Live-streaming KOL Meltdowns直播带货须防坑

杨琼

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. 與深受消费者信赖的关键意见领袖合作，品牌可以有效吸粉。不过，合作有风险，令口红一哥李佳琦尴尬的不粘锅翻车事件就是明证。

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.

从年轻职场白领到戚薇和林允等知名女星，千百万中国女性都熟知李佳琦。不过，他既不是电影明星，也不是男团成员，他因刷新美妆直播销量纪录而声名鹊起，更因口红带货纪录斩获“口红一哥”的美誉。

“买它！买它！买它！”这是李佳琦的魔性口头禅，似乎效果不错。仅仅两年，李佳琦就从欧莱雅美妆顾问变身为坐拥九百多万微博粉丝的国民网红，年收入超140万美元（折合1000万人民币）。2018年双十一，李佳琦更是创下了5分钟售出1.5万支口红的纪录，至今无人能出其右。

去年双十一预售爆红之后，李佳琦在網上火了几周。李佳琦的成功很好地说明，为提高销量，越来越多的奢侈品品牌正转而同中国网红合作。不过，李佳琦最近的不粘锅广告视频“翻车事件”，引发了消费者对其可信度的质疑。

视频中，李佳琦呼吁观众购买一款炊大皇不粘锅，他强调这款锅煎鸡蛋不会粘，并让助手展示。但不幸的是，试验悲剧性地失败，鸡蛋粘得满锅底都是。此次直播翻车事件似乎削弱了李佳琦的可信度，触发中国网友质疑意见领袖和直播媒体的本质。

和当红直播主播合作在中国市场分一杯羹，确实能带来一定的品牌宣传优势。“直播主播的营销技巧远胜于主流明星。”刘欣桐（音译）说。刘欣桐是在上海工作的一名年轻职业女性，她定期收看李佳琦的直播购买美妆产品和服饰。“我追李佳琦的直播是因为他能更好地解释一款粉饼的成分，能说清楚每款口红色号适用的最佳场合。”她解释道。

同时，较之普通明星，意见领袖花费更多的时间和观众互动，每天的直播时长一般可达六七个小时，这能让他们和观众之间形成一种亲近感。一旦建立起一定的信任，观众购买产品的可能性就会大幅提高。

虽然与网红合作似乎非常有利可图，但品牌公司需要记住几件事情。首先，需要选择形象、性格和气质均契合品牌的意见领袖。“品牌选择一位意见领袖就是间接表明认可其风格。”迪奥员工李舒曼（音译）说。她还说，迪奥倾向于选择正经做营销而非插科打诨的知名意见领袖。

此外，和意见领袖合作，营销商还需确认他们的带货能力是否名副其实。一位不愿透露姓名的某知名美妆品牌前员工表达了对网红合作的失望。她指出，有一次网络直播销售结束后，半数售出产品都被退回，原因是这位意见领袖的观众和客户大都是“水军”（受雇观看视频的托儿）。

找到一位值得信赖并契合品牌声誉的意见领袖是成功的第一步，不过要找到这样一位意见领袖并不容易，因为顶级意见领袖为数不多，更何况还得要熟悉品牌产品。鉴于营销人员早已熟知本公司产品，少数公司已经开始培训内部营销人员成为直播主播。一些韩国品牌甚至邀请中国的意见领袖实地了解旗下产品，从而更好地为产品代言。                      □

（译者单位：宁波大学、西安外国语大学）