The Chinese advertising landscape is tricky. As well as the different platforms, western businesses have to navigate industry-level rules about when they can advertise, which can also differ by platform.
A “No” is not always the end of the story though. We have made effective use of content parketing and influencers in markets where paid ads aren’t permitted, and the rules are often more lenient if your business has it’s own entity in China.
Here are what we’ve uncovered from our examination of 77 different industries trying to advertise in China*:
| Industry | Baidu | Rednote | Bilibili | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, Fishery and Mining – Agriculture, Forestry, Animal Husbandry, Fishery and Mining | No | No | No | No |
| Beauty and Personal Care – Beauty Tools | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beauty and Personal Care – General Cosmetics | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Beauty and Personal Care – Special Cosmetics | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents, requires use of Baidu landing page (your website cannot be used as the landing page) |
| Business Services – Agency and Handling | Yes – Requires additional documents, requires use of Baidu landing page (your website cannot be used as the landing page) | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Business Services – Consulting and Investigation | Yes – Requires additional documents, requires use of Baidu landing page (your website cannot be used as the landing page) | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Business Services – Immigration Services | Yes | No | No | Evaluated by case |
| Business Services – Legal Services, Law Firm | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Business Services – Talent Agencies, Human Resources | Yes – Requires additional documents | No | No | N/A |
| Business Services – Visa Services | Yes | Yes | No | Evaluated by case |
| Chemical Industry and Energy – Chemical Industry and Energy | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Commodities, Merchandise, Consumer Goods, Consumer Products – Adult Products | No | No | No | No |
| Commodities, Merchandise, Consumer Goods, Consumer Products – Daily Consumer Goods, Clothing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities, Merchandise, Consumer Goods, Consumer Products – Food and Beverages | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Commodities, Merchandise, Consumer Goods, Consumer Products – Pet products | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Commodities, Merchandise, Consumer Goods, Consumer Products – Tobacco Products | No | No | No | No |
| Culture, Entertainment and Media – Cultural, Artistic and Sports Activities | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Culture, Entertainment and Media – Gambling Casinos | No | No | No | No |
| Culture, Entertainment and Media – Information and Media Platforms | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Culture, Entertainment and Media – Lottery | No | No | No | No |
| Education & Training – Early Childhood Education | No | No | No | No |
| Education & Training – K12 Education | No | No | No | No |
| Education & Training – Post-secondary Education | Yes – If you are a university, it needs to be a university accredited by the Ministry of Education of China. | Yes – If you are a university, it needs to be a university accredited by the Ministry of Education of China. | Yes – If you are a university, it needs to be a university accredited by the Ministry of Education of China. | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Education & Training – Skill Training, Language Training, Vocational Training, Online Courses | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes – If you are a university, it needs to be a university accredited by the Ministry of Education of China. |
| Financial Services – App Download | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Banking Industry | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Binary Options | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Commodities, Merchandise, Consumer Goods, Consumer Products | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Financial Credit Reporting | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Financial Portal Websites | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Foreign Exchange Industry | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Fund Industry | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Futures Industry | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Insurance Industry | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Microloan Services | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – MT4 Software | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Online Lending Services | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Others | Yes – Overseas licenses not permitted, special approval for Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan regions | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Pawnbroking | No | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Securities Industry | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Third-Party Payment | Yes – Requires special approval | Yes – Requires special approval | No | Yes – Requires special approval |
| Financial Services – Trust Industry | Yes – Requires special approval | No | No | No |
| Financial Services – Virtual Currencies | No | No | No | No |
| Games – Account and Item Trading, Game Currency Trading | Yes – Requires additional documents | No | No | No |
| Games – Videogames, Game Platforms and Peripherals | Yes – If you are a game publisher, you need to provide ISBN, if not, you need to provide the authorization for the game to you. | Yes – If you are a game publisher, you need to provide ISBN, if not, you need to provide the authorization for the game to you. | Yes – If you are a game publisher, you need to provide ISBN, if not, you need to provide the authorization for the game to you. | Yes – If you are a game publisher, you need to provide ISBN, if not, you need to provide the authorization for the game to you. |
| Health Products/Drugs – Dietary supplements/Vitamins | Evaluated by case | Evaluated by case | Evaluated by case | Evaluated by case |
| Health Products/Drugs – Health Products, Drugs, Weight-loss Pills | No | No | No | No |
| Home Decoration and Furniture – Home Decoration and Furniture | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Internet E-commerce Services – Internet E-commerce Services | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| IT Services – Blockchain Technology, Cryptocurrencies | No | No | No | No |
| IT Services – IoT Technology Service Provider, Enterprise-customized IT and information systems, SaaS | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Lifestyle Services – Lifestyle Services | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes |
| Lifestyle Services – Restaurant | Yes – Requires additional documents for food management license | Yes – Requires additional documents for food management license | Yes – Requires additional documents for food management license | N/A |
| Logistics Industry – Logistics, Warehousing | Yes – Requires additional documents, requires use of Baidu landing page (your website cannot be used as the landing page) | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Manufacturing – Mechanical Equipment, Automotive, Automobile, Vehicle | Yes – Requires use of Baidu landing page (your website cannot be used as the landing page) | Yes | Yes | N/A |
| Maternity and Baby Products – Infant Formula and Supplementary Food | No | No | No | No |
| Maternity and Baby Products – Maternity Clothing and Supplies, Children’s Clothing | Yes | Yes | Yes – Requires additional documents | N/A |
| Maternity and Baby Products – Others | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Mechanical Equipment – Mechanical Equipment | N/A | N/A | N/A | Yes |
| Medical Machinery – Medical Machinery, Class I Medical Devices, Class II Medical Devices, Class III Medical Devices, Masks | No | No | No | No |
| Medical Services – Medical Services, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Andrology, Internal Medicine, Surgery, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Otolaryngology, Ophthalmology, Stomatology, Pediatrics, Experience Class, Psychiatry, Reproductive Medicine, Drug Addiction Treatment, Rehabilitation, General Hospital, Medical Peripheral Services | No | No | No | No |
| Network Services – IP Proxy | Yes | No | No | No |
| Network Services – VPN | No | No | No | No |
| Plastic Surgery – Plastic Surgery, Integrated Plastic and Cosmetic Surgery, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Skin Cosmetology, Facial Plastic Surgery, Body Shaping, Tattoo, Hair Transplant, Cosmetic Dentistry, Ophthalmic Cosmetology, Medical Aesthetics Service Platform | No | No | No | No |
| Real Estate – Overseas Apartment Rental | Yes | Evaluated by case | No | Evaluated by case |
| Real Estate – Overseas Real Estate Investment | Yes | No | No | Evaluated by case |
| Social Public Services – Government Services | Yes – Requires additional documents | Yes – Requires additional documents | No | Yes – Requires additional documents |
| Social Public Services – Municipal Construction | Yes – Requires additional documents | No | No | No |
| Social Public Services – Overseas Religion | No | No | No | No |
| Social Public Services – Social Organizations | Yes – Requires additional documents | No | No | No |
| Software Tools – Jailbreak and Military-related Software | No | No | No | No |
| Software- Software, App | Yes – For App, it requires “Computer Software Copyright Registration Certificate” or app screenshots from Apple Store | Yes – For App, it requires “Computer Software Copyright Registration Certificate” or app screenshots from Apple Store | Yes – For App, it requires “Computer Software Copyright Registration Certificate” or app screenshots from Apple Store | Yes – For App, it requires “Computer Software Copyright Registration Certificate” or app screenshots from Apple Store |
| Sports and Outdoor Activities – Sports and Outdoor Activities | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Telecommunication Services – Overseas Data SIM Card | No | No | No | No |
| Telecommunication Services – Telecom Operators | No for foreign business | No for foreign business | No for foreign business | No for foreign business |
| Tourism Services and Hotels – Tourism Services, Hotels, Tickets | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Transportation – Transportation, Car Rental, Airline | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
*Results correct at time of publishing, excercise due diligence including talking to our campaign managers before launching campaigns based on the information.