Live-streaming KOL Meltdowns直播帶貨須防坑

楊瓊

Brands can reach new audiences effectively by partnering with trusted KOL1 influences—but there are risks involved， as lipstick-loving Li Jiaqis infamous frying pan embarrassment proves. 與深受消費者信賴的關鍵意見領袖合作，品牌可以有效吸粉。不過，合作有風險，令口紅一哥李佳琦尷尬的不粘鍋翻車事件就是明證。

Li Jiaqi is well-known to millions of Chinese women—from young， working professionals to high-profile2 Chinese actresses like Qi Wei and Lin Yun—but hes not a movie star or in a boy band. Hes famous for his unparalleled live-stream sales records of make-up products， especially lipsticks， which has earned him the title of “the No 1 seller of lipstick”.

“Buy it！ Buy it！ Buy it！” is Lis catchy line3， and it seems to work. Going from a beauty adviser at LOréal to a national internet celebrity with over nine million followers on Weibo in only two years， Li now earns an annual income of more than US$1.4 million （10 million yuan）. His record of selling 15，000 lipsticks within five minutes on 2018s Singles Day remains unbroken.

After last years presale Singles Day launch， Li went viral4 online over several weeks. Lis success is a good example of how luxury brands are increasingly turning to collaborations with popular internet celebrities in China for results. However， a recent video of Li advertising for a non-stick pan， which is now being called the “rollover incident”， is making consumers question his credibility.

In the video， Li called on viewers to purchase the pan， produced by Cooker King， by emphasising how eggs would not stick to the pan and having his assistant demonstrate. But， sadly， the pan failed the test miserably， as eggs stuck to the pans entire surface. The incident， which seems to have weakened Lis credibility， has sparked questions among Chinese netizens about the nature of KOLs and the live-stream medium.

Cooperating with popular live-streaming hosts to get a share of the Chinese market has certain branding advantages. “Live-streaming hosts have far better promotion skills than mainstream celebrities，” says Xintong Liu， a young female professional working in Shanghai who watches Lis live-streams regularly to purchase beauty products and clothing. “I followed Lis live-streaming because he could better explain the ingredients used in a powder or which situation each of the lipstick colours would be best in，” she explains.

KOLs also have more time to interact with their viewers than celebrities， and their live-streaming practice usually takes around six or seven hours daily， which creates a sense of intimacy between KOL and viewers. And consumers are more likely to purchase a product once some trust is built.

Though it seems to be extremely profitable working with these internet celebrities， brands need to keep a few things in mind. First of all， you want to choose a KOL whose image， personality and temperament fits your brand. “Choosing a KOL indirectly states that the brand affirms his or her style，” says Shuman Li， a Dior employee， who also said that Dior would tend to work with well-known KOLs with serious reputations rather than more humorous ones.

Additionally， in working with KOLs， marketers also need to identify if a KOL is as popular as they claim. One anonymous former employee of a well-known beauty brand expressed her frustration at working with an internet celebrity， saying that 50 per cent of their bought products were returned after a live-streaming sale. This was attributed to many of the KOLs viewers and consumers being “shui jun” （paid viewers）.

Finding a trustworthy KOL that also fits your brand name is the first step to success， but its not easy to find one as there are a limited amount of top KOLs available and they also need to be familiar with your product. A few companies have already started to train their own salespeople to become live-streaming hosts， as they already know the products well. Some Korean brands even invited Chinese KOLs to learn about their products on-site， so they could better represent their products.

從年輕職場白領到戚薇和林允等知名女星，千百萬中國女性都熟知李佳琦。不過，他既不是電影明星，也不是男團成員，他因刷新美妝直播銷量紀錄而聲名鵲起，更因口紅帶貨紀錄斬獲“口紅一哥”的美譽。

“買它！買它！買它！”這是李佳琦的魔性口頭禪，似乎效果不錯。僅僅兩年，李佳琦就從歐萊雅美妝顧問變身為坐擁九百多萬微博粉絲的國民網紅，年收入超140萬美元（折合1000萬人民幣）。2018年雙十一，李佳琦更是創下了5分鐘售出1.5萬支口紅的紀錄，至今無人能出其右。

去年雙十一預售爆紅之后，李佳琦在網上火了幾周。李佳琦的成功很好地說明，為提高銷量，越來越多的奢侈品品牌正轉而同中國網紅合作。不過，李佳琦最近的不粘鍋廣告視頻“翻車事件”，引發了消費者對其可信度的質疑。

視頻中，李佳琦呼吁觀眾購買一款炊大皇不粘鍋，他強調這款鍋煎雞蛋不會粘，并讓助手展示。但不幸的是，試驗悲劇性地失敗，雞蛋粘得滿鍋底都是。此次直播翻車事件似乎削弱了李佳琦的可信度，觸發中國網友質疑意見領袖和直播媒體的本質。

和當紅直播主播合作在中國市場分一杯羹，確實能帶來一定的品牌宣傳優勢。“直播主播的營銷技巧遠勝于主流明星。”劉欣桐（音譯）說。劉欣桐是在上海工作的一名年輕職業女性，她定期收看李佳琦的直播購買美妝產品和服飾。“我追李佳琦的直播是因為他能更好地解釋一款粉餅的成分，能說清楚每款口紅色號適用的最佳場合。”她解釋道。

同時，較之普通明星，意見領袖花費更多的時間和觀眾互動，每天的直播時長一般可達六七個小時，這能讓他們和觀眾之間形成一種親近感。一旦建立起一定的信任，觀眾購買產品的可能性就會大幅提高。

雖然與網紅合作似乎非常有利可圖，但品牌公司需要記住幾件事情。首先，需要選擇形象、性格和氣質均契合品牌的意見領袖。“品牌選擇一位意見領袖就是間接表明認可其風格。”迪奧員工李舒曼（音譯）說。她還說，迪奧傾向于選擇正經做營銷而非插科打諢的知名意見領袖。

此外，和意見領袖合作，營銷商還需確認他們的帶貨能力是否名副其實。一位不愿透露姓名的某知名美妝品牌前員工表達了對網紅合作的失望。她指出，有一次網絡直播銷售結束后，半數售出產品都被退回，原因是這位意見領袖的觀眾和客戶大都是“水軍”（受雇觀看視頻的托兒）。

找到一位值得信賴并契合品牌聲譽的意見領袖是成功的第一步，不過要找到這樣一位意見領袖并不容易，因為頂級意見領袖為數不多，更何況還得要熟悉品牌產品。鑒于營銷人員早已熟知本公司產品，少數公司已經開始培訓內部營銷人員成為直播主播。一些韓國品牌甚至邀請中國的意見領袖實地了解旗下產品，從而更好地為產品代言。? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者單位：寧波大學、西安外國語大學）