Chinese Influencer Marketing

China, the second-largest economy in the world, is still relatively uncharted territory for numerous foreign brands. Due to the differences between Western and Chinese social media landscapes, approaching target audiences effectively and efficiently can be a big challenge to marketers. For most established brands in China, one of the best solutions to this problem is to work with Chinese influencers.

China is a vast country that is composed of numerous markets. Hence, consumers from different regions and diverse groups do not share the same needs nor experience the same trends. Rolling out a one-size-fits-all strategy won’t be effective, and it would be expensive and time-consuming to create individual strategies that are tailored for each sub-market. For that reason, collaborating with KOLs who regularly communicate with their followers helps brands reach their target audience more quickly and easily.

In fact, according to the 2019 Unlock the Full Potential of Social Media Marketing in China Report, 81% of brands interviewed in China responded that they would continue to concentrate on social media marketing. 80% indicated they would increase their collaboration with influencers in terms of promoting their brands or products because they believe in the Return on Investment (ROI) of influencer marketing. China is estimated to spend $8 billion on Instagram influencers alone.

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The Best Tools and Resources to Master Japan’s Market for Non-Japanese Speakers

The third-largest economy in the world, Japan, is a fascinating country rich in history and culture. It leads in the development of cutting-edge technology while honoring its traditions. Japan continues to be the high-tech powerhouse economy of Asia, with a gross domestic product (GDP) of 49187.80 US dollars in 2019. Based on the report by Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the country’s GDP only grew at an annualized rate of 0.7 percent from August 2019- August 2020partly because of the Coronavirus 2019. This data means that Japan continues to expand and grow in a number of impressive statistics in spite of the pandemic.

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What’s Christmas and New Year’s Eve to the Japanese?

As another year goes by, people residing in Japan are once again faced with the two largest annual events – Christmas and New Year — which are celebrated in an entirely different way by the average Japanese family.

This article will discuss how the Japanese view Christmas and New Year, as well as the traditions they usually follow during these holidays.

Have Yourself a Merry Japanese Christmas


In Japan, Christmas is the season for friends and couples to enjoy parties, make plans to meet up for dinner, and celebrate as much as they can. On the other hand, New Year is the time when all members of the family gather together, visit the temple, and welcome the first day of January with food and drinks.

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Korean Influencer Marketing

One of the biggest marketing trends in this age of digitalization rides on the prevalence of social media influencers. Thanks to the accessibility of social media, these influencers are not only exclusive to celebrities. With the right content and audience, literally anyone can have a huge, loyal fanbase with just as much influence as a Hollywood celebrity – and maybe even more.

As people become accustomed to the use of technology in their daily lives, they also become more particular with the products and services they want. Additionally, the constant influx of online content further shortens their attention spans. Brands must now take on the challenge of creating content that stands out and communicates on a personal level with their target audience. With the right social media influencer, brands can effectively deliver the value of their campaigns and achieve fantastic results.

In South Korea, businesses have quickly integrated this trend into their social media campaigns. The country places third for the largest social media penetration rate in the world at 87%. With the younger generation spending more time on social media platforms, the Korean online landscape can definitely offer vital insights into the unique function and power of influencer marketing.

This article will discuss the status of influencer marketing in Korea, particularly its most popular social media platforms and influencers, and ways on how to reach them.

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Line Marketing in Japan

Since its introduction in 2011, LINE has grown to become the most popular messaging app in various Asian countries, such as Thailand, Indonesia, Korea, and Japan. Especially in Japan, LINE has become so ingrained into the culture that it is also the most popular social networking service (SNS) that functions as a multi-functional, lifestyle platform. Within the app is a multitude of features users can enjoy, spanning from games, group video, hardware digital assistants, and even taxi and delivery services.

LINE is a strong marketing tool for businesses looking to advertise to the Japanese market. With its 84 million monthly active users (MAUs) in the country, it can reach a wider range of users compared to other SNS platforms. Additionally, the app has shown steady and consistent increase in its user base over the years. Paired with the right strategies, brands can drive the right kind of traffic that converts to more sales and leads.

With this, digital marketers should heavily invest in advertising on LINE if they are looking to penetrate a huge part of the Japanese digital sphere.

This article will discuss in detail the scale of the dominance of LINE in Japan, its various features, and the best ways for brands to optimize them in their digital marketing strategies.

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Japanese Millennials and the Growth of the Digital Market in Japan

When it comes to marketing, millennials are a generation that should definitely not be ignored. As one of the largest generations worldwide, they overtook the baby boomers in numbers by mid-2019.

In Japan, the ‘Yutori’ (millennial) generation is considered to be those born after 1987 and before 1997 give or take. In 2020 alone, millennials globally were estimated to spend more than $1.4 trillion and they are expected to spend approximately $10 trillion in their lifetimes.

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The social media evolution and prediction for Japan

The social media landscape in Japan is extremely diverse, ranging from business-orientated apps to recreational and socializing applications that facilitate vast audiences globally.

Japanese social media has somewhat changed over the past couple of years and continues to do so.

This dynamic movement in technological advances has led to the rise of the digital era, also understood to be ‘The Chaos Theory’.

This theory emphasizes the evolution, unpredictability and nonlinear nature of the digital world we live in.

In order to acclimatize and adapt to this digital evolution, we need to consider the various platforms that these applications operate on.

The most utilized social media platforms in the Japanese industry are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Line.

In order to utilize these platforms effectively, you need to understand the nature thereof.

Thus when one considers the relevancy and effectiveness of these online spaces in the industry, their statistics indicated their reason for being.

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Instagram in Japan

Instagram has had an incredible impact in the social media game for a while now, and I think the trend will continue for many years more.

This app’s popularity is huge all over the world and Asia is the fastest growing region at the moment.

It is without a doubt currently one of the most recognizable apps with nearly 1 billion monthly active users, granting it to be positioned as one of the most impactful and valuable brands worth almost 41.5 billion dollars according to BrandZ Top 100 ranking!

The Facebook-owned photo-sharing platform also almost doubled in value in 2020, rising 95 percent year-on-year to become the fastest-rising brand on the list.

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Omnichannel Marketing in Japan

The late but rapid rise of e-commerce has caused many to predict the slow decline of traditional bricks and mortar stores across Japan.

This rise of ecommerce is set to continue, with JapanConsuming, an online publication devoted to the Japanese retail industry, predicting that the percentage of retail sales will rise from 9% to 23% by 2023.

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