The power of KOLs in Chinese Social Media

Maybelline leveraged celebrity and KOL power to sell 10,000 lipstick products in just two hours. They used the star power of Angelababy as well as army of internet KOLS to create buzz, but importantly gave local consumers a chance to participate in the frenzy.

On the video sharing app Meipai, Maybelline promoted a live internet stream of Angelababy and internet celebrities – known locally as “internet reds” – trying and choosing new lipstick products from Maybelline.  The show is called “Make it Happen”, and was loosely themed around the announcement that Angelababy would become the brand’s ambassador China.

As different celebrities tried and talked about the new lipstick products, consumers could comment on the content via a live message-board with Meipai.  Also within the interactive interface, there was a direct link embedded in the video stream, that directed consumers to the Tmall site of Maybelline, where they could purchase the products for themselves.

To create further engagement, participating celebrities and KOLs used VR headsets to record their experiences, which they then posted on their own Meipai accounts.

To aggregate their VR experiences of the celebrities, Maybelline created a special HTML5 page within their WeChat account keeping all interest on their brand and new product.

This is how you sell a shedload of lipstick in just two hours in China.