Best of Brand Collaborations: September 2020
Plus: Fall reality show preview, winning luxury content strategies, and Nike goes big on esports.
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Brands across the consumer spectrum in China have shown great willingness to explore new and creative partnerships on product innovations that can draw attention, reaching new consumers and cementing their status among existing fans. Domestic names, particularly the crop of young and “internet famous” wanghong brands in sectors such as food and beverage and beauty, have proven especially adept at fueling desire for collaborations that appear for just a limited time, nowadays often with an offline component such as a pop-up shop.
Top Pick: Meituan x Bilibili
Delivery platform Meituan (until recently known as Meituan Dianping) has, along with Alibaba-owned rival Ele.me, been one of China’s leaders in working the cross-category collaboration trend, teaming up with McDonald’s as a “couple” for the May 20 Chinese Valentine’s Day and selling kangaroo ears inspired by its logo and worn by its drivers via its own e-commerce shop.
The company recently turned to a new collaboration to help bolster a bike-rental business that has seen its share of ups-and-downs in recent years. Formerly known as Mobike, Meituan Bike was one of the few survivors of the bike-sharing bubble that burst by 2018, and this year it saw a dramatic uptick in usage (at least temporarily) as a result of the coronavirus outbreak, which made sharing bikes more appealing than sharing buses or subway cars.
To maintain this upward trajectory as China’s college students headed back to school, Meituan Bike partnered with the youth-oriented video streaming platform Bilibili to launch limited-edition “bullet chat” bikes in seven major cities, with the initial launch rolled out on 17 campuses. The bicycles feature wheel covers plastered in popular phrases used by Bilibili viewers on the platform’s signature live commenting function (known as danmu, or “bullet chats”), such as “childhood flashback” ("爷青回,” used when a scene brings back nostalgic memories), and “high energy alert” (“前方高能,” an expectation of an emotionally charged scene to come). Riders could select bikes with the phrases that best reflect their personalities or moods from stations with Bilibili’s “Little TV” mascot.
The partnership is the latest in an ongoing trend that sees a broad range of consumer brands — from Alibaba and Tencent to McDonald’s to Shiseido — turning Bilibili into the platform of choice for reaching young audiences. For Meituan Bike, the move is part of a broader strategy to double down on college-student customers over the next year beyond the roughly 200 campuses where it already operates, and working with Bilibili may enhance the appeal of its bikes among the target audience, which dovetails with Bilibili’s core demographic of 25-and-under users.
Five more noteworthy collaborations from September 2020:
KFC x Karl Lagerfeld
As part of a campaign to mark the 80th anniversary of KFC’s original recipe fried chicken, the fast-food chain launched a fashion collaboration with the Karl Lagerfeld brand for its Tmall Super Brand Day, featuring limited-edition bucket bags and shopping totes, along with a pop-up “restaurant” in Shanghai that served as the setting for a fashion show revealing new KFC uniforms. Although the Karl Lagerfeld brand is not particularly well-known in China, KFC’s strong local marketing may have helped raise awareness — the collaboration sold out while KFC set a Tmall Super Brand Day sales record in the food and local-services categories, with 300,000 buckets of chicken sold.
Ramen Talk x National Gallery
Premium packaged-noodle brand Ramen Talk targets an upscale foodie consumer with offerings that include healthier and fresher ingredients than what is typically found in the instant noodle category. To add some cultural cachet to the mix, Ramen Talk partnered with Britain’s National Gallery to create a series of three gift boxes, each featuring a new flavor combination paired with an iconic work from the museum’s collection by Van Gogh, Monet, and Gauguin. Ramen Talk also opened a pop-up shop and restaurant in Shanghai to offer edible art in-person.
Marie Dalgar x Louvre
In another notable collaboration between a domestic brand and global art institution, C-beauty brand Marie Dalgar created a limited-edition line of cosmetics, including a series of “winged” lipsticks based on one of the most famous sculptures in the world, the Winged Victory of Samothrace, which is prominently displayed at the Louvre. The art-inspired collection, created for Marie Dalgar’s Super Brand Day on Tmall, also includes eyeshadow palettes and a loose powder set.
Martell x Chicecream
The 305-year-old Cognac brand has become a market leader in China through marketing that stays on the pulse of the latest trends, from a virtual restaurant to its newly opened interactive retail concept in Shenzhen. A recent collaboration with Chicecream, one of China’s top “internet famous” brands, infused Martell Cognac into ice cream bars for a boozy concoction that fits in with a broader appetite for products that combine alcohol with sweeter treats such as sodas, fruit and vegetable juices, and even mooncakes. To promote the new products, Chicecream operated pop-up mobile nightclub with DJs and lights that traveled around Shanghai landmarks.
Yili Weikezi x 999
According to traditional Chinese medicine, women should take care to avoid cold drinks during menstruation, as consumption can exacerbate imbalances in the body’s qi. Highlighting sensitivity to this dilemma, Chinese dairy giant Chinese dairy giant Yili’s Weikezi brand, a line of flavored milk-based beverages usually consumed cold, came up with an innovative solution. Weikezi partnered with 999, an over-the-counter pharmaceutical firm best known for its cold medicines, on a co-branded “Auntie Care Box” that aims to support women in staying warm during their periods. The pink-and-red set includes a hot water bottle, a smart mug, thick socks, and sachets of brown sugar ginger tea powder.
Mentioned in today’s newsletter: Alibaba, Bilibili, Burberry, Ele.me, Fendi, iQiyi, Karl Lagerfeld, KFC, Loewe, Louis Vuitton, LVMH, Marie Dalgar, Martell, McDonald’s, Meituan, Nike, Prada, Tencent Video, Tmall, Yili, Youku.
Fall Online Reality Show Preview
by Ginger Ooi
Once the province of major satellite TV networks, reality shows on video streaming platforms have been gaining ground, as the new media players are increasingly focused on developing their original content to build audiences and attract brands.
The stronger content offerings have created more marketing opportunities for brands to reach younger and digitally savvy audiences, as we’ve seen with Burberry becoming the first luxury brand to partner with a domestic reality show (Youku’s “Street Dance of China” (这!就是街舞 )), Nike’s appearances on iQiyi’s hit idol competition “Youth With You” (青春有你) and Tencent Video’s fashion-focused “Where Are The Trendsetters?” (潮玩人类在哪里). Looking ahead to what the last quarter of 2020 will bring in terms of reality shows from these platforms, we see some new formats along with several returning hits.
iQiyi plans to release the seventh season of its breakout hit talk show “U Can U BB” (奇葩说) and the second season of streetwear trend show “Fourtry” (潮流合伙人) before the end of 2020. However, it looks like “Fourtry” will be postponed until November, and no cast members have been announced apart from Liu Yuxin, the winner of the latest edition of “Youth With You.” While the first season saw celebrities curating the selection of items to be sold in a Tokyo boutique, the upcoming season may see them take a more hands-on role in creating fashion pieces while they manage a shop in the southwestern Chinese city of Chengdu, with a greater focus on tying streetwear trends to China’s cultural heritage. iQiyi has been keeping details under wraps while reportedly hiring for the show.
iQiyi and Youku are also teaming up to broadcast “HaHaHaHaHa” (哈哈哈哈哈), an on-the-road comedy reality show which features Deng Chao, Chen He, and Lu Han. Fans are looking forward to the onscreen reunion of three original cast members from the celebrity challenge show “Keep Running” (奔跑吧), and have spotted them filming in the city of Nanchang.
Tencent Video’s second season of “Actors Please Take Your Places” (演员请就位) stars actress Zhao Wei and director Chen Kaige as mentors, with fashion e-commerce platform Vipshop as the title sponsor. The format features 40 actors who are competing for a role offered by the celebrity mentors, who act as directors on the show. The film and television industry is known to be a highly competitive field and the series aims to help with their professional development and commercial viability. The show has generated a great amount of buzz so far, with around 20 hot topics related to the show trending across Weibo the day after its premiere, drawing 12.2 billion views. Among them were the addition of veteran actress Myolie Wu (Hu Xing’er) as a contestant (leveraged by Vipshop to include her in a promotional video linked to the show) and Zhao Wei’s commentary on how female actors struggle commercially as a result of beauty brand preferences for male spokespersons.
“This! Is Slam Dunk” (这!就是灌篮3), part of Youku’s “This! Is...” (这!就是) series that originated with “Street Dance of China” (这!就是街舞), will soon launch its third season with actor Deng Lun hosting. The youth-oriented competitive basketball reality show showcases team management process with four teams facing off against each other, and has snack brand Kouweiwang as the title sponsor.
Louis Vuitton, Prada, and Loewe: Three Brands, Three China Content Strategies
by Avery Booker
In every imaginable way, 2020 has been an unusual year for the global luxury industry. With stores shuttered for months and an economic recovery crimped in a hard-hit United States and a virtually tourist-free Europe, retail strategies and expectations have been upended by the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. But perhaps the most important luxury market shift of 2020 has been that Chinese shoppers are spending far more domestically than in years past, when they made the majority of luxury purchases abroad.
With revenues from China offsetting lackluster sales figures elsewhere, many luxury brands welcomed this surge in domestic shopping. Prada said its monthly group-wide China sales rose 60% in June and 66% in July, while luxury giant LVMH saw revenue from China in its fashion and leather goods division jump by more than 65% in the second quarter of the year.
With Chinese consumers spending more time in boutiques closer to home or even staying in to shop online via Tmall’s Luxury Pavilion or through a wealth of e-commerce livestreams on various platforms, luxury brands have had to move quickly and adjust to a new shopping reality — and adjust content strategies accordingly.
Read the full article on Content Commerce Insider
Brand Film Pick: Nike Puts the Sports in Esports
In February 2019, Nike announced a four-year deal to become the exclusive official apparel and footwear partner for the League of Legends Pro League (LPL) in China. Now, in the American brand’s first-ever esports ad, viewers are taken behind the scenes to the over-the-top, futuristic “Camp Next Level,” where both body and mind are trained to reach their fullest gaming potential.
Here, gamers spend their days solving Rubik’s-cube-style puzzles at warp speed, withstanding a wind tunnel spewing “bullet comments,” and boxing their hearts out, followed by healthy snacks of apples and a good night’s rest, eventually developing superhuman capabilities. It’s all treated with a good dose of slapstick humor, instead of the serious sweat and tears that often accompany intense sports ads.
The camp is helmed by legendary League of Legends player Jian Zihao, better known as Uzi, who was the first esports player to work with Nike back in 2018. Uzi retired from professional gaming earlier this year at the age of 23, citing chronic injuries and health issues, further underscoring the need for more holistic support in esports training regimes.
The video’s release was timed to coincide with the start of the League of Legends World Championship in Shanghai, which runs through the end of October. Nike outfits all 16 LPL China teams with apparel, shoes, and competition jerseys, and was reported to be looking into developing a customized physical training program for players, as was explored in more detail in a short documentary produced by Nike last year on its relationship with LPL.
News From China
China is still on holiday for the combined National Day/ Mid-Autumn Festival “golden week,” which stretches to eight days this year as a result.
Mooncakes — the good, the bad, and the luxury. We’ve touched on some of the creative mooncakes offered by brands this year seeking to stand out in a very crowded field. Additional highlights: Fashion blogger Teacher Xu offered reviews (rating both looks and flavor) of the elaborate gift boxes created by 18 luxury brands, from Fendi’s starry projection lantern to Louis Vuitton’s whimsical music box; SHPPLUS shared design-oriented gift boxes, some of which skipped mooncakes in favor of wines or collectible items; and SupChina rounded up the weird flavors of 2020’s mooncakes, which included river snail and cilantro.
Livestreaming by the numbers: The China Internet Network Information Center released its mid-year report, which noted that the country’s internet population reached 940 million in June (up from 904 million in March), with most of that growth coming from rural areas.
E-commerce livestreaming has been the fastest-growing area in the personal internet app space, adding 44 million users between March and June, for a total of 309 million. China has more than 400,000 e-commerce livestreamers and the first half of the year saw more than 10 million livestreamed marketing events, according to the report, while online video apps remain the most popular category, reaching nearly 95% of Chinese internet users.
News in English
China’s Golden Week holiday consumption is showing signs of weaker-than-hoped for recovery so far, with spending down by about a third from last year and traveler numbers down by more than 20%. SCMP
Alibaba will likely need to look to Latin America and Africa for the next phase of its global growth, as the U.S. and Western Europe markets may be “almost impossible” to enter in a meaningful way. CNBC
Alibaba is also leading a global intellectual property advisory committee aimed at helping small- and medium-sized businesses with 17 companies from the United States and Europe joining its launch. Alizila
The upcoming Shanghai Fashion Week will mark a return to form with in-person fashion shows for more than 90 designers, but will retain a strong digital component through its partnership with Alibaba’s Tmall. Business of Fashion
Looking to Chinese art buyers, auction house Phillips will partner with a Hong Kong-based unit of Poly Culture Group on what it hopes will be a record-setting fall sale of contemporary works. SCMP
Louis Vuitton, Gucci, and Tiffany & Co. are among the luxury brands using high-end cuisine to create immersive experiences for consumers in Asia, partnering with celebrity chefs and hotels to open restaurants. SCMP
Woolmark has launched its first campaign in China with new branded IP, “The Merino Sisters,” which included a launch on Tmall and appearances by the sheep characters on e-commerce livestream broadcasts. Branding in Asia
China’s box office had its best day of the year on National Day, with sales reaching $107 million, the second-highest October 1 total, while theaters remain capped at 75% capacity. Variety
But even with the latest box office success of the animated “Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification,” Chinese studios are still struggling to develop movie franchises that can rival the power of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Radii
Kuaishou released its debut film production, a documentary-like film about truck drivers starring a real-world driver and influencer who has more than 4 million followers on the platform. Global Times
The brand protection dozen: A checklist of what brands need to do to protect their trademarks in China. China Law Blog
And while China lacks specific protections for trade dress, brands can use the laws on trademarks and unfair competition to safeguard design elements. World Trademark Review
We’ve Got China Covered