Forging a path in Shanghai¡¯s competitive advertising world

A graduate's journey from academic uncertainty to initial foray into the professional world, in a fast-paced industry.
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At 8 p.m., the lights still blazed across Dentsu Shanghai¡¯s office floors. In the conference room, Xiaojing Zhou confidently explained what ¡°sourced data¡± means ¡ª an industry secret rarely covered in lecture halls.

It's difficult to imagine that just a year ago, Zhou struggled to search for ByteDance's advertising revenue figures. Today, as a Dentsu media business management trainee, she navigates between media strategy and performance marketing divisions. Zhou attributes her confidence to the support of faculty and peers at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University.

Zhou presenting an in-house management trainee programme proposal. Photo courtesy of Dentsu.

Zhou, a liberal arts student, graduated in 2024 with a degree in Media and Communication Studies from XJTLU. She received postgraduate offers from University College London and University of Manchester. Despite these opportunities, she chose immediate employment in the industry.

However, this composed young professional was not always certain about her path. Zhou, a native of Shenzhen, initially favored Information Management and Information Systems at XJTLU, but soon realised that it was a mismatch.

¡°I found that my logical thinking completely clashed with Information Management, especially the computer science components,¡± Zhou said.

This experience became her turning point to new directions. Zhou decided to pursue what genuinely interested her: Media and Communication Studies.

Zhou approached Dr Laura Sava, assistant professor at DMC, about transferring to Media and Communication Studies, and received warm encouragement from her. ¡°This is wonderful,¡± she recalls Dr Sava telling her, ¡°It shows our programme attracts students from other disciplines.¡± Such openness from faculty reinforced Zhou¡¯s belief in pursuing genuine interests.

Dr Yanning Huang, in his lecture on social alienation, acknowledged students who courageously pursued their passions despite peer pressures. ¡°I knew he was referring to my situation. At that moment, I felt the School of Humanities and Social Sciences was truly worth the extra year.¡±

Encouraged by her teachers, Zhou regained confidence. She began exploring Media and Communication Studies systematically. XJTLU's flexible curriculum allowed her to try different directions. Through interdisciplinary learning that combined media theory with business practice, Zhou discovered her passion for marketing and proactively chose data analytics courses to enhance her skills.

Zhou discovered her passion for marketing through interdisciplinary learning. This approach combined media theory with business practice. She proactively chose data analytics courses to enhance her skills.

Her most significant academic breakthrough emerged from Dr Simon Schweighofer's Social Network Analysis course during her third year. The module taught Python programming and Gephi visualization tools. These technical skills directly translated into her current workplace responsibilities at Dentsu, a multinational advertising and public relations company.

¡°We learned to analyse large datasets and create keyword clouds,¡± Zhou said. At Dentsu, she applies identical techniques for Xiaohongshu platform analysis.

Recent projects involved identifying consumer search patterns for premium alcohol brands, which requires them to extract keywords from user search data. ¡°Among our fifteen-person team, I was probably the only one who had prior experience with these tools,¡± Zhou noted. This technical foundation provided immediate competitive advantages during her job search process.

Besides, Zhou reinforced her competence through an extended Customer Relationship Management internship at a luxury brand company. This one-year placement lasted six months longer than typical student internships. Her advisor commented that few candidates had as much hands-on experience as Zhou.

Beyond academic and professional development, Zhou discovered unexpected networking opportunities through XJTLU's sports facilities. During her third year, she found the underused squash courts. She developed a lasting hobby there.

Zhou playing squash at the Shanghai Squash Club. Photo courtesy of Zhou.

This recreational activity proved professionally valuable in Shanghai. Zhou's current senior manager shares the same sporting interest, facilitating informal mentoring relationships beyond formal workplace hierarchies.

The systematic approach combining academic excellence, practical experience, and personal interests created a positive feedback loop enhancing her job prospects.

Zhou's systematic preparation culminated in multiple opportunities during her final university year. She received postgraduate offers from UK universities. Three employment offers also arrived from leading companies in Shanghai and Beijing.

The decision between immediate employment and further study required careful consideration. ¡°I felt anxious about learning theory without understanding what people actually do in the workplace,¡± Zhou explains. Her priority shifted towards gaining practical experience rather than pursuing academic credentials.

The advertising industry particularly values evident competence over educational background, according to Zhou's research. Management trainee positions offer salary packages equivalent to professionals with two to three years of experience. This financial incentive supported her employment decision.

As her first step into the industry, Zhou interviewed at Dentsu. She was tasked with designing promotional merchandise for luxury clients. Drawing on her internship experience, she proposed personalized designs like Zegna's Beige Brown Limited Edition items. This creative approach impressed the interviewer and helped her stand out among over 100 candidates.

Although Zhou has accumulated considerable experience, she still faces many challenges after joining the company. The industry's data acquisition methods surprised Zhou during her second week at Dentsu. Her supervisor requested ByteDance's advertising revenue figures, which proved unavailable through official channels.

This challenge posed considerable barriers to Zhou¡¯s work. She decided to ask for guidance from the Dentsu senior colleague who had interviewed her before. The Dentsu senior colleague explained to Zhou that industry professionals frequently share insights through personal networks rather than published reports.

Through this experience, Zhou accumulated informal data gathering techniques common throughout the advertising sector. Also, she learned to verify information across multiple sources before presenting findings to clients.

Zhou's current role differs from her previous CRM internship in work focus and approach, but she quickly adapted to her new responsibilities. Utilizing both her academic and internship experiences, she completed an independent case study analyzing LOEWE's Chinese New Year campaign strategies across major platforms including WeChat and Xiaohongshu.

¡°My main work involved analyzing this campaign's investment scale and presentation methods across different platforms,¡± she said.

Drawing on her business perspective from previous brand-side experience, Zhou also sought to understand the commercial motivations behind LOEWE's media strategy. She visited retail stores to investigate actual pricing, production volumes, and sales performance of derivative products. Zhou interviewed sales staff to understand brand narratives. She believes this results-driven approach elevated her analysis beyond traditional competitor research.

¡°This project helped me stand out among other management trainees," Zhou said. The success opened opportunities for performance marketing assignments alongside her media strategy responsibilities.

To advance her career, Zhou plans to improve her data processing skills at the execution level. She'll also use her strong presentation skills in client meetings and strategic presentations to transition into strategic planning.

The advertising industry presents mixed prospects for new graduates, according to Zhou's assessment. Overall salary levels remain modest compared to other sectors. However, management trainee programs offer competitive compensation equivalent to experienced professionals.

¡°The industry operates as a service-intensive field where relationship management and strategic thinking matter more than pure technical innovation,¡± Zhou said. It is thus important to ¡°replace anxiety with action.¡±

She strongly recommends extended internship periods for prospective candidates. "Six months isn't sufficient to understand industry operations," she noted. Students should prioritize hands-on experience over theoretical study, using holiday periods for practical learning. Developing data analysis skills is crucial regardless of academic background.

She encourages students to actively communicate with faculty and industry professionals to build unexpected networking opportunities, emphasizing that concrete steps toward skill development prove more valuable than worrying about uncertain outcomes.

Story:

YUTONG WU / DMC Newsletter.

Courtesy of the scholastic journalism team, Department of Media and Communication, XJTLU.