yíngxiāo: 营销 - Marketing, Sales

• Keywords: yingxiao, 营销, Chinese marketing, what is yingxiao, marketing in China, Chinese word for sales, digital marketing China, 市场营销, Chinese business terms.
• Summary: Discover the meaning of 营销 (yíngxiāo), the essential Chinese term for “marketing.” This page breaks down what `yíngxiāo` is, moving beyond a simple translation to explore its cultural context in modern China's dynamic economy. Learn the difference between marketing (`营销`) and sales (`销售`), see practical examples from digital marketing to business strategy, and understand how to use this crucial word correctly.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): yíngxiāo
• Part of Speech: Noun, Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 6
• Concise Definition: The strategic process of promoting and selling products or services, including market research, advertising, and sales.
• In a Nutshell: 营销 (yíngxiāo) is the all-encompassing term for the entire journey of getting a product or service to a customer. It's not just the final act of selling. Think of it as the entire strategy: figuring out who the customer is, how to reach them, what to say, and then, finally, making the sale. If a company is a restaurant, `营销` isn't just taking the payment; it's designing the menu, decorating the space, running ads, and creating a great reputation to get people in the door.

• 营 (yíng): This character means “to operate,” “to run,” or “to manage.” It often relates to business operations or management (e.g., 营业 - yíngyè, to do business). Think of it as the planning and operational side of an enterprise.
• 销 (xiāo): This character means “to sell” or “to make disappear.” It has the metal radical (金) and represents the transaction, the moment the product is “sold off.”
• Together: The characters literally combine “operating/managing” (营) and “selling” (销). This perfectly captures the modern concept of “marketing” – it's the management of the entire sales process, from strategy to execution.

In the West, “marketing” is a well-defined business function. In China, 营销 (yíngxiāo) is that and more—it's a phenomenon deeply woven into the fabric of its rapidly evolving digital society. A key difference is the emphasis on 热闹 (rènao), which means “lively” or “bustling.” Successful Chinese marketing campaigns often create a sense of collective excitement and urgency. This is visible in phenomena like the “Double 11” (双十一) shopping festival, where billions of dollars are spent in 24 hours amidst a frenzy of group deals, flash sales, and live streams. Furthermore, `营销` in China is inseparable from 关系 (guānxi), or social networks and relationships. While Western marketing might focus on data-driven personas, Chinese marketing often leverages trust within social circles. Recommendations from friends, family, or trusted Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) on platforms like WeChat and Xiaohongshu can be far more powerful than a traditional advertisement. This relationship-first approach means that building a community and fostering trust are central pillars of any effective `营销` strategy.

营销 (yíngxiāo) is a high-frequency word in business and daily life.

• As a Noun: It refers to the concept or department of marketing. “Our marketing budget” is “我们的营销预算” (wǒmen de yíngxiāo yùsuàn).
• As a Verb: It means “to market” something. “How should we market this new product?” is “我们应该怎么营销这个新产品?” (Wǒmen yīnggāi zěnme yíngxiāo zhège xīn chǎnpǐn?).
• Digital Context: The term is most often heard in the context of 数字营销 (shùzì yíngxiāo), or digital marketing. This includes:
  • 内容营销 (nèiróng yíngxiāo): Content marketing.
  • 直播带货 (zhíbō dàihuò): Live-stream e-commerce, a massive sales and marketing channel.
• Negative Connotation - 营销号 (yíngxiāo hào): Be careful with this one. A 营销号 (yíngxiāo hào), literally a “marketing account,” is a pejorative term for a social media account (on Weibo, Douyin, etc.) that exists solely to generate clicks and profit. They often post sensational, exaggerated, or low-quality content and are generally looked down upon.

• Example 1:
  • 我们公司需要一个新的营销策略。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen gōngsī xūyào yī gè xīn de yíngxiāo cèlüè.
  • English: Our company needs a new marketing strategy.
  • Analysis: This is a classic, neutral business use of `营销` as a noun, referring to the overall strategy.
• Example 2:
  • 这个产品的营销做得非常好，所以卖得很快。
  • Pinyin: Zhège chǎnpǐn de yíngxiāo zuò de fēicháng hǎo, suǒyǐ mài de hěn kuài.
  • English: The marketing for this product was done very well, so it sold out quickly.
  • Analysis: Here, `营销` refers to the entire set of marketing activities and their successful outcome.
• Example 3:
  • 现在，数字营销比传统广告更重要。
  • Pinyin: Xiànzài, shùzì yíngxiāo bǐ chuántǒng guǎnggào gèng zhòngyào.
  • English: Nowadays, digital marketing is more important than traditional advertising.
  • Analysis: This example shows how `营销` is used to specify a type of marketing.
• Example 4:
  • 营销部门的同事们正在开会。
  • Pinyin: Yíngxiāo bùmén de tóngshìmen zhèngzài kāihuì.
  • English: The colleagues from the marketing department are in a meeting.
  • Analysis: `营销` is used here to identify a specific business department.
• Example 5:
  • 为了营销这款手机，他们请了一个很有名的明星。
  • Pinyin: Wèile yíngxiāo zhè kuǎn shǒujī, tāmen qǐngle yī gè hěn yǒumíng de míngxīng.
  • English: In order to market this phone, they hired a very famous celebrity.
  • Analysis: This sentence uses `营销` as a verb, “to market,” showing the action-oriented side of the word.
• Example 6:
  • 别相信那个微博账号，它就是一个营销号。
  • Pinyin: Bié xiāngxìn nàge Wēibó zhànghào, tā jiùshì yī gè yíngxiāo hào.
  • English: Don't trust that Weibo account; it's just a clickbait “marketing account”.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the crucial negative connotation of `营销号`, a term any user of Chinese social media must know.
• Example 7:
  • 他们的成功离不开创新的营销手段。
  • Pinyin: Tāmen de chénggōng líbukāi chuàngxīn de yíngxiāo shǒuduàn.
  • English: Their success is inseparable from their innovative marketing methods.
  • Analysis: `营销手段` (yíngxiāo shǒuduàn) means “marketing tactics/methods,” a common and useful collocation.
• Example 8:
  • 这次营销活动的目标是吸引年轻消费者。
  • Pinyin: Zhè cì yíngxiāo huódòng de mùbiāo shì xīyǐn niánqīng xiāofèizhě.
  • English: The goal of this marketing campaign is to attract young consumers.
  • Analysis: `营销活动` (yíngxiāo huódòng) is the standard term for a “marketing campaign” or “event.”
• Example 9:
  • 他是我们的营销总监。
  • Pinyin: Tā shì wǒmen de yíngxiāo zǒngjiān.
  • English: He is our marketing director.
  • Analysis: Shows how the term is used in job titles. `总监` (zǒngjiān) means “director.”
• Example 10:
  • 我很讨厌这种电话营销，总是打扰我。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ hěn tǎoyàn zhè zhǒng diànhuà yíngxiāo, zǒngshì dǎrǎo wǒ.
  • English: I really hate this kind of telemarketing; it's always disturbing me.
  • Analysis: `电话营销` (diànhuà yíngxiāo) is “telemarketing,” showing how the term can be associated with aggressive or annoying tactics.

• 营销 (yíngxiāo) vs. 销售 (xiāoshòu): This is the most common point of confusion.
  • 营销 (yíngxiāo) is the broad strategy: market research, branding, advertising, promotion, content creation. It's about creating demand and attracting customers. (Strategy)
  • 销售 (xiāoshòu) is “sales” – the specific action of selling and closing a deal. (Transaction)
  • Analogy: `营销` is digging a pond, filling it with water, and using the right bait to attract fish. `销售` is the act of actually catching the fish and putting it in your bucket. You need marketing to make sales possible.
• 营销 (yíngxiāo) vs. 广告 (guǎnggào):
  • `广告 (guǎnggào)` means “advertisement.” It is just one tool in the `营销` toolbox. A TV commercial is an `广告`. The strategy deciding which channel to air it on, who to target, and what message to convey is all part of `营销`.
• Incorrect Usage: A student might say, “我昨天营销了一本书” (Wǒ zuótiān yíngxiāo le yī běn shū), trying to mean “I sold a book yesterday.”
  • Why it's wrong: `营销` is a strategic, large-scale action. You market a product line, not a single item in one transaction.
  • Correct version: “我昨天卖了一本书” (Wǒ zuótiān mài le yī běn shū) or “我昨天销售了一本书” (Wǒ zuótiān xiāoshòu le yī běn shū).

• 销售 (xiāoshòu) - Sales. The act of selling; the final step of a `营销` process.
• 推广 (tuīguǎng) - Promotion / to promote. A key activity within `营销`, focused on increasing awareness.
• 广告 (guǎnggào) - Advertisement. A specific tool used for promotion within a `营销` strategy.
• 市场 (shìchǎng) - Market. The arena where `营销` takes place. Often combined as `市场营销` (shìchǎng yíngxiāo), the full academic term for “Marketing.”
• 策划 (cèhuà) - To plan / a plan. You `策划` a `营销` campaign (策划一个营销活动).
• 品牌 (pǐnpái) - Brand. A strong brand is often the primary goal of long-term `营销` efforts.
• 营销号 (yíngxiāo hào) - “Marketing account.” A pejorative term for a low-quality, clickbait social media account.
• 直播带货 (zhíbō dàihuò) - Live-stream e-commerce. A hugely popular and powerful `营销` tactic in China.
• 顾客 (gùkè) - Customer. The target of all `营销` activities.