Business Case Studies & Business Publications

ElleoZhang and Weibo

Murray, Meghan, Su...

Case

ElleoZhang and Weibo

Murray, Meghan; Sun, Siyuan; Xu, Siming; Yu, Xiang

M-0944 | Published June 16, 2017 | 11 pages Case

Collection: Darden School of Business

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Product Details

Ella Zhang, a talented fashion designer, established an online presence through Taobao and WeChat in 2013. Over the following four years, she tested online advertising tools and honed her marketing to young urban women in China's first-tier cities, primarily by shifting to the Weibo platform. Through the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017, her sales continued to grow but her marketing expenses were high. The case poses multiple strategic decisions Ella must make to continue her business, ranging from budget to spend on video to raising outside capital. It highlights differences between U.S. and Chinese markets and, specifically, gives U.S. students an introduction to social media in the most populous country in the world.

Students will learn about social media in China, the power of social media influencers, the fashion industry, and online marketing metrics.