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While a niche and largely inaccessible platform in China, Instagram wields outsized influence on the region’s social media landscape from afar, a new report from analytics firm Launchmetrics and fashion search engine Lyst has found. And despite challengers like TikTok, it’s still a critical platform for fashion and beauty brands.
The report, called ‘Exploring Instagram’s Influence on Brand Performance’ released on 18 October, tracked media impact value (MIV — a measure of the value of all media placements/mentions) over the first six months of 2023, based on in-app brand queries in the fashion, lifestyle and beauty sectors analysed. It looked at platforms and search queries in North and South America, APAC (Australia, China, India, Indonesia, New Zealand, Singapore and Thailand), and EMEA (Europe and the Middle East) and assessed Chinese apps Weibo, Douyin, Wechat and Bilibili as well as international platforms YouTube, TikTok and X (formerly known as Twitter).
The report qualified that Instagram has the highest MIV by far of any other social media platform analysed, reaching an accumulated total of $16.9 billion. Facebook was ranked second with $3.5 billion. Instagram’s closest rival in China, lifestyle app Xiaohongshu, tied for third with YouTube with an MIV of $2 billion. Meanwhile, fashion was the top-performing sector, with brands collectively achieving $8.7 billion MIV.
According to analysis tool Napoleon Cat, there were an estimated 3.5 million Instagram users in China as of January 2023. However, it’s difficult to know the exact number. The app is banned in the region (along with many other Western apps, including Facebook and YouTube), meaning it must be downloaded and used with a VPN in China. Other Chinese users downloaded the app outside of the country, making profiles while abroad.
Despite the ban, Instagram’s reputation in China is strong. Lisa Zhang, project leader at consulting firm Daxue Consulting, says many Chinese consumers perceive Instagram as a more “high-end” platform with sophisticated content. The phrase #ins风 or Instagram style, has 2.28 billion views on Xiaohongshu, where users look for style inspiration modelled after the aesthetic Instagram has become known for in other parts of the world. Local brands on the platform have caught on, tagging their products with the hashtag to get more views.
Chinese Influencers and stars
In the report, Launchmetrics found that the top three Chinese influencers on Instagram are model Liu Wen (with 6.1 million followers), and influencers Jessica Wang (1.8 million) and Yaqian Lan (361,000 followers). Chinese celebrities also wield massive fanbases: musician Lay Zhang has 14.3 million followers, musician and Prada muse Cai Xukun has 2.5 million and actress Yu Shuxin (Esther Yu) with 2.3 million followers. Zhang’s substantial lead could be down to his former role in the global phenomenon K-pop band EXO, partnerships with major global brands such as Yves Saint Laurent, Calvin Klein, and Pepsi and his global dominance. These mega-celebrities are helping draw attention to Instagram, as fans seek out what they’re posting on the app.
Daxue’s Zhang says that most Chinese celebrities and influencers will promote their Instagram profiles on their local social media to drive fans to Instagram, too. “Some of them also post platform-specific content,” she adds, noting that some celebrities share more of their private life content on Instagram. She explains that in China many celebrities have big teams managing their social media, whereas given the nature of Instagram — with more open-minded users — they feel more free to post candidly.
Influencer Wang, who is based in the US, says she understands the need of catering to different audiences online. “I try to make sure that my content is culturally sensitive and relevant to my Chinese audience, while also maintaining my global brand image,” she says. Although Instagram and TikTok are her primary platforms, she also engages with her Chinese fans on Weibo and Xiaohongshu. “I love creating content that is adapted to suit the trends and tastes of the Chinese audience. I’ve even tried creating content in Mandarin to connect with them on a more personal level.”
Wang agrees that Instagram’s positioning in China is “complex”, but she sees it as a platform for international influencers and brands to reach a global audience. “Even though it’s not accessible to everyone in China, it’s still a great way for me to connect with my international followers and showcase my content to a broader community. It’s fascinating how Instagram continues to hold popularity among younger users in China, despite the ban,” says Wang.
Shein’s prowess on the platform
Individual brands are also finding traction on Instagram from China. The report found that Chinese fast fashion giant Shein was the second-highest MIV generator in the Asia-Pacific region on Instagram, just behind luxury heavyweight Dior. In terms of MIV, Shein ranked seventh globally — behind Dior, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, FashionNova, Nike and Adidas. It also comes in first on the Global Retail Ranking, at $422.8 million, which puts it ahead of the likes of Sephora and Revolve.
Exclusive data for Vogue Business not featured in the report found that Shein leverages different strategies in the platform focusing mostly on owned media, meaning any content the brand creates itself. Its owned media “voice” is the strongest for the entire APAC region, generating $141.9 million in MIV. Shein also has multiple regiona brand accounts — a strategy often used for brands looking to use a “glocal” approach on their owned media platforms.
Expanding the owned media voice is the influencer voice, which Launchmetrics and Lyst track as the reach a brand gets through its influencer partners. Shein relies on mega-influencers (those with 500,000 to 2.5 million followers), who top the charts for total MIV, above so-called all-star influencers (who have in excess of 2.5 million followers). The content shared by influencers is often lifestyle-based versus product-focused.
Beyond China, celebrity voices are driving brand value within the APAC sector as a whole. More than the West, the APAC region shows a prevailing reliance on celebrities over influencers for brand endorsements on Instagram. Celebrities in the APAC region raked in an impressive $1.3 billion in MIV overall, with 36 per cent of the region’s total voice mix. That’s far higher than in the Americas (17 per cent) and EMEA (14 per cent) when it comes to celebrity marketing. Such insights suggest that in APAC, and in cultural hubs like China, the traditional star power still reigns supreme, capturing trust and aspiration.
“By associating with brands like Adidas, Bulgari, Dior and Cartier, [celebrities like musicians Jennie Kim and Jisoo] underscore the booming luxury market in the APAC region,” says Alison Bringé, chief marketing officer at Launchmetrics. “Their prominent placements on Instagram suggest a unique blend of East meets West that’s working well for brands.”
When it comes to China, however, Bringé says APAC celebrities have an “indirect influence” via Instagram, meaning Chinese consumers might be “accessing or engaging with content in alternative ways or via different platforms, yet their preferences are echoed on Instagram”.
Instagram’s unique appeal
With Instagram’s removed influence, local Chinese apps dominate the market in terms of user count. They offer unique localised features that specifically cater to the Chinese market, which can be advantageous in targeting local audiences. “In many ways, they are more advanced. For instance, live shopping is a huge trend in China but has yet to take off in the US,” Wang says.
With its strict limitations, Liang Chen, managing director of brand consultancy Éclair Asia says Instagram is unlikely to pose a challenge to other social media platforms in China, including Xiaohongshu — its most similar competitor. However, Instagram still has significant value in China. “The audience, especially young people with an international background, always keep a close eye on Instagram to discover interesting content, which they can then adapt and share on China’s social media platforms with some modifications,” Chen says.
Instagram makes up for what it lacks in local features with a sense of global community. “I can connect with creatives all over the world,” adds designer Chen Ximing. “It’s a real community representative of social interaction in the fashion industry.”
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