Cross-border brand marketing: going global and entering China
MVP (Mega Volume Production, 十方众声) has run cross-border brand marketing between China and North America since 2023: ads for Chinese brands on TikTok, Meta and Google; Chinese press releases and ads on Douyin and Xiaohongshu for foreign brands; and creators matched both ways. One team runs ads, official accounts, PR and creators, through ad accounts in MVP’s name, with reach and ROI targets written into the contract.
What cross-border brand marketing services does MVP offer?
MVP offers three services for brands. Going global: social ads is for Chinese companies and brands: ads on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram, Google and YouTube, X, LinkedIn and other platforms, plus official accounts, local creators and press releases abroad. China entry: PR & social ads is for foreign brands entering China: Chinese-language press releases and media outreach, ads on Douyin, Xiaohongshu (RedNote), WeChat and Channels, Weibo, Bilibili, Kuaishou and Baidu, Chinese official accounts and Chinese creators. Cross-border influencer marketing matches brands with creators in both directions: North American brands with creators in mainland China and Asia, and Chinese brands with Chinese-speaking creators in North America.
Going global or entering China: which service fits my brand?
MVP splits the work by direction: a Chinese company going abroad starts with Going global: social ads, a foreign brand entering China starts with China entry: PR & social ads, and a brand that only wants creators, in either direction, starts with Cross-border influencer marketing.
Both directions involve the same kinds of work, namely ads, official accounts, press releases and creators, but the platforms, the language and the rules are two separate worlds:
- Going global: TikTok, Meta (Facebook and Instagram), Google and YouTube, X and LinkedIn, with content in the local language; ads must meet local law and each platform’s ad policies. Chinese marketers call this chuhai, “going out to sea”: a Chinese company running its own brand in markets abroad.
- Entering China: Douyin, Xiaohongshu, WeChat and Channels, Weibo, Bilibili, Kuaishou and Baidu, with content in Chinese; ads must meet the Advertising Law and other Chinese rules as well as each platform’s own. Creator posts that make people want a product, known as zhongcao (seeding), and the in-feed ads on every platform both fall under those rules. The rules for each direction are set out on its own service page.
When you write to MVP through the contact page, pick the option that fits under “Which describes you”: “Chinese company or brand going overseas”, “International brand entering China”, or “Brand looking for creators to work with”. If none fits exactly, just describe your situation.
Ad agency, PR firm or MCN for cross-border marketing: how is MVP different?
The main difference: at MVP one team handles ads, official accounts, press releases and media, and creators, and it works in both directions between mainland China and North America. The ad agency, PR firm and MCN columns describe common practice in the industry, and individual firms differ; which one you need depends on what matters most to you right now.
| Dimension | MVP | Ad agency | PR firm | MCN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Main work | Ads, official account management, press releases and media, and creator partnerships, all four | Mainly buying and optimizing ads in the platforms’ ad consoles | Mainly press releases, media relations and event publicity | Mainly content and livestream deals with its signed creators |
| Markets and contracting | Mainland China and North America, both going global and entering China; mainland China work is contracted by 北京十方众声传媒有限公司 and work outside it by Mega Volume Production Inc. | Varies by firm | Varies by firm | Varies by firm |
| Fees | Quoted on request; no published price list | Commonly a service fee, or a percentage of ad spend | Commonly a project fee or a monthly retainer | Commonly priced per creator and per piece of content |
| Client disclosure | Does not name brand clients or publish case studies | Commonly shows client lists and case studies | Commonly shows client lists and case studies | Usually publicizes its signed creators |
Where does MVP work for brands, who signs, and how is it priced?
MVP works for brands in mainland China and North America, in Chinese and English, contracting through one company in each market. Each fact below applies to all three services.
- Markets
- Mainland China and North America, both ways: Chinese brands going global, foreign brands entering China
- Working languages
- Chinese and English
- Since
- 2023
- Contracting entity
- Mainland China work: 北京十方众声传媒有限公司; work outside mainland China: Mega Volume Production Inc. Both companies’ registrations are listed on About MVP
- Fees
- Quoted on request; no published price list. Contact MVP for a quote
- Ad accounts
- Opened in MVP’s name; MVP settles media spend and fees; see the FAQ
- Targets
- Reach, ROI and other targets agreed in the proposal, written into the contract and checked against platform reports
- Minimum
- None; every brand is welcome to get in touch
- Product categories
- Any category, except where the law says otherwise; see the FAQ
- Platforms
- The platforms’ own ad consoles, creator marketplaces and press wires, listed below
- Client information
- Brand clients are not named: no brand names, case studies or screenshots
Which platforms does MVP use to run ads, book creators and distribute press releases?
For brands, MVP works through the platforms’ own ad consoles, their creator marketplaces and the press wires. Four groups are listed below, each entry with what it is used for and a link to the official site; the full list, including live-event, music and data tools, is under platforms and tools.
Paid promotion in mainland China
Once a piece is out, MVP watches how it does on its own, then buys reach for what is already working: small boosts through each platform’s own boost tool, larger campaigns through its ad console. How much, to whom and when to stop are decided by the numbers.
- Ocean Engine (巨量引擎)Buying ads across Douyin, Toutiao and other ByteDance apps in mainland China.
- DOU+Paid boosting of individual Douyin videos and livestreams.
- Xiaohongshu Juguang (聚光)Xiaohongshu's main ad platform for feed and search ads.
- Xiaohongshu Shutiao (薯条)Self-serve paid boosting of Xiaohongshu notes and livestreams.
- Tencent Marketing (formerly Tencent Ads)Buying ads across WeChat, Channels, QQ and Tencent's ad network.
- WeChat Channels boostPaid boosting of WeChat Channels videos and livestreams, paid in WeChat Beans.
- Weibo Super Fensitong (超级粉丝通)Weibo in-feed ads that reach people beyond existing followers.
- Weibo Fensi Toutiao (粉丝头条)Paid boosting that pushes a Weibo post to the top of followers' feeds.
- Bilibili Bihuo (必火)Mobile self-serve boosting for Bilibili videos, livestreams and accounts.
- Bilibili Sanlian ads (三连)Bilibili’s ad console for larger campaigns.
- Kuaishou Magnetic Engine (磁力引擎)Kuaishou's advertising and marketing platform.
- Baidu MarketingBaidu search and feed advertising.
Official platforms for creator deals
Brand deals with creators are booked and settled through each platform’s own marketplace: the deal is on record, the content is labelled as the platform requires, and the money can be traced. Each platform’s rules for agencies and creators are on Platform rules.
- Ocean Engine Xingtu (巨量星图)Official marketplace for booking Douyin creators for brand work.
- Xiaohongshu Pugongying (蒲公英)Official marketplace for paid collaborations with Xiaohongshu creators.
- Tencent Marketing Huxuan (互选)Official marketplace for deals with WeChat Channels and Official Account creators.
- Bilibili Huahuo (花火)Official marketplace for commercial deals with Bilibili creators.
- Weibo Weirenwu (微任务)Official marketplace for sponsored posts by Weibo creators.
- Kuaishou Magnetic Star (磁力聚星)Official marketplace for brand deals with Kuaishou creators.
- TikTok OneTikTok's official hub for finding creators and running branded collaborations.
- YouTube Creator PartnershipsFinding YouTube creators and managing sponsored content inside Google Ads.
- Meta Creator Marketing HubFinding Instagram and Facebook creators and running partnership ads with them.
Paid promotion outside China
In North America and other markets MVP buys media through each platform’s ad console; a post a creator has already published can, with the creator’s authorization, be run on as an ad.
- TikTok Ads Manager (incl. Spark Ads)Buying TikTok ads; Spark Ads promotes a post that is already published.
- Meta Ads ManagerBuying ads on Facebook and Instagram.
- Google Ads (incl. YouTube ads)Buying Google Search and YouTube video ads.
- X AdsBuying ads on X, formerly Twitter.
- LinkedIn Campaign ManagerBuying LinkedIn ads aimed at business and professional audiences.
- Snapchat AdsBuying ads on Snapchat.
- Pinterest AdsBuying ads on Pinterest.
- Reddit AdsBuying ads in Reddit communities.
Press distribution and media
Formal announcements go to the media through the press wires: shows, tours and brand partnerships are announced on the wire that fits the market, and media lists and coverage are tracked with a professional media database.
- PR NewswirePress release distribution worldwide; 美通社 is its arm in China and Asia.
- Business WireDistributing press releases to media and investors worldwide.
- GlobeNewswireDistributing press releases to media and financial markets.
- CisionMedia database, media monitoring and journalist outreach.
- EIN PresswireOnline press release distribution.
- Muck RackJournalist database, media monitoring and pitching.
The names and marks of these platforms and tools belong to their owners.
Frequently asked questions
Whose name are the ad accounts in, and how are ad costs paid?
The ad accounts are opened in the name of MVP, and MVP settles both the media spend and its own fees, so a brand does not need to open or fund an account on each platform. Campaign data is shared with the brand as the contract sets out. The company that signs and invoices depends on the market: 北京十方众声传媒有限公司 for mainland China and Mega Volume Production Inc. elsewhere.
Can MVP commit to reach and ROI targets?
Yes. Targets such as impressions and return on ad spend are agreed with the brand at the proposal stage and written into the contract, and after the campaign MVP provides evidence you can check line by line, such as the reports from the platforms’ ad consoles. Press coverage is the exception: whether a publication writes about a press release is the publication’s decision.
How is cross-border brand marketing priced?
It is quoted on request. MVP does not publish a price list; a quote depends on which services you need, on which platforms and for how long. Send your markets, platforms and goals through the contact page for a quote.
Is there a minimum budget or size for brands working with MVP?
No. MVP sets no minimum for brand work, and every brand is welcome to get in touch. The 100,000-follower bar applies only to creators MVP signs on the talent management side, not to brands.
Are there product categories MVP will not market?
MVP takes any category except where the law says otherwise: it does not advertise what the law forbids, and where the law requires review, approval comes first. In China, for example, the Advertising Law bans ads for narcotic, psychotropic and other special drugs (Article 15) and bars tobacco ads from mass media and public places (Article 22), and ads for medical treatment, drugs, medical devices, pesticides, veterinary drugs and health foods must be reviewed by the advertising review authority before they run (Article 46);1 the rules for advertising in China are set out on China entry: PR & social ads. Platforms add their own bans on top of the law.2 The rules for ads abroad are on Going global: social ads.
Will MVP list my brand as a client or publish a case study?
No. MVP does not name its brand clients: no brand names, case studies or screenshots, the same rule it keeps for talent. Without case studies you can judge MVP by its company registrations, the entity on the contract and a meeting; how is set out under confidentiality.
How does the brand work relate to talent management at MVP?
They are MVP’s two lines of business, side by side: talent management covers strategy, development, operations, partnerships and protection for founders, creators, celebrities and companies, while cross-border brand marketing covers ads, PR and creator partnerships for brands. A brand that wants to work with a creator MVP represents can do so only with that creator’s consent.
Notes
- 《中华人民共和国广告法》 (Advertising Law of the People’s Republic of China)
- 《哪些产品不能在巨量引擎上做推广？》 (Which products cannot be promoted on Ocean Engine?)
Send MVP your brief for a proposal and quote
On the contact page, pick the option that describes you and set out your target market, platforms and goals; MVP takes it from there to a proposal and a quote.