AIRC 2021 marked a refreshing change: it was the first in-person conference in the past 18 months for many in international education recruitment, a field where personal connections and travel are central. The happiness and excitement at the conference was palpable, and the sessions covered important topics about how international recruitment is being reshaped and rebuilt by US institutions.

Sunrise was delighted to join the conference as a strategic partner of AIRC and to present on the use and evolution of short-form video in university marketing. Sunrise COO presented the session, titled “Video Campaigns and Chinese Social Media - What can we Learn from TikTok and its Cousins?” Here are a few highlights from the session, but please feel free to reach out to us if you’d like the full slide deck!

Platforms like TikTok and its Chinese cousin, Douyin, have grown meteorically since 2018, with TikTok reaching 1 billion global users and Douyin becoming the #2 social media platform in China with 6 million users. Rather than simply being “the next platform” in an ever-growing list of social media apps, these apps represent the rapid growth of a new form of content: short form video (SFV).
SFV is generally understood to mean a video that is 30 seconds or less. After it plays, SFV typically loops or automatically moves on to the next recommended video. Most notably, SFV is designed to be viewed on a smartphone in the vertical orientation (a different aspect ratio than traditional films or videos).
SFV has made its way into legacy social platforms in the form of Instagram/Facebook reels overseas and Wechat Channels and Weibo Stories in China. A number of factors have accelerated this shift toward video content on social media platforms. The pandemic has further accelerated demand for video, launching certain platforms, such as BiliBili, back into prominence. SFV platforms have more than 2.1 billion active monthly users, and by 2025, SFV is on track to become a $93 billion market.
For creators, this shift has presented some challenges; relatively speaking, pictures and text are easier and more inexpensive to produce. However, the success of short-form video (SFV) and the platforms on which it thrives present a unique opportunity for digital marketing, particularly in China. As such, we believe it is important to recognize and anticipate the growing importance of short-form video as an advertising asset. Thankfully, it is relatively easy to create from existing material, provided certain words and messaging are localized for the Chinese market. Sunrise can partner with your institution to maximize the utility of these platforms. Douyin campaigns, while a bit more time and budget sensitive, are effective and comparatively easy. BiliBili, a long-form video platform, is a good choice for newcomers, as are WeChat channels, provided you have a WeChat official account.

AIRC Session Wrapup: Video Campaigns and Chinese Social Media - What can we Learn from TikTok and its Cousins?