Chinese Internet Celebrities: Influencing the Huge Online Market

In China, many ordinary members of the public have successfully become internet celebrities known as "wanghong." There are 3.5 million people active on social media trying to achieve celebrity status. With content focused on youth culture, including music and fashion, they have amassed a total online following of 600 million people. Some companies are now trying to harness the influence of "wanghong" to make money in the world's largest e-commerce market in China. Some "wanghong" use stealth marketing to promote traffic to e-commerce websites. Others run their own online shops. The most successful pockets an incredible $14 million a year. One reason behind the growing influence of "wanghong" is the Chinese government restrictions on Internet content, which makes it difficult for people to access overseas information. Our program follows a company pioneering the business strategically employing "wanghong" and their young hopefuls searching for online success. (Excerpt)