2019 iQIYI iJOY Conference: Promoting Brand Growth through Content and Value-Driven Marketing

SHANGHAI, Oct. 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- iQIYI, Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) ("iQIYI" or the "Company"), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, held its annual iJOY Conference (the "Conference") in Shanghai on October 15th. Under the theme of "New Trends New Growth", the Conference served as a platform for iQIYI to announce its content and marketing strategy for 2020 and discuss the future prospects of China's entertainment industry with brand advertisers and iQIYI partners.

On iQIYI's content and marketing strategy for 2020, Gong Yu, Founder and CEO of iQIYI said, "as the online video industry enters into a mature market, iQIYI will not only continue creating content liked by the general public, but it will also be producing vertical content that caters to the needs of targeted audiences."

Founder and CEO Gong Yu, Chief Marketing Officer Wang Xiangjun, Chief Content Officer and President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG) Wang Xiaohui, Senior Vice President Chen Wei, Vice President and the General Manager of the Program Development Center, and many other iQIYI executives delivered speeches at the Conference, sharing iQIYI's content and marketing strategies and upcoming new releases with thousands of advertisers and partners.

Exploring how AI empowers innovative marketing mechanisms

With the rapid development of AI and 5G, technological advancements such as optimized bandwidth and enhanced video quality will not only improve iQIYI users' viewing experience, but also promote greater integration between media and technology.

As China's leading online video streaming platform, iQIYI is committed to enhancing its marketing offerings by promoting innovation-driven values in both technology and content creation. By applying AI to all aspects of its businesses, iQIYI continues to meet the increasingly personalized needs of users by perfecting its content creation and recommendation mechanisms.

At the Conference, iQIYI's Founder and CEO Gong Yu explained that the visual and audio recognition and synthetic technologies in AI allows advertisements to blend seamlessly into content, achieving full integration between content and advertisements. This means that the number and quality of advertisements will not be compromised even when the users are enjoying films or dramas.

In terms of marketing products, iQIYI has developed a wide range of AI-powered marketing features to address the diverse needs of advertisers. These AI-powered features differ in format and function by allowing advertisements to be presented as on-screen pop-up indications during viewing, or as part of the news feed when browsing on the platform. AI's adaptability allows advertisements to be tailored to different scenarios and reach iQIYI users as they watch videos, conduct searches or interact with other users on the platform. This helps make sure that advertisements can reach the right users at the right time and place.

Promoting the growth of brands through content IP optimization and value-driven marketing

As the global market continues to experience instability, Wang Xiangjun, Chief Marketing Officer of iQIYI, believes that investment in brand value serves as the key sustainable growth path for companies. At the Conference, Wang noted that despite growing challenges in the economy, the market continues to embrace new consumer trends that are purpose and value driven. iQIYI believes that the key to brand growth is understanding the values of belief-driven consumers, consumer trends amongst the youth and premium consumers, as well as establishing core brand values and communication channels between brands and consumers.

By recognizing the importance of brand value and the uprise of belief-driven consumers, iQIYI developed a "brand value growth model" which utilizes iQIYI's advantages in its premium content productions and technology. Through iQIYI's strong understanding of value-driven consumption trends and its ownership of the beloved original IP content and innovative marketing mechanisms, iQIYI's brand value growth model offers brands marketing opportunities that resonate with the personal values of target audiences.

iQIYI is confident in the prospects of growth in business and creativity in the Chinese market and will strive to optimize the growth of brands and partners.  

Dong Xuanyu, General Manager of Drama & Variety Show Content Marketing Center of iQIYI, explained at the Conference that iQIYI will be combining its IP resources, especially those from its drama and variety show resources to offer advertisers an IP-driven marketing platform, enabling brands to reach iQIYI users effectively. 

For the marketing of original dramas, iQIYI announced that it will be launching three original drama categories – the 7100 Category, TOP Category and Themed Category - with long-term advertisement partners including Huawei, Coca-Cola, and Mizone. Dramas created under the original drama categories will differ in genre, audience and production goals depending on which Category it falls under. iQIYI will also be partnering with Vipshop and Suning Appliance Group on advertisements shown at the beginning of videos, as well as on-screen pop-up ads embedded in the content. In terms of marketing for variety shows, iQIYI will continue to focus on a social-orientated strategy, emphasizing on content immersion and interactive elements that drive communication between brands and users. 

Going forward, iQIYI will continue to support the brand value growth of its partners by focusing on the integration of content creation and marketing innovation and utilizing its insights on changes in consumer trends.

iQIYI to invest over RMB 20 billion in over 200 new releases

At the Conference, Wang Xiaohui, Chief Content Officer and President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG) of iQIYI, announced the company's upcoming content strategy and new releases for the next year. In 2020, iQIYI will invest over RMB 20 billion in over 200 new releases across six genres of variety shows and five genres of drama series, in addition to sports and other vertical business areas. Wang said that iQIYI's investments in content lay a strong foundation for its future content development capacity and guarantee a strong content selection.

In the highly anticipated area of TV dramas and variety shows, iQIYI will continue to focus on genres such as family, epic, lifestyle, sports and music that are based on cultural trends in China. Variety shows to be released in 2020 include the return of highly acclaimed shows such as Qing Chun You Ni 2, I Can I BB 6, The Big Band 2, The Rap of China 2020, CZR II, FOURTRY, Miss Voice, We Are Champions, as well as shows with specific target audiences such as Top Influencer, My Little Tutor, Hi Housemate 2, I Actor 2, and Falling in Love Like a Romantic TV Drama. 

iQIYI also announced that in 2020, key releases for TV dramas entail 23 new dramas that include the highlight anticipated series such as The Sleuth of Ming Dynasty, Once Upon a Time in LingJian Mountain, The Great Ruler, Love in Shanghai, If There is No Tomorrow, Fearless, PINGPONG, Tientsin Mystic 2, REUNION: The Sound of The Providence, iPARTMENT  5, HOT–BLOODED YOUTH and Court Lady.

With a strong selection of upcoming releases, iQIYI will be rolling out new content on a quarterly basis to meet different audience preferences. For each quarter, there will be key releases of drama series under a specific focus and more than two top variety shows. Additional content from the entertainment, culture, lifestyle and family genres will also be released to cater interests of specific groups.

Furthermore, iQIYI also announced that as 2020 will be a big year for sports, it has acquired online broadcasting rights to the 2020 Euro Cup and the top 12 prequalification games of the Asia division for the 2022 FIFA World Cup.

About iQIYI, Inc.                                                 

iQIYI, Inc. is an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China. Its corporate DNA combines creative talent with technology, fostering an environment for continuous innovation and the production of blockbuster content. iQIYI's platform features highly popular original content, as well as a comprehensive library of other professionally-produced content, partner-generated content and user-generated content. The Company distinguishes itself in the online entertainment industry by its leading technology platform powered by advanced AI, big data analytics and other core proprietary technologies. iQIYI attracts a massive user base with tremendous user engagement, and has developed a diversified monetization model including membership services, online advertising services, content distribution, live broadcasting, online games, IP licensing, online literature and e-commerce.

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