How To Brand a Food Lover’s Paradise
Plus: Dior gets futuristic, Nike talks hoops, and a primer on Tmall.
Tencent Video’s hugely popular food documentary series “Once Upon a Bite” (风味人间, literally “Flavorful World”) recently returned for a second season, building on the taste for lushly-shot dining footage developed by director Chen Xiaoqing for his earlier series, “A Bite of China” (舌尖上的中国), which aired three seasons on state broadcaster CCTV starting in 2012.
With stunning high-definition cinematography, “Once Upon a Bite” explores the rise of Chinese food culture around the world, shot in 22 countries over a period of four years. On review site Douban, it has been rated at 9.5 (out of 10), one of the highest scores for any type of content.
To give more brands the opportunity to be associated with the valuable IP of the series, Tencent Video has developed a series of derivative programs that can be more easily commercialized: “Flavorful Lab” (风味实验室), covering new background topics on a weekly basis, “Flavorful Origins” (风味原产地), using short video to focus on the products used, and the special program “Flavorful Lunar New Year’s Eve Dinner” (风味年夜饭).
The multi-layered approach allows for greater brand participation without compromising the artistic integrity of the main series, in which overt brand placements would look out of place, while also extending branding opportunities throughout the year to reach Tencent Video’s core audience of documentary fans, 70% of whom are under 28.
Looking back at the first season of “Once Upon a Bite,” which drew 910 million views, Tencent Video created a “Flavorful Gourmet Alliance” offering promotion and cooperation among brand partners, which included Carrefour, Citroen, Master Kong, Wanda Plaza malls, Hujiahua artisanal peanut oil. For example, Hujiahua’s partnership with Carrefour yielded a 70% increase in sales during Carrefour’s 2019 12.12 shopping festival. Season two sponsors include Midea appliances, Jiangxin beer, and Hujihua, along with e-commerce platform Pinduoduo, which joined after the coronavirus made online grocery shopping a necessity for many. Read more in Chinese from Entertainment Capital.
CCI is always interested in your feedback — any questions, thoughts, story tips, and collaboration ideas. If you’ve got anything to share, reach out anytime!
Mentioned in today’s newsletter: Carrefour, Citroen, Dior, Master Kong, Meitu, Midea, Nike, Pinduoduo, Procter & Gamble, Tencent, Tmall, Wanda Plaza.
Dior’s Futuristic Moves
Dior is the latest luxury brand to partner with a virtual influencer in China, releasing a “cyberpunk” short film starring Xuefei Nova that blurs the lines between the human, virtual, and anime worlds.
The virtual influencer walks through Paris and Shanghai in various forms, modeling Dior styles and visiting the label’s boutiques. However, despite Dior’s popularity in China, the video has not received much promotion or attention. That may be in part because Xuefei Nova is not particularly well-known among China’s virtual KOLs, and in part because the film’s production quality appears lacking in certain areas, losing out among the discerning ACG (anime, comic, games) youth subculture that it appears to target.
On the beauty front, Dior teamed up with the popular beautifying app Meitu to launch an AI-driven skin testing tool that helps Meitu users analyze their complexions and purchase appropriate Dior products online. The new tool, called Dior Skin ID, combines Dior’s research on dermatology and AI with Meitu’s image processing software and skin analysis technology to provide personalized recommendations and offer insights.
Brands on Video: Nike Talks Hoops, P&G’s Tmall Show, Zhihu Creator Plan
Taking inspiration from China’s youth basketball culture, Nike recently released a line of campus-inspired styles with graffiti-esque designs called “Planet of the Hoops.” To promote the new line, the brand produced a three-episode series for its Nike Basketball app. “Planet Talk Show” (星球脱口秀) is hosted by Ka Mu, a winner of Tencent Video’s stand-up comedy competition “Rock & Roast” (脱口秀大会), and he uses humor to entertain while introducing a different product category for each episode: competition gear, casual wear, and women’s items.
Tmall worked with Procter & Gamble to develop a short reality series under the e-commerce platform’s All Star Plan as part of the conglomerate’s “Ideal life, exquisite home” campaign. “Hey, Come to My Home” (嘿来我家吧) is airing from May 5 to 13, with new episodes released on the Tmall app. Each is hosted by a female influencer who is successful at brand promotion, such as top e-commerce livestreamer Viya, sharing their use of P&G products at home.
China’s Q&A platform Zhihu is reportedly looking to add more video to its mix, with a video creator recruitment plan that will focus on a range of topics popular among its audience, such as science, consumer technology, and esports. Those selected will receive funding and promotional support, and it‘s a major step for Zhihu to develop its own IP. While the platform is often compared to Quora, it offers more opportunities for brands to establish a presence through official accounts, and soon, perhaps through video content as well.
Navigating Tmall: A Guide for Luxury
Alibaba’s B2C-focused Tmall has cemented itself as the e-commerce destination of choice for international luxury brands, offering a variety of platforms for different types of businesses, each serving as a one-stop shop with a comprehensive infrastructure to handle brands’ needs.
“Once a brand is on board, it has the tools to target any consumer, whether it’s a Gen Zer or an urban silver shopper,” says Christina Fontana, the director of fashion and luxury at Alibaba Europe. “Each user has different touchpoints, all targetable through our platform.”
Tmall Classic is China’s most active retail website with a broad range of product categories. It is most suitable for brands with an official presence in China and physical product available to ship in-country. Brands design and operate their own stores on Tmall.
Tmall Global is a cross-border platform for brands that do not have an official presence in China or wish to avoid submitting to stringent product registration procedures. It also allows brands to test the waters for selling to Chinese customers before going deeper into the market.
Tmall Luxury Pavillion operates by invitation only and serves the upper tier of fashion brands. It is currently home to around 180 flagship stores for labels such as Burberry, Chanel, and Chloe.
Luxury Soho, part of the Luxury Pavillion platform, is the newest addition to the Tmall family and will serve as a discount outlet for unsold designer stock from previous seasons.
Read more on Jing Daily
Brand Film Pick: Procter & Gamble Mother’s Day Series
For the past three years, Procter & Gamble has released a brand film to mark Mother’s Day in China under the theme of “Love in Everyday Life Is By No Means Ordinary” (爱在日常, 才不寻常), highlighting social issues relating to motherhood with each installment. In 2018, the brand used a vertical format to exhort daughters to show care to their mothers on a daily basis, and not just via social media for the holiday, while last year’s film portrayed a husband realizing his wife’s wish for him to be the mother for a day.
For 2020, Procter & Gamble tackles the thorny issue of the value of childcare and housework with “Mom’s Wages” (妈妈的工资), as a father and son jointly imagine a world in which every task performed by the mother has to be compensated, spurring fears that she will leave if they cannot afford her services.
As in previous years’ films, the narratives of home life offer ample opportunity for the placement of a range of brands under the Procter & Gamble umbrella, from Crest toothpaste to Cascade dishwashing detergent. To supplement the film, Procter & Gamble also launched a game that lets users calculate how much their mothers should be paid and a supplementary white paper on the subject.
Produced by Shanghai-based creative agency Goodzilla, the film has received a positive reception, with nearly 18 million views on Weibo over the weekend and many reposts from domestic media outlets.
News in English
An understanding of the concept of “progressive femininity” can help brands emphasize diverse and multifaceted views of women’s lives and aspirations in contemporary China. Branding in Asia
Digitization is one of the five key trends being accelerated in China as a result of the coronavirus. McKinsey & Company
Gucci tapped a slew of celebrities for its multimedia campaign for the next of China’s “Valentine’s Days” on May 20, focusing on a return to outdoor life after the coronavirus. WWD
China’s largest e-book publisher, owned by Tencent, is facing a backlash from authors over a proposed contract that would drop paywalls on content — increasing reliance on advertising — and give up rights to their work even as its IP is licensed for additional revenue streams. Technode
The big three video streaming platforms and six production companies issued a joint statement calling for cost-cutting measures by reducing episode counts and capping actors’ pay, in line with government directives. Yicai Global
Everyone’s invited when weddings get the livestreaming treatment, with some adding special effects to create the special days of their dreams. Barron’s
The flower business was among those that found a route to survival through e-commerce livestreaming during China’s coronavirus epidemic. MIT Technology Review
The newest star in “boss” livestreaming e-commerce is Dong Mingzhu of Gree appliances, who sold $44 million worth of goods during a three-hour show on Kuaishou, a much better outcome than her debut on Douyin last month, which brought in little more than $30,000. Caixin
Jeremy Lin is the new face of Coach’s menswear — it’s the first fashion endorsement deal for the basketball star and a savvy brand move to connect with Chinese consumers. WWD
Virtual models are walking runways and gracing magazine covers in China, and could be a harbinger for the future of fashion in other parts of the world. SCMP
We’ve Got China Covered:
China Film Insider: 25 Animation Companies’ Financial Reports Explained
Jing Daily: How This Chinese Brand Leveraged Looney Tunes for Digital Success
Jing Travel: The Jing Travel WeChat Index: April 2020
Tomorrow, we will send a special Wednesday edition newsletter to mark the release of the CCI Guide to Streaming Platforms in China, the first in our “Guide to…” series. Interested in receiving an early copy? Let us know!