Baidu International Launches, Aimed at Global Brands

[Update: A Baidu International rep called us to clarify the launch. We were told that Baidu International is a partnership between China Search International and Baidu. It is set up to help international brands and ad agencies to run ad campaigns on Baidu’s existing ad platform and thus help Baidu increase revenue in the international market. We have made changes to the first paragraph and title accordingly.]

Baidu, in partnership with China Search International, is launching ‘Baidu International‘ ad platform today, which it touts as a service “to help advertisers globally launch, manage and optimize on Baidu.”

Now, before you dismiss this news, think about what it represents. It is an opportunity for the world to throw ads at China’s 500-million-strong internet users. And like it or not, Baidu is one of the best channels to reach Chinese netizens as it controls a whopping 83 percent of the Chinese search market.

The launch is essentially a partnership roll-out between China Search International and Baidu to help international brands and agencies to leverage Baidu’s ad platform , which were previously limited to just the Chinese-language, and mainly to companies with a local presence. Baidu International is based in Singapore – not Beijing HQ – and is also on Twitter.

Baidu International has two ad products to offer international brands and agencies so far:

Search Advertising: This is similar to Google Adwords and runs on a cost-per-click (CPC) and pay-per-performance model. Ads will run on keywords set by the advertisers. For folks who don’t understand Chinese, Baidu International will help to translate your ad creatives into the language. The ads will appear as users search for the keywords you chose. The platform isn’t fully self-serving, meaning it would take some time to set up, run, and optimize an account, unlike Google Adwords which can run ads almost immediately after ads are approved. Baidu International search ads can be optimized if the brand or ad agency has an “API established with Baidu.”

Brand Zone: The brand zone pushes the company’s messages right up to the top of the search results page. For example, if you search for French fashion brand Chanel (pictured below), you will realize that all the links are from the company’s Chinese website. These links could communicate PR or sales messages to users. It allows companies to take control of the communication with potential consumers and also build their brand image.

We asked Baidu International for more details, and a representative explained to us that Baidu International is semi-self-serving. Here’s his explanation:

As an advertiser you have the option to access Baidu’s dashboard and self-manage campaigns. However due to regulations in China protecting consumers, this is not a fully self-serve platform.

All this makes use of Baidu’s box computing technology, which puts interactive widgets directly in the search results. An example of this combining with Baidu International can be seen in the search for Chanel (try it by clicking here), which is pictured above. It brings up a box computing widget for the brand, filled with useful links that are are laid out and colour-coordinated.