Vendor reportKantar, 2026

Brands in China using knowledge-sharing micro-community platforms saw 25% higher marketing ROI

Shortlisting creators

25%

higher marketing ROI for brands in China using knowledge-sharing micro-community platforms

Reader Note:: From the Kantar LIFT ROI database, as cited inside Marketing Trends 2026, and specific to China — the report introduces it as the market where many social trends originate. A figure out of a vendor's own ROI database is a modelled result, not an observed one: the comparison group, the attribution method and the number of brands behind it are not published. Marketing Trends is a curated digest with no sample size or fieldwork date published for any of its figures.
Evidence:: Modelled / projected
Vendor interest:: Moderate — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:: Not disclosed

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Getting a rough orientation, and deciding what to check yourself.

Not for

Reporting as what happened. This is what a model expects, not what anyone counted.
The source never says how this number was measured.
The source never says how big its sample was or what went into it.
The source never says when this data was collected. It could be considerably older than the publication date suggests.
This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.

Influencer selection is mainly based on engagement rate and audience demographics (94% and 88%), with only 25% using social listening on what consumers discuss

Share of marketers using each data input to select influencers, and what it measures
Data input	Usage (%)
Engagement rate (Influencer output)	94%
Audience demographics (age, gender, location) — Influencer audience	88%
Past campaign performance data (Influencer track record)	81%
Audience interest / affinity data (Influencer audience)	78%
Follower count and reach metrics (Influencer scale)	72%

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Sponsored posts got more engagement when influencers had either very low or very high ad loads, and did worst in the middle

In creator selection, brand fit mattered most and follower count mattered least

Most Important Factor Brands Use When Selecting New Creators to Work With
Selection factor	Brands (%)
Creator suitability or fit for brand	22%
Content performance	17%
Working with a diverse group of creators	14%
Brand affinity, or a history of posting about your client	12%
Follower audience demographics	10%

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1.95x

higher conversion odds came with stronger creator audience-brand fit in influencer marketing campaigns

People were about twice as likely to share the sponsored Instagram post when the influencer had low or high ad load instead of a middle one

89%

of marketers do not plan to work with virtual influencers AI avatars or digital clones of creators in 2026

Brands in China using knowledge-sharing micro-community platforms saw 25% higher marketing ROI

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