Best of Brand Collaborations: May 2020
Plus: Boozy ice cream for Children's Day, Alibaba's recruitment push, and the draw of nostalgia marketing.
Welcome to the inaugural edition of Content Commerce Insider’s monthly “Best of…” series, which we are kicking off with a look at the hugely popular trend of brand collaborations.
In China’s marketing scene, brands in just about every sector have shown great openness to partnership opportunities capable of attracting new consumers beyond those already familiar with their core products. Collaborations are typically offered in limited editions, with extensive digital media campaigns that may incorporate video, livestreaming, celebrity endorsements, social media contests, and interactive games.
So with that in mind, here is our list of best brand collaborations from May 2020:
Top Pick: Oreo x Jay Chou
For last year’s promotion of its Super Brand Day on Tmall, Oreo teamed up with the Palace Museum in Beijing to launch six new flavors inspired by imperial tastes — a hugely successful campaign that added more than 260,000 new followers to the iconic sandwich-cookie brand’s Tmall flagship store.
This year, Oreo partnered with another type of national icon, Taiwanese singer Jay Chou, who has maintained his status as the “king” of Chinese music despite being far older than the “little fresh meat” idols that fuel much of China’s fan economy. Chou has been in the music business for twenty years, but says it is not his main source of income, as he has worked with dozens of brands (including Toyota, Sprite, and League of Legends) and branched out into other business ventures such as the streetwear retail chain Phantaci, headphone maker 1More, and several restaurants. Oreo announced Chou as its new brand ambassador on May 17.
The Oreo-Jay Chou collaboration combined cookies, art, and music in the staging of an exhibition in the busy Shanghai subway station at Xujiahui, a major shopping district. A reported 50,000 Oreos were used to recreate four classic Jay Chou album covers, and the displays included interactive features that allowed viewers to “speak” with Chou and pour a glass of “milk.” The campaign used the powerful draw of nostalgia to celebrate 2020 as marking 20 years since the release of Chou’s debut album and the 20th anniversary of Oreo’s entry into the Chinese market.
Ahead of Oreo’s May 24 Tmall Super Brand Day, the brand’s playful Weibo campaign with Chou offered virtual tours of the exhibit, a branded song and music video featuring Chou, and teasers for limited-edition products including a music box, clothing, and accessories including a cookie-shaped purse, garnering 860 million views and more than 3 million comments. This year was Oreo’s fifth Super Brand Day, and it reported a 20% increase in transaction volume over last year, and added 100,000 followers for its Tmall flagship store.
Five more noteworthy collaborations for May 2020:
Lanvin x Babar: “Love in Action”
The French luxury fashion house, which is owned by China’s Fosun Fashion Group, updated its collaboration with the children’s storybook IP for the May 20 Chinese Valentine’s Day with a 12-piece capsule collection. Inspired by a series of illustrations the brand released in March, the collaboration portrayed Babar and his family engaged in activities while sheltering at home. Lanvin’s “love in action” Weibo campaign featured actor Lin Yanjun hanging out in bed with Babar, and drew nearly 42 million views and 328,000 comments.
Lengsuanling x National Museum of China: “A Taste of Chinese Flavors”
In China, collaborations between cultural institutions and brands know few boundaries. The toothpaste brand Lengsuanling has partnered with the National Museum of China to play on the concept of “national tastes,” with a series of toothpastes in packaging that features highlights from the museum’s collection. Each toothpaste has a different flavor and is partnered with an iconic work of Chinese art. A brand film goes behind the scenes to introduce each artwork, and a campaign that includes virtual museum tours, livestreaming, and giveaways. The Weibo campaign for this collaboration has received 81.4 million views and 89,000 comments.
Nayuki Tea x CDR: “Big Hugs To You”
The upscale drinks chain Naixue Tea (also known as Nayuki) revealed the third installment of its “Cupseum” series in time for the May 20 Chinese Valentine’s Day with a collaboration with American illustrator and graphic designer Christopher David Ryan (aka CDR). The “Big Hug” collection features smiling figures and vibrant imagery with simple lines, in addition to the cups used for drinks at the store, reusable cups and pillows were included in the series.
Apple x Yoho!
The trendsetting media group Yoho! Invited five young Chinese artists to create a series of Apple Airpod Pro cases, using the Apple Pencil and iPad Pro as their design tools. The resulting creations are innovative and whimsical, and serve to promote not only the airpod as a fashion accessory but also the Apple tools used in the process.
Oppo x Evangelion
To mark the 25th anniversary of the Japanese anime series “Neon Genesis Evangelion,” phone maker Oppo released a limited-edition version of its Reno Ace 2 for Chinese fans. The purple-and-green smartphone comes decked out with a collection of themed accessories, and special edition Oppo watches and wireless earbuds featuring characters from the franchise were also produced.
On May 28, the product launch was livestreamed via Bilibili, Youku and other platforms, and all 10,000 units of the “Evangelion” smartphone sold out within minutes of going on sale on June 1. The new product has drawn considerable attention on social media, with its Weibo campaign garnering more than 200 million views and 51,000 posts.
Brands Celebrate Adults for Children’s Day
In China, Children’s Day on June 1 is not just for the juvenile set. Many “big kids” who have fond memories of the holiday want to continue to celebrate the occasion, and will treat themselves to shopping, dinner, and social activities. Brands seeking to connect with millennial and Gen Z consumers over Children’s Day often took a playful approach in their campaigns.
The Chinese liquor brand Jiangxiaobai recently launched a collaboration with Mengniu Dairy’s Suibian sub-brand on a line of boozy ice cream treats, and for Children’s Day the partnership extended to the opening of a pop-up “adult ice cream shop” in Shanghai, open only to those age 18 and older.
The online Q&A platform Zhihu produced an animated film, “Big Kids” (大小孩) with childlike line-drawing imagery. Narrated by singer Wu Tsing-Fong, the film speaks to the power of curiosity, a characteristic that both fuels Zhihu’s success and bridges the gap between children and adults.
Appealing to explorers of all ages, video platform Bilibili announced plans to launch a multi-functional remote-sensing educational satellite later in June that will aid in the production of aerospace-related science content, including custom content based on requests from Bilibili users. The platform has established an account for the Bilibili Video Satellite, which will broadcast the launch via livestream and host related content with the goal of “inspiring a sense of wonder and curiosity in the scientific world amongst young people in China.”
Online education provider Xueersi paid tribute to the parents that sacrifice for their children’s futures with its film “The Way Forward” (前路), which depicts a series of working-class adults at their jobs as their children express their gratitude.
Alibaba Attempts to Replicate Taobao Model Overseas
Alibaba has announced an ambitious plan to recruit 100,000 influencers globally to create original and engaging content on the company’s B2C platform Aliexpress Connect. It’s the first step in an effort to recreate its hugely successful Taobao model overseas. The initial focus will be on Europe, but Alibaba wants to grow its user base to one million within three years.
Consumers and influencers who want to use their social networks to sell products can register on AliExpress, choose brands to promote, and share content through their preferred social media platforms, such as Instagram or TikTok. Commissions will be based on exposure and sales performance.
Read the full story on Jing Daily
Brand Film Pick: JD.com’s Mascot Romps With Animated Friends and Brands
To mark the start of its annual 618 Shopping Festival on June 1, which also coincided with Children’s Day, JD.com partnered with Shanghai Animation Film Studio for a short film that sees the e-commerce retailer’s mascot, a small dog named Joy, meet up with classic characters from Chinese cartoons. Joy travels through fantasy worlds encountering figures such as Ne Zha, the Monkey King, and the Calabash Brothers.
“Joy Story III: Returning to No. 618” is the third animated film starring the mascot that JD.com has released in as many years, but marks the first time that it has incorporated domestic cartoon characters from an earlier era, tapping into nostalgia and highlighting JD.com as a platform for both IP and brands with an emotional journey that appeals to the concept of “childhood faith” and following one’s dreams and passions, while also including references to the big sales event taking place.
Several brands appear in the film, among them Abbott, Xiaomi, Vivo, and Yili, and characters from Shanghai Animation Film Studio’s works have also appeared in JD.com marketing campaigns for other brands, such as chipmaker AMD, which licensed the image of the Monkey King for a JD.com sales event in May. The studio also launched an official flagship store on JD.com, where consumers can shop for collaborations with other brands.
News in English
The 618 Shopping Festival is now underway, with both JD.com and Alibaba’s Taobao Live reporting strong demand in the first hours of sales on June 1. JD Corporate Blog, SCMP
“Sketchy as hell”?: Kuaishou pushed its short video app Zynn to the top of the U.S. App Store charts by paying users to sign up and refer their friends, in a move to challenge TikTok that some are describing as a Ponzi scheme. Radii
As Chinese movie theaters struggle to reopen, low-budget online movies are finding big audiences and even bigger profits. SCMP
Tmall has launched 3D virtual shopping, with Ikea among the 100 brands that have already signed up to use the feature. Gizmochina
Alipay just made it easier to shop through the mobile payment app by adding a livestreaming mini-program that lets users tune into to Taobao Live. SCMP
A look at some of the celebrity names that are making a push into e-commerce livestreaming on Chinese platforms. SCMP
TikTok’s incoming CEO Kevin Mayer faces the challenge of educating and convincing brands to go big on the platform. VentureBeat
In addition to hiring Mayer, parent Bytedance is continuing with a series of quiet moves to shift TikTok’s operations outside of China. Reuters
#ilovechina: Meanwhile, American teens on TikTok have been creating videos praising China and President Xi Jinping in an apparent effort to gain clout. Quartz
Expansion in China is a key part of Popeye’s brand overhaul, as the fried chicken chain seeks to open 1,500 restaurants in the country over the next decade. Branding in Asia
We’ve Got China Covered
China Film Insider: Hot Idol Competition Reality Show “Youth With You” Wraps Second Season
Jing Daily: Can Voice Shopping Become China’s Favorite Retail Hack?
Jing Travel: Will Virtual Clicks Drive In-Person Visits?
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