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8D World a Hit in China
I came across an excellent example of marketing a product in China. The story interests me both as a a China geek and an educator. The product involved is virtual world software designed help Chinese school kids learn English.
Educational gaming is, of course, big business. A company called 8D World is using the concept to teach English to kids in China. Their virtual world (Wiz World Online) requires participants to properly pronounce English words to get points in a virtual game.
The market for English language education in China is huge. There are about 50,000 for-profit English language schools in China a parents pay an average of $200 a month to send the kids to the schools. By comparison, Wiz World Online is $20 a month - a lot in China, but a lot less than sending kids to an English academy.
How well is Wiz World Online doing in China? Each year China has an English langauge competition for students. Last year 400,000 students took part. And China is incorporating Wiz World Online into this year's competition.