Selling Beauty On Weibo: Content Analysis Of Short Videos’ Weibo Advertising Steategies Appeals, And Executions

Abstract

This article examines the dominant advertising strategies, advertising appeals, and advertising executions in short videos from Weibo official accounts by high-prestige cosmetic brands. A content analysis of 84 short videos from 7 Weibo official accounts was conducted. The results suggest that the product advertising strategies were the primary strategies used in the sampled videos. Rational appeals were more observed than emotional appeals. Feature appeals were the core rational appeals. Personal states or feeling appeals dominated the emotional appeals categories. Testimonial executions were the most frequently used executions. In comparing short videos created by brands and by KOLs, product advertising strategies were the most frequently used strategies among the sampled videos. Rational appeals were the most commonly used appeals in the videos created by brands while a combination of rational and emotional appeals dominated the sampled videos by KOLs. Fantasy and testimonial executions were the most used executions in short videos created by brands and by KOLs, respectively. The research concludes that the similar advertising strategies appeared in the videos created by brands and by KOLs. However, different advertising appeals and executions appeared in the videos created by two parties. The research results lend themselves to provide managerial implications for strategizing Weibo advertising by international high-prestige cosmetic brands.