China's Weibo signs Acxiom deal

Acxiom is making further inroads into the Chinese market by signing a deal with Weibo Corporation, the company behind China’s leading social media platform, to provide its Audience Operating System (AOS) big data solution.
With Facebook, Twitter and YouTube not easily avaliable in China, Weibo – which is a hybrid of Twitter and Facebook – is the main social media site in the country. Weibo claims it has 130 million active users, although only 10 million are said to be “core” users.
According to research by Fu King-wa from the University of Hong Kong only 5% of Weibo users generate original posts, while the rest of the Chinese micro-blogging world just re-posts from them.
Weibo will leverage the Acxiom’s AOS to deliver greater digital marketing efficiency to its advertisers in a privacy-compliant way via Acxiom’s data privacy protection technology.
AOS, which is already used by the likes of eBay, allows marketers, agencies and publishers to plan, buy and optimise audiences across channels, devices and applications with precision and scale.
The technology will allow Weibo to achieve more accurate data matching and analysis, improved ROI and greater value for its customers.
Weibo vice president of commercial operation Yajuan Wang said: “As a leading Chinese-language social media platform, we are always seeking new ways to maximize value for our customers based on the vast data resources of Weibo, in a more secure and efficient manner.
“Using AOS and Acxiom Safe Heaven, we are able to establish the first personal data protection mechanism in China that provides more effective digital marketing solutions to our advertisers.”
Acxiom China general manager Dr Yu Kong added: “Acxiom’s AOS has powered Weibo’s first integration between online and offline marketing data, already resulting in a nearly fivefold increase in sales for one Weibo client. This strategic partnership with Weibo further cements Acxiom’s key role in future developments within Chinese social media marketing and reiterates the company’s strong commitment to the local market.”
Acxiom China was founded as ChinaLoop in 1999 and became part of Acxiom Corporation in 2004. It is based in Shanghai, with an additional office in Beijing and representatives in Guangzhou.