We have written about net stars quite often in the last couple of years (see here, here and here). This includes Backdorm Boys, Furong JieJie, Tianxian MeiMei, Xiao pang and others. We are now witnessing a new type of net star, and they are not human. They are net cartoons like yoyocici and hezi. Leading the pack, however, is Tuzki, a more mischievous Hello Kitty, created by Wang Momo, a graphics art student. Netizens have integrated Tuzki into their lives by making it their QQ/MSN avatar, putting it into their BBS signature and on their blogs. Recently, Tuzki has been tapped by major brands. In December, Tuzki began to “represent” the Moto Q, transforming what was previously marketed as a “Blackberry killer” in the US into a hip youth communicator along the lines of the Sidekick. Also, in this issue of IWOM watch, we see how HP is working with Tuzki and Wang Momo. Working with net stars is another example of our Listen-Know-Participate framework which can lead to great marketing ideas. It’s also worth noting that cartoon net stars have an additional advantage over “traditional” stars like Edison Chan: cartoon stars tend not to get involved in online sex photo scandals.

Case 1 Cartoon net idol attracts more brands’ attention We reported the cooperation between Motorola and the cartoon net star “Tuzki” in a previous IWOM watch. Now more brands like HP are becoming aware of the influence of this particular cartoon idol and have started to cooperate with Tuzki on some projects as well. HP recently launched a campaign called “My Computer, My Scenic” on Tudou. The campaign, which is from January 1 to June 30, 2008, encourages netizens to upload creative art work related to Tuzki. The campaign’s mini-site received over 180,000 PVs in just a few days. Furthermore, in order to inspire netizens, HP invited Wang Mo Mo, the creator of Tuzki, and many other powerful young culture efluencers like Zhang Xiao He and Guo Jing Ming to be the spokespersons and judges of this campaign. CIC View Brands that use net stars as spokesmen for their products, such as online cartoon characters like Tuzki, may be able to distinguish themselves from other brands that continue to use traditional pop stars. For example, cartoon idols may appear more friendly and be more welcomed by users since pop stars often remind users of large financial contracts and money. Netizens are able to integrate cartoon idols into their online life by using the expressions in BBS postings and QQ/MSN conversations.

Case 2 (from IWOM Watch Dec 16-31, 2007) Motorola Q8 cooperates with Tuzki On December 15th, Motorola launched its new mobile phone Q8 in China and selected Tuzki as its spokesperson. Motorola is launching a variety of different marketing activities to promote Q8, such as online ads and a specific online campaign. Q8 and Tuzki are a good match for this campaign because Tuzki is popular among netizens, Q8’s target customers, and Q8 can provide these users with useful multifunctional networking tools. Motorola invited MOMO, the creator of Tuzki, to design a new Tuzki expression which will combine Tuzki with Moto Q8. Motorola will also provide multiple Tuzki applications and extras for netizens to download, such as expressions, flash, wall paper, e-cards, etc. Every Tuzki expression will come with a Moto logo or Q8 icon, therefore, each time netizens use Tuzki expressions in their conversations, they will naturally be promoting Q8 and the Motorola brand. CIC View The marketing campaign and cooperation between Moto Q8 and Tuzki has received positive feedback. This is a good example of how a brand was not only able to integrate its product into internet culture but was also able to successfully PARTICIPATE in online culture. Brands that use net stars as spokesmen for their products, even cartoon characters like Tuzki, may be able to distinguish themselves from other brands that continue to use traditional pop stars, as net stars are typically likable characters that easily generate online buzz.

Below is a screen shot of the index for the full IWOM watch report

(click image to enlarge) Other CIC IWOM Watch related posts that may be of interest: -CIC Watch Half-Year Review released (download the full report) -CIC watch: “You” – Time’s Person of the Year – also lives in China (download the full report)