Stand-up comedian "Eating for a Living": Who's paying the bill? How difficult is it?

On October 19th, Fu Hang won the annual championship of "King of Comedy Monologue Season" (hereinafter referred to as "King of Comedy Monologue"), and the little man finally became the king of comedy; on October 23rd, in the final of "Talk Show and Friends" (hereinafter referred to as "Talk Show Friends"), the newcomer comedy duo won the final championship with their novel and tacit performance. After more than two months of lively talk show variety shows, it comes to a temporary end.

With the popularity of variety shows, talk show actors are now "on the table". Setting aside the controversy surrounding Yang Li, talk show actors are opening up business opportunities—during the broadcast of the show, Xu Zhisheng secured brand business cooperation with Tmall, OPPO, Semir, and Meituan Takeaway; Hulan, with years of talk show experience, also obtained business partnerships with Tmall, Volkswagen China, and JD.com; Tang Xiangyu in "King of Comedy Monologue" talked about blind date embarrassments, favoring sons over daughters, and pressure to get married, connecting with more female users, and later reached a cooperation with Lin's Home Furnishings to shoot a micro stand-up comedy show for the brand...

Now that the two variety shows have come to an end, can the commercial value of talk show actors continue to heat up? How will brands anchor the marketing route of talk show actors?

Observation on the Business of Talk Show Actors:

"Shenxiang" has collected and compiled the commercial endorsement situations of talk show actors from September to the present, and the enthusiasm of sponsors is overwhelming.

Firstly, with Double 11 approaching, brands have real promotional needs; secondly, with the market heat of talk shows, brands naturally "follow the heat". Among all advertising categories, internet platforms appear most frequently, with JD.com and Tmall as the main advertising forces.

JD.com has filmed a short theater video for 10 talk show actors such as Pang Bo, Liu Yang, Maodou, and Zhao Xiaohui, conveying promotional information for clothing, cosmetics, home appliances, JD Pharmacy, and other categories in the form of behind-the-scenes footage, along with the theme of "JD.com 11.11 is both cheap and good".

Tmall, with its slogan "Tmall Double 11 only happens once a year", invited Xu Zhisheng, Xiaolu, Tang Xiangyu, and Zhai Jianing, four new and old talk show actors, to create an "open mic talk show" around the characteristics of Double 11.

The two major platforms "frantically" sought after talk show actors, which is also a continuation of variety show sponsorship.

Before Double 11, Tmall added sponsorship to "Talk Show Friends"; JD.com has always been a frequent advertiser in comedy variety shows. As early as 2020, JD.com collaborated with Roast Culture to customize a Double 11 version of "Comedy Gala".

The 3C digital home appliance category also showed appreciation for the performance of talk show actors Changhong·Meiling held a stand-up comedy business special event offline, inviting four stand-up comedians, He Guangzhi, Ya Rong, Ha Ha Cao, and Shanhe, all at once; Qualcomm Snapdragon processor's new product launch invited Pang Bo to assist in the live broadcast; Liu Yang filmed a TVC advertisement for Honor on Double 11; and on the occasion of OPPO Find X8's release, a short film starring Xu Zhisheng was produced.

We found that 3C digital home appliances usually invite stand-up comedians to "set the tone for promotion" during new product launches and key promotional periods.

Compared to traditional advertising forms, stand-up comedy has long texts, high information content, suitable for advertisers who want to explain things clearly; and stand-up comedians bring their own popular jokes, which can also serve as a brand's promotional entry point, reaching more users.

The collaboration between Honor and Liu Yang is particularly impressive—Honor wanted to convey the concept of "convenience and affordability" on Double 11, cleverly transforming Liu Yang's quirky whistle sound "what" into "what to save", incorporating the classic Sha Wujing look from comedy variety shows and the shared bike jokes from "Friends Who Strip", with exclusively customized plots and creativity, inadvertently deepening the brand's recognition among comedy audiences.

Honor Double 11 advertisement, image source: Liu Yang Weibo

In recent years, car brands emphasizing youthfulness have also turned their attention to stand-up comedians.

Wei New Energy held an offline event "Joining Love Together", inviting Mao Dong to perform stand-up comedy on-site; Volkswagen China's 40th anniversary saw Hulan, as the "CRO" spicy review experience officer, directly experiencing the products; at the launch event of BYD Sea Lion 05 and the second-generation Song Pro, Yan Hexiang crowned himself as the "Car Expert of De Yun Society", constantly bursting with jokes.

The reasons are easy to understand—more and more car brands are studying the needs of young consumer groups, upgrading products based on user pain points, and aligning marketing with the preferences of young users. Stand-up comedy, as a lightweight, youthful, and lifestyle content category, fits the aesthetic and entertainment habits of today's young generation, with actors discussing topics such as workplace, marriage, female dilemmas, and employment on stage that resonate with young audiences.

Yan Hexiang, image source: BYD Weibo

In addition, fashion brands Semir and LILY invite stand-up comedians to shoot TVCs or live broadcasts; "Marketing Maniac" Luckin, whenever they launch a new beverage, invites stand-up comedians to post on Weibo for promotion.

From the above sponsorship summaries, we can feel that the business characteristics of stand-up comedians mostly focus on key periods of major promotions and new product launches, with short-term projects as the main focus. The titles given by brands are mostly "experience officers", simply posting on Weibo, filming a short TVC, or holding a stand-up comedy event offline, with a lightweight collaboration approach, more like a supplementary play in the brand marketing playbook.

Value for Money? The Misplaced Advantage of Stand-up Comedians

New product promotions and major promotional campaigns are key marketing nodes. Brands need a "messenger" to help spread the word, which is where the value of business cooperation endorsements lies.

For brands, there are many options for "who" can spread the word: celebrities have traffic and fan stickiness, which can effectively drive sales; athletes' hard work and resonant dream projections can set the tone for brand value. So what unique advantages do stand-up comedians have?

Firstly, stand-up comedians have a unique positioning, more like a combination of celebrities and internet celebrities - they have relatively wide popularity, frequently appearing in major film and television variety shows; they also have content creation and expression abilities, making it more "down-to-earth" to deliver and convey brand selling points. Comedian Dongdongqiang has mentioned before that stand-up comedians seem to care a lot about self-expression and values, and many times they are not just actors, but also play the role of opinion leaders.

Through an offline stand-up comedy show or a TV commercial, stand-up comedians can use their creative abilities to turn advertisements into golden phrases and jokes, turning product selling points into humorous points, touching users in a relaxed and humorous atmosphere, and effectively conveying brand information.

Secondly, stand-up comedy is now a mainstream content category in the variety show market, recognized by the audience and supported by platforms. This means that "veterans" will have long-term exposure, and "newcomers" as a source of "fresh water" will continue to emerge, expanding the market size and providing more commercial opportunities for brands.

This year, iQiyi and Tencent Video have successively increased their efforts, with two stand-up comedy variety shows competing on the same stage, showing their respective passion and characteristics, and the heat continues to rise. But this kind of heat is not short-lived, and video platforms do not withdraw after a short wave of popularity, but turn stand-up comedy variety shows into an IP, as a key focus of the platform, for continuous long-term layout.

A few days ago, at the Tencent Video V Vision Conference, it was mentioned that "Friends of Stand-Up" will be developed for a sequel next year, with familiar old friends returning and new faces being discovered, further expanding the influence and value of stand-up comedy. iQiyi has also established a studio specifically for stand-up comedy variety shows, deepening its focus on the comedy track, providing stand-up comedians with more opportunities to shine.

Of course, stand-up comedy as a popular content format is connected to a broad young market. Data from Artisan Research shows that in the user profiles of the two variety shows "Comedy Singles" and "Friends of Stand-Up", the highest proportion of viewers is in the 18 to 24 age group, reaching 38.85% and 37.63% respectively. Stand-up comedians who emerge from these programs naturally gain the support and fandom of young audiences. This is also the target audience and market that many brands want to reach.

Lastly, there is a high cost-effectiveness.

Stand-up comedians are "cheaper" than celebrities, and their sales power has been confirmed. For example, Li Dan and Yang Li have both started live streaming sales on Xiaohongshu (Little Red Book), with Li Dan repeatedly ranking first on the Xiaohongshu buying list, which also provides some reference for brands.

Xu Zhisheng and OPPO However, it must be admitted that there are some "special cases" when it comes to stand-up comedians endorsing brands.

Although platforms have been very diligent in discovering new talents and emphasizing the value of newcomers this year, from a commercial perspective, brands still tend to choose veteran players with mass recognition and unique characteristics.

Xu Zhisheng successfully "crossed over" from stand-up comedy to the film and television industry, with high brand recognition. In the past month, he has consecutively announced partnerships with three major brands, all of which are well-known brands. Tang Xiangyu, this season, gained popularity by discussing issues faced by women, and had a "deep cooperation" with Lin's Home, launching a carefully produced stand-up comedy micro-show.

As for newcomers, according to incomplete statistics from "Shenxiang", over 2/3 of the participants in "Xidan" were newcomers competing online for the first time, and more than half of the participants in "Tuoyou" were newcomers competing online for the first time. However, in the end, only six stand-up comedians including Haha Cao, Fu Hang, Liu Yang, Zhai Jianing, Men Qiang, and Yan Hexiang secured brand partnerships in the last two variety shows (data sourced from stand-up comedians' Weibo accounts, may be incomplete).

Among them, Liu Yang is considered a stand-up comedian with relatively more brand partnerships as a "newcomer", having secured sponsorships from Honor, JD.com, Jinlingguan, and Tetra Pak. Strictly speaking, Liu Yang is not a pure newcomer in the stand-up comedy industry, as he had nearly ten years of performing experience offline before. He was a member of the "Shimoliu Teaching" (Shi Laoban, Zhou Qimo, Xiao Lu, Liu Yang Master) explosive combination, and later became more well-known to the audience through online comedy variety shows such as "Annual Comedy Competition" and "Joyful and Wonderful Night". With recognition and creative ability, he has gained more brand recognition.

Furthermore, choosing stand-up comedians may also lead to some public controversies. For example, the recent collaboration between JD.com and Yang Li has sparked dissatisfaction among many users, and when Ubras collaborated with Li Dan, there was also ambiguity in the Weibo copy, leading to a brand apology.

For brands, the content value of stand-up comedians is a highlight and an advantage, as they can endorse brands from a unique perspective. On the other hand, stand-up comedy as a "provocative art", certain expressions by comedians will inevitably be controversial, so brands need to carefully consider before choosing. Value and concerns coexist, requiring cautious deliberation.

If we take a longer-term perspective, it is not easy for stand-up comedy to reach where it is today.

Stand-up comedy used to mainly take place offline, with low mass recognition. After transitioning online, stand-up comedy variety shows experienced various ups and downs, until now, evolving from a niche track to a mainstream category in the market. The comedians who emerged from stand-up comedy, whether in terms of mass recognition or brand recognition, also need a process of growth.

Overall, the trend is positive, with video platforms providing strong support, more and more young audiences empathizing with stand-up comedy, and brands making new collaborative attempts. In the future, stand-up comedians can not only stand on the stage of expression but also on the stage of commerce, gaining more sources of income.

We can look forward to a healthy ecosystem of stand-up comedians emerging - with things to say, dreams to pursue, and money to earn.

Author: Zu Yang, Source: Shen Xiang, Original Title: "Stand-up Comedians 'Eating for a Living': Who Pays the Bill? How Difficult Is It?"