Lu Han, Yang Mi: Chinese celebrities who make lots of money from social media
Many stars, including actors, singers and internet personalities, use their fame to sell their own products online, not unlike social influencers in the West
From pop idols to wanghong – a phrase used to refer to internet celebrities – China’s most popular influencers share one thing in common: they’re raking in a lot of money.
The online celebrity economy was projected to be worth around 58 billion yuan (US$8.4 billion) in 2016, according to data company CBNData. That made the sector more valuable than the domestic film industry, which brought in 45.7 billion yuan in revenues during the same year.
Among the most popular of those celebrities is actor-singer Lu Han, a former member of South Korean-Chinese pop group EXO, who has appeared in commercials endorsing everything from luxury Cartier accessories to flavoured milk from local dairy brand Yili.
Actress Yang Mi, with more than 77 million fans on social media platform Weibo, is another bankable name who works with brands such as Estée Lauder and Michael Kors. Regarded as a fashion icon, Yang is also often referred to as a daihuo nüwang – queen of driving sales – for her ability to spark fashion trends based on the designer goods she wears.
Those endorsements contributed to Lu and Yang being ranked in the top three on the 2017 edition of Forbes China's list of celebrities in the country, based on earnings and popularity. Lu reportedly made 210 million yuan in the 12 months up to the end of June 2017. Yang earned 200 million yuan over the same period.
Recognisable names include internet personalities who might have less of a following online, but possess the ability to connect with niche audiences. Papi Jiang, known for her comedic video blogs, has appeared in a commercial for watchmaker Jaeger LeCoultre.
Others have shifted from endorsing brands to starting their own labels. Model-turned-entrepreneur Zhang Dayi runs one of the most popular Chinese shops on Alibaba Group’s Taobao online marketplace. Zhang reportedly earned 300 million yuan from her various business ventures, according to the BBC. Alibaba, the world’s biggest e-commerce company, is the owner of the South China Morning Pos t.
From July to September, more than 400 million users searched for products linked to celebrities on Taobao, according to Ali Data.