In China, mindshare comes before market share, according to Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang. That’s why the e-commerce giant has positioned itself to help merchants not only sell online, but also build their brands and engage consumers in one of the world’s toughest retail markets, Zhang said at Procter & Gamble’s annual Signal conference in Cincinnati.

During his keynote speech, Zhang laid out the five value propositions Alibaba offers its brand partners. He also discussed hisvision for the future of commerce, Alibaba’s globalization plansandrevealed how a failed management initiative led to a major success for Alibaba’s employees and, ultimately, Alibaba. Watch the video to find out why bottom-up innovation is superior to top-down.