One of the fastest-growing luxury markets in the world today is China. Millions of affluent young men and women are using their disposable income to purchase a wide range of high-end goods. While online marketers try to position their luxury brands in front of this group of highly connected consumers, there is one major roadblock to contend with: the Great Firewall of China, which blocks most Western-based social media websites, including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.
Sina Weibo: China's Twitter
So how does a social media guru work in such a landscape? Simple. By using local platforms that exist behind the Great Firewall, a luxury brand can still make an impact. On September 9, the L2 Clinic: China hosted a trio of speakers that spoke on how to do just this.
Sam Flemming of CiC, a leading social business intelligence provider in China, described the country’s social media landscape as “dynamic” and cited the Chinese microblogging site Sina Weibo as an example of how quickly a platform can change: “There were more changes on Sina Weibo in the last five months than there were on Twitter in the last five years,” he said. The rapid changes that occur within the Chinese social media landscape is enough to make any marketer’s head spin. However, he emphasized that many young Chinese still use online message boards to talk about specific luxury brands. Because these boards are often easier to navigate than other social media platforms, market researchers who use them may have an easier time “listening” in and analyzing trending brands.
China's dizzying social media landscape
After you understand what brands young people are talking about, how do you actually build a marketing campaign? Rand Han of Resonance China, a social media digital agency, says that unlike in the United States where the social media traffic is largely confined to Facebook, China has dozens of different social media sites that target certain demographics. “Some sites are designed for smaller cities and rural populations; other sites are designed toward older, affluent city dwellers; Renren [China’s Facebook equivalent] targets the youth market.” Not surprisingly, then, creating multiple marketing campaigns around several demographics is a key factor in creating a successful social marketing strategy in China.
Another key factor is focusing on live engagement, said former Facebook executive Net Jacobsson. Jacobsson, a board member of P1.cn, a Chinese social network for “exceptional people,” said that his site is so exclusive that they often work with brands to create membership events. “Professional photographers at a particular event will take pictures of people and if they have the right look, they will invite them in, allowing them the ability to earn access to exclusive brands.”