China's booming digital marketing machine signals investor confidence

Chinese companies are engineering a fresh growth formula supercharging the creative core of the country's digital marketing machine with AI technology, as seen in recent collaborations like Li-Ning × Zootopia, Honor × POP MART and Lao Feng Xiang × Pokémon. Businesses are embracing the collaborative economy to solidify their appeal among young consumers as AI evolves from a content-creation tool into enterprise infrastructure.

Sustained optimism in this model is reflected in budgets. The 2026 China Digital Marketing Trends Report forecasts an average 10 percent increase in corporate marketing budgets for the year, a 2-percentage-point rise over 2025 projections. The upcoming nine-day Chinese New Year holiday will likely boost this momentum. Festive spending in the world's largest consumer market should unlock huge growth and put to tech-driven marketing strategies to the test.