Tourism New Zealand showcases destination through Weibo and KOLs, attracting over 592,000 likes at one point

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Lots of international companies have already tasted success on the most popular social network in China. In 2011, Tourism New Zealand signed up multi-award-winning Chinese actress Yao Chen as their brand ambassador in mainland China. At the time she had more than 40 million Weibo followers.

 

• During a tour of New Zealand she sent out regular ‘tweets’ about the country to her social network.
• They resulted in nearly half a million visits to a microsite that was the focal point of the campaign.
• On its webpages were images of the actress, video messages, airfare packages and links to New Zealand tour operators.
• The increased traffic led to almost 20,000 referrals. According to Tourism New Zealand, Yao Chen’s social media activity on their behalf raised the profile of New Zealand among Chinese people, encouraging them to book a visit.

 

In a similar fashion in the June of 2015, Tourism New Zealand together with Chinese actor, director, singer, screenwriter and university teacher Huang Lei teaming up together in a campaign to showcase New Zealand as a holiday destination for families and special occasions.

 

• Huang Lei and his family spent eight days touring the top of the south island, supported by Destination Marlborough, Destination Kaikoura and Christchurch Canterbury Tourism.
• The mega star made six posts to his Weibo social media account. His messages attracted more than 592,000 likes and a specially created hashtag “20 years of in love” had more than 1.6 million views.
• News of the visit generated more than 530 media articles with an equivalent advertising value of more than 2.7 million dollars.
• His posts about food attracted the most attention. A picture of Huang Lei cooking a lobster dinner in Kaikoura attracted 123,301 likes and 11,044 comments on his Weibo site. The picture was retweeted 9,232 times. Other highlights and locations featured in his posts included Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc, Cloudy Bay and Hapuku lodge at Kaikoura.