Gogoboi spent a month wearing outfits matching Pokémon characters. Yao Chen — China’s answer to Angelina Jolie — hangs out with refugees. Papi Jiang swears way too much.
Meet China’s key opinion leaders (KOLs). Like America’s YouTube stars, they are a diverse bunch who range from the girl next door to renowned actors. They boast millions of followers — 80m in actress Yao Chen’s case — and some have, like their US peers, come badly unstuck. But in one respect they have trumped the celebrities of the west: monetising their lives.
“More than any other country, [KOLs] have taken the lead to be a true media vehicle,” says Greg Paull, principal of R3, a global marketing consultancy. “Much like you would use a TV campaign or other promotion, most marketers in China have a KOL strategy.”