Instagram was blocked from China in September 2014. Over the past six years, it has continued to maintain a following in the mainland among well-informed lovers of fashion, travel and food. Some unofficial estimates put the total number of China MAUs at 30 million. There is no way to prove this and Instagram does not release official statistics for traffic they believe to be originating in China.
Since being blocked in China, there has been no sustained clone/proxy for Instagram in China. At different times, NICE, In, Lofter, Meitu among others have all laid claim to being the “Instagram of China.” However, none has persisted and maintained the title. Instagram has continued to operate in the background - via VPNs and while travelers are overseas.
So, while Instagram will never attain a large share of traffic in China, it could still serve as an important channel for brands looking to engage with highly motivated, informed and international audiences. For brands already present in China looking for an edge, setting up a global Instagram account in Chinese could serve as an interesting tactic to supplement an already strong game plan. For new brands, not yet in China, it could be possible to launch considerable interest into the market - if handled deftly.
Chinese KOLS Setting Up on Instagram
Of late there has been a growing number of successful Chinese influencers who have been setting up profiles on Instagram.
This could be an issue of signaling to followers that they are ‘in the know’ but it’s also certainly about connecting with a growing, global set of Chinese nationals who are spending more time on Instagram.
The top influencers in China also probably sense an opportunity to leverage the opportunities being built with top brands in China toward more global presence and exposure and global sponsorship arrangements.
An Opportunity for Global Brands
To truly engage and win in China, brands need to be present domestically and build presence on anchor sites, such as WeChat, Weibo, Tmall etc. However, for brands looking for a novel way to engage with and create mystique with audiences in China (and with those traveling from China), Instagram could hold novel value.
There are a growing number of brands setting up dedicated Instagram accounts in Chinese aimed at connecting global and Chinese interests. Chinese-speakers continue to follow the latest snaps of their favorite Chinese celebrities and influencers on the social media platform.
Instagram has opened up a window to a global world of influencers that do not have accounts on Chinese social media. Without actively engaging on Chinese platforms, Instagram influencers already have an always-on visibility that has largely fallen under the radar of brands in China. This doesn’t mean that brands need to just to be posting more. The content has to be relevant to the brand, the influencer, and the target audience.
When it comes to introducing the influencers to Chinese netizens, brands have an opportunity to become part of the global window on the fashion world and grow their own social media loyalty in China.
For years, top fashion brands have reported a significant volume of traffic from China on Instagram. So even if they don’t setup dedicated Instagram accounts for PRC, they still should look at how to feature some Chinese content & KOLs to keep PRC audiences more closely engaged.