The global recession has hit the Irish economy harder than most. But help is at hand, albeit from an unlikely source: ChinesePod, the online learning platform, is offering free and unlimited Chinese lessons to the people of Ireland until May 2010. The company, co-founded by Irishman Ken Carroll, believes that providing this linguo-cultural inroad to the world's most potent economy could be effective towards Ireland's long-term economic recovery. ChinesePods's timing is spot on: this year marks the 30th anniversary of Sino-Irish diplomatic relations, and beginning May 1st next year, the Irish pavilion at the Shanghai World Expo will open its doors.

To receive their free ChinesePod voucher, Irish residents need to send an SMS to the company from a +353 mobile phone number before 31 October 2009. They'll then get access to daily lessons, podcasts, iPhone and Android apps, online discussion boards and Skype-based teaching from Mandarin experts. ChinesePod is hoping to further stimulate the buzz by inviting Irish users to take videos of anyone and everyone Irish saying "Ni hao!" (hello), or photos of the phrase posted in unlikely locations around Ireland, and upload them to the company's Facebook page.

While it may not get Ireland out of the recession, ChinesePod clearly speaks the language of generosity, which can create plenty value of its own and costs little for purveyors of digital media. Is there anything you give away to grow your market and help others along the way?

Website: www.chinesepod.com/ireland
Contact: www.chinesepod.com/contact

Spotted by: Pam Lao

Microlending organisation Kiva has been praised for helping small businesses in developing countries get off the ground by connecting them to individual lenders. Unfortunately, its innovative platform doesn't serve Chinese entrepreneurs, due to restrictions in China's monetary policy. Which is why Casey Wilson and Courtney McColgan established non-profit organisation Wokai, aiming to do for China what Kiva has been doing for other parts of the world. Since peer-to-peer lending isn't an option, Wokai developed a hybrid model that combines traditional donations with the benefits of microloans.

Dedicated to raising capital from around the world for entrepreneurs in rural China, Wokai works with field partners to select candidates for loans. Using a system that's similar to Kiva, people can browse a list of potential borrowers on Wokai's website, donate their chosen amount, and then track the recipient's progress through Wokai. Since they can't be paid back to the donor, loans are recycled: when a recipient pays back a loan to Wokai, the donor can select another farmer or entrepreneur to support. So far, Wokai has raised USD 42,766 for loans to 159 recipients. Many donors have business or family ties to China.

Restrictions spur creativity, and (social) entrepreneurs are no exception. So if you're looking for a new opportunity, an obstacle isn't a bad place to start. (Related: Microcharity uses tangibility to target young donors.)

Website: www.wokai.org
Contact: info@wokai.org

Few in the Western world have ever heard of yak down, a cashmere-like fiber that is hand-combed once a year from the rugged animals dwelling in the mountainous Himalayan regions of Western China. Yaks have provided a livelihood for generations of Tibetan herders, and now a new effort aims to preserve that tradition by creating a market for yak down in the rest of the world.

The brainchild of two Chinese women who were classmates at Harvard's JFK School of Government, Shokay is an initiative to address the poverty of Tibetan herders in China by creating new markets for the raw fiber they can produce. Conceived in 2006 as part of a Harvard business-plan competition—which it ultimately won, according to China International Business—the effort now works with some 2,600 herders from the Hei Ma He Village of Qinghai Province in Western China through a series of fiber cooperatives that provide a sustainable source of employment and income. A single village can generate 10 tons of fiber in a year, CIB reported. Once it's harvested, that fiber gets sent to Shokay's team of about 40 hand knitters in Chong Ming Island off of Shanghai, who then use it to produce Shokay's collection of home items and accessories. Shokay helps build the knitters' skills in a safe and healthy work environment, rewarding them fairly for their knitting talents. It also makes sure to include personalized nametags with each item that gets produced, showing the name and signature of the knitter who made it. Prices range from about USD 25 to 330 for accessories such as hats and shawls and from roughly USD 20 to 950 for home items including pillows and throws. Shokay's finished goods and knitting yarns are available for sale online, in its own flagship shop in the Tai Kang Road district of Shanghai, and in a variety of retail shops around the world. Forty percent of Shokay's profits go back to the herders, another 40 percent go to the knitters, and the rest get reinvested in the business, CIB reported.

Combining social entrepreneurship with product life stories and (still) made here appeal, Shokay reminds us of the efforts of Crop to Cup in the world of coffee and Naked Wines for small, independent vintners. Next, we wouldn't be surprised to see Shokay adding a digital element with some traceability to spread its stories further and in more detail, much the way those (and other) contenders have. A personalized nametag is a good start, but if Icebreaker customers can find out which of many sheep stations produced the wool in their sweater, why not give Shokay customers a chance to meet the herder, yaks and knitters behind their new shawl? That's the beauty of transparency, and it can do wonders for creating an up-close-and-personal feel. One to partner with, support, or otherwise get involved in...? (Related: Tracking & tracing fashion brands' product stories — Design your own hat & choose your own knitting granny.)

Website: www.shokay.com
Contact: info@shokay.com

Spotted by: Danielle Matsumoto

Earlier this month, we wrote about Everyday Models, the company that lets consumers rent out various aspects of their lives for advertising purposes. Zeroing in more narrowly on the online profile is Bomeiti, a service from Catalist Group that lets social media users choose the ads that appear on their pages—and then earn rewards for their selections.

Through partnerships with social media providers, Bomeiti gives users of social networks and other such sites the ability to customize the online advertising that gets served on their personal pages. Users begin by specifying their preferences and interests; advertisers and agencies, meanwhile, specify the corresponding characteristics of the consumers they'd like to target with their ads. Bomeiti then matches ads to user tastes and displays the relevant ads on the appropriate users' pages. Users are rewarded with points for the ads that are shown on their pages and can donate those rewards to the social causes of their choice. Bomeiti's service provider partners are currently all Chinese, and include Cityne, Mipang, ShanghaiNing, Yobo and Neocha.

As with the ad-sponsored snailmail provider we featured this week, there are benefits to advertisers in letting users select the ads that their friends will see. With more control for social media users and better targeting for advertisers and service providers, Bomeiti offers a potential new model for advertising in the world of social media. Only time will tell if it will take hold; in the meantime, one to watch! (Related: Paying consumers for promoting products they love.)

Website: www.bomeiti.com
Contact: enquiry@bomeiti.com

We've already featured bike-sharing schemes in Paris and other cities in Europe and North America, and recently we spotted a few like-minded efforts popping up in Asia.

First, at the start of this month Taiwan's Kaohsiung City launched its first self-service bicycle rental system, with 1,500 bikes available for rent at 20 transit points around the city. Operated by Tung Li Development Co., the service is accessible via membership—members pay a lump-sum fee in advance and use their membership cards to rent bikes—as well as to nonmembers, who can pay via credit card. Bikes are free to members for the first 30 minutes and TWD 10 for each subsequent 30 minutes, with a maximum of TWD 230 for 12 hours or more; for nonmembers, renting a bike costs TWD 30 for the first 30 minutes and TWD 15 for each half-hour thereafter, with a maximum of TWD 375. Ultimately, the service will be expanded to 50 rental sites along Kaohsiung City's mass-transit route, offering 4,500 bicycles for rent.

In Taipei, meanwhile, the city's YouBike effort kicked off just a week or so ago with a fleet of Giant-manufactured bicycles available at bicycle parking meters in five areas around the city. Six more rental spots will be added beginning next month, the China Post reported. Sponsored in part by Cardif Assurance Vie and its parent company, BNP Paribas Group, the YouBike Public Bicycle System uses the city's EasyCard as its membership card. Users simply place their EasyCard on the sensor zone of the bicycle parking meter; a green 'Take Bicycle' light then switches on, allowing the user to pull the RFID-equipped bike from the rack. The first 30 minutes of each rental session is free; after that, each additional 15 minutes costs TWD 10. Google Maps technology on the official YouBike website allows users to check availability in advance.

Similar programs have also recently launched in Changwon, Korea, and in Hangzhou, China, according to reports in The Daily Transit and the Bike-Sharing Blog. And no wonder, given the respite they offer from urban congestion, rising fuel costs and environmental concerns. There's no end in sight to the continuing spread of bike-sharing programs—or to the opportunities for potential sponsors. One to support in a two-wheeling city near you?

Websites: www.tinyurl.com/kaohsiungbikes — www.youbike.com.tw — www.hzzxc.com.cn

Last year we wrote about Tokyo's Sample Lab, where Japanese consumers can sample and test new products. Roughly a year later, a similar concept has come to China with the launch of Shanghai-based Sampleplaza.

Sampleplaza is a new showroom featuring brand-new products not yet available to the Chinese mainstream. Membership costs 100 RMB per year, along with a one-time processing fee of 20 RMB, and is open to anyone over 15. In exchange, consumers are invited to visit Sampleplaza as often as they want and test out a diverse range of products, from exercise equipment to pantyhose, cosmetics to high-tech, drinks, BBQ sauce, soup and snacks. In addition to trying out samples in the showroom, members are allowed to take home up to 5 items per visit as well. Either way, they need only fill out an online survey--a maximum of 10 questions per product--for each sample that they test. Products are listed online, so consumers can see what's available, and while the company's website is being fleshed out, news and announcements are posted on its offsite blog as well.

As we've noted before, tryvertising is very popular with today's ad-immune consumers, many of whom will gladly pay to be among the first to test something new. Who will continue the spread of this concept to other parts of the world....?

Website: www.sampleplaza.cn/eng
Contact: www.sampleplaza.cn/eng/send_us.html

Spotted by: RK

This year's Summer Olympics focused new international interest on Beijing in particular and China in general, so it's not surprising to see new products and services emerging with a Chinese twist. Case in point: a new series of MP3 audio tours of Chinese cities created by luxury brand Louis Vuitton.

Louis Vuitton Soundwalk MP3 audio guides, produced in collaboration with Soundwalk (creator of "audio tours for people who don't normally take audio tours"), are designed to give users a vibrant portrayal of three Chinese cities--Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Each is led by an icon of Chinese cinema, with Gong Li narrating the Beijing tour, Joan Chen describing Shanghai and Shu Qi leading the tour of Hong Kong. The hour-long tours blend walking instructions with nostalgic story-telling, accompanied by the signature sounds of each city, and are carefully synchronized with the itinerary. They are available in English, French, Cantonese, Chinese, Korean and Japanese, priced at EUR 12 each.

Narrated walking tours by MP3 are a relatively inexpensive way to give consumers some of the experiences and status skills they so ardently crave, even if they never actually make it to the location in person. Soundwalk already offers a variety of other MP3 tours of cities including New York and Paris, as well as Puma-branded running tours of Berlin, New York, London and Paris and a multibranded Da Vinci Code tour of the Louvre. It's not hard to imagine vintners, musicians and artists--to name just a few examples--creating MP3 tours of their own, guiding consumers through the highlights and influences of their city or region. How could a tour bring a new experience element to your brand...?

Website: www.louisvuittonsoundwalk.com
Contact: info@soundwalk.com

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Although mobile content is something consumers can buy and download from virtually anywhere, Chinese start-up Duo Guo is banking on a different approach by selling such content through specialized kiosks in brick-and-mortar retail stores.

Based in Shanghai, Duo Guo—a subsidiary of D Mobile Inc.—has developed partnerships with China's largest retailers and leading global media companies to bring games, ringtones, software and other mobile services to China's 500 million mobile phone users in a retail setting. Each Duo Guo kiosk is staffed by a salesperson, who can help consumers as they browse for content. Once customers make their selections and pay, the content gets beamed to their phone via Bluetooth. In addition to its starting line-up of ringtones, wallpapers and games, Duo Guo recently began offering exclusive mobile content from emerging Chinese artists through its "artist of the month" program, and has launched into ticket sales as well. Wal-Mart, Best Buy and Tesco are among the stores that have signed up to host Duo Guo kiosks in China, while the company also operates its own standalone stores in subway stops and Shanghai’s busy Zhong Shan Park area. Content at Duo Guo kiosks is updated every Friday to encourage frequent browsing.

While it may seem counter-intuitive that consumers would want to buy mobile content in a physical setting, many Chinese consumers are reportedly wary of buying online, fearing that they'll be overcharged or end up paying for the wrong thing. There's also apparently a fair bit of uncertainty as to which products will work on which phones. In China’s smaller cities, meanwhile, mobile phones can outnumber wired internet connections, fuelling a black market in high-priced street-side sales of pirated content, CEO Jonathan Serbin told Pacific Epoch. Duo Guo is positioning itself as the legitimate alternative. While its cost structure is higher than those of the online services, Duo Guo also enjoys new ways to generate revenue, such as by collecting fees from mobile application companies for introducing customers to their services, he added.

"We realized that there is a great opportunity for selling mobile content, applications and services at retail," Serbin explained. "People were excited about buying a phone—they had maybe just spent a month's salary on their phone—and they were saying, 'Why don't you give us the opportunity right here, at retail, to buy this cool stuff rather than go home and have to search online [for it].' This is a great moment, when the customer is learning about their phone and is excited about it. We saw an opportunity to sell content in a very dynamic setting; to have a guided experience. The sales people help them find content and discover what is most appropriate for them."

Launched last year and backed by US hedge fund Jana Partners, Duo Guo currently has about 25 stores in Shanghai. It is in the process of expanding to Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Beijing, with hopes of having 100 stores by year's end, 500 by the end of 2009. One to partner with—or emulate—in other markets around the world?

Website: www.duoguo.cn
Contact: info@duoguo.cn

Spotted by: RK

Last December, we featured a company that’s applying customization to cellphones. By plugging together different modules and maybe adding a few lines of code, a mobile device from Bug Labs can be customized to suit its owner’s (changing) fancy.

zzzPhone is taking a different approach by allowing customers to select their preferred features online and then manufacturing a phone for them within 15 days. (A few options lead to longer delivery times of up to six weeks.) Phones are custom-built and shipped directly to the customer from a factory near Shenzhen, China. Prices start at USD 149 for the basic unit, which is available in a range of colours. Customers can tweak to their hearts' delight, adding a camera (up to 7 megapixels), GPS, flashlight, stereo speakers, software, a touch screen, upgrading processors and boosting internal memory up to 4 GB. Another nifty feature, and one that most network-bound phones don’t offer, is the option of two SIM card slots, enabling buyers to use two phone numbers or accounts on one phone. The start-up claims to use the same components as major brands like Motorola, Nokia, Palm and Samsung.

Mimicking Dell’s mass customization model for personal computers, American-owned zzzPhone could tap into a broad base of tech-craving customers who care more about features and pricing than brand names. zzzPhone has launched an aggressive reseller plan in hopes of quickly expanding sales. Customized phones can also be ordered and manufactured in bulk, which suggests that an entrepreneur could specify features and software designed to serve—say—physicians or stock traders, and resell to a niche market. Plenty of business opportunities here!

Website: www.zzzphone.com
Contact: www.zzzphone.com/contactus.php

Spotted by: Bjarke Svendsen

Peer-to-peer lending continues to spread across the globe. We previously covered pioneers Zopa (UK) and Prosper (US), as well as German Smava and Dutch Boober.

Recently, the concept was spotted in China. Smava's Chinese cousin PPDai—look closely and you'll spot a family resemblance in the design department—is currently in closed beta and will officially launch later this month. P2P lending enters a very different market in the People's Republic, where personal credit ratings are virtually non-existent, making lending to strangers riskier business. Which is why PPdai won't be taking on loans and 'reselling' them to lenders. Instead, PPdai primarily aims to standardize and facilitate loans between family and friends, which are more common in China than personal loans from banks.

On a side note: acknowledging that trust is a key issue, another 'bankless banking' venture that's moving swiftly is Lending Club. Just 6 weeks after launching, Lending Club has facilitated over USD 250,000 in loans. What makes Lending Club different? Starting with Facebook, it latches on to an existing social network to leverage human connections that are already in place: "We believe that person-to-person lending will gain faster adoption in an environment where people feel connected to one another." More updates to follow as P2P lending develops!

Website: www.ppdai.com — www.lendingclub.com
Contact: ppdai.service@gmail.com — contact@lendingclub.com

Spotted by: Claus Lehmann

The power of groups, the clout that crowds can exercise to get what they want, is nothing new. What is new, however, is the dizzying ease with which likeminded, action-ready citizens and consumers can now go online and connect, group and ultimately exert influence on a global scale. Our sister website trendwatching.com just published a briefing about crowd clout, and defines the trend as follows: "Online grouping of citizens/consumers for a specific cause, be it political, civic or commercial, aimed at everything from bringing down politicians to forcing suppliers to fork over discounts."

A fun example of consumers aggregating their intended purchases to get a bargain is tuangou, or team buying, which involves strangers organizing themselves around a specific product or service. Think electronics, home furnishings, cars and so on. These likeminded consumers then meet up in real-world shops and showrooms at a coordinated date and time, literally mobbing the seller and negotiating a group discount on the spot.

Popular Chinese sites that are enabling crowds to first group online and then plan for real world shopmobbing are TeamBuy, Taobao and Liba. Combined, these sites now boast hundreds of thousands of registered members, making money from ad revenues and/or commissions from suppliers who are happy to have the mobs choose their store over a competitor's.

So who's going to introduce this concept in San Francisco, Toronto, Sao Paulo, Barcelona or Sydney? The PR value from being the first to do this outside China will be priceless. And may we suggest that the future founders turn it into a hybrid online/offline model, going for maximum reach and visibility? For more business opportunities related to consumers ganging up to get what they want, check out trendwatching.com's briefing.

Websites: www.020.teambuy.com.cn/english, www.taobao.com/vertical/groupbuy, www.liba.com

Earlier this month, pop-up champions Vacant launched their first pop-up slash guerrilla shopping concept in Shanghai, giving the Chinese a taste of what trendwatching.com has dubbed transumerism. The pop-up store consisted of a stretched Mini (the MiniVacant), filled to the brim with limited edition goodies like customer painted trainers and distressed denims.

Before taking to the streets, the store on wheels was cheered on by a crowd of about 500 Shanghai trendsetters, with VH1 celebs, champagne, a Mini F1 race and other frivolous yet PR-generating attributes.

With consumers still fighting boredom, looking for the next thrill (not to mention one-of-a-kind stuff), pop-up stores still have a lot of mileage left. Now, who’s going to launch the first niche 'transient-advertising' agency? And if you do, make sure you partner with Vacant; they’re already working on additional pop-up events in China.

Website: www.vacantchina.com
Contact: Russ Miller, russ@govacant.com