/01
Creator economy
KOC > KOL in most categories. Trust compounds across 100 micro-voices, not one mega-celeb.
WeChatDouyinXiaohongshuBilibiliTaobaoDoubaoKimiDeepSeek
About
A senior team between AI and China.
S1GMAX was founded by operators, researchers, and brand builders working at the intersection of Chinese AI platforms and global brands. We started the studio because the existing playbooks were either enterprise consultancies too far from the work, or single-channel agencies. We built S1GMAX as the in-between — senior, embedded, and outcome-bound.
Operating model
- · Senior partner on every account
- · Trilingual EN · 中文 · 日本語
- · In-country execution, not just advice
- · Outcome-based engagement options
- · Honest about what won't work
The China a passport scan won't show you
Seven systems no Western playbook captures.
The themes we re-explain in every onboarding — because no Western playbook captures them, and no automated translation can either.
/02
AI ecosystems
Nine LLMs compete for the default answer. Each prefers a different content shape, citation style, and source.
/03
Consumer psychology
The post-logo buyer. Material literacy, provenance, and quiet premium are the new status.
/04
Trust systems
Xiaohongshu reviews now beat paid ads. Earned-trust content is the new media buy.
/05
Internet behavior
Discovery happens inside super-apps, group chats, and AI assistants — not on Google.
/06
Platform fragmentation
WeChat, Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, Taobao, Doubao — each is its own internet with its own rules.
/07
Hidden markets
Tier-2 cities outperform Shanghai for category entry. Lower CAC, higher novelty premium.