Men & Makeup Big Success in China

For a long time, women have always been regarded as the only target for the cosmetics and makeup industry. Compared to women, men were never a large part of the cosmetics market share, but that seems to be changing.

Along the same lines of being decked out in designer clothing, and driving expensive cars to make an impression, men in particular have been putting more effort into looking good, boosting China’s $22 billion cosmetics industry.

Men’s products have exploded

Data released by consumer research firm Kantar Worldpanel shows that 73 percent of Chinese men in China think looking good is essential for being successful at work. The numbers show a growing interest in personal care.

Personal grooming products marketed directly to men, including facial cleansers, shampoos, and deodorants, have risen by 7 percent in China, compared to the industry-wide 5 percent growth. Specifically, the metropolitan man in China uses an average of 2.5 different facial products daily, the most out of all the East Asian nations polled. And there’s definitely room for growth in deodorants: Only 13 percent of Chinese men surveyed use it on a regular basis.

These numbers are likely just the start of a big boom for makers of grooming products. Procter & Gamble’s managing director for male-grooming brands in greater China, Alexander Dony, says the company’s men’s products have “exploded” in the past five years.

Even though there is a promising market for Men’s makeup products, Chinese men still don’t have awareness of any makeup products. Here are some tips for marketing men’s makeup.

How to sell men’s makeup products in China

Positioning yourself is a priority

Even though female makeup products are still the main target for marketers, awareness of male makeup products is essential to your business. To the consumers, it is important to let them know that male is also the main consumers of makeup.

As for a foreign Brand, it has to be seen as a popular product overseas, a product that will be famous soon, a product of very good quality. Repeating these positive messages on the right platforms for your target will influence Chinese Consumers. In the digital age, consumers are more connected than ever and more receptive to quality content marketing.

Never sell yourself as a ‘new brand’, instead establish yourself online (the key portal for information for Chinese consumers) as successful, popular, and reputable in your home country and as a growing trend in China too.

Sell your products on the popular e-commerce website in China

With over 900 million internet Chinese users, it is worth trying to sell your products on popular e-commerce websites.

Tmall, Taobao, and JD are the giants of e-commerce. They are the bigger platforms and also the bests in terms of quality and safety.

Because these e-commerce platforms are very popular in China, it’s not easy to sell on that platform. Most of them only accept brands that have already a significant presence and realized high sales in China. That’s why most of the spirits brands failed to sell on the giants’ platforms, Tmall, Taobao, or JD.

If you are a famous brand or have a tight connection with big brands, you can try to sell on Tmall and JD because the 2 platforms want to keep a high ranking and only offer their consumers famous brands and quality products. That’s why they are so selective.

If you are not very famous yet, the WeChat store or Little Red Book also provides good e-shops. It’s a bit more accessible for beginners in the spirits market.

Laboratoires Genevrier: iALUGEN-GMA

iALUGEN is the top hyaluronic acid skin care brand owned by Laboratoires Genevrier, a well-known biotechnology company in France.

iALUGEN plans to launch its Brand in China and asked GMA for Marketing Strategy, including Social media, Ereputation, and Influencers Campaign

GMA-Missions:

• Social Media Campaign
• Little Red Book set up
• KOL
• Word of mouth Campaign

Results:

• Create a Positive brand Ereputation
• Increase brand awareness  (+70% of exposure every month)
• Create Engagement of users via Social media

Be visible on SEO

First of all, it is initially to establish your official website for your business and make it visible on Baidu. 75% of the research in China is on Baidu. You need to have a good ranking on Baidu to be visible. Chinese consumers will only buy brands that have a good ranking on Baidu. They also focus on good comments and recommendations online.

To develop your visibility on Baidu, you can use different marketing solutions such as Pay Per Click (PPC) or Search Engine Marketing (SEM).

Spread your reputation through social media

It is quite convenient for a business new player to start a business on WeChat as it has created a number of e-commerce options for retailers, including its latest development, Mini Programs.

Except for Mini Programs, WeChat can be more and more useful. Users can follow the brands’ accounts or tags on WeChat. QR codes are quite handy for promoting followers or doing payment.

It is crucial to use social media to attract Chinese consumers. Besides WeChat, Weibo is also a good platform for marketing. Weibo is the second-most mass-used social networking site in China, with around 82% penetration rate across the country and more than 650 million active users.

Microblogging platforms encourage people to post comments and content on all subjects without suffering from censorship. The social media platform attracted more than 130 000 companies because it’s a really effective way to develop your e-reputation. Brands have to create a Weibo Official Account to improve their presence in China and attract more followers. More than 56% of Weibo users follow at least one brand on Weibo.

NANO JAPAN-GMA

NANO JAPAN is Asia’s leading brand in health dietary supplement and beauty care products produced in Japan, Singapore, and New Zealand.

GMA helped them to develop a strong marketing strategy in China in order to increase their visibility.

GMA-missions:

• Social media campaign(Wechat+Weibo)
• E-Reputation
• JD store

Results:

Only after one month:

• +3 000 followers on Wechat and +6 000 On Weibo
• Top on Baidu
• Increase visibility

Collaborate with influencers

Influencers or KOL (Key Opinion Leaders) are the perfect way to boost your reputation and your awareness. They cannot be the main strategy but will give resonance to your digital strategy.

For an instance, a 22-year-old broadcasting student Zeng Xuening is the first male vlogger targeting to male group.

At the time, videos showing men’s makeup routines were unusual: Guys posting makeup tutorials — most using only text and photos — typically donned long-haired wigs and made themselves up to look like women. Nevertheless, Zeng’s approach brought him 200,000 followers in one night. Zeng, who now has 1.7 million followers on the microblogging site Weibo, believes he might be China’s first male beauty wanghong — a Chinese term for “internet celebrity.”

Focus on PR

As the new business for this new tendency, it is easily neglected by consumers. In this case, PR is the key to entering the Chinese market.

It is a good way to create press releases in magazines, newspapers, or ads on television, or even some new media, such as WeChat, and Weibo. Diffusing among Journalists and letting them spread your business reputation through articles or advertorials.

Forums Q&A is another way

If you want to understand what Chinese males really want for makeup, it is a good way to dig into related forums to find out. In these forums, maybe you can find some useful information they share or throw the question and many netizens will respond. You probably will acquire more object and thorough information about the market.

Zhihu is a very useful forum in which many netizens will give you helpful feedback on your question.

Gentlemen Marketing Agency is specialized in digital marketing in the Chinese market. Do not hesitate to contact us if you want to discuss any projects in China.

Read also:

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• Fintech in China: How to take part in the Financial revolution?
• Organic Beauty: The new Chinese Cosmetics trend