Tencent's Weibo launches nationwide branding campaign

The campaign includes a TVC featuring badminton champions Lin Dan and Xie Xingfang, both of whom have over 10 million followers as microblogger celebrities. However, the focus of the story arc is centered around a less famous microblog user - an ex-badminton coach who Lin and Xie follow online out of admiration. The campaign positions microblogging as a 'great leveller' allowing dialogue between celebrities and the 'man on the street'.

"We believe it should not just be a monologue where only the stars speak but a multi-faceted dialogue between users and stars and among users," said Jeff Kwek, head of branding.

As of May this year, Weibo had over 160 million users and recruits 600,000 to 800,000 new users daily. In China's tier one cities, the penetration rate is 60 per cent but is lower in tier two and three markets.

The branding campaign will be broadcast via CCTV and major satelite TV channels and communicated on out-of-home media, print and online in over the coming two months.