China Learnings This Week

Short Video Platforms to Deal with Stricter Rating Measures

Problems with fan circles, such as irrational fan support among young fans, have become a cause of concern for Chinese politicians. Setting up a classification system for short video platforms is one of the options that has recently been offered.

‘First, we should tighten content management and allow the media to fulfil its social role,’ Chinese officials stated. Second, market restraints should be increased to aid the return to the rationality of the star-making frenzy.’

Netizens praised the move, pointing out that short videos have a significant influence on young people today, and that many videos on platforms like Kuaishou focus on attracting attention but neglect quality.

Last year, China saw certain limits come into effect when a notice was published in September 2021 forbidding TV and streaming platforms from running idol training shows – competitive reality shows that pit future stars against one other, with the victors going on to become China’s newest idols.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/8t7aaiOj0j1OhHSIwffFqA 

 

How to Make Your Brand Go Viral: Branded Mini-Movies in China

Mini movies are short cinematic pieces created for a particular product or brand. The duration is generally shorter than 30 minutes. With the advancement of new media technologies, the branded mini-movie was formed, and it has become a popular marketing tool in recent years.

The purpose of a branded mini-movie is to disseminate information in order to demonstrate the brand’s values and messaging for commercial purposes. Touch and Go, a 90-second Cadillac commercial mini-movie starring Daniel Wu and released in 2010, is credited with being China’s first branded mini-movie.

Many brands have turned to mini-movie marketing as a regular activity in recent years, and some have even developed their own mini-movies. Alibaba Pictures, for example, was launched by Alibaba in 2014.

One of the most popular mini-movies was  What is Peppa? (啥是佩奇?) video with several hundred million views across streaming media platforms and the Chinese hashtag for #WhatIsPeppa was viewed nearly 1.5 billion times on Sina Weibo soon after its release.

Link: https://daxueconsulting.com/branded-mini-movies-in-china/ 

 

Video Account Has Added Useful New Features

  1. The service menu can be added to the WeChat Channels

Recently, brands that have received certification have been able to add a “service menu” capability to their home page, allowing for a straight jump to a mini-program.

At present, several WeChat Channels have added new service menus, and different types of accounts can customize the service setup. For example, the Channel 丁香医生 has two service sections and Huawei Customer Service features six service sections for contacting customer service, store inquiries. etc.  It can more effectively reach users and improve their convenience.

  1. Paid live-streaming rooms on WeChat Channels

Previously, Tencent NBA WeChat Channel hosted first paid live broadcast room, which carried NBA regular season content. The brand can create a paid live streaming room where users can choose what they want to view.

  1. The relationship between WeCom and WeChat Channels getting closer

WeCom added an option to send, receive, and watch the WeChat Channels live broadcasts, as well as send and receive live broadcasts from customers and publish them to customers’ friends’ Moments. The current version of WeCom now supports the direct push of the channel’s business card, which helps to gain exposure of the brand and increase the number of WeChat Channels followers.

Link: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/VcPwp9lo_67PL1DG5Ck9kg