From Xiao Zhan to Dongyu Zhou: The global appeal of celebrity brand ambassadors

Actor and singer Xiao Zhan is often the top-ranking and most engaging celebrity on platforms such as Weibo. — Zenith

One of the go-to marketing strategies for fashion, beauty, sports and luxury brands is leveraging celebrity influence, naming TV and film stars, performers and sportspeople as “brand ambassadors” or “friends of the brand”.

From Oscar-winning actress Julia Roberts’ reportedly US$50mil (RM212mil) deal with Lancome to tennis legend Serena William’s US$55mil (233mil) deal with Nike, brands are willing to pay top dollar to get the biggest stars to endorse their products.

While some partnerships are long-term and mutually-beneficial, such as Kate Winslet and Longines, collaborators since 2010, other relationships aren’t so rosy.

Such was the case in Charlize Theron’s US$20mil (RM84mil) breach-of-contract suit with Raymond Weil, when she was photographed wearing a Dior watch to an event instead of the former’s products, which she was obligated to wear exclusively for a certain span of time.

Every so often brands engage new ambassadors, and of late we’ve been seeing a greater variety of faces gracing global campaigns.

Wang Yibo, Chanel’s new ambassador, attending Chanel’s 2021 Metiers d’Art collection private viewing cocktail event in Shanghai. — Chanel

Industry experts predict that China will become the global central market for consumption of luxury items, and brands have been quick to pick up on this trend.

Based on a report by McKinsey & Company where research was based on UnionPay transaction data for the 2019 McKinsey China Luxury Report, China delivered more than half the global growth in luxury spending between 2012 and 2018, and is expected to deliver 65% of the world’s additional spending heading into 2025.

In 2018, Chinese consumers at home and abroad spent US$115bil (RM487bil) on luxury items, which is equivalent to a third of the global spend.

Most luxury brands have been quick to pick up on these spending trends, with big names like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Gucci and Bvlgari engaging ambassadors from the east to front their campaigns and wear their products to events.

Watch brand Zenith announced Chinese actor and singer Xiao Zhan as its newest brand ambassador, saying he is a perfect fit for the brand’s “Time To Reach Your Star” motto.

The acclaimed actor and singer is often the top-ranking and most engaging celebrity on platforms such as Weibo, and apart from his star power, also gives back to society through donating medical equipment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Omega added award-winning Chinese actress Dongyu Zhou to its roster of screen legends, which include Academy award-winners Nicole Kidman and George Clooney.

Dongyu Zhou is an accomplished actress who has won multiple domestic and foreign film awards, gifted with the ability to deliver critically acclaimed performances ranging in genres from crime thriller to romantic comedy.

Actress Dongyu Zhou has the ability to deliver critically acclaimed performances in a wide range of genres. — Omega

Her many accolades include the Best Actress award at the 53rd Golden Horse Awards in 2016 for her impressive performance in Soul Mate, and Best Actress for Better Days at the 39th Hong Kong Film Awards and 33rd Golden Rooster Awards.

The entertainment industry was all abuzz when Chinese actor, dancer, singer, rapper, TV host, and professional motorcycle racer Wang Yibo was named as an ambassador for Chanel.

He is best known for his leading roles in television series Gank Your Heart, The Untamed and Legend of Fei.

In Europe and the United States, brands have over the decades become more inclusive.

Representation for South Asians, African Americans and Latinos has not wavered in recent years and in fact, more brands have started to include public figures of different cultural backgrounds, shapes and sizes in their ambassador marketing.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas, actor, film producer, activist and author recently joined the Bvlgari family as global ambassador.

In her new role, she will support the jewellery brand in the amplification of its brand around the world, with a particular focus on the themes of women empowerment, diversity and inclusion.

One of the most recognisable personalities in the entertainment world, Chopra Jones has over 60 international and Hollywood films to her credit, and will appear next in Matrix 4, set for release in December 2021.

She is a global Unicef goodwill ambassador, and a recipient of the prestigious Danny Kaye Humanitarian award, and is also involved in a number of efforts to protect children’s rights and to promote the education of girls around the world.

Priyanka Chopra Jones has over 60 international and Hollywood films to her credit. — Bvlgari

Most recently, she created a fundraiser in collaboration with the non-profit organisation Give India in order to raise money for healthcare structures, medical equipment, and vaccine support.

Several months after revealing Blackpink’s Rose as a global brand ambassador, Tiffany & Co. unveiled three new ambassadors, actress Anya Taylor-Joy, freestyle skier Eileen Gu and actress Tracee Ellis Ross.

Taylor-Joy was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2021, and has won a Golden Globe award, a Critic’s Choice Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for her role as Beth Harmon in The Queen’s Gambit.She has also received praises for her portrayal of Emma Woodhouse in the Jane Austen adaptation Emma.

Ross is an American actress, singer, television host, producer and director, known for her lead roles in the television series Girlfriends and black-ish. She also owns a hair-care line for curly hair.

Seventeen-year-old Gu, born in the United States to an American father and a China-born mother, is a skiing prodigy and fashion sensation.

Only one year into her professional career, the model and skier has already broken multiple records in professional freestyle skiing, and is the first athlete to win two gold medals in the FIS Freeski World Championships’ 35-year history.