Updated July 2015:
A brief overview of some of the new, up-and-coming social media sites in China.
The two biggest platforms - WeChat & Weibo - get most of the attention in discussions about social media in China. There is however a growing number of important supporting players, representing the next wave of social.
We have prepared short introductions to a few that we think are interesting ...the sites/apps that we use in managing social media campaigns for brands in China:
- Douban
- Nice
- Lofter
- Momo
- Maimai
- Tantan
- Zhihu
- Meipai
- Papa
- Demohour
- Meilishuo
- Guokr
- Baidu Tieba
- Baidu Baike
In Travel:
- Daizhe
- Chanyouji
- Bread trip
- Qyer
And, included from our report in 2014:
- Weishi
- Nian
- Pianke
- Jue-so
- P1
2. The problem to be solved.
About this presentation
- Papa
- MoMo
- TanTan
- Zhihu
- QYER
- Baidu Tieba
- Baidu Baike
- Meilishuo
- Demohour
- Douban
- Nice
- Lofter
- Meipai
- Daizhe
- MaiMai
- Guokr
- BreadTrip
- Chanyouji
the two biggest platforms - wechat & Weibo - get most of
the attention in discussions on social in china, for good
reason as they are the most powerful mass channels for
brands.
there is however a growing number of important supporting
players, representing the next wave of social. we have
prepared short introductions to a few that we think are
interesting for brand marketers (as of July 2015);
This is not intended to be a comprehensive list of all social sites but, rather, a list of those we have
been working with and believe are useful in marketing efforts in China.
5. Total social media users top 550m
2007-2014 social media (monthly) unique visitors
Source: iResearch
100
200
300
400
500
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
88%penetration
000,000
Us: 67%
2014
600
6. Social media
Online video
Top activities across all devices
Time Spent Online
ecommerce
News
other
5%
5%
search
games
28%
26%
18%
9%
8%
26.1
online per week
hours
85.8% mobile
70.8% Desktop
43.2% laptop
Source:CNNIC, China Internet Development Report
(Jan 2015)
12. WeChat
“WhatsApp-like” instant messaging app owned by
Tencent, includes features similar to Facebook
Messenger, and integrated ecommerce functions.
Launch Date: January, 2011
Registered Users: 600 million (Updated Jan 2014)
MAU: 549 million (Updated Mar 2015)
Audience Profile:
- Mobile savvy mass
Purpose of Usage:
- Private social networking between friends
- Instant messaging
- Branded accounts for sharing content & loyalty
- E-commerce: online shopping, group-purchase,
gifts, movie tickets, dining payments, taxi
reservation, lucky money, etc…
Message list Discover My Wallet
Source: WeChat Performance Report Q1, 2015
13. Weibo
Twitter-like micro blog in China for info sharing and
communication among all Chinese.
Launch Date: August, 2009
Registered Users: 249 million (Updated Dec 2014)
MAU: 198 million (Updated Mar 2015)
DAU: 89 million+ (Updated Mar 2015)
Audience Profile:
- T1-T3 and generally educated mass
Purpose of Usage:
- Open, social networking, similar to Twitter
- Trends, news, memes shared in realtime
- Key functions: follow, repost, comment, like &
private messages
- Desktop & mobile
- Branded accounts for sharing announcements
and content with audiences
- Fully trackable data through API
Mobile App
Source: Sina Financial Report Q1, 2013/ Q2, 2014
http://glxcb.cn/news/guonei/201505/c_154574.html
14. Douban
One of China’s longest serving social networks,
Douban is very focused on “interest based” social
and communities related to arts, music, books and
films.
Launch Date: March, 2005
Registered Users: 75 million (Updated Sept 2013)
Daily PV: 210 million (Updated Sept 2013)
MUV:200 million (Updated Sept 2013)
Audience Profile:
- Creative and art lovers
- Most professional entertainment critics
- Creators and passionate lifestyle gurus
Purpose of Usage:
- Douban FM for personalised music
- Douban Movie for film intro, review, and ticket
purchase
- Douban Reading for digital reading service
- Douban Music for music sharing and
recommendation
- Douban Location for offline activities
- Douban Group for offline gatherings of like-minded
people Douban Reading Douban Film
Source: http://www.ifanr.com/news/372844
15. Nice
An Instagram-like app for photo editing and
sharing. Allows users to add tags, filters and
stickers. It has quickly gained traction with young,
fashion conscious users.
Launch Date: Oct, 2013
Registered Users: 12 million (Updated in Dec 2014)
MAU: 1.2 million (Updated in Dec 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Female vs. male ratio: 70% vs. 30%
- Young audiences who are interested in fashion,
lifestyle, photography
Purpose of Usage:
- “Tag your life”
- Photo editing and sharing
- Find friends & groups based on same interest
- Discover and curate individual style/design
Tag function Groups
Source: Nice Internal Report Q4, 2014
Stickers & Filters
16. LOFTER
A light blog tool focused on simple, high-quality,
and original posts, supported by a large number of
talented content creators (photographers, artists,
etc), including a number of celebrities.
Launch Date: Aug, 2011
Registered Users: 10 million (Updated in April 2015)
DPV: 30 million (Updated in April 2015)
DUV: 2.7million (Updated in April 2015)
Audience Profile:
- 18-30 years old
- Have purchasing power
- Photographer, painters, lifestyle lovers, travelers
- People who love art, culture, etc
Purpose of Usage:
- Record your life
- Create images, design & curate around topics
- Discover high-quality original content from
talented people who have the same interests
with you
Themes Personal Page
Source: LOFTER Internal Report, 2015
17. Meipai
Video sharing app (similar to “Vine”) to create, edit
and share short videos. Owned/operated by Meitu.
Launch Date: May, 2014
Registered Users: 100 million (Updated in Jan 2015)
MAU: 30 million (Updated in Jan 2015)
DAU: 5 million (Updated in Jan 2015)
Audience Profile:
- Post-90s in 1st & 2nd tier cities
- Popular with young parents (videos of kids)
Purpose of Usage:
- Capturing and creating short videos
- Make music videos with filter effects and
background music
Popular FriendsExplore
Source: http://tech.163.com/15/0123/10/AGKUVBNR000915BF.html
18. Papa
An audio focused social application for sharing
stories, ideas, music (Instagram x Sound Cloud).
Launch Date: Oct, 2012
Registered Users: 30 million (Updated in Early 2014)
MAU: 7 million (Updated in Aug 2013)
Audience Profile:
- Post-90s in 1st & 2nd tier city
- Love vocal expression
Purpose of Usage:
- Take pictures & record voice notes
- Story telling, life recording
- Sharing with friends on other social platforms
Homepage MessagesDiscover
Source: http://news.pedaily.cn/201406/20140628367857.shtml
http://soft.zol.com.cn/394/3947175.html
19. MOMO
Originally similar to WeChat, Momo started as a
WhatsApp-like messaging app. It has evolved into
more of a location-based friend finding (and dating)
application.
Launch Date: Aug, 2011
Registered Users: 180 million (Updated in Sep 2014)
MAU: 78.1 million (Updated in March 2015)
DAU: 25.5 million (Updated in Sep 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Female vs. male ratio: 30% vs. 70%
- 82% are between 19-32 years old
- Young, creative people who like discovering new
things & making new friends
Purpose of Usage:
- Send image/video/audio to others in your area
- Discover the world around you based on your
location in real-time
- Explore neighbourhoods, join or start community
groups and create your own group events
LBS based Activities Groups
Source: http://tech.qq.com/a/20141108/005209.htm
http://finance.ifeng.com/a/20150519/13715744_0.shtml
Discover
20. Tantan
A Tinder-like location based social app for young
people to make friends with others based on
location and common interests.
Launch Date: Aug, 2014
Registered Users: 2 million (Updated in June 2015)
Audience Profile:
- Mainly focused on 19-24 years old
- Young, creative people who like discovering
new things & making new friends
Purpose of Usage:
- Enlarge your social circles based on interest
- Find the best match for you based on your
location
Homepage Matched pairsPersonal setting
Source: http://tech.qq.com/a/20150604/021792.htm
21. Zhihu
China’s biggest Q&A social networking platform
(Quora-like) - focused on topics related to
Advertising, Entrepreneurialism, IT, and other
professional businesses.
Launch Date: January, 2011
Registered Users: 17million (Updated Mar 2015)
MUU: 88 million (Updated Mar 2015)
MUV: 100 million (Updated Mar 2015)
MAU: 60 million (Updated Dec 2014)
MPV: 250 million (Updated Mar 2015)
Audience Profile:
- Internet & IT industry professionals
- Knowledgable and thorough on facts
- Students and well educated adults
Purpose of Usage:
- Key functions: User Q&A
- Build professional reputation in topic areas…
top answers voted up, recognized by
community
- Summarize excellent answers for each
question, like “Wikipedia” Zhihu App Zhihu Daily
Source: http://4g.zol.com.cn/512/5123669.html
http://cn.technode.com/post/2015-03-20/zhihu/
http://www.aliyun.com/zixun/content/2_6_146793.html
22. Baidutieba
Online BBS - covering a wide variety of topics/
interests (entertainment, travel, business,
sports…).
Launch Date: Dec, 2006
Registered Users: 1.5 billion (Updated in July 2015)
MAU: 300 million (Updated in July 2014)
Theme Bar: 8.2 million (Updated in July 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Mass audiences in their 20s-30s
- It claims itself as the “biggest online community
in China”
Purpose of Usage:
- Posts organised by various interest/categories
- Create, follow, & contribute to posts you like
- Brand station for online communication with
users
Theme Bar Verified Brand Bar
Source: Baidu Internal Report, 2015
http://www.hihuadu.com/2015/07/09/contradictions-in-the-
baidu-post-bar-will-bring-the-desired-future-28515.html
23. Baidubaike
Wikipedia-like online platform. An online
encyclopedia for Chinese info in all areas, updated
by users/experts.
Launch Date: April, 2006
Registered Users: 1 billion (Updated in Early 2014)
MAU: 300 million (Updated in Early 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Mass audiences in their 20s-30s
Purpose of Usage:
- Online encyclopedia edited & updated by
netizens
- Provide definitional information
- Info sharing, likes & favorite
Vocabulary Entry Create an Entry
Source: Baidu Internal Report, 2014
24. Meilishuo
Female fashion & shopping sharing community -
originally designed on Pinterest model. It’s grown into
a full shopping guide & social E-commerce platform.
Launch Date: Nov, 2009
Registered Users: 100 million+ (Updated in Aug 2014)
DAU: 10 million+ (Updated in Aug 2014)
Audience Profile:
- 18-35 years old
- 70% are post 85s & post 90s
- Female fashionistas in 1st & 2nd tier cities
- Have a good taste for fashion trends, skincare…
Purpose of Usage:
- Social shopping experience
- Online shopping guide
- Sharing fashion trends & clothing matching
experience
- Follow others for more fashion info
APP: Homepage Personal Homepage
Source: http://www.comon.cn/html/2014/interview_0901/1345.html
http://www.ebrun.com/20140822/108250.shtml
APP: Search Page
25. DemoHour
It started as a Kickstarter-like crowd “funding” site,
but has changed to focus on pre-sales of new
innovative products.
Launch Date: May, 2011
Registered Users: 5 million (Updated in Aug 2014)
Audience Profile:
- 18~30 years old
- Higher education background
- Interested in high-tech products
Purpose of Usage:
- Announcement of new products and details
- Updates on product research & development
- Limited pre-sales of new innovative products
- Help to build early-stage brand awareness
Product Recommendation Product Page
Source: http://www.tmtpost.com/126766.html
26. Maimai
A community for people to build up career social
networks, sharing job opportunities and working
experience. Users can connect with successful
people and interact with them in a similar way as
LinkedIn.
Launch Date: Oct, 2013
Registered Users: 5 million+ (Updated in April 2015)
DAU: 680,000 (Updated in April 2015)
Audience Profile:
- Living in first-tier cities
- Higher education background
- Working at internet, IT, financial, and consulting
industries
Purpose of Usage:
- Expand professional networks
- Search for job opportunities
- Share experiences with people in/across
industries
- Solve business problems with MaiMai business
consultants
Homepage Gossip sharing Job opportunities
Source: http://www.csdn.net/article/a/2015-04-10/15820778
脉脉
27. Guokr
Tech-themed social website aiming at youth tech
talents with IT, science, innovation content.
Launch Date: Nov, 2003
Monthly Unique Visitors (PC):
63 million (Updated in Feb 2014)
Daily Page Visitors:
4 million (Updated in June 2014)
Mobile Users: 5.5 million+ (Updated in Feb 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Urban tech enthusiasts
- Sci-fi lovers
- Startups and digital/mobile professionals
- Well educated young adults
Purpose of Usage:
- Follow tech themes & groups
- Read and share interesting content
- Raise questions, or provide reliable answers
Guokr Group MOOC
Source: Guokr Internal Report, 2014
29. Itinerary sharing
Ratings & Reviews
Reviews (Q&A)
Purchase
buy
CONSIDER
EVALUATE
AWARENESS
ADVOCATE
ENJOY
BOND
Source: Totem Media 2014
Social Ecosystem - Travel
And overseas engagement
30. DAIZHE
Daizhe allows global travel operators to launch
experiences to the community and have the
community of KOLs apply for opportunities to
travel and report on the experience - providing
unique content and promotion for the destinations
featured on site.
Launch Date: Nov, 2013
Registered Users (PC):
300,000 (Updated in July 2015)
Audience Profile:
- 25-40 years old, white collar, international
- Young people who love travel, culture and art
Purpose of Usage:
- Brands launch experiences ...KOLs apply & are
selected based on record of work,
demographics and ability to represent the
experience
- Community takes notes on the trips, share and
recommend travel experiences, providing travel
guidelines to other users on where and how to
travel DAIZHE community Homepage
Source: Daizhe Internal Report, 2015
31. Chanyouji
Social platform for sharing itineraries, suggestions
and other notes for travel between users who
have been to locations/places.
Launch Date: May, 2012
App (ios) Downloads:
300,000 (Updated in June 2013)
Audience Profile:
- Travel and photography lovers
- Post 80s/90s
Purpose of Usage:
- Travel itinerary with photos and notes of beautiful
activities during trips
- Share and recommend content
- Provide travel guidelines to other users
Itinerary Record
Source: http://www.csdn.net/article/2013-06-27/2816030-chanyouji-
wangyishan-interview
32. Breadtrip
Travel notes and itinerary recording social platform.
Launch Date: May, 2012
Active Users: 30 million+ (Updated in Dec 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Young Backpackers
- Post 85s - 90s
- Idealist and artistic
Purpose of Usage:
- Documenting your trips through photos and
captions
- Share and recommend content
- Create your own travel itinerary
- Provide travel guidelines to other users
Itinerary Record Food Recommends
Source: http://tech.qq.com/a/20141221/020518.htm
33. QYER
Information, tips and discount for inbound/outbound
tourism from China.
Launch Date: Feb, 2002
Registered Users: 10 million+ (Updated in June 2014)
App Downloads: 10 million (Updated in June 2014)
Monthly Page Visitors:
6 million+ (Updated in June 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Young travellers, mainly students
- Travellers with limited budgets
Purpose of Usage:
- Documenting your trips through photos and
captions
- Share and recommend content
- Provide travel guidelines to other users
- Tickets & accommodation booking with discount
Guidebook UGC Travel Plans
Source: http://www.15yan.com/topic/ke-ji-de-wen-yi-fan-er/
hsIURH2RAv0/
34. contact us
Chris Baker, Managing Director
Email: chris@totemmedia.net
Twitter/WeChat: Talktototem
totem media
36. Weishi
Vine-like “8-second” short video sharing
community owned by Tencent.
Launch Date: Sept, 2013
Registered Users: 24 million (Updated in Early 2014)
MAU: 8 million (Updated in Early 2014)
Audience Profile:
- Youth with higher education background
- 18-29 years old
- Young parents
Purpose of Usage:
- Shoot short video with background music, mv
effect, watermark…
- Sharing fun and happiness with friends on other
social media platforms
Homepage ChannelsPopular
Source: Weishi Internal Report, March 2014
37. Nian
A site for personal goal setting and achievement
(ie. losing weight, doing a trip around the world…
etc). Users write a daily diary and share with
supporters & friends to help achieve goals.
Launch Date: Sept., 2013
Registered Users: 109,900 (Updated in Aug 2014)
Average Daily IP: 21,000 (Updated in Aug 2013)
Audience Profile:
- Youth with higher education background
- Idealist and passionate about travel and
discovery
Purpose of Usage:
- Update everyday or account will be disabled
- Remind people to persist in ideals
- Post pictures and articles or update status of
dreams and ideals
Discover
Source: http://nian.so/; Company Internal Report, 2013
38. Pianke
Story creation, listening and sharing. Pianke is
focused on inspiring crowd-creation of stories.
Launch Date: Oct 2012
Registered Users: 0.1 million (Updated in May 2013)
Average Daily IP: 12,000 (Updated in Sept 2013)
Audience Profile:
- Artistic youth and culture lovers
- Post - 90s
Purpose of Usage:
- Write & share
- Find inspiration
- Listen to articles with music uploaded by other
users
Ting Page
Writing Page Ting Page
Source: http://cn.technode.com/post/2013-05-21/40051293687/;
Company Internal Report, 2013
39. Jue
Kickstarter-like China crowd-funding online social
platform for artistic and creative projects.
Launch Date: July, 2011
Registered Users: 80,000 (Updated in Mar 2014)
Daily PV: 200,000 (Updated in Sept 2013)
Audience Profile:
- Culture and art lovers
- Real appreciation to the hand crafted works
Purpose of Usage:
- Raise money
- Sell products
- Share ideas and hand-made products
- Find business opportunities
Campaign Page
Source: Jue Internal Report, 2014
40. P1.cn
Invitation only social network for affluent young
urbanites (in BJ, SH…) focused on fashion &
events.
Launch Date: October, 2007
Registered Users: 3 million+ (Updated in Nov 2013)
Audience Profile:
- Young, urban professionals (19-30yrs)
- Party goers and lifestyle gurus
Purpose of Usage:
- Build private and real networking
- Share lifestyle, common values and interests
- Key functions: (membership can only be invited)
- Post articles and photos, response to others
- Participate in events
Street Style Guide Events Gallery
Source: http://cn.technode.com/post/2013-11-05/p1-com/