Association: language a barrier to foreigners marketing with emerging technology

For the time being, marketing using livestreaming is “still quite a Chinese thing,” José Chan Rodrigues, director-general of the Macau Livestreaming Association, admitted in an interview with the Times.
More commonly known as José C.R., and a veteran master of ceremonies in Macau with occasional appearances in mainland China, Rodrigues explained the trend to non-Chinese speakers.
Unlike foreign Internet users who livestream to discuss various topics unrelated to marketing, livestreaming has become a popular trend in mainland China for businesses to market their products and services.
Moreover, according to Rodrigues, the technology is also used to assist in brand-building and promotion of brand image.
Livestream marketing is an ever-present activity on China’s own online shopping platform, Taobao, with businesses conducting livestreaming to promote their services and products. They do so either by themselves or by commissioning influencers, known in China as Key Opinion Leaders.
In China there is even a specific term for this activity. “Dai Huo,” which in Chinese means “bringing goods,” is the term used to describe the use of influencers to encourage consumption and boost sales.
The activity is similar to the practice of hiring icons or entertainers as brand spokespeople to promote products and services, which businesses believe will encourage consumption among fans of these icons or entertainers.
Rodrigues has been commissioned by the Macao Government Tourism Office and Sands China, among other entities, to run livestreaming activities to promote products and services. For example, he has appeared in several Macao Weeks to help highlight Macau’s tourists’ attractions.
However, the trend has not yet gained its weight in the non-Chinese speaking community as in the Chinese-speaking community.
“Language is a prominent factor,” Rodrigues explained on the under-popularity of livestream marketing in the non-Chinese speaking community, especially within the Greater China Region.
With most livestream marketing campaigns conducted on Chinese platforms and in the Chinese language, it can be quite difficult for non-Chinese speakers to understand the activity, let alone emerge into it and be attracted by the contents.
Furthermore, as the livestreamer admitted, the activity “still retains a very Chinese nature” that foreign companies or small retailers may not understand the mode of operation of the activity.
Of course, larger companies that have a localized marketing team are able to operate the activity.
Rodrigues introduced that various platforms have different requirements on livestream marketing. He said Taobao, for example, requires all livestream to include products that are sold on the platform. It means that livestreamers cannot merely promote their shops or brands, which is permitted on some other platforms.
Although not gaining the same popularity in the non-Chinese speaking community, Rodrigues admitted that more foreigner-oriented livestream marketing campaigns are emerging, especially in Hong Kong.
“I believe the lingual diversity in Hong Kong will help the trend develop in the non-Chinese speaking world,” Rodrigues said, adding that these livestreams take place on Facebook and Instagram.
He is also confident that the development of the trend will be swift in the non-English speaking world because, he said, countries with a TV shopping background will easily migrate to online shopping, which relies heavily on livestream marketing. AL