As usage of blogs and other online communications tools grows in China, marketers are looking for ways to track those online conversations, reports BusinessWeek.

More and more people, especially in urban areas, are posting personal and intimate notes about their lives and such online. That's leading brand managers to be increasingly interested in what's being said.

Enter a company like CIC, which partners with companies to track online mentions and report on what's being discussed. In fact it's exactly the fact that online usage is so centered in heavy urban areas that makes tracking so essential - these are the consumers most likely to be buying high-end products.

Alongside this, companies are finding that creating an engaging and entertaining online site can lead to deeper market penetration and subsequent sales. Motorola and Pepsi have both developed Chinese-specific promotions that have been huge hits thanks in large part to their online components.