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Josephine Tee

Luxury brands targeting the lucrative Chinese market have been trying to ingratiate themselves with Chinese celebrities’ extraordinary social media fans through brand associations. This strategy follows the wisdom that an association with these celebrities helps increase public awareness and credibility, and influences purchasing decisions. Armani Group has just announced 19-year-old Jackson Yee, the youngest member of Chinese boy band TFBoys and the top-ranked celeb on Forbes’ China Celebrity 100 List, as ambassador for its younger line Emporio Armani.
So who are the Chinese stars that have successfully become brand ambassadors, and why were they selected?
Chinese celebrities making millions from e-commerce live streams – but who flopped?
Kris Wu
Commanding over 58 million followers on his Weibo and Instagram platforms, Kris Wu made international fashion headlines in 2016 when he was the first non-British celebrity to represent Burberry.
On Wu’s appointment as brand ambassador, former Burberry chief creative officer, Christopher Bailey, stated, “Kris is a modern-day artist who works seamlessly across all these different worlds from music to fashion to film, which really resonates with us as a brand and which inspired me to want to work together.”

In late 2018, Louis Vuitton appointed Wu as brand ambassador with the launch of the spring/summer 2019 men’s collection fronted by the celebrity. The French brand was named China’s Top Luxury Brand in 2019, according to Gartner L2, with credit given to improved digital performance amid Wu’s influence.
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Luhan

Ranked as the second highest-paid celebrity in China by Forbes in 2017, Luhan plugs diverse brands such as Oppo mobile phones, Baidu interactive maps, Star Wars, KFC, Lancôme, Gap and L’Occitane. In 2016, Cartier featured him both in its high-profile Chinese Valentine’s Day video campaign series and in the brand’s Juste un Clou global launch, which received significant engagement. On September 25, Gucci announced Luhan as its new ambassador with a campaign featuring Gucci beauty offerings, with Cartier replacing him with Jackson Wang as its newest spokesperson.
Luhan and 4 other K-pop and K-drama stars who shine in China
Yang Mi

Voted the most popular female singer in China in 2017, Yang Mi is also popular as a celebrity icon among fashion brands and publications. Her face has graced various global campaigns launched by Stuart Weitzman, Michael Kors and Versace. With over 108 million Weibo followers, Yang was reported to have the most influence on consumer purchases in China in the first quarter of 2018, according to CBNData and Alibaba Group.
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Zhou Dongyu

Ranked seventh on Forbes’ China Celebrity 100 list in 2019, the award-winning Zhou Dongyu represents a wide variety of brands, thanks to her distinct look and disposition, which reinforces the message of being comfortably nonconformist. She was part of Burberry’s Lunar New Year capsule collections in 2019 and 2020 and also of the British brand’s wider strategy in Asia. China remains Burberry’s strongest-performing region, with sales even growing faster in June 2020 than prior to the pandemic.
How ‘Made in China’ designers are winning the hearts of Chinese millennials

Cai Xukun


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Cai Xukun has been consistently ranked among the most popular Chinese celebrities on social media since 2019. The 21-year-old is Prada’s first Chinese spokesperson, and a major component of the brand’s strategy to refresh its image and reignite growth in China. This strategic calculation has netted quick results as Prada’s official Weibo post on the collaboration was shared over a million times in just a few hours.
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Kris Wu, Luhan, Yang Mi, Cai Xukun, Zhou Dongyu – the Chinese celebrities helping Western luxury brands like Gucci, Louis Vuitton and Cartier conquer Chinese millennials

Yang Mi, Kris Wu and Luhan are among the prominent Chinese celebrity ambassadors working with Western luxury brands. Photo: @yangmimimi912, @kriswu, @7_luhan_m/Instagram

Gucci  campaign with Luhan. Phtoo: Weibo/Gucci

SW for Yang Mi Collection. Photo: Stuart Weitzman

Zhou Dongyu in Burberry Chinese New Year campaign. Photo: Burberry

Cai Xukun Prada Men's Fall 2019 Campaign. Photo: Prada

Kris Wu for Louis Vuitton. Photo: Weibo

Yang Mi, Fan Bingbing and Angelababy among Chinese celebrities turning to live-stream e-commerce on Douyin and Taobao Live during Covid-19 – who made millions and who failed?

Angelababy, Fan Bingbing and Yang Mi have all hosted live streams to promote various products on China’s e-commerce platforms – but who pulled it off the best? Photo: Taobao/Weibo

(Left) Li also aroused public attention last year by pairing up with famous actress Zhao Wei to promote the wine produced from Zhao’s chateau. (Photo: Taobao)

(Left) Huang hosting a live stream and sold a 40 million yuan rocket launch service. It attracted more than 19 million viewers, showing how live streaming ecommerce has grown. Photo: Weibo/ Xiaohongshu

Chen He

Angelababy

Yang Mi

Viya Huang

Fan Bingbing

Liu Tao

Gucci and Louis Vuitton show how luxury brands can survive in China post-pandemic – by staging outrageous fashion shows and apple-themed ad campaigns on Weibo and Douyin

Luxury brands that are staying afloat in China integrate both online and offline journeys and provide consistent experiences via omnichannel strategies. Photo: Jing Daily

Will Chinese shoppers go back to Western luxury brands post-Covid-19? Without tourists, European luxury market looks poised to recover before US

Even luxury brands are seeing the effects of Covid-19. Photo: Shutterstock/Jing Daily

Got7’s Jackson Wang just launched streetwear brand Team Wang Design – but was the K-pop star’s first fashion line worth the 3-year wait?

Hong Kong-born K-pop star Jackson Wang showing off his home-grown Team Wang Design fashion brand. Photo: @teamjacksonwang/Instagram

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Music, film and fashion stars connect their millions of followers to global brands such as Armani, Prada and Burberry that want influence in the vital Chinese market, now seeing the fastest rebound from pandemic lows


Yang Mi, Kris Wu and Luhan are among the prominent Chinese celebrity ambassadors directing their huge fanbases towards powerful global brands
