Benefit re-enters Tmall with a new brand ambassador
Benefit, a cosmetic brand owned by LVMH, is re-launching on Tmall. The brand quit Tmall after half a year of operation in 2012. The brand simultaneously announced that Yang Zi—an actress in the hit Chinese show “Ode to Joy”—is their new brand ambassador. She is also the first ambassador for Benefit since the company entered into the Chinese market 10 years ago.
Mr. Ji Liang reveals the high price he has to pay as one of China’s top KOLs
“Being a full-time blogger is a 24/7 job; we don’t have time to eat or sleep, not to mention take vacations,” said Mr. Ji Liang, the KOL also known as Mr. Kira, in an interview with China Europe International Business school. He was speaking on the realities of being a top KOL. “As a media veteran,” he said, “I took a lot of time to craft meaningful content, often relating clothing to history, society and culture.” According to the investment company Exane BNP Pariba’s report, Mr. Ji Liang—who has 2 million Weibo followers—was named one of China’s top five fashion bloggers. Previously, he was the creative director for the women’s fashion and lifestyle platform onlylady.com.
Papi Jiang at Cannes film festival. Photo: VCG
Papi Jiang joins paid Q&A forum offering practical tips for Chinese millennials
In addition to being China’s No.1 sarcastic web star, China’s youngest philanthropist, a self-proclaimed ShengNu, Papi Jiang has one more label now: community leader at a Chinese paid Q&A forum. Traditional community leaders on this platform are medical and financial experts as well as sociology PhDs. Unique to Papi Jiang though is that her column invites many KOLs to discuss marriage, their careers, and women’s issues.
This is seen as Papi Jiang’s transition from a comedian to a more serious social commentator. Previously, her online videos have attracted investments amounting to RMB 12 million (USD$1.8 million). Her appearance in an advertising campaign for Swiss watchmaker Jaeger LeCoultre stirred up controversy with critics saying her mass-market image doesn’t fit the luxury brand.
Guo Jingming. Photo: VCG.
Guo Jingming appeared in a promotional campaign for his upcoming TV show ‘Our Boyhood’
Guo Jingming’s new TV series “Our boyhood,” starring Chinese boyband TF Boys launched its promotional campaign in Beijing this week. Guo, a post-80s Chinese fiction writer rose to fame after winning a prestigious writing competition back in the 2000s. He has since published more than 10 books and a handful of his latest works have been adapted into movies and TV shows. His later works, including the trilogy “Tiny Times,” have inspired debate in China about the ways people should view and consume luxury goods.
Some criticized him for promoting materialistic lifestyles to teenagers because the characters in his books are often wearing luxury brands including Gucci, Prada, and Hermes. Nonetheless, Guo remains a luxury icon and one of the highest-earning film directors and writers in China.
