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In the context of the flourishing digital market, effectively utilizing social media for advertising has become one of the primary concerns for brands. This article aims to investigate the reasons why advertising campaigns by KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders) on Chinese social media platforms garner more attention from consumers compared to official brand accounts. This research employs a case study and interview methodology. The first set of data presents the advertising content and responses of both Lancme's official account and KOL accounts on the Chinese social media platform, Xiaohongshu (RED). The second set of data showcases the interview results from five recruited participants on RED. Each participant was asked to assess their attitudes towards different forms of product promotion. The results indicate that KOLs' posts on RED offer a more relatable and curiosity-inducing perspective by sharing product experiences in everyday life scenarios. This approach resonates with users and brings the promotion closer to consumers. In contrast, the content strategy of official brand accounts tends to focus more on product features, which increases the perceived distance from consumers. Furthermore, interaction data and user feedback from KOL accounts reveal that users are more inclined to trust and reference the authentic usage experiences of fellow consumers rather than official product descriptions. These findings elucidate the practical impact of official brand accounts versus KOL accounts in social media advertising, highlighting the unique value of KOL advertising. Our research is poised to inspire brands to reconsider their social media advertising strategies, potentially bringing forth greater appeal and competitive advantage for the brands.
Kong et al. (Wed,) studied this question.