November 13, 2018
Mr Bags instagram post sponsored by Grazia. Image credit: Mr Bags
HONG KONG – While social media and digital forms of advertising are becoming a more integrated part of luxury brand’s strategies, traditional media still plays a part in the West.
In Asia, social influencers are even more important than in Western culture, because of consumers’ distrust of brands and reliance on peers and influencers, said the chief strategy officer at Launchmetrics. In a discussion at the New York Times International Luxury Conference on Nov. 13, he explained how platforms such as WeChat and Weibo soar in China, as these consumers seek an increasingly integrated life.
Influencers in China
Asia’s social commerce offerings and consumer adoption are significantly higher than those in Western societies.
Consumers leverage WeChat and similar applications to take care of almost all of their interactions throughout the day, including personal conversations and retail tasks.
By targeting influencers, brands are able to tap a group of consumers who are already looking to buy. Users often follow influencers in special niches looking for inspiration.
A Chinese influencer
Luxury brands experimenting with WeChat's commerce model rose from 3 percent to 10 percent from the year-ago, suggesting that the sector is beginning to have better understanding of the Chinese commercial ecosystem.
L2’s Digital IQ Index China: Luxury 2017 report looked at different luxury brands and how they are performing in the Chinese market. What the report found was that familiarity with China’s unique digital platforms leads to better performance, particularly when engaging with Chinese influencers on social media (see story).
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