Chinese Tech Brands Jump on the Arts Bandwagon
Plus: Brands rush back to reality (shows), Weibo gets put in time out, and Nestlé shares the tea.
Seeking to upgrade their brand images on a global level, Chinese smartphone makers have been engaging in a series of collaborations with creative talents, such as Vivo’s mirrored phone and other products designed by Alexander Wang and Oppo’s brand films starring international stars Eddie Redmayne and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Huawei’s Honor brand has been making a bigger push into art recently, with the recent launch of the Honor Academy Program in overseas markets to develop content-oriented partnerships with cultural institutions and educational institutions.
The initiative was launched earlier this month with virtual access to a private collection of more than 300 works by Spanish artist Salvador Dalí through a partnership with Dalí Paris. On June 5, a museum team hosted an hour-long livestream of the collection broadcast through an Honor 9X Pro and featuring a range of Honor devices such as the Honor MagicBook, which was also the subject of an Instagram tutorial to highlight its creative capabilities.
The theme of “unleashing creativity” is also part of a collaboration between Huawei Honor and four artists on a series of limited-edition watch straps for the Honor MagicWatch and sleeves for the MagicBook by Jacky Tsai, Giovanni Ozzola, Wang Dongling, and Zhou Li. Each of the artist’s contributions reflects their signature style, from Tsai’s lush floral horse to Wang’s experimental calligraphy, and can be paired with matching watch faces available through the Huawei Health app.
The artistic collaborations marked a new entry into IP licensing for the Shenzhen-based consultancy Art Fanya, which works with Western and Chinese artists, galleries, brands and other institutions on arts projects and events.
Mentioned in today’s newsletter: Alibaba, Gehos, Honor, JD.com, Lancôme, Nestlé, Oppo, Rhunn Holding, Uniqlo, Vivo.
Brands Return to Chinese Reality Shows
While movie theaters remain closed and the outlook for the China’s film industry remains uncertain, the long-term impact of the coronavirus on China’s unscripted entertainment sector seems far more limited, with a total of 32 reality shows premiering during the month of May, including new seasons of popular series such as “Keep Running” (奔跑吧) and “Back to Field” (向往的生活), along with the debuts of a trio of shows on the trend of living alone.
Brands appear to be increasing their participation in the new programming, with a total of 84 brand sponsorships across the 32 shows, compared with 43 sponsorship on the 17 new shows that appeared in April. The leading brand categories continue to be fast-moving consumer goods such as food, beverages, cosmetics, and household supplies.
The fourth season of Hunan TV’s successful celebrities-on-a-farm series, “Back to Field,” drew the most sponsors with 15, followed by the idol competition show “Chuang 2020” (创造营2020) and its offshoot “Chuang 2020 Practice Room” (创造营2020练习室), with 13 – Lancôme and the South Korean skincare brand Gehos are among them, as the young and predominantly female fans of the show would be a target audience for beauty brands. Read more in Chinese from Starlink.
A broader analysis of online reality programming from January to May found that the total number of shows released fell by 42% year-on-year, with only about a third obtaining sponsorships from brands. Read more in Chinese from Ent Group.
Weibo Punished With Temporary Loss of “Hot Search” and “Hot Topic” Lists
The microblogging platform Weibo announced on Wednesday that it was shutting down its “hot search” and “hot topic” lists in accordance with orders from the nation’s internet regulator. That’s a blow to the platform’s business, as Weibo’s rankings are important for brands, celebrities, and influencers seeking to measure the impact of the marketing campaigns they’re involved with, and it comes in the midst of the major 618 Shopping Festival.
The shutdown will run for a week, as required by the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), which posted on its official WeChat account that Weibo had interfered with communications orders and distributed illegal information, among other issues. The regulator also said it was seeking a fine in the case.
Without providing further details, CAC mentioned a case involving an individual surnamed Jiang, a possible reference to a scandal that unfolded on Weibo when the wife of Jiang Fan, who was president of Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall divisions, published a post telling top influencer Zhang Dayi to stay away from her husband, drawing speculation of an affair between Zhang and Jiang (he was demoted soon after). Alibaba is a major investor in both Weibo and Rhunn Holding, the Nasdaq-listed influencer agency where Zhang is chief marketing officer.
It’s not the first time Weibo’s hot lists have been targeted. In early 2018, they were also suspended for a week amid allegations of obscene content and other illegal activities, along with increased scrutiny of how celebrities were paying to obtain higher rankings.
Brand Film Pick: JD Supermarket and Nestle Celebrate a Coupling of Coffee and Tea With Diversity
As part of the ongoing 618 Shopping Festival, brands are launching thousands of new products on the leading e-commerce platforms. To promote some of the new offerings available on JD Super, JD.com’s online supermarket, the retailer created a new product guide accompanied by an interactive game that invites shoppers to vote for their favorite debut items.
To promote four of the new products, JD Super worked with creative agency Bigdoor to produce a series of short films, each featuring a single product and using a different language: Chinese, Thai, French, and English.
The English-language film for Nestlé’s Nescafe brand, shot in black and white, shows a series of racially and ethnically diverse couples in a studio, first apart and then together, as a narrator discusses the mystery of chance encounters that bring couples together. A few male-female couples are seen, followed by several same-sex couples, all expressing closeness and playful intimacy. “We were different in every way, only in gender we are the same,” the narrator says.
The Nescafe brand is not seen during the main part of the film, appearing only at the end to reveal the new product: Nescafe Tea Coffee Latte, with the tagline, “tea meeting coffee was destiny.”
It’s still fairly rare to find same-sex couples and reference to LGBTQ+ issues in China’s branded content, so the presence of several couples in a short film stands out, and the timing of the release comes during Pride Month, which is celebrated in a very low-key manner and only in China’s biggest cities.
News in English
The popular Japanese virtual idol Hatsune Miku is the latest star to turn to e-commerce livestreaming: She will appear on Taobao Live to promote sales for the 618 Shopping Festival underway this month. Abacus
TikTok will become more like its Chinese counterpart Douyin as it diversifies its content to feature more livestreaming and instructional content. CNET
How brands such as Nike and Perfect Diary are building communities in China to engage and retain customers. Parklu
Four key trends in consumer activity that have emerged since the coronavirus, including e-commerce livstreaming and an emphasis on value for money. World Economic Forum
BrandZ’s annual ranking of the world’s most valuable retail brands includes Alibaba (2nd), JD.com (13th), Pinduoduo (26th), and Suning (58th). China Daily
Uniqlo’s sales in China, which now accounts for 20% of the brand’s annual revenues, have helped buoy parent Fast Retailing during the pandemic. Japan Times
Chinese demand for luxury cars is back: Sales were up 28% year-on-year in May and vastly outperformed the industry as a whole, which saw only a 1.9% increase. Reuters
We’ve Got China Covered
China Film Insider: 14th First International Film Festival Announced 2020 Festival Ambassadors
Jing Daily: Are Targeting Vouchers a Successful Strategy for Brands?
Jing Travel: Post-Covid, What Museums Do Outside Their Walls Will Become as Important as What They Put on Them
Thanks for subscribing and reading! We’ll be back next Tuesday with more news and case studies — until then, reach out anytime with questions, comments, story tips, collaboration inquiries, or anything in between. Have a great and safe weekend.