Just like the case study series about Anker, Shein, OnePlus, we will take a glance at how DJI promote its products and service through digital marketing channels such as affiliate marketing, social marketing, and email marketing.
Category Archives: Bobz Notes
Shein Case Study
Shein is a fast-fashion brand worth paying attention to if you are interested in cross-border e-commerce. Started with women’s clothing, Shein expands its product lines to men, kid, plus size, home & living, beauty. Learn more about Shein’s business model and marketing strategy from the post.
OnePlus Case Study
You will know what OnePlus does and how the Chinese brand goes popular in foreign countries. The post will work you through OnePlus digital marketing strategy from its affiliate marketing, community management, and social marketing, and more.
About OnePlus
Who does OnePlus do?
OnePlus, or One Plus Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., is based in Shenzhen, Guangdong. Founded by Pete Lau, former Oppo vice-president, in December 2013, it is now popular especially in the United States and India for flagship phones.
Products: OnePlus 8/ OnePlus 8 pro, OnePlus 7T/ OnePlus 7 Pro and phone accessories.
OnePlus is well-know for its flagship mobile phones at a high price. However, the latest product line of cheaper phones called OnePlus Nord is now accessible. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said in the announcement.
“We are immensely proud of our flagship products and will continue to create more tech-leading flagships for our users. Now we are excited to share the OnePlus experience with even more users around the world through this new product line.”
Is OnePlus, Vivo OPPO same company?
Many people are confused about the relationships between OnePlus, OPPO, and Vivo. BBK Electronics from Wikipedia is out of date and you can find more historical details on this post.
It is clear to get the answer from the below chart. In general, OPPO and OnePlus are owned (partly) by the parent company but run independently.

Besides, Realm works as a sub-brand of OPPO while iQOO works under Vivo. Both of them aim to cater to the needs of mobile phones at lower prices but with good performance.
Brand Ambassador
OnePlus works with ‘Avengers’ star Robert Downey Jr. to endorse OnePlus 7 Pro In May 2019. Learn more at Verge.
OnePlus Web Traffic
Let’s use Similarweb to take a look at how OnePlus website traffic looks like. (note: similar web data is just for reference and different web analytics tool may have different results)
For geography, Asia, North America, Europe are the major regions OnePlus serves its customers. China, the United States, the United Kindom, and India get the most traffic.
As for traffic sources, search (organic search) and direct traffic eat the big pie. Usually for brands, paid traffic only a small portion.
Social Media Marketing
Social marketing is playing an important role in digital marketing channels. People spend more and more time on social network and that’s why advertisers choose these platforms to communicate and engage with the mass audience.
It seems that Youtube is the best way to drive traffic because Youtube is the second biggest search engine after Google and people like to search for product reviews for tech products before purchases.
It is worth noting that OnePlus works better than OPPO and Xiaomi on Reddit. Perhaps it focuses more on the community,
- CN Community http://www.oneplusbbs.com/
- EN Community https://forums.oneplus.com/
Account | Youtube | ||||
OnePlus | 12.9M | 3228K | 2.1M | 1.04M | 183k |
OnePlus_USA | 380.1K | ||||
OnePlus_UK | 119.8K | ||||
oneplus_fr | 12.9M | 35K | 155.8K | ||
oneplus_DE | 33.2K | ||||
OnePlus India | 12.9M | 2752K | 2.1M | ||
oneplus_thai | 5250 | ||||
OnePlus_Support | 172.9K |
OnePlus has several accounts for each country on Youtube, Facebook, and Twitter, among which the United States and India get the most fans and engagements just as we see traffic analysis above.
notes: OnePlus Indian website is oneplus.in, other regions follow the SEO friendly model like oneplus.com/fr and oneplus.com/th.
Affiliate Marketing
OnePlus has its affiliate program on Awin and CJ. You can find the official program description on the website.
Name | ID | commission | Network | Notes |
OnePlus | 10855 | 2-7% | Awin | US & Canada |
OnePlus | 5205102 | 2-7% | CJ | US,UK,CA,FR |
As CJ data shows, the top five countries are US, FR, DE, CA, UK. (Note: OnePlus CJ affiliate program is not available for India and China, and OnePlus Awin affiliate program is for the US and CA. For affiliate marketers who want to join their program, please pay attention to its terms and agreement.)
According to Similarweb, Awin does better than CJ. The affiliate network drive more traffic than Google on display. Skimlinks is a sub-network, which focuses on content publishers and Ziff Davis owns several brands such as offer.com, tech bargains, Mashable, PCMAG.com, and more.
For the Student program, OnePlus works with affiliate Student Beans to offer 10% OFF discounts. Students can also use an education email to verify identity.
The referral program can be seen as an additional choice to get points.
- student program https://www.oneplus.com/education
- referral program https://www.oneplus.com/referral points
- affiliate program https://www.oneplus.com/affiliate-program
Email Marketing
OnePlus email subscription design looks beautiful.
OnePlus do not send newsletters daily
OnePlus 7 Series Case Study
I recorded what happened when OnePlus Launched 7 Series phones.
Timeline
4.22 Pete Law twitter & Verge Report
4.30 The New York Time Advertising
5.14 Global Launch Event ( US, UK, India)
5.14-5.15 Pop-up
5.16 Robert Downey & CN Launch Event
5.17 Open Sale
5.18 CN Pop-up
5.21 CN Open Sale
OnePlus works with dozens of Youtube big influencers to do product reviews for the new product launch event. Below chart record influencers who own 1M + followers on Youtube and review the OnePlus 7 series.
Youtube influencers get a lot of views when they create the videos.
Conclusion
I hope you have a basic understanding of how OnePlus website traffic, affiliate marketing, and influencer marketing look like. With the 5G era coming, the mobile phone industry is becoming more and more competitive. How brands can quickly respond? What marketer needs to do? What customers need most?
Ravpower Case Study
You may use products from Ravpower, TaoTronics, and VAVA. But do you know the company behind these brands? It is Sunvalley Group.
This post will briefly introduce Sunvalley’s digital marketing. You can compare Sunvalley with Anker. Both of them sell chargers, power banks, projectors, and earphones on Amazon and their official websites., but Anker is more popular.
Anker Case Study
Anker is a well-known brand for portable chargers both to customers and Amazon sellers. Steven Yang, its funder, started Anker in 2011 after leaved Google. The Verge even said Anker is beating Apple and Samsung at their own accessory game.
Let’s have a deep look at what Anker is about and how it promotes products from the perspective of digital marketing. Continue reading Anker Case Study
15 Marketing Models You Should Know
A marketing model is a tool that advertisers, merchants, or brands can use to understand the strength and earning potential of their business. It gives us a framework to rationally evaluate how we’re doing things now compared to our competitors and plan growth strategies for the future.
Theories on marketing, communication science, consumer behavior can help us better understand customer needs, create and deliver value, run the business, and manage the brand.
In this article, I hand-pick 15 different marketing models to help you decide the best strategy for you and your business, predict the impact your marketing tactics have on consumers, and achieve your marketing goal in the end.
Content
- Marketing Strategy
- Consumer Behavior
- Integrated Marketing Communication
- Brand Management
Digital Marketing Strategy Study Notes
Below is the study notes of the book Digital Marketing Strategy: An Integrated Approach to Online Marketing by Simon Kingsnorth.
This book is not up to date with digital marketing changing fast, so I combined it with related materials for your reference.
Happy Reading!
Advertising Timeline
3000 BC-AD1
3000BC Written advertisement offering “whole gold coin” for runaway slave “Shem”
500 BC Political and trade graffiti on Pompeii walls
AD 1 First uppercase lettering appears on Greek buildings
AD 500-1799
1455 Frist printed Bible
1472 First printed ad in English tacked on London Church doors
1544 Claude Garamond, first “typefounder” perfects a roman typeface that bears his name and still used today
1600s Newspaper emerge
1650 First newspaper ad offers reward for stolen horses
1655 First use of the term “advertising”
1662 London Gazette offers first advertising supplement
1704 First ads in America published in the Boston Newsletter
1742 First magazine ad
In the late-1700s, the Industrial Revolution began in England and by the early1800s it had reached North America.
1800-1899
1841 Volney B. Palmer becomes first “newspaper agent” (advertising agent) in America
1844 First magazine ad runs
1869 Francis W. Ater founds ad agency bearing his father’s name, N. W. Ayer & Sons, in Philadelphia. He initiates first “for commission” ad contract (1876), first market survey for an ad (1879), and first on-staff creative services (art in 1890, copywriting in 1892)
1888 Printers’ link first U.S. publication for ad profession
1900-1919
1900 Psychologists study the attention-getting and persuasive qualities of advertising
1900 Northwestern University is first to offer advertising as a discipline
1903 Scripps-McRae League of Newspapers appoints ad censor, rejects $500,000 in ads in first year.
1905 First national ad plan is for the “Gillette Safety Razor.”
1905-1930s Claude Hopkins develops scientific mail-order copy testing
1911 First “truth in advertising” codes are established by what is now called the American Advertising Federation (AAF)
1914 FTC Act passed
1920-1939
1920s Albert Lasker, “father” of modern advertising, calls advertising “salesmanship in print.” First ad testimonials by movie stars appear. Full-color printing is available in magazines.
1922 First radio ad solves radio’s need for financing.
1924 N. W. Ayer produces first sponsored radio broadcast, the “Eveready Hour.”
1929-1933 the Great Depression
1930 Advertising Age magazine is founded.
1938 Wheeler-Lea amendments to FTC Act of 1938 grant FTC further power to curb false ad practices
1939-1945 WWII
1940-1959
1946 America has 12 TV stations broadcasting to the public.
1947 Lanham Trademark Act protects brand names and slogans.
1948 46 TV stations are operating and 300 others are awaiting FCC approval.
1950 First political ads, by Gov. Dewey of New York, appear on TV.
1950s David Ogilvy’s “Hathaway man” and “Commander Whitehead” become popular ad personae
1950s Rosser Reeves develops the unique selling proposition (USP) or unique selling point
1960-1969
1960s Doyle Dane Bernbach’s “Think small” ad for American Volkswagen becomes one of the
most famous ads of the decade, establishing a strong market position for the smallest European import. The agency’s slogan for Avis, “We’re only No. 2, so we try harder,” is also very successful. New York’s Madison Avenue becomes known worldwide as the center of the advertising world and features the best in advertising creativity.
1960s Leo Burnett creates brand icons and “inherent drama:
1950s David Ogilvy develops research-based image advertising and storytelling
1960s Bill Bernbach focuses on the art of persuasion
1967 First Super Bowl is telecast. Cost of a 30-second spot: $40,000.
1970-1979
1971 Armed services begin first advertising for the new “all-volunteer” military (“Be all that you can be in the Army”).
1972 The Ad Age article “Positioning: The Battle for Your Mind” by Al Ries and Jack Trout
details the strategy of positioning that dominates the 1970s.
1973 Oil shortages begin period of “demarketing,” ads aimed at slowing demand.
1970s (late) Growth in self-indulgence, signified by popularity of self-fulfillment activities, spurs some agencies into making infomercials.
1980-1989
1980s Ad agency megamergers take place worldwide.
1982 First edition of Contemporary Advertising is published.
1984 The Internet (government controlled since 1973) is turned over to the private sector.
1986 Marketing Warfare by Al Ries and Jack Trout portrays marketing in terms of classic warfare manual written by General Clausewitz in 1831.
1989 Tim Berners-Lee invents the World Wide Web, allowing surfers to browse the Internet.
1990-1999
1990s A recession leads marketers to shift funds from advertising to sales promotion.
1994 Media glut leads to market fragmentation; network TV is no longer sole medium for reaching total marketplace. Ad professions adopt integrated marketing communications (IMC) as the new strategy to build market relationships.
1997 AOL launches Instant Messenger (AIM), allowing online chat and opening the door to social networking.
1998 Google begins answering search queries.
2000-2009
2000 The Internet is the fastest-growing new ad medium since TV, with 400 million users.
2002 A general economic slump hammers ad spending.
2005 Online advertisers spend $8.32 billion to reach the 170 million wired U.S. residents.
2007 The iPhone takes social media mobile.
2007 U.S. ad agency revenue surges 8.6% to $31 billion, led by double-digit growth in digital advertising.
2009 Broad global recession leads to cutbacks in ad expenditures.
2010-2017
2010 The Old Spice Guy viral campaign achieves 113 million online views.
2012 Google captures over 30% of the $100 billion digital advertising market.
2013 Growth in global advertising is 3.5%, led by mobile advertising, expanding by 67%.
2013 The Man of Steel movie collects $160 million in product placements, paid by 100 promotional partners.
2015 YouTube is watched daily by more people, ages 18-49, than any cable network.
2016 Fiftieth Super Bowl
Reference:
- Michael F. Weigold, William F. Arens – M_ Advertising
- Sandra Moriarty, Nancy D Mitchell, William D. Wells – Advertising & IMC Principles and Practice
- AD AGE ADVERTISING CENTURY: TIMELINE
- HubSpot The History of Advertising: A Timeline
Weely Reading Picks| 2019 Top 15
Here are the handpicked top 15 posts from weekly reading. Happy Reading.
Search
- Google’s European Monopoly
- Less than Half of Google Searches Now Result in a Click by Sparktoro
- What We Learned About Organic Click Through Rate
- Voice Search Study: Factors Influencing Search Engine Rankings in 2019
Social
Content
- We Analyzed 912 Million Blog Posts. Here’s What We Learned About Content Marketing
- Content Marketing Hub by BackLinko
Affiliate
Influencer
Video
Advertising
Ecommerce
Study Notes: Management
Below is the study notes of management from Coursera course Fundamental management and book Management by Stephen P. Robbins and Mary A. Coulter.
Stephen P. Robbins also writes Organizational Behavior so you will find some content are similar in the two textbooks. To save your time, it is not necessary to learn the Coursera course because it is fundamental and most about concepts.
Many theories about management, OB, leadership is helpful for us to understand how an organization works and develop our skills related.
Framework: 5 Functions of Management
- Planning
- Organizing
- Staffing
- Leading
- Controlling
Reading Materials:
Management Book
- Management by Stephen P. Robbins and Mary A. Coulter
- Manager Handbook from Harvard Business Review
Project Management Book
- (PMBOK® Guide) – A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge-Project Management Institute
- The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management by Eric Verzuh
- The Economist: Guide to Project Management
- HBR Guide to Project Management
Magazine
- Harvard Business Review
- MIT Sloan Management Review
Tools
- https://www.mindtools.com/