A SNAPSHOT OF LUXURY BRANDS DIGITAL ACTIONS FOR CNY 2021 - A YEAR OF WITNESSING MATURED LOCALIZATION FROM CREATIVITY, PRODUCTS TO CHANNELS March 2021

BEST PRACTICE - CNY SPECIAL EDITION

A SNAPSHOT OF
LUXURY BRANDS
DIGITAL ACTIONS
FOR CNY 2021
A YEAR OF WITNESSING MATURED
LOCALIZATION FROM CREATIVITY, PRODUCTS TO
CHANNELS

                March 2021

Table of Content

•   Context & Key Observations

•   Brands Creativity Showcases

•   Products Customization Showcases

•   Channel Expansion Showcases

Context

Chinese New Year (CNY) has become one of the
most important marketing and sales opportunities
for luxury brands in China market. In recent years,
luxury brands from overseas have adapted into the
local market ecosystem, and they are maturing a
deeper bonding with the local customers.

Chinese New Year 2021, the luxury brands again
are bringing in their A-games into the season, with
localized creative storytelling, customized CNY
capsule collections, expansive top-tier celebrities
and influencers involvement, on all channels
possible, together to maximize the traffic to both
brand exposure and purchase conversion.

Key Observations

     LOCALIZED CREATIVITY was                   CUSTOMIZED PRODUCTS                      EXPANSIVE TOUCHPOINTS
       carried out through better           only for CNY in China market             were planned to influence younger
      understanding of the culture               has become a new norm.                    audiences within various
     and quality local productions.                                                      platforms/channel ecosystems

 •     Luxury brands have shown a           •    Luxury brands launched CNY          •    As a result increase presence on
       deeper understanding of Chinese           capsule collections.                     all social channels, brands are
       customers’ insights and cultures                                                   integrating all digital channels to
       through creative storytelling.       •    Stepping out of using only               carry out social-commerce.
                                                 Chinese zodiac animal images,
 •     Ultra-high quality of contents is         this year, brands incorporate       •    Overall, since luxury brands target
       becoming a major trend.                   more oriental aesthetics into the        audience has shifted to younger
                                                 CNY capsule.                             population (post 95/post 00),
 •     WeChat e-red packets went viral                                                    brands are delivering their
       this year. Brands reacted not only                                                 communication via the platforms
       fast, but delivered quality                                                        that the youth are more active on.
       creativity through them.

BRANDS
 CREATIVE
SHOWCASES
 •   Storytelling
 •   E-Red Packets

Brand Case - Loewe
the creative storytelling that truly embracing the culture

Loewe x Wallpaper

Craftsmanship
& Family
Every year, this documentary series
showcased 3 shorts story of 3 artisan
families across China, who have been
devotion their life and career in
preserving the skills and traditions.

This year, Loewe cobranded with
Wallpaper, told stories of Chinese
New Year Paining, bamboo weaving,
and Yuting Cakes.

Brand Case - Loewe
the creative storytelling that truly embracing the culture

                   Loewe has revealed 9 artisan family stories over the past 3 years.

                     2021                           2020                         2019

               Woodblock printing                Bench dragon                 Paper cutting
               Yuting cake-making                shadow play                      Batik
            Daoming bamboo weaving               Chinese knot                   Dim Sum

Brand Case - Burberry
localized creative production that achieved a real theater experience

Burberry

A new year with you
Another short film directed by a
renowned director Zeng Guoxiang and
led by top celebrity actress Zhou Dongyu,
was dedicated to the new spring, new
beginning.

There was very subtle brand touch
throughout the film.

Brand Case - Burberry
localized creative production that achieved a real theater experience

Burberry

A new year with you
The film was not only distributed digitally, but also
offline in theaters.

Customers from six tier 1 cities in China, were able
to register through the Burberry mini-program, and
watch the film offline in their local theaters. Chinese
New Yeas in general is a big new films theater
launching window. It’s a new tradition for Chinese
to watch new films during CNY.

Burberry elevated a video content to a film
production level, and to bond with local customers
that they understand both the old and new
traditions.

Brand Case - Moncler
the elevated oriental aesthetics that speaks modern

Moncler

Chinese Martial Art
Moncler invited an uprising
millennial director Zhang
Jiacheng, to created a film-like
short video, that showcase the
brand and products through
Chinese marticla art.

The film still adopted the color
red, but elevated to a modern
expression.

WeChat E-Red Packets Designs
collaborated with renowned IPs, artists and illustrators

  Gucci x Doraemon            Maison Marginal x Nhu Xuan Hua   Burberry x Illustrators

WeChat E-Red Packets Mechanisms
redeem mechanisms were engaging than ever

             WeChat Dashboard               AR SCAN   Shake

Take-Aways

•   The level of cultural understanding set these
    brands apart. The topics and story angles the
    brands went for were creative, selective, and
    culturally sensitive.
•   The production level was getting more luxurious
    as well – renowned film directors, celebrities,
    and the experiences.
•   WeChat is offering more creative space for
    brands to touch with customers, such as the e-red
    packets.

•   Red packets also have direct link to brands
    official WeChat accounts to create further
    conversion opportunities.

PRODUCT
CUSTOMIZATION
 SHOWCASES
  •   Ox Figure Adoptions
  •   Limited Editions

Brand Case - Burberry
incorporated the year of ox symbols in a fun way

Brand Case – Saint Laurent
combined the ox figure with Chinese ink paining

Brand Case – Gucci
collaborated with IP Doraemon for CNY only

Brand Case – Kenzo
played the Chinese character of ox with the brand logo

Brand Case – Louis Vuitton
collection 1 adopted the ox figure

Brand Case – Louis Vuitton
collection 2 featured a limited edition pattern for CNY only

Brand Case – Dior
collection 1 adopted the ox figure

Brand Case – Dior
collection 2 also featured a limited edition pattern for CNY only

Take-Aways

•   In the early years, luxury brands used to directly
    adopt the zodiac animal figures without much
    elevated design effort; in recent years, still
    incorporate the animal figures, the designs
    become more complex and luxurious.

•   Beyond zodiac animal figures, brands also use
    the CNY times to launch special capsules in
    collaboration with big IPs and limited designs.

CHANNEL
EXPANSION
SHOWCASES
 •   Social-commerce
     on all channels
 •   Younger target
     group

Brand Case - Gucci
Conversion touchpoints were planned at brand’s each social channels

                  Weibo content                                       WeChat content
                  was linked to                                        was linked to
                     Official                                          WeChat mini-
                   website for                                         program for
                    purchase                                            purchase

Brand Case - Gucci
Conversion touchpoints were planned at brand’s each social channels

                  Weibo content                                       WeChat content
                  was linked to                                        was linked to
                     Official                                          WeChat mini-
                   website for                                         program for
                    purchase                                            purchase

Brand Case - Prada
paired with top celebrity Cai Xukun to engage with younger audience on Tik Tok

Brand Case - Prada
shifting mechanisms and channels to meet the younger generation

The audience can record their own CNY wishes. At the same time,
play to listen the celebrities (including Cai Xukun)‘s voice recording
of his CNY wishes via Prada WeChat mini-program.

Take-Aways

•   Luxury brands are shifting their communication
    focus to the younger generation – 95s - 00s.

•   As a result, from celebrity endorsement, to
    platform/channel focus, engagement
    mechanisms, and creative content have all
    adapted the strategies to be younger-gen-
    friendly.

Food for Thought

  Chinese New Year, in tradition, is a shopping season in the Chinese customs – it is the time to renew and illuminate oneself
  and the coming year. It is also the time for brands to re-setup the tone and influence for the new year. Unlike Double 11,
  Brands, luxury or not, are seeing it not as only a sales season, but a huge brand exposure opportunity.

  As the increase numbers of brands start compete during the season, we are seeing significantly more budget and effort
  putting creativity, merchandise, platform expansion, media exposure, digital user journey building and revenue conversion
  at this very critical time of the year.

  Foreign luxury brands have gained a fuller grasp of the culture, the consumer insight, the digital media ecosystem, the
  social-commerce mechanism in China. The future digital campaigns for holiday seasons in China will become more
  challenging than ever.

  Where to stand out? Who to impress? What to get out of a holiday campaign? All these questions require us marketers to
  embrace a higher strategy level of thinking, and a genuine interest for this one of the most unique markets in the world. We
  hope this sharing would inspire your thoughts in some way.

Thank You.
Wish you a great year of OX!

    @CuriosityChina

    @CuriosityChina