Gentlemen Marketing Agency

What Gentlemen Marketing Agency does

GMA (Gentlemen Marketing Agency), legally Shanghai Shengshi Marketing Planning Co., Ltd. (上海胜胜仕营销策划有限公司), is a privately held Sino-French joint venture digital marketing agency founded in 2012 by Philip Qian and Olivier VEROT. The firm operates from a Shanghai headquarters in Jing'an District and a Paris regional office at 7 Rue de Madrid, positioning it as a cross-border bridge for two distinct client cohorts: foreign brands (predominantly European, Australian, and Japanese) seeking entry into the Chinese market, and Chinese brands pursuing international expansion. GTM motion is sales-led and direct-to-consumer, with services delivered on a project-based or retainer basis across both inbound and outbound engagements.

The service portfolio comprises 19 interconnected modules organized around an annual "Digital Marketing Full-Service" (数字营销全案) umbrella. Core offerings include creative advertising and video production, creative and packaging design, social media operations across WeChat/Weibo/Douyin/Xiaohongshu, KOL/celebrity marketing, Baidu and Google SEO/SEM, brand PR and online reputation management, performance marketing, e-commerce operations, and an "Outbound Marketing" line for Chinese brands going global (Google, Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn promotion, cross-border e-commerce). Underlying capabilities are people-and-relationships based rather than technology-platform based: a curated in-house media resource library and KOL network, dedicated SEO/PPC, copywriting, media execution, and market research/brand strategy teams, plus an Innovation and Development module covering VR/AR, CRM, and WeChat mini-program/app builds. The founder also publishes the "Marketing to China" media platform, which extends the firm's content reach.

The business model is professional services on a quote-based pricing structure with multi-year contract options available; no public pricing exists. The firm serves enterprise clients across cosmetics and skincare (Lancome, MartiDerm, Avene), fashion and accessories (Volley, Wewood, Les Georgettes, WOO), food and beverage (Ferrero Rocher, ICEBERRY, Lai Yi Fen), health and pharmacy (Vitabiotics, Rossmann, Nano Japan), retail (Carrefour, Ethnicraft), electronics (Beats), tourism (Only Lyon, Aiguemarine, Vancouver Fashion Week), and entertainment (Tencent's Roast). The firm claims to have served approximately 700–1,000 brands over 15+ years, has no disclosed institutional investors or funding rounds, and operates as a privately held, founder-controlled entity with no parent organization.

Name

Gentlemen Marketing Agency

Legal name

Shanghai Shengshi Marketing Planning Co., Ltd. (上海胜仕营销策划有限公司)

Website

https://gma-china.com.cn

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Short description

GMA is a privately held Sino-French joint venture digital marketing agency, founded in 2012 and based in Shanghai with a Paris office. It serves foreign brands entering China and Chinese brands going global through a full-service portfolio spanning creative, social media, KOL, SEO/SEM, PR, and e-commerce operations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Shanghai

HQ country

China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Digital Marketing Services: Full-service digital marketing agency offering integrated campaigns including creative advertising, social media operations, SEO/SEM, KOL marketing, performance marketing, brand strategy, packaging design, and e-commerce operations. Services are project-based or retainer-based.
2. Creative Design & Production: Creative design services including creative video production, graphic design, packaging design, H5/mini-program development, and product photography.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

GMA is a Sino-French joint venture digital marketing agency providing full-service integrated marketing solutions including creative advertising, social media operations on WeChat/Weibo/Xiaohongshu/Douyin, SEO/SEM (Baidu and Google), KOL influencer marketing, performance marketing, brand PR and reputation management, packaging design, and e-commerce operations. The agency serves two primary client flows: foreign brands seeking to enter the Chinese market and Chinese brands expanding internationally through outbound marketing on global platforms.

Product overview

GMA (Gentlemen Marketing Agency) is a Sino-French joint venture digital marketing agency founded in 2012, offering a comprehensive portfolio of 19 interconnected digital marketing service modules. The core offering is the Digital Marketing Full-Service (数字营销全案), which serves as the umbrella annual planning product, underpinned by specialized modules including Creative Advertising, Creative Design, Packaging Design, Social Media Operations, Interactive Marketing, New Media Advertising, Brand PR, Outbound Marketing, Innovation and Development, SEO/SEM, Public Opinion Supervision, Performance Marketing, Social Network Marketing, E-Commerce, Content Marketing, Online Events, Buzz/Event Marketing, and Brand Strategy. These modules can be deployed individually or in combination to serve clients across cosmetics, skincare, food, fashion, healthcare, and tourism sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Marketing to China: A professional marketing magazine founded by Olivier VEROT, one of GMA's founders

Products and services

• Digital Marketing Full-Service Comprehensive annual digital marketing planning covering industry research, online reputation management, SEO, social media operations, KOL promotion, and offline events. Designed as the umbrella offering for brands seeking integrated year-long campaigns.
• Creative Advertising Creative advertising, video production, and campaign strategy designed to reshape brand image and reach new audiences. Includes creative video production, micro-film development, and online creative ads.
• Creative Design Creative graphic design, illustration design, H5 mini-program production, and creative video production tailored to campaign activities. Includes hand-drawn posters and creative graphic deliverables.
• Packaging Design Product packaging design, e-commerce packaging, gift box design, and extended design services delivered by a Sino-French creative team. Used by brands for both retail and promotional campaigns.
• Social Media Operations Social media account management and operations on WeChat, Weibo, Xiaohongshu, and Douyin platforms. Includes content publishing, community management, and audience engagement.
• Interactive Marketing Event marketing, interactive marketing campaigns, e-commerce promotional activities, and performance marketing designed to drive engagement and conversions.
• New Media Advertising Media advertising, channel promotion, KOL influencer campaigns, and celebrity endorsement collaborations across Chinese and global digital platforms.
• Brand PR Brand communication strategy, online reputation management, media relations, and PR content distribution to build brand authority and manage public perception.
• Outbound Marketing International market expansion services including Google SEO/SEM, global social media promotion, and cross-border e-commerce operations for Chinese brands seeking to expand overseas.
• SEO and SEM Search engine optimization to rank brand websites on first-page results, combined with PPC paid search advertising for immediate visibility across Baidu and Google.
• Performance Marketing Lead generation through performance-based advertising with customized channel strategies and ROI-focused execution. Focuses on measurable conversions and lead delivery for B2B and B2C clients.
• E-Commerce Operations Full e-commerce operations including platform setup, store design, product management, customer operations, and promotional activities across Tmall, JD.com, WeChat stores, and cross-border platforms.
• Innovation and Development Brand website design, VR and AR development, CRM system development, and WeChat mini-program and app development for brands requiring digital product builds.
• Brand Strategy Brand strategy development including market research, brand design, naming, IP creation, VI design, and website development to establish brand positioning and identity.

Quantifiable outcome

• MartiDerm: 57% of traffic from Xiaohongshu community notes; 27% sales increase during campaign period (June)
• +11 more outcomes

Named customers20 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Marketing to ChinaminorOthersMarketing to China is a professional marketing publication founded by Olivier Verot, GMA's co-founder. This platform extends GMA's reach in the marketing community and serves as a content/marketing channel for industry insights.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Dentsu China: Japan-headquartered global agency group with full-service China operations covering creative, media, digital and CX. Comparable enterprise brand client base and service breadth to GMA.
• BlueFocus Communication Group: One of China's largest listed marketing and communications groups offering digital marketing, brand management, public relations and e-commerce services. Overlaps with GMA's full-service digital offering but operates at significantly greater scale and breadth.
• Publicis China: Publicis Groupe's China operations spanning creative, media, digital and PR. Provides integrated China-market services for global brands competing directly with GMA's foreign-brand entry proposition.
• Ogilvy China: WPP-owned global advertising network with substantial China operations covering creative, digital, social and brand strategy. Competes with GMA for multinational brand China marketing budgets but at much larger scale.
• Wunderman Thompson China (now VML): Global creative, digital and commerce network with established China offices serving enterprise brand clients on integrated digital campaigns. Comparable service mix to GMA but globally networked and much larger.
• Isobar China: Dentsu's global digital experience agency with strong China presence, offering digital transformation, commerce and creative services. Overlaps with GMA on integrated digital campaigns and platform-based execution.

Direct peers

• TMO Group: China-focused digital commerce and e-commerce enablement agency for foreign brands, covering Tmall, JD.com, WeChat mini-programs and digital marketing. Comparable to GMA's e-commerce operations, brand digital and KOL offerings.
• Hylink Digital: Shanghai-headquartered independent digital marketing agency offering integrated digital, e-commerce, content and media services across China. Similar full-service digital positioning and client base to GMA.
• Walkthechat: Shanghai- and Amsterdam-based digital agency focused on helping Western brands enter and grow in China via WeChat, Weibo, Tmall and social commerce. Closely mirrors GMA's inbound foreign-brand positioning and core platform coverage.

Emerging players

• Daxue Consulting: Beijing- and Paris-based market research and business consulting firm specializing in China market entry, consumer insights and digital strategy for foreign brands. Adjacent to GMA's foreign-brand market-entry services, more research-led than execution-led.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gma-china

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gentlemen Marketing Agency