View source for Wanghong economy

{{Short description|Chinese social media economy based on influencer marketing}}
{{More citations needed|date=October 2022}}
The '''''wanghong'' economy''' refers to the Chinese [[digital economy]] based on [[influencer marketing]] through [[social media]] platforms.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Ruisha|first1=Qian|title=Celebrity economy set for explosive growth in China|url=http://www.ecns.cn/business/2016/03-16/203077.shtml|website=Ecns.cn|publisher=China Daily|access-date=24 February 2017}}</ref> ''[[Wanghong]]'' ({{lang-zh|s=网红|p=wǎnghóng|l=internet fame}}) is the Chinese term for [[internet celebrity]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Khew|first1=Caleb|title=The Rise Of China's Wang Hong|url=http://www.currentbiz.io/Startups/the-rise-of-china-s-wang-hong|website=currentbiz|access-date=2017-02-22|archive-date=2017-02-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170223042633/http://www.currentbiz.io/Startups/the-rise-of-china-s-wang-hong|url-status=dead}}</ref> Chinese ''wanghong'' celebrities attract the attention of internet users, which can translate into profit through [[e-commerce]] and [[online advertising]].

According to [[CBN (AM)|CBN]] Data, a commercial data company affiliated with [[Alibaba Group|Alibaba]], the Chinese internet celebrity economy was estimated to be worth ¥58 billion [[Renminbi|RMB]] ([[United States dollar|US$]]8.4 billion) in 2016, which is more than China's total movie [[box office]] revenue in 2015.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2016-09/17/content_26812432.htm|title=China's Internet celebrity economy bigger than cinema{{!}}Society |website=europe.chinadaily.com.cn|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref>

== Business model ==
=== Online retail ===
''Wanghong'' celebrities use social media platforms to sell their self-branded products to their followers via Chinese [[Customer to customer|customer-to-customer]] (C2C) websites such as [[Taobao]]. These celebrities promote their products by posting pictures or videos of themselves wearing their merchandise or giving makeup or fashion tips.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url=http://m.chinadaily.com.cn/en/2016-03/16/content_23887534.htm|title=Celebrity economy set for explosive growth in China - Chinadaily.com.cn|last=宋静丽|website=chinadaily.com.cn|access-date=2017-04-22}}</ref> Chinese e-commerce internet celebrities serve as [[Opinion leadership|key opinion leaders]] (KOLs) (known in English as "influencers") in online retail. As influencers, ''wanghong'' can shape their followers' fashion and lifestyle choices. In order to emulate their favorite ''wanghong'', followers become loyal consumers.

In this business model, consumers are essential in driving the products and helping brands thrive. Through social media, consumers can impact the success or failure of online stores, products, and brands.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/work-in-progress/2010/07/03/the-shift-from-consumers-to-prosumers/#11fe4a6b543f|title=The Shift from CONsumers to PROsumers|newspaper=Forbes|access-date=2017-02-22|first1=Susan|last1=Gunelius|first2=Kristi|last2=Hedges}}</ref> These types of consumers are considered ''prosumers'' or "professional customers." New forms of consumption disentangle themselves little by little from rigid social stratification and end up being governed by fashion trends and experts who provide good taste and chic outfits.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Consumer Culture|last=Sassatelli|first=Roberta|publisher=Sage|year=2007|isbn=978-1412911818|pages=20–52}}</ref>

[[Zhang Dayi]] (张大奕) is one of China's best-known ''wanghong'' according to [[BBC News]], with 4.9 million followers on [[Sina Weibo]] as of 2016. Zhang has an online shop on Taobao, through which he reportedly earned ¥300 million RMB (US$46 million) per year,<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-36802769|title=Wang Hong: China's online stars making real cash|last=Tsoi|first=Grace|date=2016-08-01|newspaper=BBC News|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en-GB}}</ref> compared to US$21 million made by [[Fan Bingbing]] (范冰冰), a top Chinese actress.

In 2015, Alibaba's [[Singles' Day]] sales reached a record of $14.3 billion, with most revenue coming from its online retail platform, [[Taobao]]; five of Taobao's top 10 best-performing shops belonged to ''wanghong''.<ref name=":1" />

=== Social media advertising ===
The foundation of social media advertising is content, which is central to the ''wanghong'' economy.<ref>{{Cite web |title=How China's Influencers Are the Most Effective Marketing Platforms? |publisher=Robin8 |date=September 2016 |url=http://o6yid0q31.bkt.clouddn.com/How_China%E2%80%99s_Influencers_Are_the_Most_Effective_Marketing_Platforms.pdf |access-date=2017-05-02 |archive-date=2017-03-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170316042929/http://o6yid0q31.bkt.clouddn.com/How_China%E2%80%99s_Influencers_Are_the_Most_Effective_Marketing_Platforms.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> ''Wanghong'' use free original information to attract netizens' attention and influence their habits. These internet celebrities have broken the monopoly of traditional media. They have thousands of followers and can influence purchasing behavior.<ref>Gillmor, Dan (2004). ''We the Media''. O'Reilly. {{ISBN|0596007337}}</ref>

Products in the ''wanghong'' economy are usually advertised in two ways:

* '''Paying internet celebrities to advertise products''': When internet celebrities have enough followers, some companies may contact them for advertising. For example, in 2016, inserting an advertising video in [[Papi Jiang]]'s (papi 酱) internet video program cost 22 million yuan. Some manufacturers will set up new brands designed around internet celebrities. The manufacturers supply the product and rely on the influencer to market the products to their fans. For instance, Zhang Dayi (张大奕), a famous fashion internet celebrity on Sina Weibo, reports her brand's annual sales are over 1 million pounds.<ref>Wei, Ran (2016). "网红经济热现象分析". Theoretic Observation. 09: 54–55.</ref>
* '''Styling official company accounts as influencer account''': For example, Bowu (博物) Magazine has 6.2 million followers, Gugong Taobao (故宫淘宝) has 670,000 followers, and [[Haier]] (a consumer electronics company) has 580,000 followers. These company accounts will post advertisements, but also focus on attracting new followers. They will communicate with their followers and create topics to encourage discussion. An aforementioned example is Bowu Magazine, which is a nature and science magazine. To imitate an internet celebrity, the magazine identified as different species for netizens from a first-person perspective, attracting the attention of users. This method was a success, and the number of followers of Bowu Magazine increased dramatically from 800,000 in January 2015 to 6.2 million in March 2017. At the same time, the circulation grew from tens of thousands to 220,000 in 2015.<ref>Huang, Guiping; Wang, Andi (2016). "The strategy of popular science magazines' brand building: taking the new media operation of Bo Wu magazine as an example". China Academic Journal Electronic Publishing House. 12: 1334–1338.</ref>

Different ''wanghong'' celebrities have different styles, as do their fans or followers. This makes it is easy to differentiate the needs and characteristics of different groups. Then companies can choose target audiences for their product. To satisfy the needs of targeted customers, internet celebrities can enhance the accuracy of advertisements. This differs from traditional celebrities because followers may feel that influencers are closer and more accessible, so more followers can be converted into buyers.<ref>"精准营销迎来市场风口:自媒体+网红联动传播". PRWorld. 06: 12–13. 2016.</ref>

=== Live advertising ===

'Live+E-mall+Wanghong' is a new advertising model in the ''wanghong'' economy. This advertising model can create a platform for followers to communicate with Wanghong. Ads can be integrated into the program's content so it is less obvious to viewers. For example, in 2016, Baicaowei (百草味), a snack company, increased sales fivefold during the 618 shopping festival compared with the previous year after working with a famous ''wanghong'' called Shenman (沈曼)<ref>Cao, Xiaofang (2016). "粉丝经济下网红的商业模式发展". Business. 23: 147.</ref> who is from [[YY.com|YY]], one of the largest [[livestreaming]] platforms in China.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sohu.com/a/134700768_697916|title = 拒绝被腾讯收购，如今它已是中国直播界的半壁江山| website=[[Sohu]] }}</ref>

== Digital marketing ==
[[Digital marketing]] is used in many aspects of the creation and development of a ''wanghong''.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=刘娜|last2=江苏师范大学传媒与影视学院|last3=江苏师范大学传媒与影视学院,江苏徐州,221009|date=2016-06-22|title=网红盛行现象分析与网络媒介素养的提升|url=http://www.airitilibrary.com/Publication/alDetailedMesh?docid=guig201609010|journal=硅谷|issue=2016年 09|issn=1671-7597}}</ref>

Companies use internet celebrities to attract attention or to create content. Internet celebrities have talents and skills involving beauty, fashion, food, life, humor, education, and music. They develop a [[fan base]] who follow that ''wanghong''<nowiki/>'s words and actions.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.ifeng.com/a/20161228/50490231_0.shtml|title=全想中国：视频网红成新媒体营销风口，哪些行业能借势而上?|website=news.ifeng.com|access-date=2018-03-18}}</ref> Since the commercial value of internet celebrity has been recognized, the commercial production of new Internet celebrities has also appeared.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.imxdata.com/archives/8414|title=新浪微博数据中心&艾瑞咨询：2016网红生态白皮书 {{!}} 今日报告|website=imxdata.com|access-date=2018-03-17}}</ref> There are professional internet celebrity "packaging" companies to manage potential and current ''wanghong''.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://hunan.ifeng.com/a/20160323/4393141_0.shtml|title=长沙现上百网红包装公司 仅1成主播月入超两万|website=hunan.ifeng.com|access-date=2018-03-17}}</ref> These professional internet celebrity companies can transform celebrities' fans into consumers.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Han |first=Xiaofei |date=2021-04-03 |title=Historicising ''wanghong'' economy: connecting platforms through ''wanghong'' and ''wanghong'' incubators |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19392397.2020.1737196 |journal=Celebrity Studies |language=en |volume=12 |issue=2 |pages=317–325 |doi=10.1080/19392397.2020.1737196 |s2cid=216347592 |issn=1939-2397}}</ref>

Today, internet celebrities are more like a brand or a production. Good marketing can make internet celebrities, and allow companies to increase profits.

=== Digital marketing strategy  ===
A digital marketing strategy involving a ''wanghong'' can be divided into the following steps. In the creation phase, the company locates an internet celebrity, considering the characteristics of potential candidates and their target audience. The next step is to increase awareness and influence. Internet celebrities should accumulate a large number of fans in this step. The ultimate goal of the ''wanghong'' economy is to transfer Internet celebrity awareness into [[revenue]]. Therefore, the more loyal fans an internet celebrity has, the higher the income they may generate. After the internet celebrities have been created and have amassed fans, the marketing strategy focuses on protecting their public image, avoiding the celebrity's losing fans.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jUdNDwAAQBAJ&q=%E7%BD%91%E7%BA%A2+%E7%AD%96%E5%88%92&pg=PT19|title=网红经济3.0：自媒体时代的掘金机会|last1=王先明|last2=陈建英|date=2018-02-21|publisher=千華駐 崧博|language=zh}}</ref>

===Digital marketing methods ===
The media of [[digital marketing]] can be mainly divided into social networks, video websites, [[search engine]]s, news portals and e-commerce websites.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ka6Byqp4iEUC&q=social+network&pg=PT8|title=DigiMarketing: The Essential Guide to New Media and Digital Marketing|last1=Wertime|first1=Kent|last2=Fenwick|first2=Ian|date=2011-12-19|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=9781118179123|language=en}}</ref> For social network websites like [[Facebook]], [[Twitter]], [[Instagram]] and [[Microblogging in China|Weibo]], an internet celebrity can cooperate with the site to push their content to their target audience. As for search engines like [[Google]], [[Bing (search engine)|Bing]] and [[Baidu]], internet celebrities can place ads to appear in related searches or rank higher in search results. Video websites like [[YouTube]] and electronic business platforms like [[Taobao]] are also important ways to market internet celebrities. The advertising revenue from video websites and sales from an online shop are the primary ways Internet celebrities make money. They can spend money to promote their videos or stores on a website's homepage to attract more viewers.{{citation needed|date=November 2019}}

Moreover, the Internet celebrity is a type of self-media. They are a high-quality communication channel. They can spread messages not only to their fans, but fans are also carry messages on. If an internet celebrity company manages multiple ''wanghong'', the different ''wanghong'' can recommend each other's content to their fans.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.pedaily.cn/201706/20170615415375.shtml|title=中国网红策略：80亿美元产业背后的博弈_行业动态_投资界|website=news.pedaily.cn|access-date=2018-03-19}}</ref> This method is an efficient and low-cost marketing method.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

== Global context ==

=== Digital ===
A report from the [[China Internet Network Information Center]] showed that in 2015, Chinese people spent 3.75 hours online daily.<ref name=":2" /> By June 2014, there were 632 million Internet users in the country and a penetration rate of 46.9%.

The rapid uptake of smart devices in China is critical because it created a foundation for developing the digital consumer market. There were 80 million smartphones in circulation in China in 2010, which skyrocketed to 580 million units in 2013 and is expected to increase further to over 1 billion units by 2016. There are 650 million mobile internet users, 350 million smartphone subscribers and 290 million active [[WeChat]] users.<ref name="accenture.com">{{Cite web|url=https://www.accenture.com/us-en/insight-digital-lives-chinese-consumers|title=The Digital Lives of Chinese Consumers - Accenture|website=Accenture |language=en|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref>

The internet has also created new markets for products and service offerings that may not have existed even a few short years ago. [[E-commerce]] has fundamentally reshaped the retail sector and leading to greater consumption.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/high-tech/our-insights/chinas-digital-transformation|title=China's digital transformation|website=McKinsey & Company|language=en|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref> These emerging digital consumers have more sophisticated consumption habits than Chinese consumers in the past. To be successful, enterprises need to understand their customers and offer a unique experience. Understanding customers requires getting valuable, actionable insights about them.<ref name="accenture.com"/>

=== Youth consumption ===
According to a 2015 study of internet users The [[Post-90s]] people of China depend on [[smartphone]]s, appreciate a diversity of tastes, rely highly on social media, and are keen online shoppers. They pursue youthful fashion, are self-centered, are rational consumers, desire novelty, thirst for knowledge, try to outdo others, and are impatient. They have strong consumption desires. They prefer new advertising methods over traditional marketing.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chinainternetwatch.com/15530/post-90s-consumption-power-china/#ixzz4ZKPkZSWa.|title=China Post-90s Online Users Insights 2015|date=2015-12-01|newspaper=China Internet Watch|access-date=2017-02-22|language=en-US}}</ref>

''Wanghong'' were perceived to be more authentic and less distant compared to conventional celebrities by the post-90s generation. Overwhelmed by the variety of products available, ''wanghong'' act as key [[Opinion leadership|opinion leaders]] in their unique fields. Through videos on makeup and fashion and by giving tips and advice, ''wanghong'' play an essential role in the purchasing process and act more like a trustworthy authority.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-well-do-you-know-chinas-online-celebrity-economy-claire-chen.|title=How well do you know about China's online celebrity economy?|last=Chen|first=W.|date=2016|website=LinkedIn}}</ref>

== Chinese consumer culture ==

=== Politics and censorship ===
The apparatus of [[Internet censorship in China|China's internet control]] is considered more extensive and advanced than in any other country. The government authorities not only block website content but also monitor the internet access of individuals. "Although improvements have been made in certain areas of civil rights in China, individuals' speech rights, especially political speech rights, are limited. In its characteristically sweeping language, the Chinese internet white paper states that the Chinese government forbids internet content: against the cardinal principles outlined in the Constitution, endangering state security, divulging state secrets, subverting state power and jeopardizing national unification; damaging state honor and interests; instigating ethnic hatred or discrimination and jeopardizing ethnic unity; jeopardizing state religious policy, propagating heretical or superstitious ideas; spreading rumors, disrupting social order and stability; disseminating obscenity, pornography, gambling, violence, brutality and terror or abetting crime; humiliating or slandering others, trespassing on the lawful rights and interests of others; and other contents forbidden by laws and administrative regulations". {{citation needed|date=March 2023}} This has caused Chinese celebrities online to focus on topics such as lifestyles or fashion, unlike some famous online celebrities in other countries who perform [[satire]] or talk about political and social issues.

=== Demographics and consumption ===

{{see also|Demographics of China}}
Increasing demand for consumption in China is caused by two major factors. One is an increase in population and the other is growth of the economy and higher disposable income. Average [[Gross domestic product|GDP]] per capita rose at over 9.8% annually for 30 consecutive years, enabling China to become the second largest economy in the world in 2010.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=XIAO|first=X.|year=2013|title=Chinese Consumer|journal=Helsinki Metropolia University of Applied Sciences|volume=1}}</ref> As China's living standards rose with economic growth, Chinese consumers' shopping habits have changed, and more consumers are able and willing to spend more on goods and services.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Li|first=Y.|title=CHANGING CONSUMPTION PATTERNS IN CHINA|url=http://www.eolss.net/sample-chapters/c16/E1-54-06.pdf|journal=Area Studies - China: Regional Sustainable Development Review|volume=1}}</ref>

''Wanghong'' online shops have low prices and fashion styles that appeal to Chinese consumer psychology and [[mass consumption]]. With the potential of more than 1.3 billion consumers,<ref name=":0" /> China's domestic market presents enormous buying power.

=== Culture ===

==== Collectivism ====
There are some characteristics of [[Chinese culture]] that influence [[Consumption (sociology)|consumption]] and could explain attitudes towards [[Internet celebrity|internet celebrities]]. [[Collectivism and individualism|Collectivism]] is a feature of Chinese society. People in collectivist societies will adhere more easily to group standards than people in individualistic societies.<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Download Limit Exceeded|citeseerx = 10.1.1.650.3029}}</ref> The second feature is that of a [[polychronic]] culture. People in a polychronic culture enjoy social harmony and generally emphasize relationships more than tasks. According to research, "online social interaction is important in a collectivistic culture such as China." Culture may be the strongest determinant factor of differences in customer online social networking and online shopping behavior across cultures.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Pookulangara |first1=Sanjukta |last2=Koesler |first2=Kristian |date=2011-07-01 |title=Cultural influence on consumers' usage of social networks and its impact on online purchase intentions |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0969698911000191 |journal=Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services |language=en |volume=18 |issue=4 |pages=348–354 |doi=10.1016/j.jretconser.2011.03.003 |issn=0969-6989}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last=Brandtzæg |first=Petter Bae |date=2010-09-01 |title=Towards a unified Media-User Typology (MUT): A meta-analysis and review of the research literature on media-user typologies |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563210000245 |journal=Computers in Human Behavior |series=Advancing Educational Research on Computer-supported Collaborative Learning (CSCL) through the use of gStudy CSCL Tools |language=en |volume=26 |issue=5 |pages=940–956 |doi=10.1016/j.chb.2010.02.008 |issn=0747-5632}}</ref> People holding these cultural values generally rely more on [[Word of mouth|word-of-mouth]] from friends and family. They are more likely to communicate and share information on social media. They also tend to look for experts to get advice for important [[decision-making]] and emotional support.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ji |first1=Yong Gu |last2=Hwangbo |first2=Hwan |last3=Yi |first3=Ji Soo |last4=Rau |first4=P. L. Patrick |last5=Fang |first5=Xiaowen |last6=Ling |first6=Chen |date=2010-11-01 |title=The Influence of Cultural Differences on the Use of Social Network Services and the Formation of Social Capital |url=https://doi.org/10.1080/10447318.2010.516727 |journal=International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction |volume=26 |issue=11–12 |pages=1100–1121 |doi=10.1080/10447318.2010.516727 |s2cid=8152156 |issn=1044-7318}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Xu-Priour|first1=Dong-Ling|last2=Truong|first2=Yann|last3=Klink|first3=Richard R.|date=2014-10-01|title=The effects of collectivism and polychronic time orientation on online social interaction and shopping behavior: A comparative study between China and France|journal=Technological Forecasting and Social Change|volume=88|pages=265–275|doi=10.1016/j.techfore.2014.07.010}}</ref> These characteristics contribute to the development of opinion leaders who have a significant number of followers (like internet celebrities) and who may influence a brand.

==== Symbolic value ====
Symbolic consumption has become a significant trend driven by young consumers. Products are viewed as possessing meaning beyond their tangible presence. Consumers view products as symbols and imbue them with attributes beyond their immediate physical nature.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=C.|first=Hirschman, Elizabeth|date=1981-01-01|title=Comprehending Symbolic Consumption: Three Theoretical Issues|url=http://acrwebsite.org/volumes/12219/volumes/sv04/SV-04|journal=SV - Symbolic Consumer Behavior|volume=SV-04}}</ref> Therefore, consumers buy products not only for functional benefits but also for a specific meaning and additional potential pleasure. Through the consumption process, consumers find individual self-identities. This consuming behavior also becomes a symbolic activity.

If the consumer has options, they will choose to consume things with particular symbolic meanings. For example, using recycled envelopes may symbolize care for the environment, attending classical concerts may convey fine taste, supporting LGBT rights may signify open-mindedness, and so on.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Richard|first1=Elliott|last2=Kritsadarat|first2=Wattanasuwan|date=1998-01-01|title=Consumption and the Symbolic Project of the Self|url=http://acrwebsite.org/volumes/11147/volumes/e03/E-03|journal=E - European Advances in Consumer Research |volume=3}}</ref>

On social media, ''wanghong'' create tags of "fashion/chic/individuality/entertainment/beautiful" as a personal identification system, coding them in various literal text, audio, or video ways. Netizens decode those symbolic activities by consuming according to their preference. Therefore, consumers not only purchase goods but also get psychological pleasure. For instance, some consumers get visual pleasure. They are attracted by the physical appearance of a ''wanghong'', or get auditory pleasure listening to a ''wanghong'' sing.

== Future and concern ==
According to [[venture capital]]ist [[Mary Meeker|Mary Meeker's]] 2016 internet trends report,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends|title=2016 Internet Trends Report |publisher=Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers |access-date=2017-02-22|archive-date=2017-05-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170509072616/http://www.kpcb.com/internet-trends|url-status=dead}}</ref> change in internet trends is speeding up and [[millennials]]' consumer consciousness is rising. Content is the most valuable way a ''wanghong'' has to increase followers and traffic, which differs from traditional celebrities. While a ''wanghong's'' primary value to companies is their content, the value of a conventional celebrity is their name recognition. This means that traditional celebrities can speak for a product without producing content, but ''wanghong'' cannot.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} To attract followers' attention, some ''wanghong'' use what is considered by some to be vulgar, wealth-obsessed, or sexually violent content. Some see this as negatively influencing the morality of society and young people's attitudes towards consumption.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}} At the end of 2016, the [[Ministry of Culture of the People's Republic of China|Chinese Ministry of Culture]] released the "Measures for the Administration of Online Performance Operating Activities" to regulate market order and promote what the Ministry sees as healthy and orderly development of the online performance industry<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.chinalawtranslate.com/%E7%BD%91%E7%BB%9C%E8%A1%A8%E6%BC%94%E7%BB%8F%E8%90%A5%E6%B4%BB%E5%8A%A8%E7%AE%A1%E7%90%86%E5%8A%9E%E6%B3%95/?lang=en|title=Measures for the Administration of Online Performance Operating Activities|last=Translate|first=China Law|date=14 December 2016|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref>'''.''' ''Wanghong'' need more sustained motivation for the output of content. If they keep innovating their content and coming out with new ideas, they will retain their value and continue attracting followers.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Agichtein|first1=Eugene|last2=Castillo|first2=Carlos|last3=Donato|first3=Debora|last4=Gionis|first4=Aristides|last5=Mishne|first5=Gilad|title=Proceedings of the international conference on Web search and web data mining - WSDM '08 |chapter=Finding high-quality content in social media |date=2008-01-01|series=WSDM '08|location=New York, NY, USA|publisher=ACM|pages=183–194|doi=10.1145/1341531.1341557|isbn=9781595939272|citeseerx=10.1.1.536.6980|s2cid=2228835}}</ref>

According to [[McKinsey & Company|McKinsey's]] report about Chinese consumer trends published in 2016, even though China's economic growth is slowing down and [[Consumer confidence index|consumer confidence]] is trending down, the Chinese consumer market is still expanding. China is in the process of transforming into a consumer society. Consumers are shifting "from products to services and from mass to premium segments", and more and more of them are starting to "seek a more balanced lifestyle where experiences take priority."<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/here-comes-the-modern-chinese-consumer|title=Here comes the modern Chinese consumer|website=McKinsey & Company|language=en|access-date=2017-02-22}}</ref> ''Wanghong'' are also transforming from the role of salesmen to that of a [[Sensory substitution|substitute user]], providing their direct, authentic experience of products to their followers.{{citation needed|date=March 2023}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* Papi Jiang's popular video "[http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTU4Mjc3NTk3Ng==.html?from=s1.8-1-1.2&spm=a2h0k.8191407.0.0 http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMTU4Mjc3NTk3Ng==.html?from=s1.8-1-1.2&spm=a2h0k.8191407.0.0"] at [[Youku]].
* Celebrity economy set for explosive growth in China "[http://www.ecns.cn/business/2016/03-16/203077.shtml http://www.ecns.cn/business/2016/03-16/203077.shtml"] at [http://www.ecns.cn ECNS].
* Symbolic consumption [http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/8111?e=sirgy_1_0-ch03_s01 "http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/bookhub/reader/8111?e=sirgy_1_0-ch03_s01] at [http://www1.flatworldknowledge.com Flat World Education].
* Virtual Retail-ity "[https://news.vice.com/story/alibaba-vr-shopping-buy-singles-day https://news.vice.com/story/alibaba-vr-shopping-buy-singles-day"] at [[Vice News|Vice news]].

[[Category:Digital marketing]]
[[Category:Advertising in China]]
[[Category:Promotion and marketing communications]]
[[Category:E-commerce in China]]