The China Influencer Marketing Podcast: Recent Episodes
PARKLU
The China Influencer Marketing Podcast is the place to go to hear in-depth conversations with industry experts, influencers, and Chinese consumers about the latest consumer, product, and marketing trends in China. Each week we aim to bring you tactical and thought-provoking content that will help you grow your business in China. The China Influencer Marketing Podcast is curated and hosted by Elijah Whaley, CMO of PARKLU by LaunchMetrics. Show notes can be found at www.chinamktginsights.com.
In his only podcast appearance of the year, Alex Duncan, co-founder and product lead at KAWO joins us in the China Influencer Marketing Podcast studio for an insightful discussion on the marketing scene in China, and how businesses adapt in this massive and rapidly evolving market.
Today's episode is truly a delight to listen to. Rather than just another interview, this episode is a thorough, two-way discussion of experiences gained from two different perspectives of the China market. There is discussion on building trust and brand value through content and by leveraging influencers.
Alex also presents his views and examples of how promising, sustainable business models are sometimes derailed or destroyed by venture capitalists, exuberance and trends. His reasoning is that as a result of an over-eagerness to seek a quick, immediate profit, long term strategies, opportunities and innovations are sometimes overlooked in favour of seizing a short-term gain. What are your views and experiences? What can businesses do to ensure that they not only remain profitable, but also remain competitive and, most importantly, innovative?
Get ready, get set, and tune in to this exclusive episode.
From Omaha to Shanghai, Elijah Whaley has experienced working in different industries, different cultures and different types of companies, with different types of people. Bundled with all of that experience comes a ton of knowledge and expertise about not just the business and economics sides of the world, but also plenty of insights on the social and behavioural sides of human nature.
Tonight for our second instalment in the Evenings with Eli series, Eli brings us a little further along his back story of how he got started from his first job at a startup, to launching his own venture and finally working at PARKLU. In this episode, we learn from a first-hand account of startup culture and operation dynamics in China, which has long been the fastest developing economy in the world.
Of course, competing in a fast-paced environment also means a faster path to decline for any enterprise unfortunate to find itself starting on that path - which is exactly what had happened in Eli's experience.
In addition to industry talk, Eli, a seasoned practitioner of mindfulness and meditation and dedicated scholar of the human soul, discusses some of his perspectives on social interactions and how one word uttered today can make massive changes tomorrow.
Join us for this particularly meaningful and knowledge-filled episode of the China Influencer Marketing Podcast.
How does a new company on its first legs grow and prosper in China? The answer is not as straightforward as one may expect, especially because the market, culture and society in China are more complex than those in the West.
Jenny Chen joins us today to share her experiences doing just that with WalkTheChat, a leading WeChat marketing agency and thought leadership resource in China that she co-founded in 2013.
In this episode, Jenny discusses workflow strategies, project inspirations, brand entry strategies and more. Specifically, she goes into detail on her expertise, sharing ways in which a foreign brand can leverage WeChat, WeChat Channels and other social media services to harness private traffic in order to develop a greater online presence as a foundation for increasing brand awareness in China.
The conversation also examines the future of WeChat and WeChat's role in the market, particularly as other, newer apps and ecosystems are cropping up rapidly, thanks to China's massive internet growth. As WeChat sharpens its focus on the largest accounts, how will this affect influencers? How will this affect brands? How will organic traffic be impacted?
Find the answers to these questions and more in Episode 76 of the China Influencer Marketing Podcast.
China is increasingly the place where business happens. In particular, business are seeking to expand in China in a post-Covid world. Not only was China the only country to record a positive year-on-year GDP growth in 2020, but also, with the announcement of a 6% growth target at the 2021 National People's Congress, China will continue to lead the world in recovering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
So what does this mean for businesses that want to take part in this economic revival?
Lina Bartuseviciute stops by the studio today to teach us a lesson about what it takes to adapt a brand to the demands of the China market in order to survive. As she puts it, consumers in China have some of the highest standards when it comes to foreign-made products, and government regulators are particularly strict when it comes to evaluating foreign brands. Furthermore, business culture is completely different than what industry players may be familiar with in the West. In China, one mistake could be all it takes to turn an enterprise on its head and on its way out of the country.
With all the experience she has acquired through years of tactically helping brands survive and grow in the market of China, Lina brings us invaluable information and examples of what to do and what not to do as a brand that wants to succeed in China.
Don't miss out on this information-packed treasure trove.
Branding has been a significant part of marketing for ages. It is a field that continues to find new ways to attract public attention and influence consumer behaviour. This sector of the industry has seen some of its most rapid development in China, where influencers and key opinion customers have blossomed into fully-fledged branding agents that are fully integrated into many facets of marketing in the country. But what does the future have in store for branding?
Joining us in the studio today is Alpher Xian, creative consultant at Google, who coordinates YouTube advertising campaigns with businesses in China. With a rich background in branding, Alpher brings his insights into how the industry has been changing, and presents some of the questions he has about the future of branding.
Today's episode is a thought provoker indeed. What role might AI play in sharpening the accuracy of advertising? What is the extent of AI's potential in predicting consumer desires and facilitating purchases as soon as those desires hit? Can a brand build a solid brand image without executing branding campaigns?
Find the answers to these questions and more in today's episode of the China Influencer Marketing Podcast, brought to you by PARKLU.
If you're a veteran follower of the CIM podcast, or if you've just discovered this bi-weekly treasure trove of industry insights (hint, subscribe!), chances are that you're all too familiar with the term KOL. But what about the mysterious Key Opinion Customers who, if used correctly, may have just a significant an impact on a brand as KOLs?
Joining us in the studio today is Ray Veras, founder and CEO of PJdaren. PJdaren aims to help some of the world's largest brands engage key opinion customers, or KOCs, in China through proactive product seeding solutions. Over the years, PJdaren has constructed a massive KOC community with a proprietary platform that facilitates authentic content and conversations in the places that matter most and at scale.
In this episode, Ray talks about his journey building his KOC network from scratch. He provides a rarely-seen perspective of how customers can be "weaponised" into brand ambassadors, a phenomenon that is most present in China. With the proper tactics, brands can cultivate certain customers into KOCs. Let's find out how.
Key Opinion Leaders. KOLs. Influencers. If you're listening to the CIM Podcast (or even better, if you're a subscriber to this podcast, hint-hint), chances are you are all too familiar with what these terms define. But who are KOLs, and how did they become the KOLs that they are today?
Today, we bring you the first episode in our brand new series Evenings with Elijah featuring host Elijah Whaley as he goes solo to talk in depth about his experiences and insights in the world of influencers.
To start the Evenings with Elijahseries, Elijah tells the story of his journey co-founding nationally recognised KOL Melilim Fu, who has become a top-tier cosmetics and fashion KOL since entering the industry in 2015. From the initial hardships to the ups and downs in between, Elijah tells it all, as well as his thoughts and lessons learned along the way.
As CMO of PARKLU, Elijah is at the frontlines of KOL marketing and brand collaboration in China. Combined with his experience building a KOL, this is an episode and series that you won't want to miss.
Saying that 2020 has turned much of the world on its head is a massive understatement, especially when we're talking about the world of e-commerce, digital marketing, live-streaming and influencers.
Today we'll be taking a look at some of the transformations and new trends that have emerged in 2020 and how these new developments have impacted consumer behaviour and the marketing industry in China, through the insightful lens of Michael Norris, strategy manager at AgencyChina.
We'll also get a glimpse through Michael's crystal ball at how these developments will continue to shape the consumer market in China, and how brands are attempting to restructure their outreach strategies to accommodate these transformations and ultimately capture their share of the market.
Having worked in China for more than three years, Michael has been conducting market research and product portfolio management for numerous high-profile multi-national clients, bringing with him an in-depth understanding of technological trends and consumer behaviour in China.
Today's episode features an in-depth conversation on China's revolutionary influencer industry with William August, founder and creative director of Outlandish Studios, a video production and marketing company that specialises in establishing a brand's presence on social media and video streaming platforms.
As creative director of Outlandish Studios, the #1 foreigner MCN on Weibo in 2019, August is a social media-and-Youtube influencer based in China and one of the top-rated foreigner KOLs on Bilibili for 4 consecutive months in 2018.
A seasoned industry veteran, August has been working as an influencer for years and has seen it all. This exclusive interview brings you a behind-the-scenes view of the realities of the KOL life from August's first-hand experiences.
The inaugural episode of the China Influencer Marketing Podcast by PARKLU is brought to you by host Elijah Whaley. This special episode features Kim Leitzes, founder and CEO of PARKLU, who joins us to provide some invaluable insights of the challenges and lessons learned through her years-long journey of building her company in China from its beginnings as what she called a "scrappy startup", to the premiere influencer marketing platform in China, and currently, to its acquisition by LaunchMetrics.
Today's episode features Chloé Reuter, founding partner of Gusto Luxe, to share findings from its new report on the state of China’s luxury market along with some of her personal observations about Shanghai’s luxury community.
Some of the ideas discussed include:
- “Revenge spending” — a concept born from pent-up demand for luxury products during the pandemic. How are luxury consumers spending their money?
- An increasingly popular idea in China that health is the new wealth.
- Why COVID-19 has made sustainability a greater concern among high-net-worth individuals.
- The hottest domestic travel destinations for luxury consumers.
- Christian Dior’s take on the ecommerce livestreaming trend.
Guest: Chloé Reuter
LinkedIn | Email: chloe.reuter@gusto-luxe.com
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Pinduoduo is one of China’s largest ecommerce platforms and an industry leader that helped popularize the concept of social commerce in China. Yet while it initially became famous for its wildly popular group-buying feature, Pinduoduo has since evolved into much more than just a group-buying platform.
In this episode, Ada Yang, head of social community at Pinduoduo, gives us an overview of the platform, and then shares several of its features and initiatives you may not have heard of, such as:
- A virtual farming game, where users can earn real fruit sent to their home for free.
- Pinduoduo’s livestreaming service and how the company is iterating on its newfound popularity during the pandemic.
- A “New Brand Initiative” that leverages user data to help factories that have been hit hard by COVID-19 and the negative geopolitical situation to create entirely new brands aimed at the domestic market, guiding them through product development, branding, and marketing.
Guest: Ada Yang
LinkedIn | Twitter | Medium | The China Ecommerce Podcast
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
In this episode, Demi Ping, sector head for retail and ecommerce at the China-Britain Business Council (CBBC), shares how it helps British brands of all sizes and industries succeed in China and some of the key marketing tactics that CBBC has been leveraging this year to help brands stay afloat through COVID-19.
While Demi and CBBC obviously focus on British brands, her insights are highly relevant for any foreign brands looking to tap into the market in China.
Guest: Demi Ping
LinkedIn | Email: demi.ping@cbbc.org.cn
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | WeChat: H1212118514
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Welcome back to the second episode of The Pulse, where Lauren shares a collection of noteworthy China marketing campaigns and content trends.
Topics covered in this episode include:
- A trending domestic travel destination in Ningxia nicknamed “China’s Route 66” and “China’s Morocco.”
- The massive growing demand for edible bird nests and the two brands that ranked first and second in Taobao’s pharmaceuticals category during this year’s 618 shopping festival.
- Lauren’s tips for how brands can leverage the popular reality show Sisters Who Make Waves.
- Some examples of brands besides Perfect Dairy that are using private traffic.
For video versions of the podcast, check out Lauren’s YouTube channel or visit her website if you’d like more information.
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: China Marketing Insights.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Although Chinese consumers are known for their love of online shopping, offline events remain an important part of brands’ marketing mix, allowing consumers to immerse themselves in the brand and experience it with all of their senses. What’s more, attending the latest pop-ups and exhibitions is a major form of social proof for China’s young consumers.
Despite the importance of offline events, they are not something that the podcast has discussed in depth. Today's guest is Ryan Whelan, the founder of event marketing agency Pennyfields, to share his top tips for executing offline events in China.
The episode covers a wide range of topics, including:
- Costs
- Production quality
- Timelines
- Restrictions and regulations
- Common issues when dealing with VIP guests
- Working with Chinese press, WeMedia, and KOLs
And more!
Guest: Ryan Whelan
Website | LinkedIn
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Private traffic (sīyù liúliàng 私域流量) was one of the biggest China marketing trends of 2019. It has become even more popular in 2020 as an increasing number of brands and livestreamers have begun implementing this tactic.
While the term is thrown around a lot, many listeners may still not have heard of it. Tune in for answers to the following questions, and more:
• What exactly is private traffic?
• Isn't it just private WeChat groups?
• Why has this tactic become so popular?
• Is it a tactic my brand should be using?
• How does private traffic actually work and is it scalable?
• How can we track the ROI?
• Are there any case studies for my industry?
If you or your brand are facing questions such as these, you're in luck! Today’s episode is the audio from a Private Traffic 101 webinar that Lauren co-hosted with recent podcast guest Doris Ke.
You should be able to understand the content without visuals, but if you’d like to check out the presentations, you can watch the webinar replay here.
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website: | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
In this episode, Michael Norris, research and strategy manager at AgencyChina, joins Lauren to discuss the growing intersection of luxury and gaming. Their topics include collaborations with virtual influencers, luxury brands creating their own games or gamifying the shopping experience, and brands creating product lines influenced by characters from popular online games.
This trend is not only in China — it is a global phenomenon — so Michael and Lauren also discuss the origins of the trend, how it manifests itself in the West as compared with in China, and how it might develop in the future. To help illustrate the trend, they have shared several case studies, which we have provided links to below.
Lauren’s new article:
The greatest threat to global cosmetics’ China success: An interview with D2C unicorn Perfect Diary
Resources:
Global phenomenon
- LV: Lightning - a virtual heroine
- Even better than the real thing? Meet the virtual influencers taking over your feeds
- You can try on the latest Adidas sneaker drop on Snapchat
- From Animal Crossing to esports: How fashion met gaming
- Animal Crossing
China angle
- Dissecting the 10 best luxury WeChat campaigns
- Luxury brands Hermès, Guerlain and Dior use mobile games to attract Chinese millennials
- Beauty games: M.A.C. lipstick collaboration with Tencent mobile game sells out in 24 hours (not specifically luxury, but relevant)
- Why luxury brands are betting on Bilibili
- Alibaba uses lockdown to promote its virtual avatar game
- Can virtual influencers and avatars change the face of Chinese ecommerce?
- What could be the next trend for livestreaming?
Guest: Michael Norris
LinkedIn | Twitter
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
On June 8, Yatsen E-commerce, the parent company of Chinese cosmetics unicorn Perfect Diary, held a press event in Guangzhou to launch its newest brand, Abby’s Choice (完子心选wánzǐ xīnxuǎn) — and the China Marketing Podcast attended! In today’s episode, hear Lauren's assistant, Kejie, share what she learned at the event and her experience visiting the new Abby’s Choice offline store.
Perfect Diary has become a leader in China’s cosmetics industry in only three years and its innovative marketing strategies are often used as case studies. It will be interesting to see if Abby’s Choice can replicate Perfect Diary’s success.
In addition, while Kejie was in Guangzhou, she visited the offline stores of two other Chinese brands, tea company Nayuki Tea (奈雪的茶 nàixuě de chá) and multi-brand beauty retailer The Colorist (调色师 tiáosè shī). She also shares in this episode her impressions of the stores and her key takeaways about the brands.
Kejie is currently working on several videos of her visits to the stores, so if you’re interested in checking those out, subscribe to Lauren’s YouTube channel.
Mentioned in the episode:
Perfect Diary’s virtual influencer gets her own mini program store, product line
The Colorist – images of the store
Nayuki recent 520 art cup collection
Upcoming Event: Private Traffic 101: Breaking Down China’s Hottest Marketing Trend
Private traffic was one of the biggest China marketing terms of 2019, and it has only become hotter in 2020 as an increasing number of brands have begun implementing this tactic.
But what exactly is private traffic, and is it a tactic you should be using?
Sign up here to join Lauren for a live webinar on June 23.
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website: | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
This week, Lauren is introducing a new monthly series called The Pulse, where she will share her recent observations on the China marketing industry. Content will include the analysis of new social media platform features and trending topics, as well as the identification of WeChat Official Accounts or influencers that Lauren thinks are worth following, interesting online campaigns, and up-and-coming brands.
Topics covered in this episode:
- Xiǎohóngshū 小红书 product sample giveaway function
- Ecommerce livestreaming features you may not know about
- Perfect Diary virtual pet loyalty point game
- Chinese beauty brand Little Ondine (小奥汀 xiǎo aòtīng)
- Xiaohongshu vlogs encouraging users to visit museums and offline exhibitions
- Popular search terms on Xiaohongshu
- Táobàngdān 淘榜单, a useful WeChat Official Account
- Some things to consider before working with a livestreaming KOL
If you would like more details and visuals on the topics Lauren discusses in the episode, check out her YouTube page or follow her on LinkedIn to see related videos.
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Over the past couple of years, Chinese brands have been experiencing massive growth. Newly founded direct-to-consumer brands are booming, while the more established Chinese brands have rebranded and revitalized themselves to attract a younger audience.
So, where does this growth come from? Top-earning brands have proven themselves to be savvy marketers, quickly adopting the newest social platforms and promotional tactics, and developing products, branding, and messaging that show a deep understanding of their target audience’s preferences and tastes.
In this episode, Lauren and Chinese marketing expert Doris Ke give us an overview of the marketing industry and key drivers of growth. Doris also shares some of her favorite domestic brands that she is watching right now.
Doris is the founder and CEO of Digipont, a well-known B2B marketing thought leader in China with a popular WeChat Official Account. If you subscribe to Lauren’s newsletter, then you have definitely read her articles before!
Brands mentioned in the episode:
- Perfect Diary (wánměi rìjì 完美日记)
- Genki Forest (yuánqì sēnlín 元气森林)
- WonderLab
Upcoming webinar: What can we learn from China livestreaming ecommerce?
This webinar is perfect for the product developer who is looking to get a better understanding of Chinese ecommerce livestreaming platforms. From the seamless user experience to the loyalty, gamification, and social sharing features, the UX of QVC and Home Shopping Network pales in comparison with China’s ecommerce livestreaming platforms. Lauren will also share her predictions for ecommerce livestreaming’s future in the West.
Register here.
Guest: Doris Ke, Founder & CEO of Digipont
LinkedIn | Email | Website
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website: | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
The Harvard Business Review found that acquiring a new customer is five to 25 times more expensive than retaining an existing one and that increasing customer retention by 5% can increase profits from 25% to 95%. Bain found that returning customers spend 67% more than new customers. And Temkin found that loyal customers are five times as likely to repurchase, five times as likely to forgive, four times as likely to refer, and seven times as likely to try a new offering.
Retention marketing is an important topic that brands need to be thinking about. This is especially the case in China, where advertising and paid marketing costs have skyrocketed over the past few years and now oftentimes customer acquisition costs are higher than the lifetime value of the customer.
Elijah Whaley, chief marketing officer of China influencer marketing platform PARKLU, joined Lauren on the podcast and explained his recently published guide to retention marketing.
This podcast and the concepts that are discussed will be valuable to brands of any size in any stage of their China marketing journey!
Resources:
Download PARKLU’s Retention Marketing Strategy Guide
Complete Guide to KOC Marketing in China
Experiential Marketing Mechanics: Turning Customers into KOC
Upcoming Event:
Webinar: What Can We Learn From China Livestreaming Ecommerce With Lauren Hallanan
Video:
Perfect Diary Unboxing Video
Guest: Elijah Whaley
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
This week’s episode is a must-listen for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with limited marketing budgets that are looking to build their businesses in China. Rachel White, the chief marketing officer for LUÜNA Naturals, a social-impact period care company, shares how it has grown the brand in mainland China.
Some of the key tactics that Rachel shares include:
- Providing highly educational content online and running offline workshops to educate consumers. Many women in China are being given very limited information on the topic of period care and are grateful for the valuable knowledge that they can’t find elsewhere.
- Partnering with other brands that are targeting similar consumer segments.
- Selling B2B: Some companies buy female employees period care products and provide educational workshops as part of employee benefits.
- Having a social impact component: Many key opinion leaders and key opinion consumers have given the brand free promotion because they believe in its mission to provide period care products to lower-income communities.
Links:
WeChat Mini Program livestreaming webinar
Guest: Rachel White
LUÜNA Naturals website | LUÜNA Naturals WeChat Official Account: luunanaturals
Instagram | Email: rachel.w@luuna-naturals.com
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: China Marketing Insights.
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking this brief survey.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Meet the short-video app Bilibili — a platform that brands know they should get on, but they are reluctant (or maybe too intimidated) to pull the trigger. Why is that? Its user culture is stronger than that of other Chinese social media and video-sharing platforms. Bilibili is where all the subcultures go, the anime, comic, and game nerds, the artists, the content creators that don’t want to make clichéd 15-second dancing videos. Get your campaign right and your ROI will be high; get it wrong and you will be scorned and mocked.
In this episode, Lauren brings Miro Li, a digital marketing consultant based in Hong Kong, back on the podcast to give an overview of Bilibili. She digs into what makes the platform unique and shares how and why brands should be using it.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Resources:
Chinable Academy Bilibili 101 Course
(Special discount code for listeners: BILI20)
WeChat mini program livestreaming webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/2015887102237/WN_9ymTeoX9RoCQ5aUnyszstw
Guest: Miro Li
LinkedIn | WeChat: Miro509
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
Like the podcasts at SupChina? Help us out by taking our brief survey.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
This week’s episode discusses once again China’s ecommerce livestreaming industry. As mentioned in episode 69, this industry has experienced massive growth due to COVID-19. In fact, leading ecommerce livestreaming platform Taobao Live reported that in early February, livestream sessions on the platform had increased by 110% year over year.
Today, Lauren explains the ways in which the industry has grown and changed. She also shares specific examples and case studies that have been seen over the past several months.
Topics include:
-
How famous streamers adapted their product offerings
-
The creative (and sometimes odd) ways that many traditionally offline businesses began using livestreaming
-
Thoughts on WeChat’s and Xiaohongshu’s newly launched livestreaming functions
-
Will the trend continue after COVID-19
Additional resources:
Ep. 69: 16 catchphrases that Chinese livestreamers use to engage their audiences and drive sales
Ep. 58: Is ecommerce livestreaming in China a good fit for your brand?
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Apply or nominate someone to be on the podcast:
Email to: lauren@unchartedmedia.co
Include name, title, company, topics to discuss, and how you (or a nominee) could be of value to listeners.
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/
WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Ecommerce livestreaming was already one of the biggest marketing and ecommerce trends of 2019. Thanks to the coronavirus, it has truly gone mainstream in China. Everywhere you turn, there is an announcement about some platform launching livestreaming or adding new livestreaming features. Top streamers on ecommerce platforms have become household names.
The top hosts are excellent salespeople, using specific tactics to engage and persuade their audiences. They are very careful about what they say and how they say it.
The phrases they use aren’t the same as a regular salesperson’s. In fact, if you are new to ecommerce livestreaming, you may think some of the things they say are odd: Ecommerce livestreamers and their audiences have developed their own slang.
So just what are some of these phrases? In this episode, Lauren’s assistant and regular guest Kejie analyzes the top 16 phrases that Chinese livestreamers use to engage their audiences and drive sales.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Here’s a link to the WeChat article discussed in this episode.
Upcoming Webinar:
April 14: Luxury in China in the wake of COVID-19
Apply or nominate someone to be on the podcast:
Email to: lauren@unchartedmedia.co
Include name, title, company, topics to discuss, and how you (or the nominee) could be of value to listeners.
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Today’s episode features an in-depth discussion on programmatic advertising in China with David Nottingham, the EU general manager at iPinYou, a digital advertising technology company and the largest demand-side platform in China.
To kick off the conversation, David provides an overview of China’s programmatic ecosystem and how it is different from that in the West. Then, the conversation moves to:
- Do you need to know about Chinese media to be able to run programmatic paid media campaigns?
- Can Chinese media be trusted? How can you manage ad fraud?
- What are the latest trends in Chinese programmatic advertising?
As David points out, it’s hard to talk about programmatic advertising without getting technical. But he did a great job of helping those with little or no background in digital advertising to understand what he’s talking about.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Upcoming Webinar:
April 14: Luxury in China in the Wake of COVID-19
Apply or nominate someone to be on the podcast:
Email to: lauren@unchartedmedia.co
Include your name, title, and company, topics you’d like to discuss, and how you could be of value to listeners.
Guest: David Nottingham
LinkedIn | Website
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Tom Kruger is the Shanghai managing director of Chatly, a WeChat social CRM platform for global brands. In this interview, he explains why brands need to rethink their WeChat strategies and position WeChat as their core customer engagement hub in China.
Many brands are still treating WeChat as the same platform it was several years ago. But in reality, it has been constantly adding features and has morphed into a complex ecosystem, allowing brands to bring the entire customer journey from awareness to conversion and loyalty, all into one app.
In this episode, Tom guides us through the entire funnel, including building an identified contact, creating 48-hour journeys, setting up segmentation and retargeting, and designing commerce and loyalty mini programs.
This episode is super detailed — it's essentially a free WeChat CRM master class — so be prepared to learn a lot!
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
WeChat Webinars:
March 17: Why Having a WeChat E-Commerce Mini Program Is More Important Than Ever
March 31: WeChat Initial Touchpoints: How to Optimize the New User Experience
Guest: Tom Kruger
LinkedIn | Website | Email: tom@chatly.com
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Are you thinking about entering the China market? Or are you currently trying to gain a foothold in China but are struggling? This episode with Josh Gardner, the CEO of Kung Fu Data, is sure to give you food for thought.
Kung Fu Data helps international brands with China market entry and advisory, Tmall store activation and optimization, and daily operations support.
Josh has a no-BS, super-honest approach. He knows how to make brands succeed in China, but he is also not afraid to turn down brands that he believes won’t find success.
Today, Josh shares what brands should consider before entering China and how to evaluate if a brand is ready or not. He also shares tips for a successful China launch strategy.
There are two particularly interesting ideas for China market entry discussed in this episode. The first is that it's actually easier to activate Chinese consumers outside of China and then enter the mainland China market. This is related to the second idea, which is his belief that “people follow people who follow brands.”
Another thing Josh points out is that, in China, the faster you are, the more likely you are to succeed. Agility is extremely important in the China market, not only because consumer behaviors and technology are rapidly changing, but also because Chinese domestic brands tend to be very agile and international brands just entering the market are going to struggle to compete if they can’t keep up.
Guest: Josh Gardner
Website | LinkedIn | Email: josh@kungfudata.com
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
This week, Lauren is joined by Olivia Plotnick, a WeChat marketing specialist. She and her team work with small businesses and startups to produce effective content and drive community engagement on WeChat.
Olivia discusses how the role of WeChat articles has evolved and why formatting is extremely important, particularly for B2C brands. Later in the conversation, she shares some of her favorite brand accounts to follow and points out some key takeaways for each of the brands.
WeChat Webinars:
March 17: Why Having a WeChat E-Commerce Mini Program Is More Important Than Ever
March 31: WeChat Initial Touchpoints: How to Optimize the New User Experience
Women in China Marketing:
www.womeninchinamarketing.com
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
Guest: Olivia Plotnick
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Today’s conversation is with Dao Nguyen, the founder of ESSENZIA, a boutique marketing creative strategy agency that helps fragrance and cosmetics brands reach young Chinese consumers. Lauren and Dao dive deep into China’s rapidly growing fragrance market, which has changed dramatically over the past five years.
In this episode, Dao gives an overview of the market, answering questions such as:
· Who are the main consumers?
· What types of fragrances tend to appeal to a Chinese audience?
· Which brands are doing well in the China market and why?
· Are there any mistakes that brands tend to make?
Later in the episode, they discuss China’s beauty industry and Lauren asks Dao to share her thoughts on the rise of China’s domestic beauty brands.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Guest: Dao Nguyen
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
In this episode of the China Marketing Podcast, Lauren and her guest discuss a topic that has never been talked about on this podcast before but is relevant for many listeners — how to manage a Chinese team, particularly a team in the marketing industry.
The guest today is Elisa Harca, the CEO and co-founder of Red Ant Asia, a China marketing agency in Shanghai and Hong Kong, which was founded in 2012. It works with lifestyle and luxury brands such as Lush, Charlotte Tilbury, Lane Crawford, Birkenstock, and more.
For the past eight years, Elisa has led an entirely Chinese team, and she has many employees who have been with the company for five to seven years. As anyone who has worked in the communications industry in China knows, this is quite impressive, as many people tend to hop around and change positions every one to two years.
In this interview, she shares some of the biggest lessons she’s learned about leading a Chinese team, mistakes she has made or frequently sees other foreigners make when building a team of Chinese employees, and her top tips for finding and retaining high-quality Chinese talent.
Elisa also shares how her company is handling the coronavirus and managing a remote workforce.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter, China Marketing Insights!
Guest: Elisa Harca
Instagram | Website | WeChat: RedAntOfficial | Email: elisa.harca@redant.com
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
The rise of Chinese domestic brands is one of the defining business stories of the last decade. Listening to Mia Wang, the CEO of the popular Chinese women’s fitness apparel brand MAIA ACTIVE, it is easy to see why domestic brands are doing so well.
This episode will be particularly useful for brands that are just entering the China market, as Mia shares a lot of the tactics her team used to take the company from 0 in 2016 to having over 300 different products, a very successful Tmall presence, and three offline stores today.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for the China Marketing Update!
Resources:
MAIA ACTIVE Company Intro Deck
Guest: Mia Wang
LinkedIn | Email
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
With China on lockdown due to the COVID-19 epidemic, offline retail is nearly nonexistent and ecommerce has slowed, since logistics companies are unable to deliver goods. But industries such as gaming, health and fitness, and online education are booming.
How should brands handle these complex times? What can they do to support consumers and set themselves up to recoup losses once the crisis has passed?
Resources mentioned in this episode:
疫情之下，企业该如何做营销? (“How to do business under the coronavirus?”), by 刀姐doris
我们统计了800名抖音快手达人，谁是今年春节档最大的“黑马 (“We gathered 800 Kuaishou and Douyin experts — who is this year’s “dark horse”?), by Short Video Production House
Responding to the coronavirus: strategic brand advice, by United Media Solution
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
In 2019, male beauty and skincare was one of China's fastest-growing consumer product segments. In fact, data from Euromonitor shows that the Chinese male beauty market is growing at over double the global average (13.5 percent vs. 5.8 percent). In this episode, Lauren and her guest, Joyce Sheng, give an overview of the male beauty industry in China, including its size, products, and consumer demographics, as well as the cultural drivers of the trend.
In addition, Joyce — a Chinese post-1990s consumer and avid fan of this podcast — shares her personal perspective on how her male friends and colleagues are engaging with this trend.
Resources mentioned in the show: AIRPARIS China Male Beauty Report 2019.
Guest: Joyce Sheng
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
This week’s guest is Arnold Ma, the founder of Qumin, a Chinese digital marketing agency with a mission to open the world to China, specializing in Chinese creative branding and marketing.
In this episode, Lauren speaks with Arnold about what he sees as some of the biggest trends that could shake up the marketing industry this year in China.
What to look for:
- Content-led platforms, like TikTok, could potentially overtake network-led platforms like Twitter, Weibo, and Facebook.
- Influencers becoming creators.
- The concept of Xiàchén 下沉, which implies a greater need for brands to market to consumers outside of first-tier cities in China.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update!
Guest: Arnold Ma
Website | Podcast | LinkedIn
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
This episode features Ron Wardle, CEO of a multi-award winning China e-commerce trade partner and digital marketing services agency, who gives an inside look at one of China's biggest marketing trends — ecommerce livestreaming.
While using livestreamed video to promote ecommerce has existed in China for several years, it really took off in 2019 during last year’s Singles’ Day shopping festival, when livestreaming on Alibaba’s Taobao platform generated $2.85 billion in sales — around 7.5 percent of the day’s total.
Across the Chinese internet, marketers have dubbed 2019 “the first year of the ecommerce livestreaming era,” and some of the top hosts have become celebrities.
But how does it work? Ron Wardle talks about his experience running livestream campaigns for big international brands.
To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: China Marketing Insights!
Guest: Ron Wardle
Host: Lauren Hallanan
Website
Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.
This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.
Today we’re talking all about KOCs or key opinion consumers with my guest, Ray Veras, co-founder of the KOC marketing platform Pingjia Daren (评价达人). This episode will give you an overview of the topic: who are KOCs, how are they different than KOLs, why has KOC marketing become so popular, and what kind of goals and ROI expectations brands should have when running KOC campaigns. At the end we also chat a bit about a great report that Pingjia Daren put out ahead of 11.11 where they surveyed over 6,700 KOCs and Ray shared some of the key findings from the report. Read the report: 11.11 China female consumers’ shopping plan survey 2019 To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: Ray’s background: Ray has been involved in KOC marketing for 5 years, before the term existed. His professional background was in consumer research and back in 2014 was surprised by how few brands were using word of mouth (WOM) marketing in China What are KOCs? KOCs are ordinary everyday consumers who enjoy sharing their experiences on social media. Generally, they are knowledgeable on certain topics. May only have an audience of several hundred to a few thousand followers therefore have a much closer relationship with them. He feels one of the biggest differences between KOLs and KOCs is that KOC content is generally not financially motivated. Most of the time, at least with their collaborations, KOCs are just being gifted product and product samples. Very important when gifting KOCs that the product fits the KOC’s lifestyle and is relevant, not just randomly gifted I asked “Is there a lot of churn? Do a lot of KOCs become KOLs?” Yes, this year especially. Now that KOC marketing has become popular brands have started paying them and MCNs have been scooping them up to see if they can train them to become larger KOLs What is Pingjia Daren? It is a product recommendation community (somewhat similar to Xiaohongshu). Users answer a questionnaire when then sign up to share their interests and product preferences, then when there is a campaign, PJ Daren will invite a select group of users to receive free product. They are then encouraged to review the products on their social accounts, brands will indicate preferred platforms. Difficult for brands to do KOC marketing without the help of a platform. To engage with thousands of consumers at one requires a system, you need tech to track performance. Why has KOC marketing taken off this year? Several factors: Chinese consumers are becoming more sophisticated, they have a lot of options to avoid traditional advertising. Consumer are now very aware that KOLs are promoting products because they are being paid to. He feels they are craving more content that is not commercially influenced. Social media landscape is becoming more fragmented. Consumers have more options. Adds complexity for brand side to determine which platforms to leverage. Harder for them to keep messages consistent, also platforms each have their own rules and best practices. Consumers’ attention span decreasing therefore less attention on marketing campaigns. Last few years seen a decrease in performance of KOLs in China yet costs have increased and become unbearable for many brands. Also cases of KOLs inflating performance, fraud. What goals should brands have when running a KOC campaign? driving advocacy amplifying other campaigns the brand may be running at the time lifting incremental sales. Need to think about mid-term results, not short term. KOC marketing is about building brand equity. ROI - $1-4 per dollar invested in a campaign Think mid to long term – short terms successes aren’t what they seem With e-commerce live streaming most cases where you hear crazy sales results, the brand is paying for the hype, they aren’t making a profit, the products are heavily discounted, tied to aggressive commissions, short term burst of exposure, not a long lasting effect which is what KOCs produce Great case study of building brand equity through KOCs is Perfect Diary. They have been using KOCs, building communities, using private traffic for several years and that’s paying off now Pingjia Daren reports: One that came out ahead of 11.11, was a survey of over 6,700 Chinese female KOCs, evaluated their purchase intent, Key insight - consumers in 3rd tier cities and below are taking the lead with consumption growth in China. Willing to spend more than consumers in 1st and 2nd tier cities Did follow up research – found out they have a lower cost of living, which means they have greater disposable income. Cost of housing really affecting 1st and 2nd tier city consumers. Key drivers of product choice – in 1st and 2nd tier cities discounts are a big driver, but for 3rd tier cities and below, the impact was much lower, they are more focused on value and quality, not paying as much attention as we think on cheap products Guest: Ray Veras Website: https://pjdaren.com/ PJ Daren LinkedIn Ray’s Linkedin Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and Chatly: www.chatly.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Description: In last week’s episode I spoke with the COO of Becky’s Fantasy, the company of top Chinese fashion influencer Becky Li. Today we’re going to give you another perspective into Becky’s business. My assistant and frequent co-host Kejie interned at Becky’s Fantasy in 2017 and today she shares what that experience was like. We first discuss the basics such as the size of the company, what are the main teams, how does Becky’s editorial process work, and then later on she shares what she feels differentiates Becky from other Chinese KOLs, and why Becky, a top tier influencer, has stayed popular as consumers are starting to prefer smaller micro influencers. To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Becky’s Fantasy WeChat Account: 黎贝卡的异想世界 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and Chatly: www.chatly.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Description: About two months ago when I was in Guangzhou I had the great honor of visiting the headquarters of Becky’s Fantasy, the company owned and operated by top WeChat fashion influencer Becky Li. While I was there, I got to sit down with Becky’s COO and close friend Tristan Cui and pry into the inner workings of a company and KOL I really admire. Just for some context – if you don’t know who Becky Li is, you might remember a KOL campaign with Mini Cooper a couple years ago that went viral after the fashion KOL sold 100 mini coopers in 5 minutes… that was Becky. Tristan has been Becky’s close friend for a long time and has been with Becky and the company since the beginning. In the interview she shares what differentiates Becky from other influencers in China, some of the key drivers of her success, and why Becky’s WeChat article open rates have remained extremely high while other accounts are struggling. As far as I know this is the only English language interview Tristan has done and I’m excited to share this opportunity with you guys. To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Questions covered: How do you feel the China influencer marketing industry has changed in 2019? Many WeChat accounts have seen slower follower growth and decreasing article opens, have you felt that and what have you been doing to combat that? Becky’s Fantasy has several Official Accounts on different topics, what is the purpose of this? Becky’s Fantasy has amazing branding. I think more so than any KOL I have seen. Why is this important? When did you get an illustrator and start to incorporate that into the brand? Do you feel that the preferences of your audience have been changing? What do they seem to care most about these days? What topics are they most interested? Most western influencers don’t have fan groups to the extent that Chinese influencers do. why do you feel fan groups are important? What are your thoughts on the growing popularity of Chinese domestic brands? Has Becky worked with any of them? Does your audience seem interested in them? I saw Becky has been selling items on Xianyu, this seems to be a trend among Chinese celebs. Why has she decided to start doing this too? Does Becky have any new projects she’s working on? Article: Chinese KOL Becky Li Sells 100 mini coopers in 5 minutes Becky’s Fantasy WeChat Account: 黎贝卡的异想世界 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and Chatly: www.chatly.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
There’s a lot of hype about 11.11 in Western media, but does everyone really love the holiday as much as the reports would have you think? Today we chat with a Chinese millennial Kejie who shares how her feelings on 11.11 have changed over the years, the Alibaba shopping game that her friends keep trying to get her to play, and what she and her friends are buying this year. To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: What is your impression of 11.11 and how has that changed over time? Kejie has become less interested in 11.11 every year Have you ever bought anything during 11.11? The first few years How do you feel about 11.11 this year? What about your friends, how do they feel? Are they talking about it? Many of her friends are still quite interested One friend always stocks up on a certain product during sales and doesn’t buy it at full price Have you seen anything different going on this year as far as promotions? Content? Brands involved? KOLs? etc. She sees all her friends playing a game on Taobao where they can earn money and discounts for 11.11 Taobao game with virtual characters Qutoutiao: https://ir.qutoutiao.net/investor-relations Example of an influencer 11.11 shopping list: 买买买专场｜超全折扣清单，照着买就好！ The year’s 11.11 Pre-Sale broke records, international brands did really well: 雅诗兰黛25分钟销售额近5亿，双十一预售成了欧美日品牌天下 NYC EVENT: Join me in NYC on November 12th! Register for the event here: https://landing.chatly.com/lp/event/nyc-event-winning-wechat-strategies-to-capture-global-chinese-consumer Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and Chatly: www.chatly.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
As online traffic is becoming more and more expensive in China, the term ‘private traffic’ (私域流量) has become one of 2019’s content creation buzzwords. The western equivalent of private traffic would be a blog or an email list, which are owned channels, however, in China, people rarely visit websites or use email, so influencers and brands are seeking out ways to have private traffic, although still on social media sites. For example, we hear of influencers who have hundreds of private WeChat groups for their fans or are opening their own mini-programs. The Chinese concept of ‘private traffic’ can be a confusing concept to wrap your head around. Even for Chinese people. I think partly because it’s still developing. So Kejie and I attempt to explain it the best we can. If you have any other insights on the topic, we’d love to hear them! To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: 私域流量就是微商？你可能有什么误会 English summary here. Excellent article about private traffic: 2019爆火黑话「私域流量」的本质和玩法 2000个群七万人，半年消费2亿，时尚博主于小戈的卖货之道|新榜专访 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and TMG Worldwide: www.tmgworldwide.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Today we hear from Zak Dychtwald, author of the book “Young China” and Founder of the think tank Young China Group. In this episode we dive deep, trying to understand young Chinese people and what they are all about. Zak shares some of the defining characteristics of the post 80s, post 90s and post 00s consumers, how they differ from older generations, as well as common misperceptions international companies have about this highly sought-after consumer group. If you’re working for an international brand in the China market or one that’s looking to enter the China market, I highly suggest you listen to this episode and check out some of the videos of Zak’s speeches that I have linked below. To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: Zak shares his China journey and how he became interested in this topic Why he chose to live and write the book in Chengdu Chengdu and Chongqing are leaders for Chinese youth-culture trends Easier for people in lower tier cities to look up to lifestyles Chengdu and Chongqing than Beijing and Shanghai Key misperception: tacit expectation Chinese want to Westernize, but now this is less and less true. Concept of Easternization. We need to accept that other countries will not always orbit us, we might not continue to be the center. As Chinese consumers mature, they want more distinctive brands, less about those big names that everyone recognizes Quality of life is being valued more and more China doesn’t have ‘millennials’ – stop trying to shove them into Western generational frameworks Key differences between various generations of Chinese consumers Most of the time we tend to focus only on the top 10% of Chinese consumers and miss opportunities Why you cannot expect to understand Chinese consumers if you haven’t spent much time outside of Beijing and Shanghai Guest: Zak Dychtwald Email: zak@youngchinagroup.com Website: https://www.youngchinagroup.com/ TEDx speech Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Speech BBC World Program on Millennials (password is BBC. Necessary for folks outside of the UK) Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and TMG Worldwide: www.tmgworldwide.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Welcome to episode 50 of the China influencer marketing podcast! Today’s guest is Raymond Huang, SVP of Strategy, at the publicly-traded fast-fashion social commerce platform Mogu or, in Chinese, 蘑菇街. If you’re like me and have a general awareness and understanding of Mogu but don’t really know what makes the platform unique, then this episode is for you. Raymond starts off by sharing a complete overview of Mogu, such as the apps content, the products it sells, and user demographics, and more. Then we dig in a bit deeper and learn what makes Mogu unique, from their tailored content algorithm, to their hundreds of homegrown influencers, to their regulations which prevent sellers from offering the same products as each other. We also discuss e-commerce live streaming and why adding this feature a couple years ago has been incredibly beneficial for the platform. To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: What is Mogu? Fashion platform that provides products and content – not just ecommerce platform, like a fashion magazine, interactive experience Have app and website, also an early adopter of WeChat mini-programs which has become a key source of traffic for them Product sold are mainly accessible mass market fashion products: women’s clothing, accessories, shoes, bags, cosmetics, men’s apparel Largely female user base Don’t target male audience, instead target women who purchase clothing for their husbands and boyfriends Brands on the platform: domestic fast fashion brands such as Metres Bonwe, HLA, La Chapelle Internet native homegrown brands, influencer brands Some international fast fashion brands Demographics of the platform wide range of 15-45, majority 20 - early 30s City tiers – highly correlated with GDP, 1st tier cities, also seeing massive userbase all over Unique features: E-commerce live streaming: Added to platform in 2016 and has become a main driver of sales Users input body measurements and preferred styles and AI algorithm recommends influencer and streamers that match them Users can really see how the item would look on them, bridges gap between online and offline Seen significant financial results, users are very sticky Improves user retention Live streaming improves customer satisfaction with item and reduces the chance of returns or negative reviews Curated content feed helps users find relevant products New users – takes their IP address and gives them custom results based on the city and climate they are in Users can fill out forms sharing personal style preferences and body measurements Browsing history, past purchases Product curation Only preselected merchants and influencers are allow to sell on the platform Limit only one merchant to sell any particular item, other merchants would have to seel different colors, slightly different features, etc. Goal is to enrich SKUs avoid competition between merchants Mogu seems to have some similarities with influencer incubator Ruhan, how are they different? Actually quite different They are their own platform, closer to Taobao than Ruhan, In terms of incubating talent, a lot of regular users on Mogu will slowly become influencers Spot talent, give them data support and supply chain support Guest: Raymond Huang Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and TMG Worldwide: www.tmgworldwide.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode my assistant Kejie and I discuss three recent KOL marketing case studies that we felt were refreshing. Even though I’m obviously all about influencer marketing, I freely admit that when brands, agencies, and KOLs get lazy, collaborations content and formats can become very repetitive, which bores followers and therefore leads to poor campaign results. Today we’re going to share 3 campaigns that we found to be fun and engaging, where brands and influencers went the extra mile. They include: Ximen Dasao X Stuart Weitzman Gogoboi & Chris Hemsworth X Swisse Becky Li X Secoo To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: Article: Deeper KOL Collaborations Help Brands Stand out in a Sea of Noise Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and TMG Worldwide: www.tmgworldwide.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Christine Mou is an e-commerce live streamer with Shopshops, a company based here in NYC that does cross border e-commerce live streaming both on Taobao and on their own app, selling products from international brands to viewers in China. (If you’re interested in hearing more about Shopshops you can check out episode 28 where I interviewed the company’s founder Liyia Wu. ) In today’s interview, Christine shares her experience as an e-commerce live streamer and gives tips for brands who would like to get started with selling and promoting their items through live streaming. We also talk about the new WeChat live streaming feature that is currently being beta tested and whether or not she thinks it can compete with Taobao live streaming. And we also share our thoughts on Amazon Live (I’ll give you a hint – we think it’s terrible). To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Related articles: Amazon Live Is Alibaba's Live-Streaming Without The Good Bits Additional Notes: Becoming an e-commerce live streamer Lives in NYC, began working as a live streamer with Shopshops late last spring Learn more about Shopshops from a previous interview with the company’s founder here Shopshops does cross border e-commerce live streaming, selling products from international brands to viewers in China Found live streaming difficult at first, a bit awkward. She had to develop persuasive selling techniques and engagement skills As an e-commerce live streamer, not only do you need to be an engaging streamer, but you also need to be good at choosing the right products that your audience will be interested in. Oftentimes they will pick what they think audience will like, but then have to switch as they go along Metrics they care about – number of viewers, average viewing duration, conversion rate, return viewer rate Why is e-commerce live streaming so popular in china? Prevalence of e- commerce shopping Live streaming adds value, viewers gain sense of realness and transparency WOM and product demonstration by peers is very influential Audience/purchaser demographics In China in general 70% of e-commerce live stream viewers are females between ages 20-45 For Shopshops customers that skews slightly higher, average age around 35, have more financial ability to purchase premium products Why does the audience trust streamers? Streamers are not just sellers, they are influencers too Viewers see them as friends and want to follow their lives No separation between e-commerce and social in China Streamers don’t always talk about products right away, they tend to chat first, and throughout the streams they engage with the audience non-stop Brand stream vs. influencer streams Small brands or brands with little brand recognition should work with live stream influencers Stay small in the beginning and work with 1-2 very targeted KOLs Challenge of representing a brand Pressure of generating sales Ongoing collaborations Bigger brands could do it themselves, create in house live stream team Brand streams – identify a person in your team who might already be doing something on social No matter what, stay consistent! WeChat live streaming Has an advantage because WeChat is such a part of everyone’s lives WeChat also has end to end functions of what an e - commerce live stream will need such as the ability to disseminating stream details to OA follower and seamless integration w/ WeChat Pay Beta test proven 18-19% conversion rate which is much higher than average 5% conversion rate Believes any brand with a presence on WeChat should leverage it, even if their following is small Will Amazon Live succeed? Will struggle to become mainstream Difference in how Western consumers shop Streamers on Amazon seem to be facing trouble establishing themselves as influencers, which makes it hard to convert Tend to produce these informational one-way videos Chinese streamers try to have two-way interaction Watching Amazon Live feels like watching an unknown YouTuber doing a product review These Amazon live streamers have no social influence Heard they might shut down live stream Guest: Christine Mou Instagram: @Christinemouu Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and TMG Worldwide: www.tmgworldwide.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Today I bring back Elijah Whaley, Influencer and CMO of influencer marketing PARKLU to talk about the new sponsored post regulations on Xiaohongshu or Red, Little Red Book. When these rules were announced around 2 weeks ago, they caused an uproar in the China KOL community and in this episode we’ll tell you why. Xiaohongshu has since then announced that they will issue another press release on May 27th with additional explanations and modifications and then the app itself will be updated on June 10th. Elijah also shares that many of their clients have paused their campaigns on Xiaohongshu as they are waiting to see what finally happens and many KOLs have temporarily stopped accepting sponsored posts as they are worried about the repercussions from the platform. Elijah and I have been big proponents of Xiaohongshu, and while we understand where these new rules are coming from, we both agree it was a poor decision and are a bit worried about the long term effect they could have. I will be recording another episode in late June to give an update on the situation. Also, stick around until the end of the podcast, I share another bit of information that Elijah learned a day or two after we recorded. *Note: Today’s episode is about a breaking topic, that is currently still in flux, so I want to caveat that when the dust finally settles things may have changed, but this topic is important both to brands and to KOLs and our guest has an insider’s view into it, so I wanted to get him on as soon as I could to share what he knows and bring everyone up to speed. Marketing 2 China Conference – June 5th & 6th in London If you want to chat with me and Elijah in person, we will be in London on June 5th and 6th for the Marketing to China conference, along with several other amazing speakers. If you haven't already purchased your tickets, then you're in luck. You can get a discount using the code LAUREN at checkout. Here's what it will get you: - 30% off single ticket, or - 2 tickets in the price of 1, or - 3 tickets for 999 GBP Hope to see you there! https://marketingtochinaconference.com/ To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Notes: What happened: Earlier this year an article went viral on Weibo about fake accounts and articles on Xiaohongshu, but this might have been planted by Weibo Pot calling the kettle black – these issues happen on most Chinese platforms and Weibo is notorious for fakes, 40% of traffic on weibo probably fake Xiaohongshu has always taken the position that they want to promote trust, trying to do things right, which is noble and they have been going back and forth with how to deal w/ KOL collabs without sacrificing trust Two weeks ago press release came out with new sponsored post rules that were severe. Another press release due out May 27th and app update 10th of June While rules were severe, they was also a lot of ambiguity which has caused chaos, so new press release will hopefully clarify All PARLU clients currently running campaigns or planning them put them on pause No KOLs are accepting campaigns because they don’t know what’s going on and can’t risk repercussions from platform Elijah’s take: His first reaction is that many creators will leave But seems that XHS might step back, might not be the death toll for the platform that he originally thought, but will still have negative effects With their new rules – only 4,700 KOLs pass the requirements and are eligible for sponsored posts (out of 200 M users ) Feels eerily similar to what happened with Meipai KOLs must put out 4-5 organic posts that meet certain requirements in order to do one sponsored post He feels like the platform is promoting a low quality content feel, unfair to professional content creators New rules not serving the creator community Everyone will suffer for these decisions Expect KOLs to start charging WeChat rates (1 rmb per view) which are most expensive in the industry Brands will be paying more for less exposure Believes users will also end up suffering as top KOLs leave Niche KOLs will focus more on niche platforms with less restrictions Left with low quality content creators Bets you they won’t restrict celebrity accounts Lots of people aren’t aware of how much platforms manipulate accounts Doesn’t feel like XHS is creating an environment w/ creators in mind first Similar issues on Douyin: People are leaving douyin Has some systemic issues Douyin and now XHS are now pushing creators into MCNs MCN gets 70% or brand deals, 5-year contract, a small percentage of creators ever actually receive the support they are promised Hard time creating content that consistently gets high views AI recommendation system favors viral content compared to educational/interesting/entertaining When will Chinese platforms allow for democratization of content consumption? Most platforms too contrived What content is seen is controlled by platform Frustrating for content creators Guest: Elijah Whaley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahwhaley/ Personal Website: elijahwhaley.com PARKLU Blog: www.parklu.com/blog Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Last spring, I had Fabian Bern on the podcast to give an overview of Douyin, which, at the time, was still an emerging social media platform in China. A lot has changed since then and I wanted to bring Fabian back on the podcast to bring us up to speed on Douyin, share what has changed over the past year and where does he see the platform going in the future. We discuss user demographics, new features on the platform, and how content is evolving, specifically the increase in mini-series and vlogs. I also ask him what industries he thinks can benefit the most from Douyin, and whether they should be focusing on using Douyin to raise brand awareness or drive sales. Over the past year, Douyin has introduced the Starmap KOL marketing platform and encouraged many of its content creators to sign with MCNs, and we talk about how that works and the pros and cons of that system. Upcoming Event * I will be speaking at the upcoming Marketing 2 China London event in June 5th and 6th. Website: https://marketingtochinaconference.com/ . Hope to see you there! To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Additional Notes: How Douyin has evolved: Userbase – now more than 500 million users 1st tier & 3rd tier cities are two main user groups 1st tier users interested in brands and celebrities 3rd tier city users: Social commerce on Douyin big in those cities Live streams popular among 3rd tier cities Strategic partnerships – CNY gala New features since last Spring: Users can post photos too (as opposed to just video) Tmall & JD testing native stores Wallets, red packets Improved AR filters Duoshan messaging app integrated with Douyin In-video shopping Mini-programs, most popular so far are mini- games Stories feature (seems to still be in Beta) Shift in Content: Short web series Micro vlogging popular, real and relatable Douyin seems to be shifting to promote more series-type content, which keeps users coming back, and is more sustainable. People get bored of little skit videos after a while. Brands on Douyin: 150k official brand accounts China government does a great job Local companies generally do much better than foreign ones Foreign companies often use existing content and cut a piece out and put it on Douyin, which really does not work While there are a lot of brands on the platform, most of them aren’t making good enough content for it to organically spread on the platform Industries most suitable for Douyin: Auto industry has done very well Electronics Web series use Douyin to spread awareness Cosmetics & fashion easiest to drive sales Gaming, F&B growing Education – Douyin now has “child accounts” where parents can filter out content Thoughts on TikTok: Douyin one year ahead of TikTok Can guess what features will come soon to TikTok Content is a bit different with localization, create virality in country itself; Indonesia good example Thinks TikTok will generally follow Douyin’s path Young audience and people struggle to learn how to use it KOL marketing on Douyin: MCNs and the Starmap platform Douyin KOLs getting more mature Many KOLs started their own MCNs and they are doing well because they understand the platform Platform pays more attention to users with 500K+ fans; smaller accounts less regulated Still a couple independent KOLs but don’t get much support from the platform A cut of the KOL fee will go to the MCN and Douyin price = 20-30 RMB/1000 fans Vlogging: Videos can now be up to 60 seconds for all users Recent campaigns to promote vlogging; Fabian believes that since they specifically used the word vlog means they are putting resources behind it Opportunity for music industry: More opportunities for music labels, need new songs, especially music + vlogs, movie soundtracks Releasing new music through Douyin Douyin Vloggers he Recommends: Tuoluoyi – pilot who documents his trips Itsrae – travel vlogs Guest: Fabian Bern Website: https://uplab.asia/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianbern/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This is part 2 of my interview with Ariel Chen, a top travel vlogger. For part 1, check out episode 44! In this episode Ariel continues to share some amazing advice and insights into the influencer industry. We discuss the struggle to create amazing content vs. what actually performs well on the platform, the different types of content she creates for Xiaohongshu and Douyin, why she feels Weibo is still very relevant, her tips for tourism brands, and why you should choose a smaller KOL who creates high quality content over a large KOL who creates mediocre content, and why KOLs are replacing advertising agencies. She also mentions during the episode that she recently gave a talk at a Weibo conference on the topic of Chinese social media marketing and KOLs, so if you understand Chinese, definitely check out the link to that in the show notes below! To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Content tips: Took her a year and a half playing around with content to find what works KOLs are competing against highly skilled professional content creators and the platform algorithms Artistic integrity - The struggle between your personal taste vs. what actually does well “The audience is trained to watch Douyin videos” Xiaohongshu & Douyin: Tailor-make content for key platforms Xiaohongshu is about product placement, must share products or useful information Users have high purchasing power, She does fun travel English videos and that has been doing quite well on Douyin, also started putting them on XHS She mixes English tips with posts on hotels and travel fashion High end travel is best on XHS Weibo is still relevant: Weibo search more used than Baidu Very official, if your brand doesn’t have a presence there Chinese consumers will think it’s strange Weibo is an open platform so a post there can be discovered long into the future Douyin is for short term hype and buzz – Weibo and Xiaohongshu for long term Fliggy Live streaming Fliggy live streaming can be found both on the Fliggy app and the Taobao live travel tab Very targeted audience, looking to buy, great for sales Japanese tourism board really good case study Brands can create their own account and stream themselves or can work with Fliggy live influencers It’s all about showcasing the travel experience live China economy may be slowing down in some segments, but experiential and lifestyle is growing, especially for travel Choosing KOLs + KOLs vs Ad agencies How to choose KOLs – don’t solely look into numbers Get good content then pay to drive traffic as opposed to mediocre content and large distribution High quality KOLs better than 4A agencies Talk to KOL directly, especially for smaller brands If KOL doesn’t talk about optimizing distribution they are not professional enough Ariel has an MBA so thinks about and enjoys the business side of being a KOL Guest: Ariel Chen Email: tripcouture@gmail.com Weibo: @人字拖游记 Xiaohongshu: @人字拖游记 Douyin: @TravelEnglish Recent speech Ariel gave on China influencer marketing Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode we welcome back Ariel Chen, a top Chinese travel vlogger based in Montreal, Canada. I first had her on the podcast all the way back in episode 4, about a year and a half ago, and man have things changed for her since then! Back then she was still a micro-influencer with less than 200K followers on Weibo but was growing quite rapidly and getting a lot of attention, fast-forward to today and only a year and a half later she has over 1 million Weibo followers, as well as followings on Douyin, Xiaohongshu, and many other social media platforms. She is also a top live streaming influencer partnered with Alibaba’s travel platform Fliggy. A former police woman, turned MBA student, turned travel vlogger, Ariel’s story of how she stumbled into the influencer marketing world is quite unique. We don’t go into it too much in this podcast, so if you’re interested in hearing that, check out episode 4 which is linked below. This time we ended up talking for over an hour, so I decided to break our conversation down into two episodes. In this first one we discuss how her career has changed, her decision to hire a team and how that has impacted her business, How she grew her Weibo account so quickly in a time when many are struggling to grow, and some of her other content and growth hacking tips. We also talk about the vlogging trend in China and her suggestions for vlog content. In the next episode we discuss Xiaohongshu, Douyin, Live streaming on Taobao’s travel platform Fliggy, her advice for tourism brands, how to choose high quality KOLs, and much more, so be sure to tune in to part 2! To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Guest: Ariel Chen Email: tripcouture@gmail.com Weibo: @人字拖游记 Xiaohongshu: @人字拖游记 Douyin: @TravelEnglish Recent speech Ariel gave on China influencer marketing Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share! ------- Additional Notes: Notes: Chinese vloggers understand the benefit of having a team: Started out with an assistant in China who helped with basic admin tasks and communicating with brands and platforms For content to perform well, every platform needs different thumbnails, titles, descriptions; it takes a lot of time and effort to upload so she freed up a lot of time handing that over to her assistant Hired a full-time videographer and that has improved her output dramatically. The production quality has gone up a ton, to the level where it can compete with video production in the West (which she feels is still ahead of China) Originally videographer was Canadian, but he didn’t understand Chinese taste, harder for him to communicate with other people she worked with Also has many contractors and works with other producers, directors and editors Her main videographer found her and asked to be her videographer, she helps him grow and gives him opportunities to film the things he wants so that he stays satisfied as well. Not all about her. More than an influencer: Now that she has a team she also works as a creative agency and produces videos for destinations, to be shared on their platforms, but usually she will share it on her platform as well Foreign brands hire her to manage their social presence Growing her following + content tips: In China, influencers need support from the platform, once the platform recognizes you it is easier to grow Important to understand the rules of platform Capitalize on hot topics – i.e. Australia china travel year, if you create videos about Australia they are more likely to get promoted by the platform Sacrificed earnings in the beginning to focus on creating a personal brand instead of working with every brand that came her way Important to have consistency, really solidify your image Daily uploads of videos or vlogs was a turning point, you stay top of mind for audience and platform Video is key in China right now Mafengwo long articles not as popular anymore Don’t treat Weibo and Chinese platforms like Instagram. A pretty picture alone won’t get noticed. Some travel bloggers focus on detailed guides or smart travel tips. Her audience follows her – wants her experience, impression, see what she does, see her personal growth Difference between US and Chinese vlogging – YouTube vlogs often 8-10 minutes, and China needs to be shorter, within 1-3 minutes
In this episode we discuss the concept of xiachen. Xiachen literally means to sink or submerge, and is now a popular term meaning sinking or moving down into lower tier markets. Xiachen content, apps, influencers, and products appeal to everyday, ordinary Chinese people. People in these lower tier cities can’t relate to the sophisticated content and expensive products that we so often see influencers sharing on Weibo and WeChat. While for those in 1st and 2nd tier cities this content may be aspirational, for these consumers is it is just too far removed from their lives. Now why do we care about these consumers? Well… Mobile internet users in China’s 1st and 2nd tier cities are mature and they are bombarded with content and sales messages on a daily basis. The next big opportunity for app and e-commerce growth is consumers 3rd and 4th tier cities and rural areas. This term Xiachen has been used quite frequently throughout 2018 and many top Chinese marketing publications predict ‘xiachen’ will continue to be a major trend in 2019. In this episode Kejie and I discuss: What does Xiachen mean? And why is this becoming a trend? What is Xiachen content? How is it different than regular content? What are some examples of Xiachen influencers, products and apps? How are consumers in lower tier cities and the countryside different than consumers in 1st and 2nd tier cities? Does xiachen style content also appeal to consumers in 1st and 2nd tier cities? Why is livestreaming very popular among young consumers in rural areas of China? What are some difficulties brands face when trying to market to these xiachen consumers? Links: Xiachen themed newsletter Topics include: Why are Kuaishou influencers so good at driving sales? Some of the biggest users of live streaming in China are not teenagers, they’re farmers Farmers cultivate social media sales The epitome of ‘Xiachen’: Kuaishou influencer SanDaGe The Domestic Beauty Brand Taking Over Xiaohongshu: Perfect Diary 完美日记 一二三线城市的用户消费习惯，已经细碎得没有规律 小镇姑娘们的梳妆台 To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Check out my book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs ------- Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode I spoke with Hailey, one of the co-founders of the fashion and lifestyleWeChat Official Account Sugarandspice. If you’ve read my book, Digital China: Working with bloggers, Influencers, and KOLs, then you may be familiar with her name as we used the theSugarandSpice mini-program shop as a case study in the book. Hailey and the account Sugarandspice are yet another one of those examples of KOLs who have claimed a niche in the market and set the bar really high when it comes to the content they produce and the brands they work with As usual we cover a wide variety of topics including: What is unique about their content and why it appeals totheir audience Their criteria for working with brands What it’s like to run an official account in 2019 and how they continue to grow The pros and cons of running a mini-program e-commerce store Tips for brands who want to collaborate with influencers The changes they plan on making this year Check out my book:Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs To learn more about influencer marketing in China,sign up for our new newsletter: TheChina Influencer Update! Detailed notes: About Sugar and Spice: Their Official account has approx. 250,000 followers Hailey and her co-founder were high school classmates and roommates Saw a hole in the market and decided to fill it Unlike many accounts which are led by one influencer and a team, SugarandSpicehas two co-founders, Hailey thinks this has been beneficial because they had each other to lean on, an accountability partner, especially since until recently they have been running this account while holding full-time jobs Content: Current publish about 1 post per week but now that they have both quit their full-time jobs and can invest more time, they will hopefully increase the number of posts Either way, they value quality over quantity In many of their articles they like to go deep and share the history and culture behind an item; there are many nouveau-riche in China who buy things because they can, not because they understand it, so their content helps educate consumers They still produce all the content themselves, they feel it is tough to outsource because readers are so familiar with their writing style Travel content increasingly popular Have a series called monthly haul where they review their favorite 6 items they bought that month, that is also very popular The content must have a takeaway Brand collaborations: They are notoriously selective when choosing which brands to work with Must get the product at least a month ahead of time so they can use it Products must meet their standards-If they feel like they wouldn’t be willing to buy the product themselves then they won’t share it Their followers are very savvy; they understand the industry and know that influences will work with brands, but since they are so stringent about who they will work with their followers don’t mind as much Now that they are full-time, they want to go deeper with their brand partnership and try to collaborate in new ways First time working with a brand will often do a smaller collaboration and if it goes well they will expand the scope Growing a WeChat account: Fewer people are willing to share articles, that’s why the new Wow (看一看)feature is very important, helps with discovery and reach Definitely seems to be a bottleneck these days But she believes meaningful, quality content will still always do well They use Weibo, Douban, Wangyi and other platforms to help them drive people to their WeChat account E-commerce mini-programs: Featured SugarandSpice in my book as they were one of the earlier accounts to work with LOOK to launch an e-commerce mini-program With LOOK they can essentially create a mini-program store and then curate items from retailers, essentially create their own storefront, and they get a commission for selling those items, but they don’t have to deal with logistics The mini-program is doing very well, they are one of the top 15 partners with Farfetch But Hailey says they barely promote the store, maybe once every couple months or so, because they don’t want followers to feel forced Treat it like affiliate links, just letting their followers know, hey, if you want to buy something, get it through our store and you’ll know it’s exactly the item we recommended Mini-programs stores much faster than H5 stores, WeChat really pushing them Hailey thinks it’s necessary for luxury brands to have one, gives the example of Burberry's monthly exclusive WeChat capsule collections Tips for brands: Don’t treat KOLs like traditional media, we will not just repost your press releases Estee Lauder holds its own KOL conferences where they have discussions with KOLs to learn how they can better help the brand grow socially Developing relationships is important, will make you stand out from other brands Guest: Hailey WeChat Official Account:sugar_spice Email: sugarandspice@yeah.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website:www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat:H1212118514 Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU:www.parklu.com and The Meet Groupwww.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This week I chat with Rui (@大睿睿) a top-tier fashion and beauty influencer on Xiaohongshu with nearly 2 million followers. Our conversation covers a wide variety of topics including how she got started on Xiaohongshu, what type of content she produces and why, what her fans think of sponsored content, the pros and cons of being a Chinese KOL based in NYC, and much, much more. Her background: Rui is originally from China, currently based in NYC She studied statistics at Boston University Now studying art management at FIT She had been active on Xiaohongshu for a while, but about two years ago her account really took off She now has almost 2 million followers Her content: She mainly posts three types of content: fashion, beauty, and study/life abroad related Fashion is her favorite and what she is most passionate about Beauty is very popular with young, female consumers and there are more opportunities to collaborate with a top luxury brand’s beauty dept. than their fashion dept.; allows you to get a foot in the door Study/life abroad – a large portion of her audience studies/lives abroad so this is content they can relate to Why she loves Xiaohongshu and why brands should too: She loves shopping and this platform is all about shopping Weibo is too news focused and back when she started the content types were limited Users go on Xiaohongshu with a shopping mindset Much easier to find your targeted audience here What her fans think of sponsored content: She feels that fans are supportive of sponsored content as long as it is done right. They understand that KOLs need to partner with brands in order to have an income, and your audience wants you to become better and they want to go along on your journey, so if you get the opportunity to work with a top brand they are excited for you She also has a personal Weibo account that she doesn’t publicize, but some loyal fans will find and follow, and she uses this as a place to let off steam, show the whole process of collaborating with brands, share behind the scenes, all the work and struggle that goes into these collaborations You’re a KOL, not a celebrity, so people like to see that you’re a real person with real struggles The pros and cons of being a Chinese KOL based in NYC: Pros: Chinese people are generally curious about life abroad so her posts will attract more attention Cons: She feels like people work harder and grow more quickly in China; There are many events in Shanghai that she is unable to attend Trends and other interesting takeaways: Brands have begun moving beyond regular collaborations to create campaigns specifically designed around an influencer’s content and style She has tried vlogs but isn’t doing them regularly; they are very time consuming to produce and go against the short video trend so she still hasn’t made her mind up about them 燃烧的陀螺仪 is a Douyin content creator who has become popular very recently for his very fast vlogs As a content creator, Douyin and Xiaohongshu can be difficult because they both open up to an explore page and the algorithm shows users content it thinks they will like, regardless of whether they follow the person or not, so even though you have a huge following, they have to seek you out, won’t always see your posts, no matter how big you get you still need to think about how to get your posts featured Guest: Rui Email: daruiruiwang@163.com Xiaohongshu Account: @大睿睿 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Many brands find it difficult to select the right KOLs to work with. My conversation with this week’s guest Anny Lou may help. Anny is a prominent fashion influencer with over 1.6 million followers on Weibo. While my interview was focused on learning about her career, her thoughts on Weibo, and her experiences working with brands, her responses revealed a great deal about the key characteristics of an influencer who is truly worth working with. Some of the key traits she reveals are: A true passion for their subject matter A desire to share products and experiences that they think will benefit other people, regardless of whether they are getting paid or not Long-term commitment Dedicated to building a reciprocal relationship with their audience Professional and responsible attitude towards working with brands There are a ton of other great takeaways from the episode, but this is what really stood out to me, that she is a prime example of the type of influencer brands should seek to work with. What we cover: How Anny Lou became a fashion influencer Anny’s fashion knowledge How Anny’s modelling career took off When Anny started with Weibo Being an influencer with a full-time job and how Anny does it all How does Anny Lou curate her content Why Anny focuses the most on Weibo How her team adds to her output The secret to growing such a large social media following How to establish a close relationship with a massive social media audience Frequency - How often do you need to post to generate a following and engagement Post styles that work with Anny’s followers How followers’ opinions should play a role in your content What forms of online tools are part of her work Videos and vlogs are growing in China How Weibo has changed a lot as a platform and what you need to know What is the deal with Weibo and sponsored posts Which other online platforms does Anny engage with How does Anny Lou work with brands Her perspective on brand partnerships She tries out new brands to ensure quality Posting about free products Common problems that occur when working with brands Brands that are doing great marketing How does brand reputation play a role with Chinese consumers To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU and The Meet Group: www.parklu.com www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information head over to - www.chinainfluencermarketing.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Guest: Anny Lou Weibo and Instagram: @安妮时髦精 WeChat: Anny_Lou
Summary: In this episode, we dissect two articles featured in the China Influencer Update Newsletter. One is about the Fan Bingbing scandal, and the other is about how influencers calculate their fees. Keije Yi, my assistant, Chinese journalist student, and former intern for famous fashion blogger, Becky Li, joins me on the show today. Keije offers a Chinese perspective of the Fan Bingbing scandal and later shares vital insights about which type of content influences her and her peers the most. To learn more about influencer marketing in China, sign up for our new newsletter: The China Influencer Update! Show Notes: Fan BingBing’s tax evasion scandal (道歉100天后，范冰冰正式复出：究竟是谁让她东山再起？) Why Fan Bingbing’s scandal did not ruin her The brand niche that saw Fan Bingbing’s scandal as a threat to business The insights Fan Bingbing’s scandal revealed about Chinese consumers Why Fan Bingbing’s scandal recovery has been relatively quick compared to other influencers Which brands will continue partnering with Fan BingBing despite the scandal How influencers calculate their fees (小红书的算法千人千面，你一个小博主的报价都整出算法了？) How influencer’s price their sponsored posts What brands should know before teaming up with an influencer How large brands develop sponsored content in China Why there is not a sponsored ad process that works every time Original photos vs Brand photos - which performs better The number one detail young Chinese consumers look for in content Why content format needs to vary by product 3 Key Points: Fan Bingbing’s scandal says more about the Chinese people than it does about her. In China, idols are commonly pardoned by their fans. Chinese consumers want the content they are consuming to be authentic and can be very skeptical about what brands produce. Quotes: “Some brands will keep collaborating with her [Fan BingBing] because, despite the scandal, she has real selling power.” –Keije. “There are several factors that affect an influencer’s price. They will also factor in things like your brand's reputation.” –Lauren. “It also depends on what kind of products and what platforms you are choosing. So, for example, if you recommend an outfit, it is best that you just publish photos on Weibo. For some makeup or skincare product, I would prefer to see them on videos.” –Keije. Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU and The Meet Group: www.parklu.com www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information head over to - www.chinainfluencermarketing.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Articles Discussed: The most recent edition of The China Influencer Update newsletter Article about Fan Bingbing’s Comeback: 道歉100天后，范冰冰正式复出：究竟是谁让她东山再起？ Parklu’s report analyzing the effects of the scandal How Influencers Calculate Their Fees: 小红书的算法千人千面，你一个小博主的报价都整出算法了
Though its growth has cooled down a bit, short video app Douyin is still one of the most popular social media platforms in China. Today I have on another Douyin content creator Brian O’Shea, who you might know by his account name Tastebuds or his nickname Dumpling Brother. Brian is one of those crazy Douyin success stories, garnering 5 million followers in a little over 6 months. His success is a true testament to the power of niching down. Besides hearing his amazing story, we also talk about: The problem with being pigeonholed into one type of content Has Douyin plateaued? Why Douyin Challenges have backfired and caused viewers to become bored Why Douyin influencers feel pressured to join multi-channel networks (MCNs) The mysterious Douyin homepage algorithm and getting your content seen Douyin’s strict content moderation Creating sponsored posts for brands Guest: Brian O’Shea Douyin account Email: brian.oshea029@outlook.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: CIM Episode 026: From Zero to 350K Followers in Several Months – Why Douyin is This Year’s Biggest Opportunity with Top F&B Influencer Antoine Bunel CIM Episode 018: Douyin 101: Everything Brands Need to Know About China’s Hottest New Social Media Platform with Fabian Bern of Uplab Asia Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast, please take a moment to rate and review us on iTunes!
This episode is the first of a new bi-weekly series I’m trying out where my assistant and I will talk about a couple articles that have been featured in the China Influencer Update newsletter and discuss them in a bit more depth. My assistant, Kejie Yi, is a Chinese journalism student. She loves Chinese social media and influencers and previously interned with the infamous Chinese fashion blogger Becky Li. I know many of you want to know more about young Chinese consumers so hopefully Kejie can provide some insight since she is one herself! In this episode we discuss two articles, the first is an article on WeChat stories and the impact they may have on WeChat Official Accounts, and the second is Newrank’s 19 Digital marketing predictions for 2019. Guest: Kejie Yi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kejieyi/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: h1212118514 Get your copy of my Amazon bestseller “Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs” Mentioned in the Episode: Subscribe to The China Influencer Update newsletter Is WeChat Stories a chance for fashion influencers to disrupt the stagnant ecosystem? 深度|“微信stories”浮出水面，国内时尚博主会重新洗牌吗？ Newrank’s 19 Digital Marketing Predictions for 2019 2019新媒体趋势预测：竖屏为王，泡沫尽去 Vertical TV: Douyin account 七舅脑爷 OMO Yitiao 一条 A case study of super social commerce WeChat account – Yitiao Rishiji 日食记 Private traffic Mimeng （咪蒙） Yuxiaoge Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Yihan Yu shares her experience working in-house for a brand running their China influencer marketing campaigns. We dive deep into this experience and she shares some amazing perspectives and takeaways that I know you’ll find useful, particularly if you’re relatively new to the China market. We also discuss China influencer marketing best practices such as how she finds and evaluates KOLs, the importance of developing relationships with them, and the benefit of taking a chance on a KOL early on in their career. She also shares some of the most common questions or misperceptions her clients have about influencer marketing in China. Guest: Yihan Yu Email: yu.yihan@yahoo.com Xiaohongshu Account: Yihan Instagram: Yihan_Yu Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: h1212118514 Sign Up for The China Influencer Update newsletter! Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode Miro Li and I discuss our recently published guide to the social commerce platform Xiaohongshu or RED. While tons of people have grabbed the report, we know a lot of you are busy and probably haven’t had time to actually sit down and read it cover to cover so we wanted to create an episode where we go through the report and highlight key points. And even if you have read it, I suggest you still listen to the podcast because you might learn something new that you missed. If you don’t yet have a copy of the report, you can grab one from the link below. I predict that Xiaohongshu will be one of the most influential Chinese social media platforms in 2019 so I strongly suggest you start learning about it now! Guest: Miro Li Website: https://www.doublevconsulting.com/ Email: miro.li@doublevconsulting.com WeChat ID: miro509 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Download Your Guide to Xiaohongshu CIM Episode 027: Xiaohongshu 101 with Elaine Wong of Double V. Consulting CIM Episode 034: What Brands Need to Know About Working with Influencers on Xiaohongshu with Influencer Claire Jiang Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode I spoke with Claire Jiang about one of the hottest topics of 2018, the social media platform Xiaohongshu. Claire is an influencer on Xiaohongshu with over 80,000 followers. She has been actively posting on the platform since late 2016 so she has a deep understanding of the platform culture, the best types of content, and she particularly had some great insights on user behavior. Some of the topics we discussed include: why she chose Xiaohongshu over other social media platforms Xiaohongshu’s stringent rules for sponsored posts and how she deals with them How Xiaohongshu has grown and changed this year What brands need to consider if they’re going to work with influencers on Xiaohongshu, specifically when it comes to product seeding, content, and sales results Guest: Xiaohongshu Account: @姜面条儿 Email: noodlenoodle007@gmail.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat: H1212118514 Mentioned in the episode: Sign up to be notified about my new book! Chart with Xiaohongshu influencer sizes and prices Additional resources: CIM Episode 027: Xiaohongshu 101 with Elaine Wong of Double V. Consulting Redbook Is a Vital Part of Any Beauty Brand’s Marketing Mix 3 Things I’ve Learned Building a Xiaohongshu KOL Account Search Engine Optimization in China Utilizing a KOL Strategy The Little Red Book is a social e-commerce platform that’s not an e-commerce platform at all Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode I had Michael Norris back on the podcast to discuss his latest report on China’s short video industry titled “China’s Short Video Landscape: What You Need To Know Before 2019 with Michael Norris”. For those unfamiliar with Michael, he is a Consumer Research Manager at Resonance China. In this episode we go over the report and dig into a bit more of the details. Some of the questions I ask Michael include: What is the future of Weishi? Will Douyin fizzle out next year? What are some major myths that keep circulating about Douyin? Which industries are best suited for short video? What does it take to have a viral video? Is it worth it to open an official brand account on a short video platform or is it better to spend that budget to collaborate with influencers? What are the key times to publish content on these newer short video platforms? (hint: with their algorithms the answer might not be what you think) Guest: Michael Norris LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohnnorris/ Mini-program: 消费趋势指南 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Medium: www.themeetgroup.com/blog WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Report Dropbox link: https://www.dropbox.com/s/3ggng9hyxl1ss4h/Short_Video_What_You_Need_To_Know_Report_FINAL%20COPY%20FOR%20RELEASE.pdf?dl=0 Report Baidu link: https://pan.baidu.com/s/1yb_fUJUfptgyEKGEdkDpgA Michael Norris’ previous episodes: http://www.chinainfluencermarketing.com/2018/08/cim029/ http://www.chinainfluencermarketing.com/2018/08/cim030/ Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Our guests today are McDavid Stoddard, Director of Merchant Partnerships and Yi Li, Marketing Director from the cross-border e-commerce platform Beyond别样. Beyond hasn’t been discussed much in Western media, but they are definitely worth paying attention to! They have 1M MAU are working with some big names such as Alexander Wang, Lord & Taylor, Everlane, Harrods and many other brands. In the first half of the episode we discuss their unique business model and the pain points it solves for Chinese consumers. Then in the second half of the interview we learn about their marketing and content creation. Part of Beyond’s unique selling proposition is that they have an in-house content creation team that publishes daily original content on the app, sharing new products, styling tips, and educating consumers about the brands they work with. According to Beyond, the average user spends 25 minutes each day browsing their content. In addition to creating their own content, the team also helps brands partner with Chinese influencers on a variety of platforms including Weibo, WeChat, and Bilibili. Yi relays her experiences with influencer marketing and at the very end of the podcast she shares some really interesting thoughts regarding the growing trend of celebrities making influencer-like content and whether it’s better to work with celebrities or influencers. Guests: McDavid Stoddard, Director, Merchant Partnerships Yi Li, Marketing Director Border X Lab website Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Medium: www.themeetgroup.com/blog WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: The Cross-border App Modernizing ‘Daigou’ for Chinese Shoppers Four Cross-Border E-Commerce Platforms Luxury Brands Should Consider Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This week’s guest is Joel Backaler a global marketing strategist, author, and international keynote speaker. He is a Managing Director at Frontier Strategy Group, a member of the National Committee on US-China Relations and the award-winning author of "China Goes West." His work has been featured in Forbes, BBC, and The Financial Times, and he just launched his second book with Palgrave Macmillan, titled "Digital Influence: Unleash the Power of Influencer Marketing to Accelerate Your Global Business". During the episode we dive deep into his new book and discuss global influencer marketing trends as a whole, as well as some China-specific trends, and Joel shares several case studies and key concepts from the book. Guest: Website: https://www.joelbackaler.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelbackaler Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Medium: https://medium.com/@laurenhallanan WeChat ID: H1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Joel’s newest book: Digital Influence: Unleash the Power of Influencer Marketing to Accelerate Your Global Business https://www.amazon.com/Digital-Influence-Influencer-Marketing-Accelerate/dp/3319783955/ Thanks to our sponsors PARKLU: www.parklu.com and The Meet Group www.themeetgroup.com/blog For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, which is part 2 of my interview with Michael, we start out discussing JD.com’s 618 shopping holiday and make some guesses as to why, despite its incredible sales figures, there was relatively little coverage of the event in Western media in comparison to Alibaba’s Singles Day. Then we switch topics completely and talk about video game live streaming, particularly viewers’ top motives for watching. I think you’ll be interested to hear what Michael shares, it’s not what you might think. Then last, I get Michael’s take on a report that Tencent’s Penguin Research released earlier this year which found that post 00’s consumer’s trust wanghong and daV less than celebrities. Many people have misconstrued this to mean post 00s consumers don’t trust influencers and I argue that that is not what the report is saying at all. Guest: Michael Norris LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohnnorris/ Mini-program: 消费趋势指南 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: 618 sales stats: http://www.iimedia.cn/61457.html http://stock.qq.com/a/20180621/006957.htm (This has the 40% stat) https://www.questmobile.com.cn/research/report-new/32 http://www.g.com.cn/tech/39829172/ Rise of China’s e-sports market https://esportsobserver.com/tencent-report-china-market/ Comedian turned gaming live streamer 池子 Weibo: https://www.weibo.com/u/2077800005?is_hot=1 http://msports.eastday.com/a/180427174554165000000.html#pushstate Tencent report: https://jingdaily.com/post-00-generation/ Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This is the first of two episodes with Michael Norris, Consumer Research Manager at Resonance China. This first episode is all about ecommerce! First, we go over the best platforms for luxury ecommerce in China and dive specifically into Secoo and why this underrated dark horse needs to be on your radar. Then we shift over to one of the hottest topics of the year, e-commerce mini-programs. Michael shares five e-commerce rapidly growing e-commerce mini-programs you’ve probably never heard of and why they are such a big deal. Then we talk about the trend of WeChat influencers opening mini-program shops as well as the company LOOK who is powering the infrastructure behind many of these top WeChat influencer shops. Guest: Michael Norris LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeljohnnorris/ Mini-program: 消费趋势指南 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Secoo: https://walkthechat.com/what-is-secoo-discover-chinas-premium-lifestyle-hub/ Tmall Luxury Pavilion Club: https://jingdaily.com/luxury-pavilion-loyalty-club/ The 5 WeChat e-commerce platforms: 爱库存 , 好衣库, 小优店, 云集, 好物满仓 LOOK: http://www.ilovelook.cn/look-about.html https://jingdaily.com/chinese-startup-look-helps-kols-run-business/ Sugar and Spice: WeChat Official Account: sugarandspice WeChat Mini-program: shopsugarandspice Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode we learn all about ecommerce live streaming from Liyia Wu, the founder and CEO of ShopShops, an interactive, livestream global marketplace that connects retailers and brands directly with Chinese cross-border shoppers. In this episode we discuss: What is Shopshops and how does the business model work Why live streaming is an excellent way to sell products Their audience demographics Key traits of a good ecommerce live streamer The technology and preparation behind each stream There’s no better way to build close connections with your audience The future of the Chinese ecommerce live streaming industry Guest: Liyia Wu Website: http://www.shopshops.com.cn/ Instagram: shopshops_official Shopshops App Email: info@shopshops.com.cn Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren More About Shopshops and Ecommerce Live Streaming: Meet Shopshops, an Interactive, Online Retail Experience for Fashion-savvy Chinese Consumers ShopShops Aims at Chinese Consumers Via Live Streaming How Chinese Consumers Engage With Luxury Livestreamers Confessions of a China Live Streamer Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Today’s episode features Elaine Wong, founder of Double V. Consulting, an agency specializing in ecommerce on Xiaohongshu, a lifestyle and community ecommerce platform that has really taken off over the past year. The platform recently made international news when it announced it had completed its Alibaba-led Series D worth $300 million, with a valuation of $3 billion. In this episode we cover the basics of Xiaohongshu, what is special about the platform, what types of companies should consider marketing on Xiaohongshu, and how to work with Xiaohongshu influencers. Guest: Elaine Wong LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/welaine/ Website: https://www.doublevconsulting.com/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: Alibaba leads $300 million investment in Xiaohongshu Redbook Is a Vital Part of Any Beauty Brand’s Marketing Mix CIM Episode 022: What Chinese Millennials Really Think About Social Media and Influencers With NYU Masters Students Jingyi Hu and Qianni An What is Retailtainment & Why has Amazon fallen behind China? Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This week I’ve brought back Antoine Bunel, one of China’s top F&B influencers, to discuss some of the big changes that have happened in his career over the past six months since he was last on the show. To kick off the show we discussed Douyin - Antoine launched an account on the platform shortly after Chinese New Year and already has over 350k followers. Antoine shares his experience and opinions on the platform and gives some advice for integrating brand content into Douyin videos. We also discuss Antoine’s new creative agency, the travel show he is producing, and the state of the Chinese live streaming industry. Antoine has so much experience in the industry and so much enthusiasm for what he does. I love having him on the show! Guest: Antoine Bunel LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinebunel/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Mentioned in the Episode: China Ad Agencies Lose Their Edge to Influencer-Led Creative Studios Meipai Shut Down Drives Influencers to Douyin in Droves Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
I’ve got one of our favorite guests, Elijah Whaley, back on the podcast to talk about a really valuable but often overlooked topic – how to get the most out of your KOL campaigns with SSO or social search optimization. During the second half of the interview which switch gears and chat about some recent Chinese social media news, including the recent Weishi controversy, which involves Tencent’s video platform Weishi being accused of withholding payment from content creators. We also discuss the ongoing content crackdowns and what brands need to be aware of. Guest: Elijah Whaley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahwhaley/ Personal Website: elijahwhaley.com PARKLU Blog: www.parklu.com/blog WeChat: elijahwhaley Phone: +86 135 2150 0226 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ WeChat ID: h1212118514 Email: Lauren@unchartedmedia.co Mentioned in the Episode: Search Engine Optimization in China Utilizing a KOL Strategy Government agencies jump on short-video bandwagon to ensure Chinese youth still hears “official voice” Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book) is fostering e-commerce via word of mouth Article on Weishi scandal (in Chinese) CIM Episode 019: The Dark Arts of Chinese Agencies and a Plea for Brands to Stop Using Only the Top 1% of Influencers with Elijah Whaley CIM Podcast Episode 006: How Brands Can Get the Best Results from Influencers with Digital Marketing Expert and Cofounder of One of China’s Top Beauty Influencer Brands Elijah Whaley Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode we chat with Humphrey Ho, Managing Director of Hylink USA. Hylink is China’s largest independent digital advertising agency. They’ve worked with a ton of large brands, both Chinese and international, and I first heard of them because of their work with Brand USA, which is the destination marketing organization for the United States. In this interview, Humphrey shares Hylink’s data-driven methodology for selecting influencers called the KAPE Index (KOL Aggregate Performance Efficiency Index) and how this can help brands choose the most relevant influencers for their campaign. My favorite part of the interview was discussing three of Hylink’s influencer marketing case studies. Humphrey gave a detailed explanation outlining the strategy of each campaign as well as the KOL selection process. If you’re a marketing nerd like me, you’ll definitely find this interview interesting. Guest: Humphrey Ho Email: Humphrey.ho@hylinkgroup.com Wechat: Humphrey7261 Hylink Inquiries: hello@hylinkgroup.com Website: http://hylinkgroup.com/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Case Studies Mentioned in the Episode: Brand USA National Parks Adventure SFTA Love Campaign Brand USA Fliggy Singles Day Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This episode’s guest is April Li, Production Manager at multi-cultural creative agency Visionarists. In this episode we continue the theme of speaking to Chinese millennials living abroad to learn more about their social media and shopping habits. In this interview, we discuss April’s opinions on Chinese social media platforms and some of her favorite accounts to follow. April is a huge fan of the company Dealmoon which is the leading social shopping community for Chinese expats around the world. April also mentions a popular Weibo influencer Liziqi whose content is very different from the majority of Chinese influencers, and her massive following really speaks to the trend of many young Chinese people desiring a simpler life, closer to nature. Guest: April Lee Email: april@visionarists.com http://visionarists.com/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Influencers and Accounts Mentioned in the Episode: @李子柒 – Liziqi, lives a primitive life in the Chinese countryside Food accounts: @爱做饭的芋头SAMA @日食记 Dealmoon @北美省钱快报 - main Dealmoon account @北美美容快报 – Dealmoon beauty account Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode we chat with Jingyi and Annie, two Chinese millennials studying abroad in New York City. On this podcast we often talk about Chinese millennials, their interests, behaviors and consumption habits, so I wanted to actually get some Chinese millennials on the podcast and hear what they had to say. I talk to Jingyi and Annie about their favorite social media platforms, which social media accounts they follow, their opinion on influencers, and whether or not influencers ever have an effect on their purchasing decisions. Some of their answers really surprised me, for example they both cited Redbook (Xiaohongshu) as one of their favorite social media platforms. After listening to what they had to say about the platform I really want to play around with it more! I listed all of the social media accounts they mentioned during the interviews below so you can check them out! Guests: Jingyi Hu LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/jingyi-hu-47b80b6a/ Qianni An (Annie) – her interview begins at 34:30 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/qianni-an-157483115/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Jingyi’s favorite WeChat accounts (unable to link, can find on WeChat by searching ID): KnowYourself (WeChat ID: knowyourself2015) Inspirational or “chicken soup” account: 林熙Lin Xi (WeChat ID: inks01) Abnormal human being research center不正常人类研究中心 (WeChat ID: hahahabzc) Fashion critics account: Exhibiting Fashion (WeChat ID: ExhibitingFashion) Some personal blog accounts: Miss Tao密斯桃 (WeChat ID: misstao413) Sweet Beets甜菜根姑娘 (WeChat ID: sweetbeets) 假装在纽约 (WeChat ID: mr-jiazhuang) Some info account related to New York City life and entertainment: 纽约君 (WeChat ID: nycmaster) 纽约潮报 (WeChat ID: nychaobao) 纽约美食地图 (WeChat ID: foodmapnyc) Annie’s favorite Redbook accounts: She likes because of content: Fan Bingbing 扭腰的Maggie 林允Jelly She likes because they are good looking: 詹小猪Coco 东瓜嘀嘀 Astrology Weibo account: Alex是大叔 Articles: Daigou are asking Fan Bingbing to stop recommending products (in Chinese) Chinese International Students Are the New Brand Champions Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, we chat with Jing Daily associate editor Yiling Pan. She had some really great insights on consumer behavior, including why she thinks that a lot of consumer trends in China lead back to anxiety. I also asked her who she thinks are more influential, celebrities or influencers? And are Chinese millennial consumers really as important as everyone keeps saying they are? We also discussed what she thinks about the fact that many top luxury brands seem to work with the same few China influencers over and over again. Guest: Yiling Pan LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yilingpan/ Her Work: https://jingdaily.com/author/yiling-pan/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Prada Rong Zhai mansion Becky Li Mr. Bags Gogoboi Shiliupo Sign up for the WeChat Edition Newsletter! Or submit content ideas to lauren@jingdaily.com Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com KOL Budget Calculator: http://app.parklu.com/calculator For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This week I dive into a recent article that I wrote for Jing Daily to discuss how video sharing and live streaming app Meipai has been gradually losing content creators and users to the short video app Douyin. Over the past week, this migration to Douyin rocketed when Meipai abruptly shut their platform down for what they are labeling a system upgrade. Meipai has now re-opened and in this episode, I talk about: How has Meipai changed? How other apps are trying to keep their users from migrating to Douyin How Douyin is expanding content types and features Some of Douyin’s drawbacks Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Meipai Shut Down Drives Influencers to Douyin in Droves Is Douyin the Right Social Video Platform for Luxury Brands? CIM Episode 018: Douyin 101: Everything Brands Need to Know About China’s Hottest New Social Media Platform with Fabian Bern of Uplab Asia CIM Podcast Episode 001: How Brands Should Treat KOLs, Live Streaming Ecommerce, and China’s F&B Industry with Antoine Bunel China’s “Water Army” Far Outnumbers US-Manufactured Followers Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This week we’re back with a bang, this is a juicy episode that you definitely want to listen too. Eljiah Whaley, CMO of China influencer marketing platform PARKLU, is back for round two and this time he takes us behind the scenes to talk about the dark side of Chinese agencies that he has experienced while running an in-demand influencer brand alongside his girlfriend Maggie. We also go into a number of other topics including: How easy it is to fake your way to the top Why brands should stop repeatedly working with only 1% of influencers and give the other 99% a chance Opportunities for brands with mid/micro/long tail influencers The new trend of influencer-run creative agencies New, free PARKLU tools: Analytics tool KOL budget calculator Guest: Elijah Whaley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahwhaley/ Personal Website: elijahwhaley.com PARKLU Blog: www.parklu.com/blog Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Melilim Fu: Melilim Fu is a top 50 ranked cosmetics and fashion influencer brand founded and run by Elijah and his girlfriend Maggie. The face of the brand, Maggie was formerly an in-demand makeup artist for companies such as GQ, Marie Claire, Vogue, and Bazaar Website: http://www.melilimfu.com/ Weibo: @傅沛MelilimFu Tudou: @傅沛MelilimFu Meipai: @傅沛MelilimFu China Ad Agencies Lose Their Edge to Influencer-Led Creative Studios PARKLU KOL Budget Calculator: COMING SOON! Kepp and eye out on the PARKLU website at: www.parklu.com Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This episode is a must-listen for anyone interested in China’s hottest new app Douyin. If you haven’t heard of it yet, Douyin is a Chinese app very similar to Musical.ly and it is currently disrupting the China social media industry. So much so that top platforms including Weibo and Meipai have been scrambling to retain users by integrating Douyin-like features into their platforms. My guest today is Fabian Bern, founder of Uplab Asia and an expert on the Douyin app. We cover so much in this interview, I can’t wait for you to hear it. Some of the topics we discuss include: Why has Douyin exploded in popularity? How Douyin hand-selected and trained their initial batch of top talent Douyin influencers User demographics How to run marketing campaigns on Douyin Why brands should start experimenting with Douyin ASAP The sound quality isn’t that great, but it’s worth listening to, trust me! Guest: Fabian Bern LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabianbern/ Website: https://uplab.asia/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Big Brands Use Douyin to Reach China’s Gen Z Consumers How Douyin became China’s top short-video App in 500 days If you want to learn more about Douyin, Fabian has shared a list of recommended influencers to check out. Just make sure you download the Chinese version and not TikTok, the content is different! Link to Chinese app: https://www.douyin.com/ Influencers: @薛老湿 @郁茜Akane @洁哥是女大神呐 @Erin Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this week’s episode we chat with Matt Brennan, co-founder of China Channel, creator of the Chat conference, and a well-known speaker and expert on all things WeChat. I realized we hadn’t covered WeChat that much so far on the podcast so I wanted to have Matt on to give us the rundown. We cover: How brands and influencers can be using mini programs WeChat’s improved search features What is the Brand Zone? Will WeChat start to monetize influencer campaigns like Weibo and Meipai have? How foreign brands and tourism boards can be better utilizing WeChat WeChat saturation and how to grow an audience on a mature platform Guest: Matthew Brennan Website: https://chinachannel.co/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthew-brennan/ Podcast: http://chinatechtalk.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/mbrennanchina Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Mini Program Creation: Youzan Becky Li Mini Program Case Study More Mini Program Case Studies Brand Zone Podcast w/Elijah Whaley on Weibo Monetization WeChat CityExperiences Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This week I recorded another solo episode in which I discuss several trends that I’ve been seeing over the past couple months as well as some concerns I’ve been hearing from influencers. I also answer a question I’ve been getting a lot lately and share a new research tool. Feel free to skip around, here are the topics I cover in order from beginning to end: Is influencer marketing still hot in China? New daigou search tool Influencers increasingly frustrated by the monetization of Weibo and Meipai 15-second vertically shot videos the latest content trend New gamification features on line streaming apps Another crackdown on live streaming content Ecommerce live streaming Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Daigou search tool: https://daigou.walkthechat.com/ More about daigou: Daigou: Real Influencers of China Cross-border E-commerce About Weirenwu, Weibo’s sponsored post platform: China Tech Talk 37: Weibo's KOL woes with Elijah Whaley Douyin: Big Brands Use Douyin to Reach China’s Gen Z Consumers Recent announcement about live streaming: 国家网信办依法查处一批严重违规网络直播平台和主播 Ecommerce live streaming: How to Use Live Streaming to Sell on China Ecommerce 3 Must-Use China Live Streaming KOL Campaign Tactics Attention all shopaholics: Now you can shop online and watch live streaming at the same time Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, I chat with influencer Tyler Christler. Over the past couple of years Tyler has grown significant followings on a number of Chinese social media apps including Kuaishou, Meipai, Weibo, Wechat and podcast app Ximalaya FM. During our call, he shares his opinions on each of these apps and their pros and cons. We also go off on a couple tangents and discuss things like fake followers, brands’ inflated expectations, Weibo’s declining organic reach, viewer’s ever shortening attention span, and how unfortunately many influencers and brands in China seem to be after fast money and not thinking long-term. Guest: Tyler Christler LinkedIn Weibo: @铁蛋儿Tyler Meipai ID: 1027978199 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Kuaishou Meipai Ximalaya FM Douyin Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, we chat with Quentin Albert. His name might not be familiar, but his recent video might be. A couple weeks ago Quentin’s video about WeChat went viral and was being talked about among both Chinese and foreign communities all over China. So much so, that higher-ups at Tencent were calling to chat with him! And this isn’t his first viral video. Quentin and his friend and business partner Romeo are popular influencers on Chinese social media platforms Weibo and Bilibili, publishing vlogs about their daily lives and adventures. He’s super modest in the interview so I want to make it clear that they have over 500k followers on Weibo, over 260k on Bilibili, and nearly 70k subscribers on YouTube and have worked with lots of big sponsors, so they are by no means as small as he claims to be. It’s a short interview but I think you will enjoy hearing Quentin’s perspective on content creation and his strong feelings about working with brands and how brands should treat influencers. Guest: Quentin Albert Website: http://www.xinshidandan.fr/ Email: hey@xinshidandan.fr Weibo: @ Real信誓蛋蛋 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Recent viral video about WeChat Popular foreign influencer Fulinfang: @拂菻坊 Episode with Elijah Whaley: CIM 016 Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode we chat with Mike Michelini, a fellow podcast host, business blogger, and ecommerce expert. Mike’s business, Global From Asia, teaches people how to set up and run ecommerce businesses in China, both exporting from China or doing cross-border ecommerce selling into China. We talk a lot about personal branding, growing your network, and becoming a business influencer in China. Mike has both Chinese and Western audiences and shares how he develops, repurposes and customizes content to suit their different needs. Guest: Mike Michelini LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemichelini/ Website: https://www.globalfromasia.com/ Cross Border Summit: https://www.globalfromasia.com/crossbordersummit2018/ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Upcoming Event! I’ll be speaking about influencer marketing at the Global From China China Business Workshop in Miami, Florida on February 8th-9th. Come join us! Podcast listeners can receive 30% off of the ticket price using code lhcbw2018 at checkout. Learn more about the event at: www.chinabusinessworkshop.com/florida Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this week’s episode, we chat with Kim Leitzes, the CEO and Founder of PARKLU, China’s premier influencer marketing platform. This episode with Kim is not only super interesting, but is also full of practical tips for brands who want to run influencer campaigns. We dive deep into some of the most common questions she receives from clients including: Should I work with one top tier KOL or many smaller KOLs? How much should I budget? Which platforms should I use? Is there a minimum number of KOLs we need to work with in order to see a significant result? And, do you suggest running a short, concentrated campaign or spreading out KOL collaborations over a longer period of time? We also discuss what brands can do to develop and maintain a good relationship with KOLs and what brands can do to avoid misunderstandings and miscommunication during campaigns. Guest: Kim Leitzes Website: parklu.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kimleitzes/ Email: sales@parklu.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Weibo and WeChat KOL Marketing Costs CIM Podcast Episode 006 with PARKLU CMO Elijah Whaley Article: Influencer Marketing Effectiveness is Limited by Management! Upcoming Event! I’ll be speaking about influencer marketing at the Global From China China Business Workshop in Miami, Florida on February 8th-9th. Come join us! Podcast listeners can receive 30% off of the ticket price using code lhcbw2018 at checkout. Learn more about the event at: www.chinabusinessworkshop.com/florida Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, we chat with Elliott Zaagman, a Corporate trainer who specializes in helping Chinese enterprises grow into global organizations. Elliott also writes for several leading online publications which is how I first came across him. Earlier this year he wrote a piece for Technode about Zhihu, China’s popular knowledge sharing platform which started off as a Q& A platform but has evolved into a hybrid of Quora, Patreon, Coursera, Twitter and Linkedin. His article shared how many people, especially professionals and academics, are leveraging their knowledge to grow a following on the platform, and now thanks to new features, they are able to monetize their popularity through paid courses and live streams. I think Zhihu is extremely underrated, especially in Western media, so I had to have Elliott on so he could share more about it. Besides talking about Zhihu, we also discuss what it is like being the only foreigner writing for the popular Chinese business news site Huxiu and how it has helped position him as a thought leader and attract business leads. This episode is a little bit different than previous ones but still very much related to Chinese influencers and growing influence in china, so I know you guys are going to like it. Guest: Elliott Zaagman LinkedIn WeChat: ezaagman Zhihu: @ELL小查 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Article: From “knowledge hub” to “opportunity facilitator”: The development of Zhihu Huxiu Technode supchina China Tech Talk 31: China tech trends in 2017, part 1 Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Welcome to my first ever solo episode! This week I am discussing live streaming in China and I cover a lot including: My personal experience growing my Momo live streaming account to 300k followers How I made several thousand dollars a month live streaming As the live streaming industry is maturing, who are the top players and what are their characteristics Why brands need to incorporate live streaming into their China strategy How I think the industry will develop in 2018 Feel free to message me and let me know what you think of the podcast! I love hearing your feedback. Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Resources: My live streaming blog: www.chinalivestream.com Articles: The Complicated World of Chinese Influencers: Why a live streamer with a large audience is not necessarily an effective influencer Am I Crazy? Why I Gave Momo Permission to Shut Down my 300,000 Follower Live Streaming Account How to Use Live Streaming to Sell on China Ecommerce 3 Must-Use China Live Streaming KOL Campaign Tactics Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, we chat with David Gulasi, one of the most famous foreign influencers in China. In early 2016 a video he created went viral and, fast-forward to today, he now has over 8 million followers in total across multiple social channels and has worked with tons of huge brands including Dove, Huawei, Volkswagen and Fisher Price. David and I discuss: His content creation process The future of live streaming Why he prefers working directly with brands (as opposed to agencies) Why brands need to stop micromanaging influencers How his move back to Australia has impacted his career as an influencer in China and his plans for the future Guest: David Gulasi LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidgulasi/ Email: david@hohhotmedia.com Weibo: @davidhohhot Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Where are we Going Dad? 爸爸去哪儿？- a hit Chinese reality TV show Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, we chat with fashion lifestyle vlogger Adrianna Wang. A couple years ago, Adrianna started posting videos on Chinese video sharing site Meipai and now her channel called “The Mulan Show” has nearly 500,000 followers who live vicariously through her high-energy vlogs. What drew me to Adrianna was her unique style and outgoing personality. Adrianna was amazing guest, she shared so much information that I know will be valuable for you all. In this episode we cover: What her experience is like as an influencer attending events and what brands could be doing better The main differences between influencers in the West vs. China Chinese consumer behaviors and why brands should partner with an ecommerce platform rather than just translate their website into Chinese. Why companies need to be doing more research into influencers and not rely on a PR agency to handle everything for them Guest: Adrianna Wang Meipai: the木兰show Weibo: the木兰show Instagram: @themulanshow Email: themulanshow@outlook.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the episode: Event planning: Holding Large Events in China: Lessons for Brands from the Victoria’s Secret Shanghai Fashion Show Influencer Industry Maturing: The 6 Major Disruptions to Chinese Digital Marketing in 2017 Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, we chat with China marketing expert Ashley Dudarenok. In 2011 Ashley established Alarice International, a social media agency that offers creative marketing solutions for China and in 2016, she and her team launched ChoZan, a membership platform for China-focused marketers. She has been featured in a variety of well-known magazines and online publications and has been invited to speak at many of China’s top business and marketing conferences. I discovered Ashley through her weekly YouTube videos where she teaches people the ins and outs of social media marketing in China. In this episode with Ashley we cover a lot of ground, she gives concrete tactics sharing the steps brands can take to identify the right influencers for their campaigns, the advantage of working with micro-influencers, what is Alibaba’s concept of New Retail and how will it affect the future of influencer marketing, and her predictions for social media and influencer marketing trends in 2018. Guest: Ashley Dudarenok LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleygalina/ China marketing blog: www.AshleyTalks.com YouTube Channel: www.YouTube.com/AshleyTalksChina Email: ashley@chozan.co Alarice: http://alarice.com.hk/ Chozan: https://chozan.co/ Instagram: @Ashley.lina Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Influencer Platforms and Agencies: PARKLU: http://www.parklu.com/ Robin8: http://robin8.net/ Newrank: https://www.newrank.cn/ Weiboyi: http://www.weiboyi.com/ Xiaohongshu: Why Luxury Brands Should Care About Chinese E-commerce Social Media Platform Redbook Bilibili: https://www.bilibili.com/ Alibaba’s New Retail: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H9p5jaiOxD8 Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode, we chat with one of my good friends, Elijah Whaley. Elijah is a content producer, marketer, and passionate advocate for influencer marketing innovation in China. He is the Chief Marketing Officer of the influencer marketing platform PARKLU and the cofounder of one of China’s top beauty influencer brands Melilim Fu. Elijah is a wealth of information and a lot of that is gained from years of experience. He and his girlfriend Maggie built one of China’s top ranked beauty influencer brands in less than two years, and that was while he was working a full-time job. Elijah is one of the hardest working people I know and in this episode, he really opens up about some of the highs and lows that they experienced while building the brand. In this episode, we also talk a lot about best practices for brands wanting to work with influencers and Elijah shares from an influencer’s perspective what the perfect client is like and what information should be included in a campaign brief in order to get the best results from an influencer. (For anyone listening that works for a brand, its ok if you don’t listen to the rest of the episode, but make sure you check out that part!) At the end of the episode we get Elijah’s take on the cosmetics industry and why men’s skincare is a really hot industry. Guest: Elijah Whaley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elijahwhaley/ Personal Website: elijahwhaley.com PARKLU Blog: www.parklu.com/blog Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Melilim Fu: Melilim Fu is a top 50 ranked cosmetics and fashion influencer brand founded and run by Elijah and his girlfriend Maggie. The face of the brand, Maggie was formerly an in-demand makeup artist for companies such as GQ, Marie Claire, Vogue, and Bazaar Website: http://www.melilimfu.com/ Weibo: @傅沛MelilimFu Tudou: @傅沛MelilimFu Meipai: @傅沛MelilimFu Rap of China China’s Booming Cosmetics and Skincare Industry: China’s beauty trends: KOLs, organics, more make-up, and men Young Men Drive the Skincare Market in China Hong Kong Female Consumers Spend Over HK$4,000 on Skincare and Cosmetic Products Beauty in the Eye of the Chinese Consumer Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode we chat with Raz Gal Or, the co-founder and host of the wildly popular video series歪果仁研究协会 in English known as the Foreigner Research Institute or Y China. Over the past year, 23-year-old Raz and his team have strategically built a media company with over 1.9 million followers on Weibo alone and have partnered with some of China’s biggest brands including JD.com and Ofo Bikes. It’s a shorter episode than usual, but we cover a lot! Raz shares why he started the company and his greater vision for the brand. He also delves into tactics sharing how they generate such massive engagement, how they decide what brands to work with and their methods for incorporating branded content. Raz also shares his thoughts on China’s changing social media landscape, how it is maturing and becoming more expensive and why content creators in China need to become more professional if they are going to survive. Guest: Raz Gal Or Personal Weibo: @高佑思不是皮克 Foreigner Research Institute Weibo: @歪果仁研究协会 Official WeChat ID: waiguorenyanjiu Personal WeChat: razgalor Y China Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/Ychina Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Weibo’s declining organic reach and sponsored posts Douyin Bilibili Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode we chat with Chinese travel influencer Ariel Chen. If you’ve been following Chinese consumer trends you know that the Chinese outbound travel market has exploded over the past few years and more than 135 million Chinese are projected to travel abroad this year, making China the world’s largest outbound travel market. While in the past, the majority of outbound travelers traveled abroad with tour groups, recently there has been a big shift in the market towards independent travel. This shift has left many destinations wondering, who are these independent travelers and how to we reach them? Well, surprise surprise, one of the best ways to reach Chinese travelers and inspire them to visit your destination is by working with Chinese travel influencers! In this episode Ariel and I discuss the characteristics of young independent Chinese travelers, the Chinese traveler’s customer journey, why brands should pay travel influencers, what is the most common travel question her audience asks her, why companies shouldn’t completely rely on marketing agencies to help them choose travel influencers, and much, much more! Guest: Ariel Chen Weibo: @人字拖游记 Official WeChat ID: TripCouturePublic Personal WeChat: TripCouture Video introducing Travel Flip-Flops’ origin story: http://www.miaopai.com/show/koh9Ol3EXJKZXLYqibrrew__.htm Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Some of Ariel’s Recent Projects: Collaboration with Canadian Tourism board and Youku: http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzA4MzA5MzM1Mg==.html?spm=a2hzp.8253869.0.0 Recent collaboration with hotels and local tour agency in Palau: http://www.miaopai.com/show/S4-MuKi7eKEs1XjtIpU-S4CD1HgEL~Ns35hPHA__.htm Articles on the Chinese Outbound Travel Industry: 5 Charts Showing the Rise of Independent Chinese Travelers China's Millennials Are Driving World Travel Growth Chinese Consumers on Rebound in Paris After Disastrous Year for Retailers (however the recent attack on a Chinese tour group in Paris might change this) Platforms and Apps mentioned: Fliggy (alibaba’s platform) Mafengwo Ctrip Qyer/Qiongyou Thanks to our sponsor PARKLU: www.parklu.com For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
If you follow ecommerce in China you’ve probably heard the word daigou. A Daigou is a grey market agent who helps people purchase products from other countries and ships them back to China. Today we’re going to talk to Tom Shanahan, known to his fans as “Aussie dad Tom”, who, has created a booming daigou business by turning his social media followers into loyal customers. Over the last four months since he started the business he has generate pretty significant revenue. We go into detail during our chat and tom even shares specific numbers. *Note: Numbers mentioned during podcast are RMB, not AUD. What’s most impressive is that Tom has done all this with a relatively small following of about 40,000 fans. Recently he was invited to attend the 2017 Alibaba ecommerce summit in Australia as an influencer and daigou expert. During the event he had the opportunity to participate in a live stream with the Victorian minister of innovation and Small Business as well as the head of Alibaba Australia. For anyone interested in how the daigou business works, you’ve got to listen to this episode. In addition to running his daigou business, tom is also starting to work with Chinese businesses and tourism boards, creating content which simultaneously promotes travel and local Australian products. Guest: Tom Shanahan Meipai ID: 1063468438 WeChat: tomtangmu LinkedIn Website: aussiedadtom.com Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Articles on the Daigou Industry: We take you inside the Chinese ‘daigou’ craze MEET SHOPSHOPS, AN INTERACTIVE, ONLINE RETAIL EXPERIENCE FOR FASHION-SAVVY CHINESE CONSUMERS THE DAIGOU EFFECT: HOW BRANDS CAN BREAK DOWN CHINESE BORDERS AND DRIVE GROWTH Korean Duty-Free Shop Sales Increase Due to Illegal Daigou Shoppers For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
This episode features Vera Wang, a New York based luxury fashion and lifestyle influencer, and founder of WG Empire PR and media company. Vera’s career as an influencer took off a couple years ago after she created an Official WeChat account with aspirational yet relatable content about life in NYC from the perspective of a young Chinese woman. In this episode we hear how she started off creating mainly lifestyle content but later on accidentally became a fashion influencer. She also shares what it’s been like working with luxury brands such as Montblanc and Dior and why she has to be very careful when choosing who to work with. She also shares a bit about her new company WG Empire and how they are helping Chinese companies with their international branding through collaborations with foreign brands and by managing their western social media accounts. Guest: Vera Wang 王大宝 Weibo: 王大宝VERAWANGxNYC Official WeChat Account: verawangxnyc WG Empire Website: https://www.wgempire.com/ Instagram: wgempire_ Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
Today’s guest is Antoine Bunal, he is the number 1 foreign food influencer in China, and in 2016 he earned a spot on Topklout’s list of the top 100 influencers on Chinese social media. In this interview we talk about the direction of the food industry in China, why TV is still relevant, his experiences live streaming for JD.com and Taobao, his advice for brands when working with influencers, and why he thinks influencers will eventually eliminate the need for marketing and ad agencies. Antoine shares so much valuable information in the episode you might have to listen to it twice! Guest: Antoine Bunal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoinebunel/ Weibo: 安闹闹的闹厨房 Host: Lauren Hallanan Website: www.laurenhallanan.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/ Instagram: @laurenleren Mentioned in the Episode: Topklout Ranking: http://socialbrandwatch.com/chinas-social-media-top-100-kols-chart/ Trends in China’s F&B industry: https://www.ipsos.com/sites/default/files/2016-06/024.2-Food-beverage-consumer-trends-insights-china.pdf Live Streaming for Brands: How to Use Live Streaming to Sell on China Ecommerce China’s live-streaming explosion: a game changer for all? 3 Must-Use China Live Streaming KOL Campaign Tactics Chinese Cooking websites/apps: Xiachufang: https://www.xiachufang.com/ Meishichina: http://www.meishichina.com/ For additional information and show notes head over to www.chinainfluencermarketing.com If you like this podcast and know someone who might find it interesting, please share!
In this episode Lauren shares her background story including her experience on China's hit reality TV show Feicheng Wurao and how she became a full-time live streamer on Chinese social media platform Momo. She also shares why she started this show and what she hopes you get out of it. If you have any topic or guest suggestions for the show, send us a message at www.chinainfluencermarketing.com/contact Learn more about Lauren's live streaming experiences: www.chinalivestream.com Show Website: www.chinainfluencermarketing.com Host: www.laurenhallanan.com www.linkedin.com/in/lauren-hallanan/