Why Bilibili Is China’s Most Underrated Marketing Platform
Bilibili (哔哩哔哩, often abbreviated B站) is the platform that most international brands overlook and should not. With 368 million monthly active users, 112 million daily active users, and average daily usage of 108 minutes per user, Bilibili commands an intensity of attention that no other Chinese platform matches on a per-user basis.
The common misconception is that Bilibili is a niche anime platform for teenagers. That was true in 2018. In 2026, Bilibili is a broad-spectrum video community where young Chinese adults spend serious time learning, exploring interests, and forming opinions about brands and products.
Bilibili achieved its first full-year profit in 2025. That milestone signals the platform’s commercial maturity and its increasing willingness to build advertising and commerce tools that brands can use at scale.
The Long-Form Advantage
Every other major Chinese content platform has converged on short-form video. Douyin, Kuaishou, Xiaohongshu, and WeChat Channels all prioritize clips under 60 seconds. Bilibili occupies the opposite space: its core format is horizontal video running 10 to 30 minutes.
For brands, this format difference creates a unique content opportunity. A 15-minute deep-dive product review on Bilibili communicates information, builds trust, and demonstrates expertise in ways that a 30-second Douyin clip cannot. Categories that benefit from explanation, demonstration, or storytelling (technology, automotive, education, skincare science, fitness equipment, travel) find a natural home on Bilibili.
The audience expects substance. Bilibili viewers actively choose to spend their time on long-form content, which means they are engaged, attentive, and receptive to detailed brand messaging. This is not passive scrolling. This is intentional viewing.
Community and Danmu Culture
Bilibili’s danmu (弹幕) system is more than a feature. It is the cultural foundation of the platform. Real-time scrolling comments overlay the video as it plays, creating a sense of watching together with thousands of other people. Users react, joke, add context, and build inside references through danmu in real time.
For brands, understanding danmu culture is essential. A well-received sponsored video generates an avalanche of positive danmu that reinforces the brand message. A tone-deaf or overly commercial video triggers mocking danmu that the entire audience sees. The community polices authenticity aggressively.
The practical implication: brand content on Bilibili must feel native to the platform’s culture. Working with established Bilibili creators (UP主, pronounced “up-zhu”) who understand how to communicate with their audience is far more effective than producing brand-controlled content and pushing it onto the platform.
Who Uses Bilibili
Bilibili’s core audience remains Gen Z (roughly 16 to 28 years old), but the platform’s demographic profile is broadening rapidly. Female users and users over 35 were the fastest-growing segments in 2025. Content categories like education, career development, cooking, home improvement, and personal finance have attracted audiences well beyond the original ACG (anime, comics, games) base.
The audience is disproportionately urban, educated, and digitally sophisticated. Bilibili users tend to be early adopters and opinion leaders within their social circles. Reaching them on Bilibili often creates ripple effects as they share recommendations with friends on WeChat and Xiaohongshu.
Advertising on Bilibili
Bilibili’s advertising ecosystem has two main components.
Huahuo (花火) is the content collaboration platform for sponsored creator partnerships. Brands select creators based on audience fit, content style, and category expertise. The creator produces a sponsored video (typically integrated naturally into their regular content format), and the video carries a disclosure tag. Huahuo provides campaign analytics including views, engagement, and audience demographics.
The Sanlian (三连) advertising platform handles performance ads: in-feed video ads, search ads, and display placements. Bilibili’s deliberately low ad load (approximately 5% of content) means the advertising experience is less intrusive than Douyin, but inventory is more limited and competition for quality placements can be intense during peak periods.
Advertising costs on Bilibili are generally lower than Douyin on a CPM basis, but conversion tracking to e-commerce platforms is less mature. Bilibili is strongest for awareness, consideration, and brand affinity objectives rather than direct-response commerce.
Content Strategy for International Brands
The most effective approach on Bilibili combines creator partnerships with brand channel development.
Start with Huahuo collaborations: identify 5 to 10 UP主 whose content style and audience overlap with your target customer. Let them create content in their own voice and format. Bilibili audiences can detect scripted brand messaging instantly, and the backlash is visible to everyone through danmu.
Simultaneously, build your brand’s own Bilibili channel with regular content that provides genuine value: behind-the-scenes looks at product development, expert explanations of technology or ingredients, entertaining brand storytelling, or educational content related to your category. Consistency matters. Bilibili’s algorithm rewards channels that publish regularly and generate sustained engagement.
Consider Bilibili as the top of your China marketing funnel. Content on Bilibili builds the awareness and trust that later converts on Tmall, JD.com, or Douyin Shop. Measuring Bilibili’s impact requires tracking brand search volume lifts on e-commerce platforms after major Bilibili campaigns.
Is Bilibili Right for Your Brand?
Bilibili is not for every brand. If your product requires visual demonstration, benefits from detailed explanation, or targets educated urban Chinese consumers under 35, Bilibili should be part of your platform mix. If your product is a commodity competing purely on price with no story to tell, the platform’s long-form, community-driven format may not be the right fit.
For brands in technology, gaming, automotive, education, skincare, fitness, food and beverage, and lifestyle categories, Bilibili offers access to one of the most engaged and influential audience segments in China at cost levels that remain lower than the more competitive short-video platforms.
