Who are China’s biggest stars? R3’s celebrity index uses data to find out

This article was originally written by Yiling Pan for Jing Daily

Finding the right celebrity can be a shortcut to improved sales for luxury brands in China, as a majority of consumers still regard celebrities as “lifestyle” role models. But for marketers, the process of finding the right candidates, having them sign contracts, and collaborating with them on endorsed campaigns can be a headache for a number of reasons.

First of all, the celebrity industry in China is much less transparent than its more mature counterparts in Europe and North America. China also has fewer top-tier celebrities than top-tier brands, which means that well-established luxury players sometimes have to settle for sharing an ambassador with a lesser brand, despite the fact that they are paying high fees. Take Tang Yan, a Chinese actress who has over 73 million followers on Weibo. Each part of her body has been claimed by a luxury fashion label. She is brand ambassador for the luxury shoemaker Roger Vivier, spokesperson for the luxury leather and accessory label Bally, and a close friend of the French high-fashion brand Chloe. Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Chloe’s creative director, even designed a wedding gown for Tang last November.

But an increasing number of luxury brands have failed to distinguish between influence and popularity when choosing an ambassador, and that has led to problems with celebrity strategies. A celebrity’s popularity does not necessarily translate into influence, and that’s part of the reason why some luxury brands’ endorsement campaigns were met with a backlash online.

Because of the continued importance of celebrity strategy, Jing Daily, an online publication with a focus on China’s luxury market, partnered with global consultancy R3 to present a monthly snapshot of China’s most influential celebrities on China’s most important social media platforms. The R3 Celebrity Index aims to reveal the real stories behind the mystifying yet powerful social media influence of today’s Chinese celebrities.

Methodology 

The following ranking of 20 top celebrity influencers in March is calculated using data from Weibo’s Fan Base (which helps calculate Activity, Adorable, and Social Influence indexes), Toutiao, Baidu, and WeChat.

Weibo is given the most weight in the ranking because it’s possible to trace fan engagement on the platform. The Baidu, Toutiao, and WeChat indexes focus more on search behaviour. The data from Weibo helps indicate the commercial value of each celebrity, especially for the Adorable index, where fans actually use a pay function to express their admiration for a celebrity.