Jaeger-LeCoultre releases a new advertisement featuring Papi Jiang on its WeChat official account.

　　Last night, the Swiss watch brand Jaeger-LeCoultre released an advertisement on its WeChat official account titled 'Papi Jiang: If I had the chance to get a tattoo...' featuring the top internet celebrity of 2016, Papi Jiang.

　　Let us first review Papi Jiang's path to commercialisation.

　　Papi Jiang, who rose to fame at the beginning of 2016, debuted with humorous short videos;

　　In 3, it was reported that she received a joint investment of 1200 million from Luoji Siwei and Xu Xiaoping's ZhenFund;

　　In 4, managed by Luo Zhenyu, her first video advertisement slot was auctioned off for 2200 million to Liren Lijhuang;

　　In 6, Papi Jiang announced the sale of Warcraft T-shirts in a video, which sold out completely within 36 minutes;

　　In 7, Papi Jiang conducted live streams across 8 major platforms including Yizhibo, Meipai, Huajiao, and Douyu, attracting over 2000 million viewers, receiving over 1 billion likes, and earning 9 million in gifts;

　　In 8, the first video advertisement for MG masks appeared in Papi Jiang's content, followed by various other types of advertisements;

　　In 11, the advertisement slot agreed upon with Liren Lijhuang finally appeared, followed by a joint live stream during the Double Eleven shopping festival;

　　In 12, Papi Jiang became the brand ambassador for Jaeger-LeCoultre watches.

　　This endorsementJaeger-LeCoultre watchesadvertisement features a style and direction completely different from Papi Jiang's usual comedic route; it is surprisingly artistic. The intention is to showcase a side of Papi Jiang beyond her humour to reflect the Jaeger-LeCoultre Reverso collection.

　　After watching this 1-minute-and-a-half advertisement, I have only two words: awkward.

　　Although Papi Jiang is indeed attractive, and her image was described as a 'breath of fresh air' in the influencer world at this year's Weibo Super Influencer Festival, I am not sure if it is because I am so used to seeing her comedic side, but this soft-spoken, slightly serious, and extremely slow-paced tone gave me goosebumps.

　　Combined with Jaeger-LeCoultre's overly sentimental copy, it is hard to feel any real affinity for this advertisement. This awkwardness reminds me of when another super influencer on Weibo, 'Huiyi Zhuanyong Xiaomajia', endorsed an HP all-in-one computer and filmed an advertisement in 10.

　　Although his pets, Dundun and Niuniu, also appeared in the advertisement, the feedback was almost universally negative, with netizens criticising it heavily, and even other influencers who reposted the advertisement were mocked.

　　Why is it that influencers with such high popularity online do not achieve the results brands expect when they start endorsing products?

　　Every influencer becomes popular because of their own unique characteristics; for example, Xiaomajia's appeal lies in the cuteness of Niuniu and Dundun and his own willingness to poke fun at himself, while Papi Jiang's appeal lies in her relatable observational humour and expressive power.

　　When brands pursue endorsement results, they often force a change in the image these influencers have built in the minds of netizens according to their own ideas. The result is that even if these influencers have millions of followers, the fans are unwilling to share or spread the word, because the brand has changed who these influencers are.

　　Influencers taking the brand endorsement route may continue to appear and even become a mainstream trend, but if brands want to leverage the traffic advantages of influencers, they must clearly understand the characteristics and strengths of each influencer. If they cannot work with the grain, the value of the influencer will be significantly diminished.