Mixed messaging: State broadcaster CCTV running ads on Instagram despite service being blocked in China
Hails campaign as a success in reaching 3.7m Chinese expats in US alone, as more Chinese companies venture overseas
State broadcaster CCTV and other Chinese companies are now advertising on photo-sharing service Instagram, which is blocked on the mainland, to promote themselves to international audiences.
CCTV launched a series of 15-second video clips on the site to position itself as a “source of world news from a Chinese perspective” for 3.7 million Chinese expats living in the US, according to a press release issued by Instagram.
“Instagram advertising allowed us to reach our target audience at scale in the US,” said Zhang Shilei, CCTV’s head of multimedia global operations.
“By producing video content specifically for the platform that showcased the breadth and quality of our news programming, we can truly engage the English-speaking youth community on mobile.”
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Many of the most popular international social media, news and even search sites are banned in China, including Instagram’s parent Facebook, Twitter, The New York Times and Google.