China's Video Streaming Platforms Take Their Rivalry to the Streets
Plus: Next-level livestreaming, Kiehl's goes indie-rock, and are celebrity streamers past their peak?
China’s three biggest video platforms, iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent, often find themselves engaged in stiff competition to see who can come out on top in developing hit new reality show formats, from competitions to form pop idol groups to documentary-style series about solo living.
iQiyi’s success with its streetwear-focused “Fourtry” (潮流合伙人, literally “trend partners’), which saw a group of top celebrities including Angelababy and Kris Wu managing a new boutique in Tokyo’s Harajuku District, created a new model of shoppable fashion-focused reality programming that is now being emulated by rivals.
Alibaba owned-Youku’s take is called “720 Trend Manager” (720潮流主理人) and gives actress Song Yanfei and rapper Fan Chengcheng a 720-hour deadline to create a showroom full of on-trend products. The documentary-style series, which debuted on July 8, highlights the entire product development and marketing process, giving viewers a behind-the-scenes look at the curation of a fashion showroom. Sponsors include Peugeot, Absolut Vodka, and Tmall, and a Tmall flagship store was launched to showcase the products seen on the show and encourage interaction from viewers, who have praised its eye for detail and fresh, culturally-inspired trends.
Streetwear style icon Kris Wu has defected from iQiyi’s “Fourtry” to join Tencent Video’s upcoming fashion trend show “Where Are the Trendsetters?” (潮玩人类在哪里). He will be joined by actors Van Ness Wu and Lee Chan-sam, who will each act as team captains charged with creating their own fashion labels, with the winner crowned “Annual Trend MVP” (年度潮流MVP). The show is set to premiere in August, and Tencent Video is currently recruiting brand sponsors.
Meanwhile, iQiyi is planning a second season of “Fourtry,” with the southwest Chinese city of Chengdu as the setting this time around. The first celebrity participant announced is the newly minted idol Liu Yuxin, winner of the most recent edition of iQiyi’s group competition show “Youth With You.” In addition to promoting e-commerce sales of the goods seen on the show, the domestic setting will make the offline “Fourtry Space” pop-culture trend shop more accessible to Chinese fans and incorporate regional design characteristics.
While the first season of “Fourtry” included Ikea, Lancôme, Pepsi, Mazda, Vivo, and e-commerce platform Ao My God among the brand partners, iQiyi is currently shopping the upcoming series to potential sponsors. The first season included partnerships with more than 70 fashion and consumer brands with more than 300 products created in collaboration with the show.
- by Ginger Ooi, CCI Team
Mentioned in today’s newsletter: Absolut, Ikea, iQiyi, Kiehl’s, Kuaishou, Lancôme, Lierkiss, Mazda, Pepsi, Peugeot, Taobao Live, Tencent, Tmall, Victoria Beckham Beauty, Vivo, Youku.
Register today to join Jing Daily and Content Commerce Insider on Wednesday, August 5 at 11:30 A.M. ET / 4:30 P.M. CET for a live webinar exploring “Next-Level Livestreaming: How Brands Can Profit From China’s Top E-Commerce Trend”.
During the hour-long broadcast, we’ll discuss how e-commerce livestreaming will continue to play a critical role in China’s luxury retail sector post-Covid-19 and beyond. In our discussion, you’ll learn about successful luxury campaigns, e-commerce livestream trends, and hear first-hand livestream experiences from market experts.
This digital event accompanies the launch of our inaugural joint Jing Daily and CCI white paper, “Next-Level Livestreaming.“ Continue watching this space for more information and how to download the white paper, releasing next week.
Are Chinese Consumers Over Celebrity Livestreaming?
As e-commerce livestreaming has taken off in China, celebrities have started flocking to the format as a way to stay in the spotlight while generating income. Many actors have been less busy this year as a result of the coronavirus, with productions delayed and endorsement opportunities drying up as brands slashed their marketing budgets.
The trend reached new heights during last month’s 618 Shopping Festival, which saw more than 300 stars appearing on Taobao Live to sell goods, while JD.com hosted another 100 or so, with Kuaishou and Douyin also getting in on the action.
But has the frenzy over celebrity livestreaming peaked? One of the first stars of the celebrity e-commerce livestreaming trend, the somewhat notorious tech entrepreneur Luo Yonghao, has seen his viewer numbers and sales plummet by more than 95% since his April 1 debut on Douyin. And recently, one of China’s most bankable influencers, the actress and social media star Angelababy, had an underwhelming debut on Douyin, with a five-hour broadcast on July 18 that drew a relatively low RMB 12 million ($1.8 million) in gross merchandise volume.
Yet Jay Chou’s Kuaishou livestreaming show on July 26 showed that there is still a huge market for the right stars, even when there is nothing concrete to sell. Chou, the Chinese king of pop, opened a Kuaishou account on June 1 as part of a broader deal that brought his music to the platform, and he promised a magic show for fans if he hit 10 million followers, which only took 6 days.
Chou’s livestream drew 68 million viewers, with fans sending RMB 20 million ($2.8 million) in virtual gifts during the first 30 minutes. Among those offering support were high-profile celebrities such as pianist Lang Lang and Olympic gold medalist table tennis player Zhang Jike. Kuaishou even broadcast a nationwide celebration of sorts for Chou, lighting up landmark buildings in major cities across the country to promote the event.
For foreign celebrities looking to promote their products via e-commerce livestreaming, working with big-name professional hosts is the way to go. Last year, Kim Kardashian turned to top Taobao Live seller Viya to help sell her KKW fragrance, and this week Victoria Beckham adopted a similar approach to promote the launch of an official Tmall Global flagship store for her namesake beauty brand.
The former Spice Girl participated in a livestreamed Q&A session with Viya (herself a girl-group veteran) that attracted more than 14.4 million viewers, with exclusive Victoria Beckham Beauty sets on offer. Beckham described the Chinese livestreaming experience as “riveting entertainment that creates a great deal of engagement and excitement about products,” and the brand is already planning special marketing activities in China around the November 11 Singles’ Day and the March 8 “Queen’s Day” (aka International Women’s Day) in 2021.
Although less well known than Viya in the West, leading Taobao Live anchor Lie’er is aiming to break out of the livestreaming business to become a celebrity in her own right. A veteran of the e-commerce broadcasting industry, Lie’er boasts sufficient star power to host her own celebrity-studded entertainment gala shows on a major satellite TV network — she is reportedly the only e-commerce livestreamer besides Viya to host “fan festivals” — and this time around she showcased her own singing and dancing skills.
Lie’er has also parlayed her famed sense of style (developed during a previous career as a model) into her own fashion brands, the budget-friendly Lierkiss and the higher-end LRKS, which were featured in a runway show segment during the recent TV special. Lie’er has made appearances on top-rated reality shows such as “Ace vs. Ace” (王牌对王牌) and is aiming to diversify her e-commerce broadcasts by adding entertainment value with celebrity guest appearances and exclusive collaborations.
Hong Kong Launches New Tech Share Index, a Potential Long-Term US Challenger
This week marked the latest chapter in the stock “homecoming” trend, as the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong launched a new share index that includes 30 of the biggest tech firms listed in Hong Kong, anchored by Chinese technology powerhouses such as Tencent, Alibaba (NYSE: BABA), and JD.com (NASDAQ: JD).
According to the BBC, another huge firm that is likely to list in Hong Kong soon is Alibaba’s financial affiliate Ant Group. Such a move would add significant weight to the tech credentials of the Hong Kong stock exchange, and put all eyes on the new Tech Index as a counterweight to Nasdaq as an option capable of attracting foreign investment while avoiding the increased regulatory burdens that Chinese companies may face in the United States.
Read the full article on Content Commerce Insider
Brand Film Pick: Kiehl's Goes Beyond Skin-Deep
The 165-year-old American skincare brand Kiehl's is no stranger to the Chinese consumer landscape, having entered the market more than 25 years ago, even before it was purchased by the China-savvy L’Oréal Group in 2000. In recent years, Kiehl’s has recognized the power of Chinese influencers — locally known as KOLs, or key opinion leaders — to promote products and drive sales. KOLs have been instrumental in many of Kiehl’s China marketing strategies over the years, including the 2019 "Kiehl’s Loves" campaign, a mega pop-up event that featured Chinese singer Wang Ziyi, a member of the Chinese boy band Nine Percent, and actress Song Yanfei.
While the pandemic has had less of an impact on sales of skincare products compared to makeup, it has affected the extent to which KOLs can interact with consumers. Kiehl’s new brand film, “I Am Not Afraid” (没在怕的), which premiered via livestreaming earlier this month to coincide with Kiehl’s Tmall Super Brand Day, demonstrates how brands can still leverage star power despite the restrictions on live events.
“I Am Not Afraid” was written and produced by the popular blogger/novelist/filmmaker/race-car driver Han Han, and stars members of the indie rock band Hedgehog, costume blogger Tang Tang, and beauty blogger Hania.
Whereas cosmetics brands are often criticized for promoting unrealistic beauty standards, Kiehl’s and Han Han take a very different approach in the film that reveals vulnerabilities: The Hedgehog bandmates frankly discuss a time when they almost split up; Hania shares how she used to feel insecure about her appearance; and Tang Tang reflects on her nightmarish experience of being cyber-bullied. Everyone has their own fears and hardships that they must overcome in order to pursue their passions. By sharing their uncomfortable experiences, the film’s stars are humanized, becoming more relatable to viewers.
Kiehl’s made the prudent decision to avoid any direct references to its brand name or products until the close of the film, avoiding the type of overt promotion that is falling out of favor with its target audience of younger Chinese viewers. By relying on personal narratives instead of empty slogans about empowerment, the Kiehl’s brand can share its unique values and resonate more deeply with viewers.
Interactive digital promotion further helped to spread the film’s message, with the livestream debut boosting audience engagement through real-time commentary. The inclusion of Hedgehog’s music helped to enhance the brand’s exposure among fans, while also fitting into the broader trends of brand integration with music through high-quality collaborations, as recently seen in Ikea’s work with another indie rock group, New Pants, on the music video for “Don’t Ask Me Why I’m Growing.”
The Kiehl's film makes a case for how Chinese influencers can be more than just a prominent face or name. While the in-person meet-and-greets that once spurred consumerism are no longer an option, celebrities can use the intimacy provided by virtual engagement to share their stories, and it is these stories that give the brand value. The end of the film shows a diverse group of people engaged in training for sports, performing their best at work, and marrying the person they love. These are not the results of using a Kiehl’s skincare product, but rather are values that Kiehl’s customers can subscribe to.
In producing “I Am Not Afraid,” Kiehl’s went from representing a skincare product to being a symbol of courage, persistence, and the will to see one’s dreams through to completion.
- by Ben Guggenheim, CCI Team
News in English
An interview with designer Angel Chen, who has embraced the content-commerce model of fashion through collaborations, digital fashion shows, and an appearance on Netflix’s “Next in Fashion.” i-D
Jack & Jones, Pepsi, and Durex were among the global brands with films recognized at the rescheduled Golden Lion International Advertising Awards in Shanghai. SHPPLUS
Wanlimu, a social e-commerce platform launched by P2P lender Qudian, aims to make luxury affordable for China’s rising middle classes. Azoya
WeChat, Douyin, or Xiaohongshu? Data to help brands choose a platform for influencer marketing campaigns in China. WalktheChat
Having conquered the Chinese game livestreaming market through its investments in Douyu and Huya, Tencent is now planning to launch a rival to Amazon’s Twitch in the United States called Trovo Live. Tech Wire Asia
UFC has launched its first esports partnership in China with the Peacekeeper Elite League, the official league for Tencent’s popular Game for Peace. Esports Insider
Even as Chinese cinemas finally start reopening, Disney has indefinitely postponed the release of its live-action version of “Mulan” starring Liu Yifei. Wall Street Journal
iQiyi’s expansion into Southeast Asia means that the video streaming platform is seeking to boost its content offerings for local audiences in the region. Worldscreen
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