BEIJING, June 20, 2011 /PRNewswire-Asia/ -- Since
February 2011, seven world-class
luxury brands, most recently Cartier, have opened exclusive branded
video channels through China's
leading Internet television site Youku.com, Inc. (NYSE: YOKU).
Other luxury brands with exclusive presences on Youku include
Louis Vuitton, Dior, Burberry,
Gucci, Omega, and Mido.
The branded video channels are not the luxury brands' first
foray into online video marketing in China. Louis
Vuitton first tested the waters in 2009, with low-key
in-video ads on Youku. Marketing strategies grew more diverse in
2010. With Louis Vuitton opening
dedicated pages for their products on Youku, Guerlain, Cartier, and
Longines, among others, followed suit.
The start of 2011 saw a dramatic increase in online video
campaigns by luxury brands, either through exclusive official
channels or traditional in-video ads on Youku, or by partnering
with Youku for live event webcasts. Burberry experimented with
streaming a live webcast of its Milan Fashion Show on Youku in
February; the brand's official channel on Youku has since been
viewed over one million times.
To date, half of the top ten brands on BrandZ, Millward Brown
Optimor's annual list of the world's most valuable global brands,
have invested in online video marketing campaigns through Youku. In
addition to Louis Vuitton, Gucci,
and Cartier, Chanel and Fendi, also both top BrandZ brands, have
both begun placing in-video ads through Youku.
The World Luxury Association's 2010-2011 Annual Report ranks
China as the second-largest
consumer market for luxury goods, accounting for 27% of the global
market, ahead of the United States
(14%) and second only to Japan
(29%). The same report predicts that China will become the world's largest market
for luxury brands in 2012.
Chinese consumers of luxury items tend to be younger than is
typical elsewhere, leading many luxury brands to make the Internet
a key component of their marketing strategies. The overlap between
luxury brands' target demographic and Youku's viewership
demographic, which comprises young, educated urban professionals,
is one of the factors that makes Youku an attractive choice for
online luxury brand marketing.
"Luxury brands are highly selective in terms of the platforms
they advertise on and their choice of Youku speaks to the
perception of Youku as a premium platform," said Frank Ming Wei, Senior Vice President of Youku.
"Our proprietary content delivery network allows us to present
these brands' videos with the quality and reliability that are the
hallmark of their own products, while our nationwide reach is
helping these brands make inroads into second- and third-tier
cities where they had previously not had strong footholds."
Youku continues to evolve and expand its offerings for brand
advertisers, including updating its video channel feature to allow
more customized designs and better integration with social media.
Youku Link, the company's cross-platform synchronization product,
allows users to more easily integrate Youku's offerings, including
branded content, into their online social lives across China's leading social and microblogging
platforms.
According to iResearch, Youku had more than 231 million monthly
unique visitors from homes and offices and 52 million from internet
cafes in early 2011.
About Youku
Youku.com Inc. is China's
leading Internet television company. Our Internet television
platform enables users to search, view and share high-quality video
content quickly and easily across multiple devices. Youku, which
stands for "what's best and what's cool" in Chinese, is the most
recognized online video brand in China. Youku's American depositary shares,
each representing 18 of our Class A ordinary shares, are traded on
NYSE under the symbol "YOKU".
Contact
Information:
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Jean Shao
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Director of International
Public Relations
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Youku.com Inc.
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Tel: +(8610) 5885-1881
x7128
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Email: shaodan@youku.com
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Or
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Ryan Cheung
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Corporate Finance
Director
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Youku.com Inc.
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Tel: (+8610) 5885-1881
x6090
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Email: ryan.cheung@youku.com
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SOURCE Youku.com Inc.