Translating fame
More and more foreign celebrities who made their name on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram have begun to make their debuts on Chinese social media and try to build popularity with Chinese netizens
Chinese management companies say online celebrities who want to earn money in China should have some knowledge of Chinese culture, a “moderate” political attitude and the ability to speak a little Chinese
Not all Chinese companies want to cooperate with foreign stars, as some are doubtful of their ability to earn cash from Chinese consumers
It seems that Jeremy Jauncey’s journey on one of China’s most popular social media platforms Sina Weibo, has not been as smooth as it was on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram where he runs the tremendously popular travel account Beautiful Destination.
As the founder and CEO of Beautiful Destination, the agency behind one of the largest travel communities on social media, Jeremy travels the world and posts photos of stunning places on his social media accounts, which reap tens of thousands of likes and have helped the accounts attract a whopping 5.2 million followers.
Although he still offers a feast for the eyes, Jeremy’s efforts in attracting more attention from Chinese netizens seem to have hit something of a traffic jam. While Jeremy has managed to win his account more than 200,000 followers on Sina Weibo, an article released on mt. sohu. com commented that “his account is filled with badly- written posts… every word seems to shout that ‘ I just want to post a selfie.”
The sohu article may have been a little sarcastic, but it also pointed out the genuine fact that more and more foreign social media celebrities have begun to appear on the Chinese Internet in an effort to win fans among its hundreds of millions of netizens.
Famous face
“They usually choose Sina Weibo as their first stop to make a name for themselves in China, considering that only a limited number of Chinese know them because you need to use a VPN to access Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube,” Janet Chen from the Shanghaibased Tophot, an incubator aimed at nurturing the next top Internet celebrities, told the Global Times.
Chen said that these online celebrities usually have professional teams which help them run their Chinese social media accounts and they seek out Chinese companies which they can cooperate with on profile- raising activities.
In May 2016, Chen’s company took on the responsibility of arranging seven days of such activities in China for social media star Park Hye- min, who is known as Pony by her Chinese fans, including attending an award ceremony held by Sina Weibo and meeting her fans.
With over 600,000 subscribers on YouTube and 3.3 million followers on Instagram, Pony is one of South Korea’s most famous beauty gurus and viewers of her posts can learn everything from how to craft the perfect smoky eye to how to make yourself up in the same way as glamorous superstars.
She saluted her fans on Sina Weibo on March 21, saying that her account on Youku, one of China’s most popular video streaming websites, had also opened and she will upload her new videos on these accounts and YouTube at the same time.
Pony’s first post was “liked” 54,533 times and received more than 13,000 comments, which may not look like a huge success, but after her debut on Chinese social media, more and more Chinese girls have started to buy the beauty products and cosmetics she uses in her videos. And she has now set up her own makeup brand, Pony Effect, to cash in on her influence.
Pony is not the only popular foreign Internet makeup artist to have done well on Sina Weibo. Alissa Violet, an American Internet sensation known for her unique makeup and sense of style who has 3.5 million followers on Instagram, appeared on Sina Weibo in August 2016 and now has more than 51,433 followers.
Laugh in any language
Aside from online fashion celebrities, those who have earned their fame by tickling funny bones on social media are also trying to see if they can crack any smiles in China.
The Eh- Bee- Family, Canadian Internet personalities who perform skits and parodies that aim to amuse the whole family, have earned themselves over a million followers on Sina Weibo to add to the two billion views their videos have received across their various social media accounts.
“I have always believed that China will become a major player in mobile Internet. Those foreign online celebrities who are willing to come China to earn money need to find a Chinese company but the threshold for companies to sign them may be high,” Lü Donglei, operation director of wanghonglaile. com, a Guangdong Province- based company that cultivates those seeking to become Internet celebrities, told the Global Times.
Foreigners who want to be a hit on Chinese social media should have some knowledge of Chinese culture, a “moderate” political attitude and the ability to speak a little Chinese. Lü Donglei operation director of wanghonglaile. com, a Guangdong Province- based company that cultivates those seeking to become Internet celebrities