1. Presentation by Mujiangqu Niu Student ID: 27786773
A Case Study of WeChat
Presentation by Mujiangqu Niu
Student ID:

2. Content Marketing and Branding Technological Affordances
User Experiences

3. Marketing and Branding
WeChat has be launched by Tencent in Jan 2011 in China , it is a type of instant mobile messaging (MIM) services and allow users to send and receive instant messages through texts, video, audio, images and animated stickers (Cui, 2015).
WeChat is a fast-going mobile-based social application, 650 million monthly active users (MAU) at the end of third quarter in 2015 (Tencent Holdings Limited, 2015).
based on mobile media and shows distinct features of portability and mobility (Jun and Lee, 2007).

4. Marketing and Branding
Targeting the market outside of China
Putting advertisements to other countries and hire celebrities as endorser
India:
Europe and America:
Thailand:

5. Technological Affordance
Gibson (1977, cited in Hutchby, 2001) has pointed out the affordance is the possibilities that something offers for users’ action.
Another concept of affordance has been proposed by (Norman, 1999) shows ‘perceived affordance’ , which is means users perceive the possibilities of products.
In terms of technological affordance, the cultural convention is more significant than other things (Norman, 1999).

6. Technological Affordance
The features they display to users on WeChat offical website
(cited by

7. Technological Affordance
WeChat interface of China version
WeChat interface of International version
WeChat is offering the function of payment for Chinese users, such as send and receive lucky money and make a transfer to friends.
(cited by personal screenshot)

8. User Experience An interviewee from South America
WeChat has lots of animated stickers and the aesthetics design is totally different from WhatsApp.
The QR Code in WeChat uses to save user’s profile and share it faster with others.
The moments in WeChat is similar to the Facebook Wall, where the places they have visited and the people they had been with.
WeChat is quite convenient due to users can connect with friends and check the moments in one platform.

9. User Experience An interviewee from Europe
WeChat is like a combination of WhatsApp and Instagram, where users can publish photos and memories for others.
Users can get new friends by scanning the QR Code and no need to exchange mobile number.
Users can send pictures either in a ‘quick format’ or in a ‘high quality’.
Different stickers and moving pictures.
Users can not remove the Badge App Icon unless check message and remove it by manual.

10. User Experience An interviewee from Asia
Users can make transfer and grab lucky money through the WeChat Payment. Also, users can make mobile top up and order taxis in WeChat.
Whereas, the WeChat is a few of overstaffed due to it has too much functions. In addition, users should check Weibo or news applications due to they cannot get the latest information from WeChat.

11. Conclusion An interviewee from Asia
WeChat has achieved most of market in China
WeChat has made a breakthrough progress in overseas markets
Making the localization to adapt to indigenous users’ cultural conventions
Using the differentiation strategy to show distinct features

12. Reference List
Cui, D. (2015). Beyond "connected presence": Multimedia mobile instant messaging in close relationship management. Mobile Media & Communication, 4(1), pp
Hutchby, I. (2001). Technologies, Texts and Affordances. SOC, 35(2), pp
Jun, J. and Lee, S. (2007). MOBILE MEDIA USE AND ITS IMPACT ON CONSUMER ATTITUDES TOWARD MOBILE ADVERTISING. International Journal of Mobile Marketing, 2(1), pp
Norman, D. (1999). Affordance, conventions, and design. interactions, 6(3), pp
Tencent Holdings Limited, (2015). TENCENT ANNOUNCES 2015 THIRD QUARTER RESULTS. Hong Kong, p.3.