Perspectives
Demand for fast growth is driving multinational marketers into smaller and smaller cities — but in China, small is a relative term.
China has over 160 cities with a population above one million. The U.S., by comparison, has nine. Most foreign marketers start with Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou and then add provincial capitals, but those markets, known as the first and second- tier cities, cover just a sliver of China’s territory.