Glance across any Chinese park, restaurant or subway and it becomes quite clear that online video is one of the most popular channels in China. It is also one of the most dynamic. This is reflected by user numbers which has seen former market leader Youku-Tudou’s 325 million active monthly mobile users fall far behind market leaders Tencent Video and iQiyi with 457 million and 442 million respectively.
One of the interesting trends in online video is the paid subscribers. Whilst Chinese consumers have traditionally been used to getting much for free online (either by well-funded startups trying to acquire users or through pirated means), the masses are becoming increasingly prepared to pay for video content. A recent survey by China Netcasting Services Association found nearly 43% of online video users were paid subscribers to some form of video service – over a fifth more than last year. The main reasons are to get exclusive content and to skip advertisements. This represents the overall trend of a much-freer spending Chinese consumer who is prepared to pay a premium for things that will make their lives better.
For brands hoping to reach Chinese consumers, developing video content can be one of the richest and most engaging channels. There are a number of other possibilities for online video too – particularly for those who are prepared to spend. Advertising has long been an option, but it is about to get a lot more interesting on Tencent Video following the company’s announcement to bring together the wealth of data from its seven main business units. This will allow much deeper insights and targeted marketing – not just on Tencent Video, but WeChat and Tencent’s other apps.
As powerful as video advertising can be, KOLs can provide a more persuasive and seemingly authentic way to spread and amplify a message if done well. Although brands can drop significant budgets on KOLs, the return can be questionable on many campaigns as they don’t utilise KOLs’ channels as well as they could. Video blogging and related live streaming can be some of the most powerful channels where online influencers can bring your brand, products and services to life.
Some 470 million internet users in China follow these online influencers – 20.6% more than last year. 65.7% sought out videos with humorous and fun content from them. Videos through online ‘celebs’ can also help brands get to otherwise difficult-to-reach consumers, with 54.1% (257 million) of those followers living in third- or fourth-tier cities. Although those big name vloggers are mainly Chinese, there are a handful of Mandarin-speaking foreigners who are gathering quite a following.
A look at the formats for popular vlogs provides an insight into the overall psyche of Chinese consumers. Whereas vlogs in the West can be quite long, they are usually less than 2 minutes in China; representative of local consumers’ love of instant gratification and shorter attention spans for content. Many of these rules apply for other video formats that can be valuable in China’s market place, such as internal and B2B comms where video can be used to train staff, agents and retailers in an engaging format. Agencies such as China Skinny can ensure you maximise the online video opportunity.
On a slightly different topic, China Skinny is working with Westpac and the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai on the 2018 Westpac Australia-China Business Sentiment Survey. We’d encourage all of our readers who are Australian businesses working in, or with, China to participate in the Survey. The survey aims to provide a valuable insight into the health of the Australia-China economic relationship and provide you with a useful benchmarking tool to inform your business strategy. The collective view of Australian businesses will also help identifying areas that can be built upon and improved to assist Australian businesses in China. Click/tap here to participate in the 15-20 minute survey. We appreciate you taking the time to complete it! Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
One of the interesting trends in online video is the paid subscribers. Whilst Chinese consumers have traditionally been used to getting much for free online (either by well-funded startups trying to acquire users or through pirated means), the masses are becoming increasingly prepared to pay for video content. A recent survey by China Netcasting Services Association found nearly 43% of online video users were paid subscribers to some form of video service – over a fifth more than last year. The main reasons are to get exclusive content and to skip advertisements. This represents the overall trend of a much-freer spending Chinese consumer who is prepared to pay a premium for things that will make their lives better.
For brands hoping to reach Chinese consumers, developing video content can be one of the richest and most engaging channels. There are a number of other possibilities for online video too – particularly for those who are prepared to spend. Advertising has long been an option, but it is about to get a lot more interesting on Tencent Video following the company’s announcement to bring together the wealth of data from its seven main business units. This will allow much deeper insights and targeted marketing – not just on Tencent Video, but WeChat and Tencent’s other apps.
As powerful as video advertising can be, KOLs can provide a more persuasive and seemingly authentic way to spread and amplify a message if done well. Although brands can drop significant budgets on KOLs, the return can be questionable on many campaigns as they don’t utilise KOLs’ channels as well as they could. Video blogging and related live streaming can be some of the most powerful channels where online influencers can bring your brand, products and services to life.
Some 470 million internet users in China follow these online influencers – 20.6% more than last year. 65.7% sought out videos with humorous and fun content from them. Videos through online ‘celebs’ can also help brands get to otherwise difficult-to-reach consumers, with 54.1% (257 million) of those followers living in third- or fourth-tier cities. Although those big name vloggers are mainly Chinese, there are a handful of Mandarin-speaking foreigners who are gathering quite a following.
A look at the formats for popular vlogs provides an insight into the overall psyche of Chinese consumers. Whereas vlogs in the West can be quite long, they are usually less than 2 minutes in China; representative of local consumers’ love of instant gratification and shorter attention spans for content. Many of these rules apply for other video formats that can be valuable in China’s market place, such as internal and B2B comms where video can be used to train staff, agents and retailers in an engaging format. Agencies such as China Skinny can ensure you maximise the online video opportunity.
On a slightly different topic, China Skinny is working with Westpac and the Australian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai on the 2018 Westpac Australia-China Business Sentiment Survey. We’d encourage all of our readers who are Australian businesses working in, or with, China to participate in the Survey. The survey aims to provide a valuable insight into the health of the Australia-China economic relationship and provide you with a useful benchmarking tool to inform your business strategy. The collective view of Australian businesses will also help identifying areas that can be built upon and improved to assist Australian businesses in China. Click/tap here to participate in the 15-20 minute survey. We appreciate you taking the time to complete it! Go to Page 2 to see this week’s China news and highlights.
The post China’s Potent Marketing Channel: Online Video appeared first on China Skinny.