There is some debate about whether KOLs and influencers are the same thing and, for the most part, they are. But there is one key difference between a key opinion leader and an influencer. Where influencers operate online, making their name and wielding their influence on social media, KOLs are the “go-to” people for their subject of expertise and operate both online on social platforms as well as in traditional media. As a result of heavy censorship by the Chinese state, citizens have become heavily sceptical of traditional media and depend very much on their social networks for reviews and recommendations for products and services. This has created a booming online marketing industry, with more than 70% of Chinese Generation Z consumers buying products directly via social media. As a result, the KOL economy in the country has grown to an estimated US$8.6 billion. In the absence of social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram, which are banned in China, KOLs use platforms like WeChat (the more evolved equivalent of WhatsApp) and Weibo, social networking service Douban and video platform Douyin – known as TikTok in the US. That said, many businesses are looking for agencies and platforms that help them find KOLs that match their marketing goals, and who can run a KOL campaign and reach their target market.
10 Chinese KOL Agencies and Platforms To Power Your Growth In Asia:
What gives ParkLU’s service an edge is that it was built by KOLs and marketers who wanted to make it easier for marketers to connect with influencers. They are thus 100% focused on curating top-quality influencers on China’s key social platforms. To date, global brands such as Unilever, Movado and the NBA have used the platform to engage KOLs in China in highly successful campaigns. The agency has been featured in The New York Times, Forbes, TechNode and others for their work in the industry. Antipodal Talent are known for being pioneers in video streaming in China after managing the only foreign talent union on Chinese live streaming network Huajiao, currently the most popular network in the country. All the influencers they represent have some level of experience with live streaming. The agency has a list of Internet celebrities who work in fashion, technology, entertainment, legal and marketing industries that clients can browse through and choose from. The agency also offers a service that designs a custom campaign for businesses who sign up to make sure they find KOLs that will help the business hit all their strategic goals and matches resources. This includes picking the best platform to launch content on in the best geographical locations, and developing a campaign message. Myprad collects all types of influencer resources and helps marketers select the accounts they prefer and establish a connection with them quickly based on reading volume, likes, reposts and labels. The agency aims to improve efficiency and reduce the cost for marketers by solving problems like information asymmetry, slow response and high price when they look for KOLs. It has worked with various big brands such as Tencent, Alibaba, China Unicom, JD and Wanda Group. The site is primarily in Mandarin and is therefore easier to access for Chinese brands and businesses looking for influencers. Based on this automated KOL profiling, the platform designs KOL campaigns that match the subject, including content creation and reposts by KOLs on social media and inviting KOLs to attend offline events for promotion. Robin8 has profiled over 30 million influencers and executed over 900 influencer campaigns. Global brands such as Starbucks, Porsche, Unilever and JD Finance count among its clients. It also launched the Profile Management EcoSystem (PMES) which is part of the PUT cryptocurrency economy and is the world’s first blockchain ecommerce marketplace and social media platform. They activate global influencer marketing campaigns on YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Musical.ly, Weibo, WeChat and more, reverse engineering from their client’s preferred outcome to make informed decisions about which influencers and platforms best capture the target audience’s attention. They do influencer marketing, creative, video production and content distribution Their clients include Pepsi, Huawei and Red Bull. Out of Toutiao, Toutiao KOL was born as the biggest Chinese resource platform. It brings together hundreds of the most influential KOLs covering all major industries, from grassroots to official media, from movie entertainment to parenting, with a cumulative impact on more than 10 million fans. KOL store is the product of Micro Dreams which is a one-stop service provider of integrated marketing solutions on mobile devices in China. Founded in 2011, its mother company Weimeng Media provides advertisers with strategic consulting, creative planning, technology development, data mining, media procurement and other services and thus comes with a wealth of experience in the advertising industry. KOL store has built a self-media (independently operated social media accounts) value index called KolRank by analyzing data on social influence and self-media advertising transactions. It has collected and analyzed over 200 000 self-media accounts with high comprehensive strengths to show their communication, brand and investment value. Based in Taipei, the agency has huge amounts of KOL data and its website allows for quick keyword searches so that marketers can accurately locate the target area and professional categories to make the fastest and most efficient choice of selecting KOLs. AsiaKOL’s selling point is that they shorten the intermediate process by promoting the early proposal and effective implementation of the needs of both clients and KOLs. Its super handy AIE (Asia Influencer Evaluation) System, allows AsiaKOL to analyze the public opinion influence of the KOLs in its database, which helps businesses to select the most suitable KOLs. If you can’t find what you’re looking for by searching the site, you can fill out a manuscript form and AsiaKOL will generate a list of influencers that might be suitable for your business. AsiaKOL displays the influence and appeal of KOLs’ work and gives them maximum exposure, making it a win-win for businesses and influencers. Some of their biggest clients include Estee Lauder Taiwan, L’Oreal Taiwan and Nestle Taiwan. Aside from offering a variety of language-based services, including translation, proofreading, interpreting, and copywriting services in over 40 different language pairs, they also specialize in the use of KOL influencers in China. With access to more than 20 000 influencers on more than 12 China-only social media platforms Hi-Com helps brands identify which KOLs are most suitable to their product and budget. The agency executes the entire campaign end-to-end, working closely with influencers, copywriters and marketers while taking into account businesses’ specific requirements and KPIs. They also handle all contract and negotiation processes, copyright issues and image releases.
