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The beauty brand announced one of China’s hottest celebrities as its new brand spokesperson Sunday, and within 24 hours, the video related to the announcement had been viewed 37 million times on Chinese social media platform, Weibo.
Xiao Zhan, who has been at the centre of controversy in the past due to his rabid fan base getting into online “wars” with fans of other xiaoxianrou (little red meat) celebrities, remains a popular choice for brands, he already has deals with international names like Gucci, Tod’s and Zenith, as well as Chinese brand Li Ning and e-commerce platform JD.com.
The singer and actor, who is perhaps best known for his role in the drama series, ‘The Untamed’, boasts 29.8 million “fans”, or followers, on Weibo.
February has seen a spate of international brands inking ambassador deals with Chinese celebrities, even as the scrutiny of celebrity culture in the country has also increased, leading to some famous faces being wiped from the Chinese internet for a variety of offences.
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Toxic Fan Culture Puts Brands at Risk in China
A controversy linked to homoerotic pop culture is engulfing a Chinese superstar affiliated with several global luxury brands. The rise and fall of Xiao Zhan should be a wake-up call for all brands leveraging celebrities in China.
