2025亚洲网红营销研究报告（英文）-

2025

INFLUENCERMARKETINGINASIA

ABOUTTHISREPORT

Aug2025

INFLUENCERMARKETINGINASIA

Asialeadsafundamentalshiftinconsumerbehavior,withsocialcommerceemergingasakeypathway-andcoremodeofmarketingforbrands.Withinthissocialcommerceecosystem,influencersrepresentnotjustanothermarketingchannelbutaretheconnectivetissuethatbindthesystemtogether.

UnlikeWesternmarketsconstrainedbytraditionalmediaandlegacyshoppinghabits,mostAsianmarketshavealreadyembracedsocialcommerceasakeypathway.EnthusiasmforsocialcommerceandinfluencersishowevermixedinAsia.

WhileChinaleadsandisfollowedbygrowthmarkets(suchaslndia,lndonesia,Philippines),Japanisattheotherendofthespectrum-andhasverylowenthusiasmfornewdigitalroutines(itisinmanyways,lessprogressivethantheUSandEU).

SocialcommerceIsdefiningcharacteristicisitscommunity-drivennature,wherepurchasedecisionsemergefromauthentic,collaborativeinteractionsratherthanadvertisinginterruption.Consumersincreasinglyseekgenuineconnectionsandpeervalidationthroughouttheirpurchasejourney,fundamentallyalteringbrandengagementstrategies.

Successfulbrandsmustmovebeyondsearchandmarketplace(ecommerceplatform)biasesandonfunnelfixationswhichprioritizeemotionlesstransactions.lnstead,theymustembeddeeplywithincommunities,buildinggenuinerelationshipsandrallyingcommunitiesaroundkeybrandmomentswheretrustnaturallyconvertstopurchaseintent.Thismirrorspolitical

campaigningmorethantraditionalretail-brandsmustcultivateengagementandorchestratemomentumtowarddecisivebrandmoments(suchasevents,livestreamsandothermemorableactivities).

Demandformarketingsolutionsthatsimultaneouslyaddressbrandbuildingandperformancewithconstrainedbudgetsaresettorisefurtherastheeconomyremainsslow.lnthiscontext,influencersarelike"silverbullets"-deliveringmultiple

marketingoutcomesconcurrentlywhileoptimizingcostefficiency.Theconditionsarerightforincreasedinfluencer

investment,asbrandsdiscoverthesepartnershipscandeliverauthenticstorytelling,communityengagement,anddirectconversionwithinasingleintegratedapproach.

DespiteAsiaIssocialcommerceleadership,influencerinvestmentsremainssignificantlybelowwhatwewouldexpecttobeoptimallevels.Forinstance,toachieveparitywiththeUSIs6.8%shareofsocialcommerce,Asianinvestmentintoinfluencerswouldhavetoincreasenearlytenfold-from$6billioncurrentlyto$54billion.

Asplatformtrust,productquality,anduserexperienceimprove,audienceswillmorefullyembracesocialcommerceand

influencermarketingasanewmodeformarketing.Organizationsinvestingnowingenuinecommunityrelationshipsand

influencerpartnershipswillestablishcompoundingcompetitiveadvantages,whilethosedelayingriskfallingbehind.FallingbehindinAsia’sdynamic,future-forwardmarketsiseasytodo(Chinaservesasagoodexampleofthis).

ChrisBaker

Founder,Totem

OURAPPROACHTOCREATINGTHISREPORT

ThisreportlooksintoatthedepthanddetailofinfluencermarketingacrossAsia,coveringsevenmarkets;China,India,Japan,SouthKorea,Philippines,ThailandandIndonesia.

InfluencermarketinghasbeenalargepartofTotem’swork,fromwhenwestartedbackin2014.Wehaveseenthepracticegrowfrombeingasecondarytool,toamainstayofthemarketingplaybook-particularlyinChina.Movinginto2025/26andbeyond,webelieveinfluencermarketingisprimedtoshiftfurtherintothelimelightacrossAsia.

ThisreportfollowsupontheanalysisandthinkingTotemoutlinedinits2024reportonglobal

“RiseofSocial

Commerce,”

soreadersareencouragedtoreadbothreportstogether-asawayofputtinginfluencermarketingincontext.

ThankstoAyazAkhtarandtheteamatRakutenInsight

Globalfortheirprofoundcontributionstothisreport.

The

consumersurveyof3,813peopleacrosssevencountries(by

RakutenInsight)formsthecoreofthisreport,andprovided

theevidence,insightsforkeyquestions.Theconsumersurvey

coupledwithTotem’ssurveyofregionalbrandleadersis

aimedatprovidingacomprehensiveviewontrends.

CONTENTS

1

OVERVIEW

5WHYINFLUENCERS,WHYNOW

9INFLUENCERSXSOCIALCOMMERCE

2

SURVEYHIGHLIGHTS

14METHODOLOGY

15ENTHUSIASMMAPPING

16CHANNELS

20INFLUENCERS:SIZE,PROFILE

21CATEGORYINSIGHTS

3

10KEYLEARNINGS

25STATUSMATTERS

27NICHE-DOWN,SCALE-UP

29COUNTRIESVARYGREATLY

32MARKETPLACESSURGE

34KOLSMOVETHEFLYWHEEL

37AFFILIATEFEESCOUNT

4

LIVESTREAMCOMMERCE

39CONSUMERINSIGHTS

44BRAND&MEDIASTRATEGIES

5

DEMOGRAPHICS&MARKETS

48GENZAREDRIVINGCHANGE

55COUNTRYCOMPARISONS

OVERVIEW

5WHYINFLUENCERS,WHYNOW

9INFLUENCERSXSOCIALCOMMERCE

1

OVERVIEW

INFLUENCER

MARKETINGINASIA

WHYAREWEFOCUSEDONTHISRIGHTNOW?

INFLUENCERMARKETINGINASIA

INFLUENCERSASSILVERBULLETS

BRANDSARETURNINGTOINFLUENCERSTOSOLVEANARRAYOFISSUESIN2025

InfluencerscontinuetobeamainstayoftheAsiamarketingplaybook.Andinthecurrentcontextwherebrandsarelookingtodrivegainsthrough

socialcommerce,boostDTCwithprivatetrafficandbecomemorecosteffective(eg.cuttingagency,productionandmediabudgets),influencers

willbeviewedas‘silverbullets’capableofachievingmultiplegoalsconcurrently.Whethertheinfluencerisbeingaskedtohelpconvertasaleor

produceabrandvideo,thereisauniqueefficiencythatcomesfromcombining(withoneresource);anexistingaudienceoffollowers,theabilityto

influenceandimproveconsideration,theabilitytocreatecontent,withthepotentialtoachievebreak-throughresults(eitherfromviral/organic

reachorfromsalesconversion).

INFLUENCERMARKETINGINASIA

WHYITMATTERSIN2025

ThereasonsweareresearchinginfluencermarketinginAsia.Whyit’simportantforbrandsin2025.

BUDGETEFFICIENCY

Brandslooktogetbudgetefficiencies,

combiningcreative(PGC&UGCcontent),

media/reachtoaudiences,andimproved

consideration/salesimpact.

MEDIAVERSATILITY&SCALE

Influencersoperateacrosschannelsand

allowbrandstoshiftmediabudgetsaway

frommediaownerstoKOLs…whilegetting

MCN(‘multi-channelnetwork’)effects.

CONTENT&BRANDLOCALIZATION

Theyallowglobalbrands(withHQ’soutside

theregion)tosub-outthecreationof

brandedcontentandrespondmorequickly

andefficientlytolocalizationneeds.

SOCIAL&LIVESELLING

Withtheongoingshiftstosocialcommerce

andlivecommerce,brandsarelookingto

takeadvantageofpotentialgainsfrom

influencer/affiliatesales.

BYTHENUMBERS

INFLUENCERMARKETING

BILLION(USD)

Globalinfluencermarketingspendin2025,accordingtoStatista.

35.6%

39.3

Thegrowthratebetween2024and

2025,forglobalspendingoninfluencer

marketing.PerMarketingHub,s2024InfluencerReport

THEGROWTH,PROMISEANDPOTENTIALOFINFLUENCER

MARKETINGINASIA.

2.5X

Salesvaluesonsocialcommercechannelswillhavegrownby2.5Xbetween2021and2025accordingtoAccenture.

PER$1.00SPENDBasedonresearchfromConvince&Convert

InfluencermarketingspendROIoutpaces

searchads($4-5/dollarspent)andsocialads.

$6.50

OfconsumersinAsiahavewatchedalivestreamfromabrandorinfluencer.46%ofAsia’sGenZhaveboughtfromalivestreamsale.

86%

INFLUENCERSDRIVESOCIALCOMMERCE

INFLUENCERSAREAMAJORCONTRIBUTORTOTHEGROWTHOFSOCIALCOMMERCE.

LESSONSFROMCHINASUGGESTTHATSOCIAL

COMMERCEWILLCONTINUETOEXPANDRAPIDLY

ACROSSMOSTOFASIA.INFLUENCERMARKETING

SHOULDFOLLOWTHEGROWTHOFSOCIALCOMMERCEANDPLATFORM(MARKETPLACE)EXPANSION.

Influencerspendingasashareofoverallsocialcommerceand

livestreamrevenueisstillverylow-particularlyinAsia.Influencer

spendintheUSisa6.8%shareofthe$80Billioninsocialcommerce

GMV.InAsia,influencerspendisonly0.75%ofthe$800BillioninsocialcommerceGMV.Toreachthe6.8%leveloftheUS,influencerspendinAsiawouldhavetoriseto$54Billion(anearly10xincrease).

2025MARKETVALUES;INFLUENCERSPEND,LIVESTREAM,SOCIALCOMMERCE

(Billions,USD)

AsiaUS

5.5

InfluencerSpendLivestreamCommerceSocialCommerce

Sources:MordorIntelligence,PrecedenceResearch

SOCIALCOMMERCEREVENUEPROJECTIONS(GLOBALVSUSA)

(Billions,USD)

GlobalUSA

By2025,socialcommercewill

accountfor17%ofallglobal

1,085

ecommercespending.

997

ThevastmajorityofglobalsocialcommerceGMVisfromChina.

908

821

699

570

141

117

129

90

75

105

2023

2025

2024

2027

2028

2026

Source:Statista2024,Accenture

Influencersoperateacrosschannels,

providingacriticallinkbetweenbrandsandaudiences-elevatingtheconnection

beyondindividualmedia,forumsandchats.

25yearsago,itwaseditorsandexpertswhohelpedreview,model/demoandinspire

notionsaboutwhattobuy,whattotry,

wheretogo…andoffercluesaboutimage,statusandstyle.Thatrolehas(almost)

completelybeenpassedovertoinfluencers,bloggers,andKOLsin2025.

InfluencersareactiveacrossallchannelsinAsia,frommarketplaces,tosocialmedia,fromlivestreamstomessengers.InAsia,

largeinfluencersknownasMCNs(multi-channelnetworks),provideomni-presentaccesstoaudiencesacrossanincrediblyfragmentedmedialandscape.

Itisbecauseoftheseattributesthat

influencersarecriticaltoolsintheAsia

marketingplaybook…andareacentralforceinthe‘socialcommerce’modeofmarketing.

Fromabrandperformancepointofview,

influencersareessentialfordrivingsales

results.Theyhaveacriticalrolein

kickstartingthe‘SocialCommerceFlywheel’andinachievinglastingmomentum.

INFLUENCERSMOVETHEFLYWHEEL

Influencersarethefgrease’thatkeepthe“SocialCommerceFlywheel”spinning.Theyalsocanbefsparks’thathelpignitenewvelocity

(activity)whenmomentumslows.Influencerscanbeappliedtactically(sometimesbluntly)tokeygoals,helpingbrandsrallycustomersbetweeneachstagealongpath(s)-to-purchase.

NativeCheck-OutonSocialPlatform

(eg.LINE)

Livestream,Group-SaleonSocialApp

(Eg.TikTok)

WWW

Deep-LinkfromSocialSitetoBrandSite

(Eg.Instagram)

SHOPPEE

Deep-LinkfromSocialSitetoPlatform

(eg.Facebook-Shoppee)

BeingAccessibleWhen/WhereConsumersWanttoBuy

CONVERSIONOFBUYINGIMPULSE

SALESCOMMUNITY

LeveragePost-PurchaseExcitement/Sentiment

Post-purchasereviews,ratingsandrecommendations

UGC(UserGeneratedContent)

(Eg.Un-boxingvideos)

AffiliateandInfluencer-Supported

SalesNetworks

Product&BrandSearch

CONVERSION

$

Check-OutWordofMouth

THESOCIALCOMMERCEFLYWHEEL

SOCIALASTHEPLACEWHEREACHECK-

OUTTAKESPLACEON-SITE-ORWHERE

SOCIALACTSASJUMPING-OFFPOINT,WITH

DIRECTLINKTOAPOINT-OF-SALE.

V

SOCIALASTHEPLACEWHEREDISCOVERY,

OCCURS,CONSIDERATIONGROWSANDA

DECISIONISMADE-ALLINFLUENCEDBY

COMMUNITIES(TRIBES)OFINTEREST.

DiscoveryEngagement

CONSIDERATION

Socialdiscussiongroups(‘privatetraffic’)

(Eg.WeChat,Kakao…)

Affiliate,referralcodes,

incentivesforuser-get-user

Groupsaleswithtiereddiscounts

(eg.Pinduoduo)

UGCcontent,referralsandothertoolstobuildconsideration

EncouragingGroupDynamicsLeadingtoSale

CONSIDERATIONACCELERATION

BuildAffinityBetweenBrand/Consumer

Identifyingwithaninterestgroup

(tribe/community)

ContentandExperiences

(inc.video,livestream,AR/VR,games)

Brand-ConsumerCo-createdproducts(Eg.ConsumertoManufacturer(C2M)

Brandsbuildassociationsw/customers(Eg.Collabsw/events,brands,celebs)

SURVEYHIGHLIGHTS

14METHODOLOGY

15ENTHUSIASMMAPPING

16CHANNELS

20INFLUENCERS:SIZE,PROFILE

21CATEGORYINSIGHTS

2

SURVEY&RESEARCH

SURVEYRESULT

HIGHLIGHTS

ASIAINFLUENCERSURVEYS

METHODOLOGY

WithanticipatedincreasesinsocialcommerceandinfluencermarketingacrossAsiafor

2025/26,Totemsoughttobetterunderstandcurrentperceptionsandusageacrosskey

marketsintheregion.Thehighlightofthisreportisthecomprehensivereviewof

consumersacrossAsia(n=3,813)-surveyresultsprovidedbyRakutenInsightGlobal.

BRANDSURVEY

ThebrandsurveywasconductedinJuly2025byTotem:

TotalSampleSize(n=):54

Theprofileofbrand-siderespondentisthatofasenior(MarketingDirector,CMO),covering

multipleregions/countriesacrosstheregion.

Therespondentscoveredarangeofindustries

including;fashion,beauty,gaming,travel,autoandelectronics.

CONSUMERSURVEY

3,3

TheconsumersurveywasconductedinJuly2025byRakutenInsightGlobal,coveringthefollowinggroupsacrossAsia:

TotalSampleSize(n=):3,813

SevenCountriesCovered:China,Japan,S.Korea,Indonesia,Philippines,Thailand,India

GenderAim50:50:1,848female,1,965male

GenZ(16-28yrs)=25%

Millennials(29-44yrs)=25%GenX(45-60yrs)=25%

Boomers(61-79yrs)=25%

SurveyDataBy:

SOCIALCOMMERCE(INFLUENCER)ENTHUSIASM

EnthusiasmforsocialcommerceandinfluencersvarieswidelyacrossAsia.Wefindsomemarketsandcategorieswhicharecenteredaroundmorebasicchannels,whileothersembraceawiderangeofactivitiesandmixthoseactivitiesinnovel,innovativeways.Thevaryinglevelsofenthusiasmintheregionarearesultof;(1)consumer

habits,routinesandculture,(2)sophisticationofmarketingtactics,and(3)thechannelsavailablepermarket.

TikTokisamajordriverofenthusiasmatacountry/marketlevel.InmarketswhereTikTokisestablishedandfullyfunctional(has“shops”),enthusiasmishigher.InmarketswhereTikTokislimited(Japan&S.Korea)orbanned(India),socialandinfluencerenthusiasmisnotablylower.

AutoTravelGamingSportsGearMovies,MusicElectronicsF&BBeautyFashion

CATEGORIES

ENTHUSIASM

ENTHUSIASM

LOW

HIGH

Websites

LiveCommerce

MarketplacesSocialChannelsMessengerSocialP2PSelling

MorePragmatic,

MoreStatic

MoreFun,

MoreStatusSeeking

SOCIALCOMMERCECHANNELS/ACTIVITIES

S.KOREA

CHINA

INDONESIA

JAPAN

INDIA

THAILAND

O

PHILIPPINES

拿

MARKETS

AVE.

TikTokShoptolaunchin2025

TikTokbannedin2020

TikTokShoptolaunchin2025

Douyin(2016)

isthetemplate

forgrowth.

TikTokShopsince2022

TikTokShopsince2022

TikTokShop

pausedin2023

Re-enteredthru

Tokopedia

TikTok’srevolutionaryapproachtobundlinginfluencers,livecommerce,

contentandshopsispushingsocialcommerceforward-mostnotablyin

marketswhereitisfullyfunctional.

CHANNELPREFERENCES

PERCENTOFPEOPLEWHO’VEUSEDTHESECHANNELS

“Whichofthefollowingdoyouhaveexperiencewith?”

MARKETPLACESARESTILLTHECENTEROFDIGITALACTIVITYACROSSASIA.

GENZCONSUMERSHINTATTHEFACTTHATYOUNGERNETIZENSAREDRIFTING

TOWARDSOTHERCHANNELSAND

ACTIVITIES,WITHSOCIALCOMMERCE

PRIMEDTOBETHENEXTMAJORMODEOFCONSUMERENGAGEMENT.

In

Totem’s2024reportonSocialCommerce

,wechartedtheshifttakingplacefrom“search”asthedominantmodeof

marketing,tosocialcommerce.Asiaisleadingthischange.

OnlineMarketplace

BrandWebsite

SpecialtySites/Apps

SocialMediaChannels

MessagingApps

Influencers

Affiliates

LivestreamSelling

SellingtoOthers

CONSUMERS

GenZ

Asia(All)

PERCENTOFPEOPLEWHOHAVEEXPERIENCEWITH

RakutenInsightGlobalxTotemSurvey,Jun,25(n=3,813)

BRANDSARE(RIGHTLY)INVESTINGINTOMARKETPLACEGROWTH,WITHPLANNEDBUDGETINCREASESFOR

ECOMMERCEPLATFORMADS.80%OFBRANDSSURVEYEDHAVEPLANNED

FORINCREASESINMARKETPLACEADS.

INFLUENCERRANKSECOND,WITH74%OFBRANDSPLANNINGINCREASED

INVESTMENTS.

SOCIALMEDIAADSANDSPONSORSHIPSARENEXTONTHERANKING,BOTH

BEINGSUPPORTIVEOFAN

ACCELERATIONINSOCIALCOMMERCE

ROUTINES.

EcommerceMarketplaceAds

Influencers

SocialMediaAds

Sponsorship

DigitalDisplayAds

SearchMarketing

OOH

TVAds

VerticalMediaChannels

B

BRANDS

HOWDOYOUPLANONADJUSTINGYOURBRAND’SINVESTMENTSINTHECOMING18MO?

DecreaseNoChangeIncrease

Source:TotemMedia“Brand”SurveyonInfluencersn=54

COMMERCEPREFERENCES

WHENITCOMESTOCOMPLETINGASALE(CONVERSION),

MARKETPLACESREIGNSUPREMEACROSSASIA-WITHALLAGE

GROUPS,ACROSSALLMARKETS.

INFLUENCERSPLAYASMALLROLEINFINALCONVERSION.THEYARENOT

ADESTINATIONUNTOTHEMSELVES,BUTINSTEADPLAYAKEYROLEIN

GETTINGCUSTOMERSWHERE

BRANDSWANTTHEMTOCONVERT-SUCHASONAMARKETPLACEP.O.S.,AWEBSITEORASOCIALCHANNEL.

Whileinfluencersoperateacross-platformsasMCNs(Multi-ChannelNetworks),andhelpdelivertraffictobrands’favoreddestinations,theyarealsoveryactivewithin(andaspartof)ecommercemarketplaces.

AlmostallecommerceplatformsinAsia(aswellassocialcommercesiteslikeTikTok)havesystemsforinfluencersandaffiliates.Wethereforeview

marketplaceoperationsashavingheavy,native-levelsupportfrominfluencers.

OnlineMarketplace

SpecialtySites/Apps

BrandWebsite

SocialMediaChannels

MessagingApps

Influencers

TOPCHANNELSFORONLINEPURCHASES(AVE.ASIA,ALLGROUPS)

“Pleaserankthefollowingchannelsintheorderofwhichyoumostoftenpurchasefromonline”

CONSUMERS

GenZ

ASIA

RakutenInsightGlobalxTotemSurvey,Jun,25(n=3,813)

ROLEOFINFLUENCERS

BRANDSB

RATETHEIMPORTANCEOFTHEROLEINFLUENCERSPLAYINEACHOFYOURMARKETINGGOAL?

BRANDSUSEINFLUENCERSAS

FLEXIBLE,VERSATILE‘TOOLS,’

HELPINGTOACCELERATE

CONSUMERINTERESTATALLSTAGESOFTHEFUNNEL(ORFLYWHEEL).

BRANDSCURRENTLYFOCUS

INFLUENCERSTOWARDMORETOP-OF-FUNNELGOALS(AWARENESS).

THEREMAYBEADDITIONALGAINS

TOBEHADWITHINFLUENCERSIN

SUPPORTINGCONVERSION(SUCHASWITHINFLUENCERLIVESTREAMS).

PERHAPSTHEBIGGESTOVERSIGHTISWITHNOTUSINGINFLUENCERS

MOREFORPOST-PURCHASE

REVIEWS.

SupportNewAwareness

(Discovery)

ImproveConsideration

Conversion&Sales

(eg.Affiliate)

Post-purchaseReviews

NotRelevantMinimalImportantKeyRole

Source:TotemMedia“Brand”SurveyonInfluencersn=54

INFLUENCERSIZE/PROFILE

WHILECONSUMERSMIGHTPREFERAFINALNODOFAPPROVALFROMA

FRIENDORFAMILYMEMBER,ITISTHELARGERINFLUENCERSTHATCAN

BESTHELPBOOSTAWARENESSANDCONSIDERATION.

FROMTHECONSUMERPOINTOF

VIEW,THEREISACLEARBIAS

TOWARDSLARGERINFLUENCERS.

THISCOULDSIMPLYBEAQUESTIONOFRECALLINGLARGER

INFLUENCERS(SURVEYBIAS)BUTINTHEWORLDOFMARKETING,

MEMORY&RECALLAREHALFTHE

BATTLE.

INFLUENCERMARKETINGNEEDSTO

BESETAGAINSTTHECONTEXTOF

STATUSGAINS.AND,STATUSSCALESINFAVOROFLARGERKOLS.

Celebrities

MegaInfluencers

MacroInfluencers

MicroInfluencers

NanoInfluencers

INFLUENCERS’IMPACTONPURCHASEDECISION

CONSUMERS

“Pleaseratetheimpacteachtypeofinfluencershaveonyourpurchasedecisions”

n%ofnegativew%ofneutralm%ofpositive

RakutenInsightGlobalxTotemSurvey,Jun,25(n=3,813)

GENZDRIVINGCHANGE

FASHION,BEAUTYANDF&BLEADTHE

WAYINTERMSOFINFLUENCER-LINKED-SALES.

GENZOUTPACETHEAVERAGESACROSSALMOSTALLCATEGORIES.

TOPTHREECATEGORIESFORINFLUENCERSALES

1

Fashion

2

Beauty

3

F&B

Categoriesthatleadthewayintermsofinfluencer

(affiliate)salesalsotypicallyleadinlivestreamselling.

Eachofthesecategorieshavesomecommon

characteristics,in;(1)beinglow-involvement-quick,

emotionaldecisionswhichdontrequiredeepevaluations,(2)statusandstylematter,and(3)therearestrong

incentives(commissions)forinfluencersinreselling.

INFLUENCERS’IMPACTONDIFFERENTPRODUCTS

“Whichcategoriesofproductshaveyoupurchasedbecauseitwasrecommendedbyaninfluencerorcelebrity?”

Fashion

Beauty

Food&Beverage

Electronics/Appliances

Movies,Music&OtherOnlineContent

VideoGames

SportsGear

Travel

Cars(auto)

None

CONSUMERS

GenZASIA

RakutenInsightGlobalxTotemSurvey,Jun,25(Asia:n=3,813,GenZn=935)

10KEYLEARNINGS

25STATUSMATTERS

27NICHE-DOWN,SCALE-UP

29COUNTRIESVARYGREATLY

32MARKETPLACESSURGE

34KOLSMOVETHEFLYWHEEL

37AFFILIATEFEESCOUNT

3

INFLUENCERMARKETING

KEYLEARNINGS

10

INFLUENCERMARKETING

10KEYLEARNINGS

Keyissuesandinsightsforbrandsuccess,relatedtoinfluencermarketinginAsia.

1.STATUSMATTERS2.NICHE-DOWN3.CHINASETSTHETREND4.DIGITALENTHUSIASM?5.MARKETPLACESSURGE

6.LIVESTREAMTIDERISING7.KOLSMOVETHEFLYWHEEL8.SOCIALPROOF>HYPE9.EVERYONEBUYS&SELLS10.AFFILIATEFEESCOUNT

10LEARNINGS&INSIGHTS

1.STATUSMATTERSINSOCIAL

Statushierarchymatters.Largerinfluencersconfer

greaterstatusandareviewedasworthyoffollowing.

Thisrunscountertothecurrenttrendofbrandstappingsmaller,microinfluencers(movingawayfromlargerones).Customerspreferinfluencersofclear,high-status.

Asoursurveyhasshown,consumersview‘larger’

influencersasmoreimpactful.Thelargertheinfluencer,themorethestatustheyconfertofollowers-thegreaterthe‘aspirationaleffect.’Oursurveysshowthatthereisamorethat2xpreference/impactfrommega-influencers(65%positive)overnano-influencers(31%positive).

Thisisstatusand‘aspirationaleffect’isfurtherillustratedfrom‘thereasonstobuyfrominfluencer’wherethetopthreemotivationswererelatedto‘seeingtheproduct

modeled’(aspiration,envisioning),‘trustingthemto

presentqualityproducts(statustransfer,assurance),and‘filteringproductsclosetomyinterest’(fitsmyvisionoffuture,realizedself).

Statusandconcernsforffittingin,areparticularlystronginAsia.

RepeatedresearchshowthatmostAsiancustomershave;

(1)strongerintereststofit-in,and(2)checkmoresourcespriortomakingapurchase.

REASONSTOBUYFROMINFLUENCERS(ASIAAVE.)

Gottoseetheproductdemo/modeledTrustthemtopresentqualityproductsHelpsmefindproductsthatIlike

Trusttheyareofferingagooddeal

Givesmeagoodstoryforfriends MakesmefeelclosertotheinfluencerMakesmefeelmoreapartofacommunity

Givesme‘cred,

Influencermarketingisadelicatedanceofstatus.Customersfollowanuanced(andmostly)unobservedprocessofstatus

assessmentwhenitcomestofollowinginfluencers…andin-turntherecommendationstheyfollowfrominfluencersabout

whattobuy…andhowthosepurchasesfittheirstatusgoals.Itsanendlessprocessofstatusappraisalandsignaling.

RakutenInsightGlobalxTotemSurvey,Jun,25(Asia:n=3,813,GenZn=935)

STATUSMATTERSINSOCIAL

STATUSEFFECTSWITHONLINEINFLUENCERS

Thereissomethingcounterintuitiveaboutinfluencersasstatussymbols.Theactofbeinganinfluencerlacksthe

subtletyanddetachmentofwhatwewouldimaginetobetypicalofahighstatusindividual.Atypicalhighstatus

Individualwouldrarelygraspforattentionandrecognitioninthewaythatmostonlineinfluencersdo.

Inouranalysisofinfluencers,celebritiesand‘mega-

influencers’rankhighest,whilesmall(KOCs)oftenrank

higherthanmedium-influencersinthestatusappraisalsofconsumers-it’sanS-Curvedistribution.

Thelogicisthatlargerinfluencersdonothavetoworkashardforattention,andconfergreaterstatusthanmediuminfluencerswhogenerallyworkhardertogetrecognition.

Attheotherendofthescale,smallinfluencersoftenhold

andconfergreaterstatusthanmediuminfluencers.AswehavefoundinChina,small“KOC’s”areoftentheleaders

amongsttheirpeergroupandthereforeholdrelativelyhighstatus(andtrust)withinsmallnichegroups.

WHICHINFLUENCERSTOUSE,WHENTOUSETHEM

Brandsthatwanttomakequickimpactshouldworkwithwithcelebritiesandlargeinfluencerstocreateacombinedeffectofstatusandscale.

Mediuminfluencerscanbebestusedtobuildscaleinmoreblunteffortstosaturateachanneloracommunity-ifthepriceisright.

KOCfsandsmallinfluencerscanbewellusedtocreatebottom-upsupportfordecision-making-particularlywithinnichecommunities,interestgroups..Mostcustomerslookatreviewsandratingsof

peoplefclosertothem’assignalsoftrust.

Mainstream(General)

Community(Niche)

THESTATUSS-CURVEFORINFLUENCERMARKETING

Mappingstatuseffectsbetweenlarge,mediumandsmallinfluencers

StatusEffects&Amplitude

LowerStatus

Rising,fallingmedium

KOLsmayhavestrong

reach(following)but

tendtoconferless

statuseffects.

LargerInfluencers

Havelessimpact

withniche

communities,as

they’reseenas

beingtoo

mainstream.

Nano-Influencers

Smallinfluencers

withoutstrong

communityvalueoffer

theloweststatus

PeakStatus

Occurswithlegit

leaders,celebritieswho

havequalityoffline

(IRL)status.

KOCs

KeyOpinionConsumers

whoareleadersinpeer&

interestgroupscanoffer

strongstatuseffects.

effect.

SizeofInfluencerCelebrityMega-InfluencersMediumInfluencersSmallInfluencers

10LEARNINGS&INSIGHTS

2.NICHE-DOWNTOSCALE-UP

Whilelargerinfluencersarefavoredoversmalleronesin

general-amongmainstreamaudiences-mostbrandsarenotgeneral(mass)enoughtotrulybenefitfromthecost/scaletradeoffsofworkingwiththelargest(higheststatus,highestpriced)influencers.

Mostbrandsshouldinstead‘niche-down’intocategoriesandcultureswheretheycanaffordtocompetefor

ownershipofacommunity.Intechcirclesthisstrategyof‘owningaculture/community’wouldbecalledproduct-marketfit.

Intheworldofinfluencermarketingandsocialcommercebrandsshouldaimforstrongalignmentbetween;(1)a

brand’s‘heroproduct,’(2)anichecategory/cultural

communityand(3)theinfluencersthathavethemostrelevantfitbetweenthetwo.

“Ownershipofacategory/culture”requiresaninvestmentbutismorelikelytopayareoccurringdividendtothe

brandthanworkingwithmassKOLs.Affinity,memoryandgoodwillcountforalotwhenitcomestobranding.

Very,veryfewbrandsshouldbet