Influencer Marketing for B2B – Samsung’s Successful China KOL Campaign

If you’ve been keeping your finger to the pulse of China marketing, chances are you’ve heard about KOLs (Key Opinion Leaders, aka influencers). The buzz is not unfounded, and if you’re looking to amplify your content and create brand awareness using an “influencer” with an engaged following is one of the most popular marketing tactics in China and around the world. 

 

If you are new to the world of KOL’s don’t worry, we have plenty of resources to catch you up. You can start by watching our CMO’s Guide to China Marketing: KOLs and Influencers video or read through our China KOL marketing blogs: The CMO’s Guide to China: KOL Marketing.

 

 

The KPIs of KOLs – in which we take a look at how you can measure the success of your KOL marketing activity as part of your China marketing strategy.

 

 

Whose Opinion Counts? – in which we looked at some of the legitimacy challenges KOLs need to address to show their value to the marketing industry and justify their costs.

 

KOLs in China are extremely powerful, and for a number of reasons have reshaped the consumer journey in the past few years. More and more, people turn to their favorite blogger, or fashion icon to receive information about the hottest products, the most reliable brands and the best deals. Many people search for product information through eCommerce platforms or social media apps, instead of going to the brand website or searching on Baidu.

KOLs have impacted the ways in which brands communicate with consumers, and how people go about getting information.

So what does this mean for B2B?

We’ve written about this before, but how many B2B KOLs do you see writing about office paper or brake fluid? Probably not many. So how do you use one of the most buzzed-about marketing trends to reach key decision-makers?

Brandigo helped client Samsung develop an integrated digital marketing campaign to build awareness around their new AMOLED screen technology.

We did this using KOLs, but with a B2B twist.

Samsung needed to reach technology enthusiasts and early adopters interested in better screen technology that affects color, in order to influence mobile phone manufacturers to integrate the Samsung AMOLED technology into their devices. This is an example of a “pull” marketing strategy.

Who can communicate the benefits of a better screen technology that affects color?

We worked with a range of industry experts from ophthalmologists, photographers, fashion designers, colorists, and make-up artists who were interviewed to discuss their experience and know-how regarding the benefits of the new AMOLED technology, and how the benefits of this technology could impact themselves and their industries.

These experts were able to illustrate, through their own expertise and experiences, how better screens are good for your eyes, provide a better experience visually, create a bigger impact, and more.

AMOLED is now known as an attractive feature for interactive devices in China, from phones to watches, and the campaign led to direct deals with Chinese mobile phone manufacturers.

You don’t need to find the hottest TV celebrity to be the poster boy for your new window cleaner. Not only will this blow your budget, but think about who their target audience is, and what they’re really interested in…

Connecting with the right KOL is about more than just the number of fans someone has or their engagement rate – know why their followers are engaged, what specific information do they expect? Do they follow the advice of this KOL?

For B2B look to industry thought leaders; doctors, award recipients, well known public speakers – these are the KOLs that are going to bring value to your brand, and likely be less expensive.

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Chris Pereira - iMpact

By Steven Proud • October 12, 2026
Chris Pereira joins The Radical Global Marketing Podcast to explore how trust, localization and branding are shaping the next era of Chinese global expansion.
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Casey Cheshire - Ringmaster

By Steven Proud • September 7, 2026
In this episode... Steven and Casey discuss: Why genuine connection can be more powerful than transactional B2B marketing How podcasts can build brand, create demand and strengthen customer relationships Why marketing technology and automation should never replace understanding your customer How AI is increasing content noise – and making human connection even more valuable Why global marketers need to keep challenging what they think they know about their customers Do you really know your customer? Technology gives marketers more opportunities than ever to automate, measure and optimise what they do. Casey experienced that transformation first-hand through marketing automation, gaining the ability to demonstrate how marketing activity contributed to leads, customers and revenue. But more technology doesn't automatically mean better marketing. Casey found that many companies were using only a fraction of the capabilities of the technology they had purchased. Worse, marketers could become so focused on platforms, features and automation that they lost sight of the person they were actually trying to reach. The same problem applies to content. Whether a 17-page report has been painstakingly written by an expensive expert or generated in seconds using AI, the fundamental question remains the same: What question does this answer for your buyer? From go to market to connect to market This becomes particularly important for global marketers. Pain and intent may be universal, but the people experiencing them – and the way they choose to solve their problems – can be very different across markets, cultures and generations. A buyer persona created ten years ago may bear little resemblance to the person making the same purchasing decision today. And a persona developed for one market can't simply be assumed to work everywhere else. Casey's answer is deceptively simple: keep talking to people. For him, this is another reason podcasting has become such a powerful marketing tool. It creates a consistent reason for marketers and business leaders to have meaningful conversations with the people they want to understand. It also sits behind his latest concept, Connect to Market . Rather than simply taking a product to a market, Casey argues that businesses should think more deliberately about how they connect with the people within it – through podcasts, communities, partnerships and other human-first approaches. As AI makes it easier to create more content, more quickly, those genuine human connections may become more important rather than less. Because amid all the automation, algorithms and AI-generated noise, great marketing still begins with understanding another person. Resources mentioned in this episode: Casey Cheshire on LinkedIn Ringmaster Ringmaster on LinkedIn Marketing Automation Unleashed The Hard Corps Marketing Show Sponsor for this episode... This episode is brought to you by Brandigo China . We are an independent marketing and communications agency based in Shanghai, China with 20 years of on-the-ground experience in China. At Brandigo China , we work with multinational clients to support their marketing and business growth efforts in China. We are experts in insight strategy, content marketing, marketing-led business growth campaigns and all things China-based marketing. Go to Brandigo China to learn more and contact us with questions at [email protected] .
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Marc Rust – Consequently Creative

By Steven Proud • August 17, 2026
Marc Rust of Consequently Creative joins the Radical Global Marketing Podcast to explore brand-led growth, business transformation, creativity and AI.