Banned in China but Instagram the key to reaching its luxury shoppers, experts say
- You might need a VPN to view Instagram in China but wealthy shoppers, especially those who have studied abroad, are still inspired by the platform
- While some international brands have learned how to target Chinese Instagram users abroad, many of them fail to continue marketing to them once they return home
On paper, Instagram should be a nonentity in China – as popular as Donald Trump or cheese in a can.
Not only is the social media platform banned by the Chinese government, but Chinese platforms have proliferated in the vacuum created by the shutdown of most American-owned social media sites in the country, gaining millions of followers by bringing together all the best attributes of Silicon Valley but for a local audience.
This is why many international brands understandably fail to market their wares to Chinese customers on Instagram, choosing instead to work with KOLs (key opinion leaders) on Chinese platforms such as Weibo, WeChat or Little Red Book.
But what sounds logical could be a major mistake, as Instagram has risen to prominence in the last few years to become one of the best marketing tools in China, with a waiting audience consisting of some of the richest, most sophisticated customers in the country.
“Most international brands tend to isolate China as an independent ecosystem due to the Great Firewall,” explains Charlie Gu, a marketing consultant based between Shanghai and San Francisco, referring to China’s online censorship system. “But Chinese consumers are more mobile and more global than many brands realise. Despite being restricted in China, Instagram still has approximately 4 million monthly active users from the mainland – and as a result, I really believe Instagram is a missed opportunity for many Western brands.”