List of 500 influencers and opinion leaders in China

Chinese society is increasingly influenced by KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders), a question arises:

Are these influencers and opinion leaders effective in promoting brands or just promoting their image?

 

I) Top Influenceurs ranked in this Survey

a) Organization of the study

This issue is at the heart of the report by Bomoda, a New York-based company whose studies specialize in consumer intelligence.

In this study, the New York-based company looks at 400 Chinese celebrities who are very present on the networks in early 2017.

b) The purpose of the study

Understand the impact of KOLs (key opinion leaders)  on society and know what can make a celebrity-brand collaboration effective or not.

c) Organization of the report

The report is based on more than 51 million posts on Weibo, 2.3 billion comments re-post and more than 2.4 million articles,

WeChat is trying to better understand this relationship between consumers, influencers and brands.

The ratio is divided into two sections.

In the first:

• It examines performance by social and commercial influence.
• Subsequently, he lists the best KOLs in five industries specializing in sportswear, electronics, food and beverages, luxury fashion…

-The second section:

He is interested in high-potential KOLs and those with little influence on brands or products.

The report examines the effectiveness of influencers about their commercial and social influence. More to the point, the commercial value of a KOL is measured by its ability to persuade its fans to buy a brand’s products and the percentage of third-party sellers taking advantage of the approval of the celebrity deal to attract buyers.

 

THE BEST INFLUENCERS ACCORDING TO THE STUDY

Among the list of the best influencers of the moment, Lu Han, the star of Louis Vuitton‘s recent campaign regarding his new smartwatch is propelled to the head.

In the top 10, we also find

• Yang Yang
• Yang Mi
• Kris Wu

Having become a reference in terms of influence, actress Yang Mi has managed to go to the top of several lists including by wearing the clothes of the brand Michael Kors.

His method: put on luxury clothing on and off-screen and promote them in his private and public life.

Even so, consumers are sometimes wary of celebrities who do not supervise their social profile. To create a relationship of trust with buyers, self-made bloggers are more effective because they are considered experts in the subject, unlike celebrities.

XU WEIZHOU

Also known as Timmy Xu, Xu is a Chinese singer-songwriter, model and actor.

Unlike Yang Mi, actor Xu Weihzou is in the top 10 of KOLs with considerable social influence. This is due in part to the fact that 99% of the buzz created by it is non-produced or unrelated to a brand.

Also, this KOL has for fans mostly teenagers who have little purchasing power. However, the brands represented by the actor are mainly luxury brands like Louis Vuitton or Tiffany that are out of reach of young people under the age of 18.

ANGELABABY

She is known as one of four new Dan actresses, about the four most promising young actresses from mainland China in the early 2000s.

The new Dior brand ambassador is also one of the top influencers. While its appointment as the brand’s new eaterie had generated strong criticism, Dior was named the most relevant brand for Generation Z.

However, the commercial impact in major international cities has not yet been assessed.

SUN YI

Considered the future Yang Mi, 24-year-old actress Sun Yi owes her fame to her participation in the phenomenon film The Legend of Mi Yue. The media is snapping up an interview with the new star.

Today, she is a reference in fashion for her chic and natural outfits. For the big brands, she is now an excellent surrogate ambassador for their products.

The actress recently appeared in Dior in a VogueMe editorial and wearing Chanel in the tabloid OK!

Conclusion

 

As the company becomes increasingly overrun with a competitive market of influencers, we can now predict many collaborations between brands and KOLs or celebrities. While these young stars are born of the unavoidable stars, brands have every interest in integrating them into their marketing strategy.

 

 

If the KOL has built such an empire in China, it is also because the way of thinking of Chinese netizens is different from that of European or American countries for example.

In Western countries, social media communities do not appreciate an influencer monetizing his community by working with brands. While in China, KoLOs have a very good relationship with their communities and Chinese subscribers are very appreciative that the Kols they follow are evolving and partnering with brands so that they can also benefit from them through competitions, giveaway, etc. The Chinese are more willing to accept collaborations and exchanges between companies and Kols than Western communities.

The relationship with business

Kol can help companies raise awareness faster than any other traditional marketing technique. They reinforce the brand image because they are approved by the KOL and the community is, therefore, more attentive to this opinion. It’s also a great way for the brand to get a good return on investment; it can get very impressive results simply by working with you.

Gentlemen Marketing Agency is a 100% digital marketing agency based in Shanghai that helps French and foreign companies establish themselves in China by offering marketing strategies tailored to the needs of its customers.

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