«To know one's steps is to master the Way.
Yet, Cookies shall light the road. Please, decide which marks shall remain.»
What we did:
- Douyin
Case study Sila Sveta
Sila Sveta is an international multimedia production studio. The company is known for its distinctive visual style and extensive portfolio, which includes projects for The Weeknd, Drake, Billie Eilish, FIFA, NBA, Mercedes, Audi, Porsche, and other global brands. The studio has completed more than 700 projects and earned over 80 international awards.
While the client had successfully executed projects in Asia and participated in festivals in China, the studio lacked a full-fledged presence in the Chinese digital space. This limited brand awareness among the Chinese audience and reduced the effectiveness of attracting new clients.
Background
At the time of approaching the agency, the company had not registered accounts on Chinese social media platforms and maintained virtually no proprietary channels. Although Sila Sveta had already delivered projects in China and had been mentioned in various publications, these facts were rarely directly associated with the brand due to the absence of its own media assets.
The client’s objective was to establish an official digital presence in China, launch brand promotion from the ground up, and boost recognition within the professional community and among potential clients.
OBJECTIVES
- Register and verify accounts on WeChat and Douyin under the Russian legal entity.
- Promote the company’s portfolio to the Chinese audience through visual channels.
- Increase Sila Sveta‘s brand awareness and cultivate an image as a creative and technologically advanced production studio.
- Generate inbound inquiries from potential clients in China.
- Draw attention to the company through unique content and media integrations.
WHAT WE DID
1. Digital Infrastructure:
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Localized the company name into Chinese.
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Registered and verified accounts on WeChat and Douyin.
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Opened a Tencent advertising account to operate in a niche with restricted categories.
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Set up a chatbot, menu, and automatic reply in WeChat.
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Designed profiles with the corporate style and adapted visual identity.
2. Content and Promotion:
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Developed content plans for both platforms.
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Prepared and published 33 articles on WeChat (with custom designs and animation).
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Created 80 video clips for Douyin, adapted to Chinese trends.
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Localized videos, added covers, and trending hashtags.
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Implemented a unique design for key WeChat articles with moving elements.
3. Advertising and Analytics:
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Launched targeted advertising via Tencent.
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Set up daily launches of promo posts on Douyin.
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Tracked publication effectiveness, engagement, and subscriber growth.
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Prepared weekly analytical reports.
4. PR and Communication:
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Monitored brand mentions: 7 mentions in WeChat within one month (compared to 6–10 per year previously).
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Handled inbound inquiries from potential clients.
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Promoted the proprietary hashtag #SILASVETA, achieving its widespread use.
Official WeChat Account
Challenges and Solutions
- Challenge: Absence of a category for production studios in the Tencent advertising account.
Solution: Found and agreed upon a workaround for campaign launches, ensuring all legal and technical correctness. - Challenge: Visual identity not adapted to the Chinese audience.
Solution: Emphasized visual presentation, portfolio, and creative expertise, designing articles and clips in the studio’s recognizable corporate style. - Challenge: Launching promotion from scratch with no social media recognition.
Solution: Immediately launched regular posting, promo posts, and hashtag campaigns, which accelerated growth.
RESULTS
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WeChat:
- 5,000+ subscribers from scratch in 6 months (KPI exceeded by 170–190 subscribers per month).
- 33 full-format articles, 6,960+ reads, 230+ likes.
- 3,000,000+ ad impressions.
- Increased citation rate: 7 mentions per month versus 6–10 per year prior to launch.
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Douyin:
- 5,000+ subscribers from scratch in 6 months (KPI exceeded by 300–400 subscribers per month).
- 80+ published videos, 2,000,000+ views, 21,000 likes, 330 comments, 4,000 saves.
- CPA for advertising campaigns — 17 rubles.
- 1.9 million views for the proprietary hashtag #SILASVETA.
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Other Achievments:
- Received WeChat Verification and the «blue tick» on Douyin.
- Invitation for an interview from a Chinese media outlet with a publication reach of over 5,000.
Key Takeaways and Recommendations
Effective promotion in China is possible even for a niche visual product, provided the focus is on the visual component, regularity, and localization.
Visually designed articles and video content featuring elements of the corporate style became the foundation for brand recognition and trust.
It is recommended to expand cooperation with Chinese creative platforms, add B2B content, case studies for local clients, and continue developing the Douyin account to attract organic traffic.
Client Testimonial
Asya Ibragimova
Marketing & PR Director
Sila Sveta has been collaborating with clients in China since 2014, yet we are just at the beginning of our journey to roll out communications in this market. The Mates Asia team acted as our guides into the world of Chinese social networks, with all their specific features and approaches. Thanks to the team’s expertise, we selected the priority platforms for the proper presentation of the company in China. Now we are successfully growing our audience there.
I especially want to highlight their client-oriented approach: they are attentive to all our wishes during the joint work and demonstrate maximum responsibility in the execution of tasks.
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