Our Favorite Asian Influencers: Why You Need to be in Collaboration

Asia is a vastly diverse continent full of supreme trendsetters that consistently push style boundaries and aren’t afraid to step out in extravagant, fresh off-the-runway looks. As the biggest social media market in the world, we recommend that you don’t miss out on working with Asian influencers and bloggers in your next brand collaboration. Join us in this blogpost for a sneak-peak into the world of Asian influencers.

Asia: The largest social media market

Expanding into the Asian influencer scene could be your smartest influencer marketing move this year. East and Southeast Asia rank as the #1 and #2 social media markets in the world, representing 1,5 billion users. A number like this presents a massive opportunity for brands in terms of both exposure and expansion.

Digital growth in Asia is at an ultimate high with 90 percent of people owning a smartphone, meaning nearly everyone has instant access to the world of social media and brands can tap into this ever growing customer base with influencer marketing techniques.

In countries like Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Indonesia, and South Korea, people under the age of 30 make up 30 to 50 percent of the total population. With so many active young users all connected through social media, Asian influencers are quickly becoming a lucrative business opportunity for brands looking to tap into the rising middle class.

Do crazy rich Asians = crazy huge impact?

Each country in Asia has its own approach to influencer marketing and relationship building between the influencer and the consumer. What are these differences when it come to SoMe behavior? We took a closer look.

✔ A study in Vietnam showed that 50 percent of users are influenced by the fashion choices of influencers. Even more, 60 percent are ready to learn from their life experiences.

✔ In China, influencers are referred to as Key Opinion Leaders (KOL’s) and are known to have a deep bond with their followers. As a result, they share intimate parts of their life online frequenting Chinese social media platforms such as Weibo and Wechat. Weibo alone has 431 million active monthly users. So, before you think a Chinese influencer is Micro on platforms like Instagram, be sure to check their Weibo account.

✔ If you’ve seen the movie Crazy Rich Asians you know all too well that Singapore is home to the elite influencers of the world, who post their uber-luxurious lifestyles to millions of followers.

✔ In Thailand, Facebook is certainly the primary social media platform of choice, with 70 percent of the population having a Facebook account.

It is safe to say that the trendsetters within the Asian influencer marketing space are well known, followed and certainly admired.

But, why should Asian influencers be on the radar of Scandinavian brands?

Why social media marketing in Asia is important for Scandinavian brands

Danish brands are not only expanding rapidly in Asian countries, such as Singapore and China – they’re being embraced with open arms.

Georg Jensen, a Danish luxury brand, had roughly 42 percent of their business come from Asia back in 2012, and continues to work in these market spaces. Scandinavian design is a popular commodity with the concept of “hygge” and minimalism recognized as a world-wide phenomenon.

For this reason, many Scandinavian brands might find that it’s not as difficult to break through the noise of Asian social media marketing as they might assume. Plus, there’s a whole bunch of cool and creative bloggers, influencers and trendsetters waiting to give brands a voice in this massive market.

We spoke with a Chinese and Korean Influencer to gain insight on how they use social media and what they look for when taking on a brand collaboration.

Q&A With Asian Influencers

Xinchen, a blogger from China

Web: http://januarythirty.com/

Instagram: @january.thirty
26.5k followers on Instagram

Heewon, a creative director from South Korea

Instagram: @beauhemm
51.5k followers on Instagram

What is your favorite social media platform and why?

Xinchen: My favorite one must be Instagram! I feel it’s a very open place to see the world with photos and to get inspiration.

Heewon: My favorite is Instagram. It’s what most people use, so it’s the easiest way to share my posts with everyone.

What do you think of Scandinavian brands?

Xinchen: Scandinavia has long been a symbol of simple, but it’s become more interesting and colorful now. I think we’ve definitely seen Scandinavia become an increasingly bigger part of fashion in recent years.

Heewon: Scandinavian brands are cool, simple and efficient!

I’m sure you receive a lot of partnership and work opportunities – what makes a brand interesting for you to work with?

Xinchen: It must be an interesting brand, haha. I think it’s important to have a burning desire for the brand myself, because then it’s much easier for me to use my style to show off the brand from my heart!

Heewon: The most important aspect of a brand for me is the creativity and design. I like something that is unique and efficient with a clear brand identity. I don’t really like brands that are too commercial and that lack identity.

Xinchen, what do you think makes Chinese influencers unique?

Xinchen: I think the Chinese influencers – just like the Chinese market – are growing at an incredibly fast rate, which also means they are probably changing faster than other influencer markets.

Do you think there are any misconceptions about Chinese influencers?

Hmm, I don’t really feel like there are any misconceptions about the influencers. I think the misconceptions are probably more related to China itself more so than influencers.

Heewon, what do you think makes Korean influencers unique?

Heewon: I think Korean influencers are very kind and detail oriented. Individually and visually they are not so unique but they like to share their opinions with humor.

Eager to learn more?

Find your future Asian brand ambassadors using our Influencer Network. Our international team of curators handpick relevant journalists, influencers, media outlets and more, within the fashion and design spheres. As a result, our brands are provided with the concrete lists that match their needs. Why not expand your influencer network? Read more here.

Originally from Chicago, VOCAST’s International Researcher, Agnes, is happy to call Copenhagen her home. When not curating lists or writing content, Agnes can be found socializing around town, completing her Master’s in International Business Communication or also attempting to operate her miniature sewing machine.

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