing brand owners placing greater emphasis on long-term brand-building as a sustainable strategy.

But world-famous soccer tournaments aren’t the only avenues to boost brand power.

Streaming and connected TV (CTV) ads have become an essential tool for fostering brand growth, offering unparalleled advantages in delivering high-quality content, capturing user attention and helping to maximize audience reach. This medium not only helps enhance brand awareness but can also drives product sales and strengthens emotional connections with consumers.

Over the past year, we’ve observed growing enthusiasm among our clients for streaming ads. Many leading brands have confirmed plans to increase their budgets for streaming ads in 2025, while mid-tier and emerging brands are also actively developing their strategies in this space.

So how can more Chinese brands tap in to this growing opportunity to reach global audiences?

Through my work as an agency executive, I’ve noticed some recurring questions about ads on CTV, especially from brands entering the space for the first time. These generally center around four areas: audience reach, ad effectiveness measurement, creative production and driving sales conversions.

Let’s debunk these concerns and share insight into how they’re holding brands back from finding success in this fast-growing channel.

• Reach: One significant concern for advertisers is the limited reach of streaming platforms, as many have historically operated on ad-free subscription models. However, these concerns are unfounded on today’s playing field, as many platforms are shifting toward ad-supported tiers, offering cost-saving options to attract more viewers to ad-inclusive plans. According to Hub Research, 60% of U.S. respondents indicated they would consider ad-supported subscriptions if they could save $4 or more per month. This trend suggests that streaming ads’ reach will likely only continue to grow.

• Measurement: When it comes to measurement, streaming ads may not generate instant purchase conversions; instead, they play a critical role in influencing consumer behavior during the awareness, interest and consideration stages of the buyer journey. Evaluating their effectiveness requires more than just basic metrics like completion rates, watch time, or click-through rates. For our clients, we employ advanced data-driven methodologies, such as marketing mix modeling and multi-touch attribution, to track consumer interactions across channels. These techniques enable us to measure the real contribution of streaming ads to sales and brand equity, offering actionable insights to redefine future campaigns.

• Creative: For brands unsure about what kind of creative resonates on CTV, it is important to keep in mind that as streaming ads target younger, content-savvy audiences, there is even more emphasis on high-quality, memorable ad creatives. To stand out, ads should shift from a purely sales-driven approach to storytelling that connects with viewers on an emotional level.

• Driving sales: To help build a successful media plan where the power of CTV ads shines through, brands should remember that while streaming ads are highly effective in building awareness and interest, purchase decisions often require sustained engagement. Integrating streaming ads into a broader marketing strategy that spans multiple channels is essential to nurture consumers through the entire sales funnel. Omnichannel advertising is the key here.

We anticipate that a growing number of leading Chinese brands will significantly increase their investments in streaming ads in 2025. To remain competitive in an increasingly crowded market, brands must elevate their content creativity and implement full-funnel marketing strategies that ensure continuous engagement.

At the same time, developing a robust system for measuring ad effectiveness is paramount. By evaluating the contribution of streaming ads to brand awareness, consumer decision-making and sales conversions, brands can make more informed budget allocation decisions across their marketing objectives.

Streaming ads represent not just an advertising channel, but a critical opportunity for Chinese brands to solidify their position in global markets through compelling storytelling and strategic execution.

This op-ed represents the views and opinions of the author and not of The Current, a division of The Trade Desk, or The Trade Desk. The appearance of the op-ed on The Current does not constitute an endorsement by The Current or The Trade Desk.