Table of Contents
Executive Summary
-
- Market landscape
- Proliferation of MCN agencies
- The impact of live streaming e-commerce
- Influencer analysis
- Treat KOLs as advertising partners instead of advertising channels
- Building emotional connection with fans
- The fine line between sponsored content and sincere recommendation
- The consumer
- Social media as source of information than entertainment
-
- Figure 1: Categories followed on social media, May 2019 (China), December 2018 (US)
- Young female cannot live without social media
-
- Figure 2: Categories followed on social media, by gender and age, May 2019
- WeChat leads but TikTok is catching up quickly
-
- Figure 3: Favourite social media platforms to follow bloggers or public accounts, May 2019
- Celebrity culture rules in US, useful content rocks in China
-
- Figure 4: Key characters of social media influencers, May 2019 (China), December 2018 (US)
- Families/friends still important, but KOL have influence in travel, tech, fashion, and beauty and personal care
-
- Figure 5: social media influencers impact on purchase, May 2019
- KOLs are more influential among young female consumers
-
- Figure 6: difference in impact on purchase by family/friends and public accounts/bloggers on social media, by selected age and gender, May 2019
- Finding new products and credibility are the key
-
- Figure 7: Purchase drivers of social media influencers, May 2019
- Trust lies in being successful and intelligent
-
- Figure 8: Purchase drivers of social media influencers, by key characters of KOLs looking for, May 2019
- Ambivalent attitudes towards KOLs
-
- Figure 9: Attitudes towards trust issues of KOLs, May 2019
- The importance of micro influencers is on the rise
-
- Figure 10: Attitudes towards macro and micro influencers of KOLs, May 2019
- Build relatedness and emotional connection with followers
-
- Figure 11: Attitudes towards proximity of KOLs, May 2019
- What we think
Issues and Insights
-
- KOLs as marketing partner and marketing content producer
- The facts
- The implications
- Use KOLs to make brands more approachable
- The facts
- The implications
- Professionalization and decentralization
- The facts
- The implications
Market Landscape
-
- Professionalization of KOLs
- Proliferation of MCN agencies
- The impact of commercializing KOLs
- The impact of live streaming e-commerce
Influencer Analysis
-
- Introduction
- Key takeout
- Treat KOLs as advertising partners instead of advertising channels
- Building emotional connection with fans
- The fine line between sponsored content and sincere recommendation
- KOL story one: Lin Haiyin, influential photographer on Weibo
- From college sweetheart to Weibo KOL
- Deep collaboration with brands
- Honesty and authenticity
-
- Figure 12: Internet personality Lin Haiyin
- KOL story two: Tree Tree Wu, self-taught make-up vlogger on Weibo and Bilibili
- From content writer to influential makeup artist
- My fans are my friends
- Social media and MCN
- KOL and advertisement
-
- Figure 13: Internet personality Tree Tree Wu
-
- Figure 14: Internet personality Tree Tree Wu
- KOL story three: Ice_cook, pastime lifestyle blogger on Red
- From RED user to RED influencer
- Relationship with fans
- Brands and advertisement
- Negative feedback? That is the problem
- KOL industry and future
-
- Figure 15: Micro influencer Ice_cook
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
-
- Social media functions as an important source of information
- WeChat and Weibo remain leaders in KOL market
- Give me useful content
- Word-of-mouth still rules
- Find the best new things
- Ambivalent attitudes towards KOLs
Categories Followed on Social Media
-
- Social media as source of information rather than entertainment
-
- Figure 16: Categories followed on social media, May 2019 (China), December 2018 (US)
- Travel is trendy while beauty and fashion are associated with lifestyle and entertainment
-
- Figure 17: Categories followed on social media, by categories followed on social media, May 2019
- Lower tier cities are more into entertainment and art and culture
-
- Figure 18: Categories followed on social media, by city tier, May 2019
- Young female consumers are social media fanatics
-
- Figure 19: Categories followed on social media, by gender and age, May 2019
Popular Social Media Platforms
-
- TikTok is catching up with the leading platforms
-
- Figure 20: Favourite social media platforms to follow bloggers or public accounts, May 2019
- Entertainment and culture-based social media, and video based social media
-
- Figure 21: Cross analysis of TikTok, Zhihu, RED, Bilibili, Douban, Overseas social media, Douyu, and Guokr
- Red has a stronger influence among Tier 1 city female consumers
-
- Figure 22: Favourite social media platforms to follow bloggers or public accounts, by city tier and gender, May 2019
- Zhihu and Bilibili build on identity and loyalty
-
- Figure 23: Favourite social media platforms to follow bloggers or public accounts, by gender and age, May 2019
- Leaders in content
-
- Figure 24: Favourite social media topics, by popular social media platforms, May 2019
Key Characters of Social Media Influencers
-
- Practicality first, edginess last
-
- Figure 25: Key characters of social media influencers, May 2019 (China), December 2018 (US)
- Personality wins in US; useful product content wins in China
- Fun and successful in the field are vital to attract 20s
-
- Figure 26: Key characters of social media influencers, by gender and age, May 2019
Social Media Influencers vs Families and Friends
-
- Families/friends still lead recommendation in many sectors; travel, tech, fashion and BPC see the strongest KOL influence
-
- Figure 27: social media influencers impact on purchase, May 2019
- Sports and fitness see KOLs slightly more powerful than families/friends
- Rethink about KOL marketing in travel, technology, and BPC KOLs
-
- Figure 28: Difference in impact on purchase by family/friends and public accounts/bloggers on social media, May 2019
- Young female consumers are more susceptible to KOLs
-
- Figure 29: difference in impact on purchase by family/friends and public accounts/bloggers on social media, by selected age and gender, May 2019
- Fans of art and culture are target audience of KOL marketing
-
- Figure 30: Difference in impact on purchase by family/friends and public accounts/bloggers on social media, by beauty and fashion followers and art and culture followers, May 2019
Reasons to Purchase
-
- New and trustworthy are all that counts
-
- Figure 31: Purchase drivers of social media influencers, May 2019
- Trust of KOLs among young consumers
-
- Figure 32: Purchase drivers of social media influencers, By age May 2019
- Successful and intelligent are key for trustworthy
-
- Figure 33: Purchase drivers of social media influencers, by key characters of KOLs looking for, May 2019
Attitudes towards Social Media Influencers
-
- Polarised views on credibility of KOLs
-
- Figure 34: Attitudes towards trust issues of KOLs, May 2019
- Macro-influencers vs Micro-influencers – finding my own favourite
-
- Figure 35: Attitudes towards macro and micro influencers, May 2019
- Micro-influencer followers are more into non-mainstream
-
- Figure 36: Categories followed on social media, by attitudes towards micro influencers, May 2019
- Figure 37: Favourite social media platforms to follow bloggers or public accounts, by attitudes towards small KOLs, May 2019
-
- Figure 38: Agrees of the statements about trust issues of KOLs, by attitudes towards small KOLs, May 2019
- Relatedness and emotional connection – the projection of self-image
-
- Figure 39: Attitudes towards proximity of KOLs, May 2019
- Strong bond between micro-influencer followers
-
- Figure 40: Agrees of the statements about trust issues of KOLs, by attitudes towards micro influencers, May 2019
Meet the Mintropolitans
-
- Beauty, fashion, and art to engage young Mintropolitans
-
- Figure 41: Categories followed on social media, by consumer classification, May 2019
- Young Mintropolitans are more into knowledge-based social media
-
- Figure 42: Favourite social media platforms to follow bloggers or public accounts, by consumer classification, May 2019
- Professional appeals to Mintropolitans most
-
- Figure 43: Key characters of social media influencers, by consumer classification, May 2019
- KOLs are important to Mintropolitans
-
- Figure 44: Difference in impact on purchase by family/friends and public accounts/bloggers on social media, by consumer classification, May 2019
- KOLs and internet celebrities more appealing to Mintropolitans
-
- Figure 45: Attitudes towards trust issues of KOLs, by consumer classification, May 2019
- Micro influencers also appeal to Mintropolitans
-
- Figure 46: Attitudes towards macro and micro influencers, by consumer classification, May 2019
- Celebrity still inspires Mintropolitans
-
- Figure 47: Attitudes towards proximity of KOLs, by consumer classification, May 2019
- Figure 48: Purchase drivers of social media influencers, by consumer classification, May 2019
Appendix – Methodology and Abbreviations
-
- Methodology
- Abbreviations
Back to top