This year, brands have been quick off the mark and many began promoting their campaigns for 520 at the beginning of May. Consumers have also clutched onto the festival early. Weibo users have already been discussing gaming giant Honor of Kings‘ 520 limited-edition skins for players prior to the announcement about their release.

In the run-up to 520, we take a look at how brands appealed to consumers last year in the immediate aftermath of COVID-19.

Luxury brands seize on 520 after 2020 COVID sales slump

Luxury brands were among the hardest hit by COVID-19 with analysts predicting that the luxury market could reduce by up to 35% in 2020. 520 took place just after China’s COVID-19 outbreak and so was a perfect opportunity for luxury brands to launch a campaign to boost sales and grow their brand among Chinese customers. 

Several Western luxury brands got on board releasing 520 campaigns – GUCCI launched podcasts featuring Chinese celebrities sharing their first experience of buying or receiving a GUCCI product. Hermes launched a WeChat Mini-Program campaign which allowed users to select gifts that the brand then recommended to their loved ones.  

However, the luxury brand which made the biggest impact on Chinese consumers last year was Prada’s “520 Mathematics of Love” campaign.

Romantic tale featuring Cai Xukun

To mark 520, Prada launched a content-driven campaign with one of the most popular male celebrities in China, Cai Xukun. 

The short film, Mathematics of Love, shows how Cai expresses love through a series of numbers – each with a hidden meaning. 

All the numbers are linked to Cai’s love and romance and when added together equal 520 i.e I love you.

Prada offers a personal touch

The campaign did not just comprise of the video and posters that were based on Cai Xukun’s story and were promoted on social media.

Prada’s audience could also receive a customised personal poster in the same design as Cai’s if they uploaded a picture through a special link. In addition, Prada allowed consumers to select gifts for their loved ones on their website and WeChat Mini-Program.

Creating a localised campaign

More and more luxury brands are realising the importance of localisation in campaigns. By appealing to cultural differences and differing consumer behaviour and habits, brands can expand their audience, increase engagement and develop brand loyalty.

Localised celebrity endorsement

Despite being a Western brand, Prada chose a Chinese celebrity, Cai Xukun, who is well-known and well-loved among female Chinese consumers, to endorse their campaign. 

Working with celebrities who share the same nationality and language as Chinese consumers is more likely to develop brand traction and engagement as they are generally better known among Chinese audiences and have a presence on Chinese social media sites.

The inclusion of Cai meant that the campaign appealed to his fans in addition to Prada’s audience, resulting in more people viewing the campaign and increasing brand awareness.

Localised social networks

Prada promoted its 520 campaign on Weibo, WeChat, Douyin and their official Chinese website. Using a variety of platforms and formats (video, images and gifs) helped them reach a wider audience and appeal to Prada lovers on different channels. 

In addition, Prada launched various activities specific to each channel that their audience could participate in. For example, users were able to get a personalised poster on Weibo and access a pop-up shop exclusively through Prada’s WeChat Mini-program. 

#Prada520 gains 600 million views

Cai Xukun attracted many female consumers to the campaign and the creatively produced romantic story was praised by netizens. As a result, the campaign drove many customers to order 520 presents from Prada in advance.

The campaign exploded on social media with the hashtag ‘#Prada520‘ gaining 600 million views and 3.24 million comments on Weibo. On average, posts on Prada’s Weibo related to their 520 campaign hit over 50,000 likes and 10,000 comments. In addition, over 11,000 Weibo followers generated their own personal 520 posters. 

Embracing the spirit of 520

China’s wealth is dominating the global luxury market, and, by 2025, Chinese consumers are predicted to make up half of all luxury sales.

Prada’s 520 campaign showed how luxury brands can successfully market to different target audiences of Chinese consumers via a variety of formats and platforms. As well as working with a Chinese celebrity, Prada’s key stronghold was to launch a campaign that encapsulated the spirit of a special Chinese festival, 520.

Read more about luxury in China:

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To appeal to China’s tech-savvy millennial and Gen-Z audience, KFC worked with short-form video platform Kuaishou to launch an AR filter to promote its latest product.

KFC’s history of co-branding

KFC regularly works with other brands from a range of industries to gain more exposure for its campaigns and products. Cross-industry collaborations have become increasingly popular both among brands as it enables them to tap into other audiences and among consumers who enjoy buying one-of-a-kind products and engaging with the “fun side” of brands. Among its partnerships in 2020, KFC worked with Beyond Meat to launch plant-based meat burgers and with fashion brand Karl Lagerfeld to produce limited-edition bags.

KFC X Kuaishou “subvert time and space”

This is a common thought among many young Chinese as a form of escapism from the pressures of everyday life and as they consider the possibilities of China’s fast-changing technological environment.

One of China’s most popular video platforms Kuaishou is committed to integrating the virtual and real-world, creating a new visual experience, and bringing users a more realistic, immersive and interactive experience through the latest technologies.

Therefore, marketing agency MZ DIGITAL combined KFC’s “subversion” concept with this notion to enable consumers to “open a door” to “subvert the world”.  KFC launched a AR filter on Kuaishou which aimed to promote its new product “Chinzza” – a chicken base topped with cheese, pineapples and corn, similar to a pizza. The AR engine and real-time rendering tools were developed by Kuaishou’s own technology team Y-tech.

Users can produce a video with the filter and participate in the campaign by searching “subvert time and space” on Kuaishou. The filter enables users to escape to a different universe: it gives them a helmet and they can enter a virtual world with aircraft, futuristic buildings and a star-filled sky. As such, the campaign allows people to “subvert life” from a first-person perspective, breaking the boundaries between reality and virtuality.  

KFC has encouraged participation in the campaign by offering 100 creators with the highest engagement the prize of a free Chinzza. A total of 124,000 people have used the AR filter (as of January 5 2020) and the “subvert time and space” hashtag reached over 7 million views on Kuaishou.

Due to the innovative technology and creative concept which appeals to Kuaishou’s young users, the campaign has been successful among consumers. Participation in the user-generated campaign enables users to experience a cut-of-the-edge AR immersive interactive experience and win free KFC products. For KFC, it has resulted in a high conversion rate and huge exposure.

Consumers are eager to engage with AR tech

Thanks to the nature of modern technology, AR is accessible to anyone who owns a smartphone and has become integrated into young people’s entertainment channels. As a result, more and more brands have begun applying AR technology into their campaigns to increase engagement with young consumers. The success of KFC and Kuaishou’s AR magic filter shows that Chinese consumers are keen to engage with the latest technologies, such as immersive AR-powered experiences.

Read more about China’s AR/VR industry:

• 2020 China round-up
• NVIDIA and Tencent Cloud launch cloud-based AR/VR solutions
• iQiyi Intelligence sets financing record in China’s VR industry

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As one of the most famous biscuits brands globally, Oreo, never shies away from the chance to launch a creative campaign. Indeed, Tmall’s Super Brand Day offers the perfect opportunity for this. Super Brand Day is e-commerce giant Tmall’s special day offering discounts and promotional activities for brands on its platform.

Last year, the brand teamed up with Beijing’s Forbidden City to launch six new flavours inspired by the imperial era, including green tea, red bean, pepper, rose and barbecued pork. It was a hugely successful campaign which contributed more than 260,000 new followers to its Tmall flagship store.

Oreo X Jay Chou’s collections

This year, Oreo partnered with another famous national icon, one of the most popular singers in China, Jay Chou. Having been in the music business for twenty years and sold more than thirty million albums, he is a well-known name among the majority of millennials, as well as younger generations. Appealing to Chou’s large follower base, Oreo announced him as its brand ambassador on May 17 and launched a campaign with the singer.

The campaign seamlessly combined nostalgia surrounding food and music to mark 20 years since Chou’s debut album and the 20^th anniversary of Oreo’s entry into the Chinese market.

Oreo introduced a limited edition music box that plays two of Jay Chou’s classic songs, Sweet and Nunchakus. The brand also launched Jay Chou milk teacups and fashion merchandise on Mondelēz’s (the snack giant that owns Oreo) flagship store. The collection included Oreo bags, vintage T-shirts, parent-and-child dresses, creative brooches and bucket hats. 

Creative art exhibition in Shanghai station

As well as launching limited edition products, Oreo also created an unparalleled art exhibition composed of 50,000 pieces of mini Oreo and a huge poster of Jay Chou along with the covers of several of his famous albums. The artwork took five artists 25 days to put together. It was exhibited at the most crowded station in Shanghai, Xu Jia Hui subway station.

In order to reduce waste, Oreo used expired biscuits for the art exhibition, showing the brand’s awareness of its environmental impact.

Many influencers and followers of the brand attended the Oreo Art Exhibition, sharing posts about it on their Weibo and Douyin accounts. The campaign’s Weibo hashtag #哎哟不错奥利奥 hit over 860 million views and 3.28 million comments. This year was Oreo’s fifth Super Brand Day, and it reported a 20% increase in transaction volume from last year and added more than 100,000 followers to its Tmall flagship store.

Nostalgia marketing harnesses results in China

Whether it is a cartoon, character from a film or musician, figures from childhood tend to leave a strong, lasting impression on people’s emotions. Many brands use nostalgia marketing in campaigns to attract their target audience by touching on cherished memories.

Through its limited edition products and art exhibition, Oreo appealed to Chinese millennials’ connection with Jay Chou and increased their brand awareness. Western brands should conduct consumer research to uncover what their target audience truly feels nostalgic about and incorporate this into their marketing strategy.

Brand: Oreo

Social Media Agency: BlueMedia

CCO: Maxx

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Many Chinese citizens may have never seen a disabled person work in a public-facing role, such as hospitality. There is also a lack of knowledge about the scope of disabilities, the challenges that disabled people face, and the wide range of fields – nursing, cooking teaching, sport, business, media etc. – that people with disabilities work in.

Yet, according to the China Disabled Persons’ Federation, over 85 million people in China identify as having a disability. While the situation is improving, disabled people still face many barriers in Chinese society: finding employment, accessibility issues and public stigma.

Therefore, Tencent launched a campaign as part of their annual charity day to offer support to those with disabilities and to help change public attitudes.

Tencent highlights a range of charitable causes

To encourage more people to share with others, technology giant Tencent launched its “99 Giving Day” in 2015. The annual three day charity event, taking place from September 7 to 9, has become the most popular annual charity festival in China.

The ongoing project capitalises on people’s readiness to donate small sums of money to charitable causes through their mobile phones. It leverages digital means to encourage charitable activities and, by doing so, demonstrates the power of technology to help vulnerable groups.

The “99 Giving Day” endeavours to turn kindness from hundreds of millions of users into support for others. Previous campaigns have focussed on a range of causes including free lunches for school children in poverty-stricken areas. The project highlights the ease of giving:

Tencent filmed its campaign video for 2020’s “99 Giving Day” in a bakery store where the staff all have disabilities. A group of people who had previously donated to disability causes during Tencent’s “99 Giving Day” visit the cafe. To their surprise, they find that the money they have given has been used to to support these people with disabilities find jobs and make a living.

“99 Giving Day” raises over 3 billion RMB

To give the campaign a more personalised touch, Tencent developed a game called “little safflower” on WeChat. Users can gather safflowers by donating money and interacting with their friends. Tencent will match the users’ final number of virtual safflowers with a donation to charity of a random amount.

Many celebrities and KOLs were involved in the campaign via livestreaming, WeChat official accounts and idol charity programs. To date, more than 120 celebrity fan groups on WeChat and Weibo and hundreds of official accounts have joined the “We Media Partnership Program” to promote charity projects. The hashtag “99 Giving Day” gained 2.18 billion views and 13 million comments on Weibo.

With the theme of “Together We Can” 一块做好事, this year’s event raised a total of 3.04 billion RMB for various charities. Organisations, individuals and over 10,000 enterprises participated in the campaign which has already broken the record for donations from an online charity event.

Technology can be leveraged to support charities

Today, rapid technological developments are supporting the growth of charity, as shown through Tencent’s “99 Giving Day”. The video released for this year’s campaign highlights just one aspect of how lives are being improved by donations – creating jobs and livelihoods for disabled people.

Apart from raising money, “99 Giving Day” is also creating a positive social impact by changing people’s perceptions about charitable causes and highlighting the long-term impact that donations can have.

Brand: Tencent

Agency: TOPic

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China’s fast-growing esports industry receives support from tech giants

Once upon a time, gaming was seen as “frivolous” and the idea of gaming being a career choice was laughable. However, the success of esports is changing that view.

Esports is providing a new way for the government to appeal to young people. The Chinese government is pushing the growth of esports and linking it to national pride.

Big companies, like Alibaba Group and Tencent Group, are racing to harness the potential of the esports industry. Alibaba has invested in its own China-based top-tier esports tournament called the World Electronic Sports Games. Tencent has successfully built an esports model: from game development and game matches, to events operations and game livestreaming.

It’s not just tech giants who are investing in the esports industry, however, sports brands are also embracing the opportunities that it offers. We take a closer look at how world-leading sportswear brand Nike has developed a presence in China’s esports market.

Nike partners with League of Legends

In 2019, Nike signed a four-year exclusive apparel partnership with Tencent’s TJ Sports for China’s League of Legends Pro League (LPL).

Under the partnership, all LPL players, coaches, referees and team managers have to wear Nike branded clothes and shoes on game days. As well as launching all 16 LPL team uniforms, Nike also unveiled its first LPL co-branded T-shirt to the public called “Gamer”.

The collaboration between two of the leading companies in their industry is mutually beneficial to both. Nike was quick to seek out opportunities in this fast-growing industry and harness League of Legends’ extensive audience in China.

It was not the first time Nike has dabbled in the esports market. The company worked with LPL player Jian “Uzi” Zihao for a “Shut up & Dribble” marketing campaign with basketball superstar LeBron James in 2019. The campaign looked into the social and political responsibilities of major sporting stars.

Nike shows gamers the need for a strong body

At the end of September, Nike launched a short video titled “Camp Next Level” which is part of its ongoing campaign with LPL. In the campaign, Nike hones in on the relationship between a strong body and esports gaming.

The video shows many esports gamers gathering together to join a special esports training camp. Nike provides specific tailored training sessions in order to help gamers push themselves to their limits. The key message of the campaign is that, just like sportspeople, gamers need a strong body to improve their gaming scores and achieve their ambitions.

At the time of writing, the campaign video had already hit 2.5 million views on Weibo. Many netizens commented that Nike’s campaign was inspiring and funny. Nike produced an exhibition for the campaign in Shanghai which was attended by leading gaming influencers. The exhibition included a digitally enhanced interactive exhibit as shown in the video below.

Time to invest in China’s esports industry

With COVID-19 lockdowns encouraging people to seek online entertainment, 2020 has proven to be a year of rapid growth for the esports and gaming industry. China’s investment into the esports industry has helped to stimulate the national economy and encouraged innovative business practices.

With the industry booming, now is the time for global esports organisations and non-gaming brands to invest in esports. Co-branding campaigns provide an effective way to appeal to a huge audience and target young Chinese consumers.

Brand: Nike

Agency: W+K Shanghai

Check out how Game for Peace leveraged new opportunities in the mobile gaming industry by launching a carnival with top DJs.

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In China, just holding offline events is not enough to inspire digital-savvy Chinese consumers and capture new audiences. For millennial and GenZers, technology has become the very centre of their daily lives and they expect it to be a part of their consumption of culture. Therefore, more and more museums are trying to combine online marketing with offline campaigns.

Launching digital products, hosting virtual exhibitions and co-branding with fashionable brands are several ways in which museums have expanded from their traditional activities. With over 600 years of history and culture, the Palace Museum is an excellent example of how to use innovative technology to make history relevant to a new generation. 

The Museum’s rich history attracts 17m visitors per year

With more than 1.86 million cultural relics, the Palace Museum, also known as the Forbidden City, was China’s imperial palace from 1420 in the Ming Dynasty to 1911 at the end of the Qing Dynasty. For almost five centuries, it served as the home of the Emperor and his household and the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese government. According to the Beijing Evening Post, the museum draws in 17 million visitors per year. 

Virtual robes and VR tours

In 2018, the museum installed 10 two-metre high screens in its Duanmen gallery which give visitors the opportunity to “try on” virtual robes. By swiping the screen, users can change between being a member of royalty, a court official, a general, and even a eunuch from the Qing Dynasty. They can then directly send the images to their mobile phones and share them on social media.

Apart from its virtual dress experience, the Palace Museum has also launched a VR virtual tour. Visitors can don a VR headset to view a 3D rendering of one of the Palace’s traditional halls in the Duanmen gallery. This interactive experience provides a new way for users to visualise and understand history.

“Using modern technology to attract a young audience helps us to share our heritage with the next generation.”

Feng Nai’en, deputy director of the Palace Museum

The Palace Museum has channels on various social media platforms. The museum’s WeChat interface includes a WeChat Mini-Program, Official Account, a ticket and booking service and contact details. The museum’s audience can enjoy immersive digital experiences on WeChat, watch real time livestreaming on Weibo and read regular posts about the Museum’s history and relics.

Creating a “brand” through cultural products

The Palace Museum launched a Tmall flagship store in 2010 which it uses to sell cultural products. Initially, its sales volume was low as products were too expensive and poor quality. However, in 2013, the museum began combining cultural history with fashionable and modern design. Thanks to the museum’s online souvenir shop on Taobao, the transaction volume of the museum’s products reached 1.5 billion RMB in 2017. 

In December 2018, the museum released an original cosmetic series including lipsticks, eyeshadow, highlighter and blusher. The collection went down extremely well among Chinese consumers and 90,000 lipsticks were sold within 4 days of launch. Key to the rapid success was the fact that each of the six colours of lipstick were inspired by an object in the Palace Museum collection. For example, the most popular lipstick, Lang Yao Red, was inspired by an ancient ceramic bottle.

Many consumers expressed their enthusiasm towards the collection online. 

“The only issue with the products produced by the Palace Museum is that they are always sold out, especially the lipsticks.”

Co-branding campaigns with big Chinese companies

Leveraging the internet buzz around its products and positive public opinion, the Palace Museum expanded from creative cultural products to business partnerships with fashion, tech and food enterprises. McDonalds, KFC, JD, Eleme, Huawei, Tencent, MINISO, Tmall, Nongfu Spring, Kindle and other big companies have all worked with the Palace Museum. 

One of the most successful partnerships was with popular food delivery platform Eleme. They jointly launched a “palace-style food” campaign for Chinese New Year. Eleme produced a burger, chicken roll, pizza, dough stick and soya milk, which were designed to show off their “imperial credentials” and came in a special lunch box. They were also available at pop-up stores in Shanghai, along with coupons and red envelopes to celebrate Chinese New Year.

The related hashtag #饿膳房恭候新年味 gained 37 million views and 11,000 comments on Weibo. By going digital and working with big-name brands, the museum has transformed from just being a museum into a kind of culture and “brand”.

The future of museums is digital

Museums are facing a challenge – they can no longer just rely on the traditional display of artefacts to win over audiences. Digitalisation is rapidly transforming the cultural landscape and the way that audiences experience museums. Consumers expect to understand and learn about history through innovative technology.

The digitalisation process at the Palace Museum and the co-branding campaigns with famous brands has enhanced the customer experience and helped make history more accessible to young Chinese audiences.

Brand: The Palace Museum 

Read more about how museums are digitalising:

• V&A Museum livestreams to a Chinese audience via Kuaishou
• Travel agency Fliggy adapts to pandemic with subsidies and livestreams

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The key to Lancôme’s success in China is its localisation marketing. The brand has carried out several well-curated campaigns to promote one of its most popular products: Advanced Genifique Serum.

Lancôme conducts blind testing with 1000 consumers   

Advanced Genifique Serum is not the most catchy of names so Lancôme came up with a unique title to make the product sound more appealing and memorable to Chinese consumers – Little Black Bottle 小黑瓶.

To promote the latest version of Little Black Bottle, Lancôme invited over 1000 Chinese consumers to sample their new product for a month in June. However, it was a “blind test” – consumers didn’t know any details of the product they were testing.

Lancôme selected women aged 18 to 60 with different skin types and lifestyles. After using the product, the random selection of testers were asked to give their honest opinion. 99% of them said that their skin had improved since using the latest version of the Little Black Bottle. Most also said that it made their skin look youthful, radiant and smoother.

All major signs of ageing, such as radiance, wrinkles, uneven skin tone and skin texture, have been visibly improved.

The views of one consumer

The campaign also encouraged audiences to share their experience of using the latest version of the Little Black Bottle on Weibo and, those who did, were in with a chance of winning one of five Little Black Bottle giveaways. The campaign showed how user generated content can be used to increase product or brand awareness. 

Lancôme leverages celebrity endorsements

Lancôme is known for its use of influential celebrities to promote its products and the brand has localised their celebrity endorsement strategy to the Chinese market in recent years. Kris Wu, one of the most popular Chinese singers and actors, has become the spokesperson for the latest version of the Little Black Bottle. This news was well-received on social media by Chinese millennials. Up until September 20, the hashtag #the latest version of Lancôme’s Little Black Bottle had gained 1.89 billion views and 2.12 million comments. 

The campaign also seeks to challenge attitudes about men using skincare products. It shows that luxury and high-end skincare brands are not just for female consumers and encourages men to also focus on their skincare regime.  

Adopting a user-generated content strategy can boost consumer trust

Top luxury beauty brands are increasingly relying on user generated content campaigns to market their products. Lancôme is a successful example of this – by asking consumers to share their product testing experience on social media platforms, they created a more authentic campaign. User-generated content is a cost-effective way to reinforce brand trustworthiness, rapidly increase outreach and improve relationship with consumers.

Brand: Lancôme

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China = home to 25% of the world’s mobile gaming spending

China has been the world’s largest gaming market for the past three years and currently makes up more than 25% of gaming spending globally. Despite the already gigantic size of the market, gaming is only growing in popularity in China… the country’s 685 million gamers in 2019 is expected to expand to 772 million in 2024.

Due to COVID-19, Chinese consumers spent 30% more time on their mobile phones per day in January 2020 compared to the year before. As a result, mobile gaming saw a surge in popularity.

Although the country is recovering from the pandemic, mobile gaming remains on the up. Tencent’s online game revenue from both domestic and international markets grew 40% year-on-year in Q2. The growth of the mobile gaming industry has presented brands with an opportunity… using gaming campaigns to better connect with consumers. Gaming companies themselves can also leverage the surge in popularity by delivering creative campaigns and collaborating with other brands and celebrities – Game for Peace is one example of this.

The world’s highest grossing mobile battle game

Game for Peace, which was adapted for Chinese audiences from the international best-seller PUBG Mobile, is one of the most downloaded games in China. Game for Peace was released in 2019 after being tailored to Chinese government requirements for less violent content and is as popular as the original mobile battle sensation.

According to market analyst Sensor Tower, the iOS version of Game for Peace topped $14 million in player spending in just three days in May 2019, becoming the world’s highest grossing mobile battle game.

Game For Peace launches online and offline music events

In order to appeal to new and existing users in the post-COVID 19 period, Game for Peace launched an online electronic music carnival with 100 top DJs from around the world, including Alesso, TheFatRat, Vicetone and Curtis Cold. The special online livestreaming of the Electronic Airdrop Carnival gained 3 million views on Weibo.

Due to international travel restrictions and with the 100 DJs being scattered across the world, Game for Peace filmed them remotely with a green screen and used 3D special effects to create an impressive visual show. 

Apart from an online music carnival, Game for Peace also hosted offline parties to appeal to China’s nightlife-loving young people. The game brand worked with several of the most popular clubs in China, including TAXX and Haikou twelve monsters, to host events. Demand for the event soared with prices hitting 100,000 RMB for a VIP table at TAXX club. 

Creating a gaming ecosystem

As one of the most popular mobile games, users expect Game for Peace to provide more than just gaming content. The game has created and developed a complete gaming ecosystem culture which combines fashion, music, creative and more. Game for Peace’s music carnival has highlighted to the gaming industry that brands should not purely rely on the game itself for success. Gaming culture has become a lifestyle and is reflected in popular trends, slang and clothes.

Appealing to new opportunities in the gaming industry post-COVID 

The pandemic has no doubt accelerated the growth of mobile gaming in China. The most successful brands in the industry have developed creative campaigns that integrate seamlessly with the user experience. 

Game for Peace’s campaign shows how brands can leverage new opportunities in the mobile gaming industry. The brand’s integration of online and offline events and the development of a gaming ecosystem has helped them to reach new audiences and develop their relationship with existing users.

Brand: Game for Peace

Agency: UID

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China’s travel agencies brought in over 710 billion RMB of revenue in 2019. However, with the collapse in travel in Q1 due to COVID-19, it seemed as if 2020 would not even come close to this figure. Yet with international travel still being restricted and China’s COVID-19 situation pretty much under control, the country’s domestic travel sector has witnessed a remarkable recovery.

Taking the May Day festival (or Labour Day) as an example, China saw nearly 115 million domestic tourist trips during the five day holiday which generated a total revenue of 47.56 billion RMB. The surge in travel during the May Day holiday, one of China’s peak tourism periods, helped give a much-needed boost to the tourism and hospitality sectors. In August, Qixi, Chinese Valentine’s Day, also led to an increase in travel, with demand even up 21% from 2019.

China’s tourism industry adapts to the pandemic

Tourism was one of the first industries to suffer heavy losses in China as the outbreak took place during Chinese New Year, the busiest travel period during the year. However, policies unveiled by the Chinese government to support the industry and safety guidelines put in place by travel agencies and tourism sites have enabled the travel industry to recover. In several provinces, local authorities launched a 2.5 day weekend to encourage travel. Consumption vouchers issued by local governments also urged consumers to spend within the tourism and hospitality industry.

Travel agencies are hoping these will be successful in driving growth over the upcoming National Day holiday, which is one of the busiest periods for travelling.

Alibaba-owned travel agency Fliggy is one company which has been adapting to new modes of tourism. We have delved into its recent campaigns to show you how the pandemic is reshaping China’s tourism market.

Fliggy offers the chance to travel the world via livestream

Fliggy has developed livestreaming partnerships with worldwide travel organisations during the pandemic, including those in Thailand, Malaysia and Europe. Fliggy hosted a livestream with the Prado Museum’s curators Andrés Ubeda and Miguel Falomir on July 22. It showcased the museum’s vast collection of art in 150 minutes, covering masterpieces like Francisco Goya and Raphael. The stream attracted more than 410,000 viewers within the first minute and received over 100,000 likes and 2,000 comments. 

The company’s redefined purpose is to bring the world to Chinese tourists without the need to travel there. Fliggy provides a dynamic and interactive way to engage future travellers by giving viewers a sense of what being in a certain place feels like in real time. Livestreaming allows Chinese viewers to experience global attractions from the comfort of their home and gives them the opportunity to ask questions and get an immediate reply. 

Fliggy’s “10 billion subsidies” campaign

On September 8, Fliggy launched a subsidy scheme worth 10 billion RMB. It features 100,000 hotels, mainly in first-tier and second-tier cities, and key travel attractions nationwide, including the Sanya Hilton Hotel, SHANGRI-LA Hotel and Shanghai Disney. 

When consumers book hotels on Fliggy Travel, they will see certain hotels marked with “10 billion subsidies”. Discounts vary, but some locations, including five-star hotels, are offering consumers as much as 50% off. The scheme will expand to include transportation and tourist sites prior to October’s National Day holiday to offer more wide-ranging support to the industry.

To increase awareness and get more exposure about the initiative, Fliggy worked with People’s Daily and other famous Chinese travelling KOLs on Weibo. This helped the hashtag “first 10 billion subsidies in travel industry” hit 120 million views and 40,000 comments.

As Alibaba’s travel brand, Fliggy’s campaign post on Weibo was shared by Alibaba’s subsidiaries, such as Youku, Alifish, DingDing, Hellobike, Eleme and Tmall Global. This helped the travel brand attract a wider audience, including those who did not originally follow Fliggy. 

Travel industry adapts as Chinese tourists remain keen to travel

Despite COVID-19, there is no doubt that Chinese consumers still have a strong demand to travel and it is estimated that domestic travel will reach 3.4 billion trips in 2020.

Offering subsidies and conducting livestreams are two key marketing strategies that the travel industry has adopted to help it recover amid the pandemic. Fliggy has been quick to identify Chinese consumers’ post-COVID travel needs and adapt their services to the current climate.

Brand: Fliggy 

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According to McKinsey, Chinese consumers bought 33% of the world’s luxury products prior to COVID-19. Yet, only a quarter of Chinese consumers bought luxury products domestically, the rest made purchases overseas.

Due to restrictions on global travel, however, Chinese consumers have been forced to change their habits. Indeed, this is the perfect opportunity for luxury brands to enter, or expand their presence in, the Chinese market.

Louis Vuitton has showed how to harness the situation presented by COVID-19 to develop their relationship with Chinese consumers.

Louis Vuitton launches its first menswear show outside Paris

Louis Vuitton’s menswear show in Shanghai launched online and offline on August 6 and was the brand’s first menswear fashion show outside of Paris.

But this was a fashion show with a difference…

Nobody from Louis Vuitton’s Paris headquarters travelled to China, even the creative director stayed at home in America. Only the clothes crossed continents.

The livestream of the fashion show took place on several platforms, including Weibo and Douyin, and gained over 100 million views.

So how did Louis Vuitton make its menswear show so successful in China?

Unique travelling fashion concept

Restrictions on international travel have presented a challenge for luxury brands hosting a fashion show. With celebrities, buyers, influencers and fashion designers unable to attend a live show, the traditional physical format was unattainable.

However, Louis Vuitton didn’t let that stop them and launched an offline show in China where the artistic director, Virgil Abloh, shipped clothes directly to consumers.

The new menswear collection featured a group of original design cartoon characters called “Zoooom with Friends”. They were shown boarding a vehicle filled with Louis Vuitton cargo containers.

However, China is not the only stop on their journey… after Shanghai, the cargo will reach Tokyo on September 2. The travelling fashion show concept is called “Message in a Bottle” and will last until the end of the year.

Over a month promoting on social media channels

Before the show, Louis Vuitton spent over a month promoting the event on various Chinese social media sites, including Weibo, Xiaohongshu, Douyin, WeChat and its own e-commerce platform. 

Without even posting on their newly-opened Douyin account for the show, the livestream hit 87.5 million views and the brand ranked as top luxury brand on the platform. 

On the day of the show, Louis Vuitton did several real-time livestreams on social media which, collectively, amassed over 100 million views.

• Weibo – 69 million views
• Douyin – 19 million views
• Tencent – 8 million views
• WeChat Mini program – 26k views

After the show, the brand also released several videos in collaboration with celebrities to review the show and the new products on Weibo.

Working with local celebrities to increase brand awareness

One of the most effective and simple ways for luxury brands to localise their products in China is to work with Chinese celebrities. The brand worked with high-profile celebrities with over 100 million followers, including Kris Wu, Ouyang Nana, Liu Haoran and Dili Reba.

Louis Vuitton posted pictures and videos of every single celebrity they worked with which brought huge engagement and traffic to the brand’s social media sites.

Louis Vuitton uses post-COVID situation to win over Chinese audience

Louis Vuitton’s menswear show demonstrated how a luxury brand can successfully engage and interact with Chinese consumers in the post-pandemic era.

Now is the perfect time for international luxury brands to focus on the Chinese market, but they need to understand how to utilise the current opportunities to attract Chinese consumers. Teaming up with high-quality content co-creators and creative agencies, as Louis Vuitton did, can help brands achieve this and produce content tailored to the Chinese audience.

Brand: Louis Vuitton

Agency: GQ China

How can luxury brands enter China post-COVID? Register for our event on September 2.

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