Expanding into new territory can be as difficult for brands as it once was for invading armies. If you don't know and respect the language, land and culture, then you have no chance to keep it.
Kawo is trying to help brands conquer the middle kingdom via its most popular social media networks. The Shanghai startup repurposes and automates social content onto Chinese channels like Sina Weibo and Renren, unlocking material that would otherwise be blocked, and serving as an emissary between the West and China's more than 500 million Internet users.
See also: 5 Chinese Social Networks You Need to Watch
The idea is to build fan bases and migrate content — thereby overcoming China's "golden shield," (a.k.a the great firewall). Kawo aggregates existing Twitter accounts and Facebook pages, translating messages into colloquial Mandarin and Cantonese and publishing directly onto a brand’s Chinese social networks. Kawo mixes automated flagging and human moderation to screen for material potentially sensitive to China's reactionary government (such as nudity or drugs). The service costs $199 a month for syndication to China’s three top social sites: Sina Weibo, Tencent Weibo and RenRen.
The 10-person company was founded in June, and launched this month. Big brands AMG Mercedes, Liverpool FC, and Cirque du Soleil have already signed on.
“Why should companies create new content when they already have great material," asks Kawo's founder, Australian entrepreneur Andrew Collins. Before Kawo, the expat spent the last five years rebranding a small Shanghai advertising firm into Mailman Group, a digital agency specializing in connecting international celebrities with China.
Collins describes Kawo as an extension of this earlier work. "I figured there had to be a way to offer the same exact opportunity to any brand and individual, no matter their knowledge of the market, budget or timeline," he says.
There are more people using the web in China than there are people in the U.S. Since Google is banned in China, the dominant search site is Baidu, accounting for more than 60% of search traffic. China's version of Twitter, Sina Weibo, boasts about 54 million users a month, $30 million in ad revenue last quarter, and a $6 billion valuation.
See also: China’s Rival Social Networks: Weixin vs. Weibo
The opening of the floodgates of previously banned content is what Kawo's founder is betting on to make his new venture a success. It is a huge opportunity, but major hurdles loom, including recycling content, and how language translation and cultural references will go over in China.
Kelly Lux ,the director of social media at Syracuse Univesity's iSchool sees Kawo as a powerful tool to reach new audiences. But she also worries about the cut and paste approach to content, even if it is vetted by Kawo's staff.
"Humor doesn't translate well," warns Lux. "I see some issues might come up with not being savvy to the customs and calendars of a more global audience."
Getting lost in translation also concerns Lindsay Fultz, the chief marketing officer at SnapMyAd, a brand reward service for Instagram users.
"I do see the value in a service like Kawo that repurposes and automates existing social updates into Chinese channels, but I worry that this will decrease the quality of content marketing as things get lost in translation," she says. "Content marketing is about the content. No copy and paste can change that."
Repurposing content can damage for a brand, agrees Doriane Mouret, who leads marketing and communications at sohalo, a Palo Alto startup working with Fortune 100 companies to strengthen customer loyalty.
"Look at people who sync Twitter with their Facebook account," she says. "I can’t even imagine how difficult it would be between two networks in different countries, and using different languages and norms."
Kawo's Collins says his company's mix of human and machine accurately translates messages. But he admits China is a tricky market. "Topics and ideas that don’t seem dangerous to Westerners can blow up here, and with the lightning-fast speed information travels, one mistake can ruin years and millions of dollars of planning."
Would you use these service or one like it to get in touch with a new market? Share your thoughts in the comments.
Images: FLICKR, Nicolas Raymond / Kawo