The Joy of Eating Vicariously
Plus: Cloud Fashion, Housebound Beauty, and a Wave of Brand Integrations.
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Eating Vicariously, for the Housebound Gourmand
With so many people staying in throughout the coronavirus epidemic, China has seen a surge of interest in culinary content — from cooking tutorials on short video platforms such as Douyin and Kuaishou to celebrities sharing vlogs of what they’re eating at home to professionally produced documentary series. The trend even has a name: “cloud gourmet,” which parallels other types of offline-meets-offline content we’re seeing at the moment, spurred on by the outbreak.
Tencent Video’s series “Pot of Fire (沸腾吧火锅) was filmed before the coronavirus outbreak, but taps into yearning for one of China’s most beloved dining experiences, hot pot, which has topped lists of most-missed activities during this period. The documentary series explores regional styles of preparing hot pot around the country in short episodes that average around 12 minutes apiece.
Youku developed a special livestream-style format for its food show “Have a Good Bite” (好好吃饭), which reportedly drew a million viewers to watch celebrities such as comedian Zhao Benshan and Viya chow down.
The Wuhan-based snack brand Bestore became the first Chinese company to conduct an IPO online, livestreaming its debut on the Shanghai bourse and producing a brand film to mark the occasion (see more below).
Consumers are actively searching for quick and easy dishes they can make at home, such as cold noodles, stir-fried eggs and “rice cooker cake.”
Cloud Fashion
Fashion is also moving into the cloud, and not only on the Chinese internet. Giorgio Armani’s decision to conduct his Autumn/Winter 2020 show in an empty theater and livestream the proceedings is part of a new global reality given the far-reaching impact of the coronavirus, which has shut down much of northern Italy as the country struggles to contain further spread of infection.
While other shows in Milan Fashion Week were held as originally planned, organizer Camera Della Moda (National Chamber of Italian Fashion) partnered with Tencent to livestream all of the 30-plus events, drawing more than 16 million views throughout the course of the week.
The hashtag “China, We Are With You” was used to promote the season’s shows and related posts were viewed 8 million times by February 24.
Upgrading the trend of livestreaming fashion, iQiyi is working with Lanvin to offer a virtual reality viewing experience for the Fosun-owned French fashion house’s Autumn/Winter show, with a 360-degree, front-row perspective shared by celebrities in attendance.
IQiyi is also producing additional VR content, including videos featuring top models such as Xiao Wen Ju and Gigi Hadid, and interviews with Lanvin Creative Director Bruno Sialelli. The VR experience requires use of iQiyi’s Qiyu headsets, which saw a 340% increase in year-on-year sales during the recent Spring Festival period.
All Made Up with Nowhere to Go
It seems completely counterintuitive, but even as Chinese consumers are staying in and required to wear protective masks when outside, cosmetics sales are booming, according to recent reports on online sales from Alibaba and Pinduoduo.
For its Tmall Super Brand Day on February 25, Bobbi Brown developed a sensitive and timely campaign to promote its limited-edition Pink Glow highlighting powder, using the theme “life is extraordinary, each has light.” The brand invited top beauty and fashion influencers Jiang Sida, Zhu Zi and Teacher Xu to share “highlights” from their lives, and also created a series of online beauty tutorials by its instructors and other make-up artists.
Posts using the campaign’s hashtag (#生而不凡 各自有光#) have accumulated more than 68.7 million views.
Jay Chou and Jacky Cheung Partner for Coronavirus Hit
The well-worn musical genre of inspirational charity songs has made a comeback in China during the coronavirus epidemic, with a wide array of pop stars making contributions by adapting older songs and producing new ones.
The biggest hit at the moment is Jacky Cheung’s “Waiting for the Wind and Rain to Pass” (等风雨经过) written by Jay Chou and songwriting partner Vincent Fang. Released on February 23, the video for the song racked up nearly 80 million views within the first 24 hours. While Hong Kong singer Cheung is known as the “God of Songs,” the connection with the hugely popular Chou undoubtedly fueled the outsized response on social media.
The song is dedicated to frontline medical workers and its video features emotional footage pulled from the news and other media outlets. It closes with a message of encouragement from Cheung — who also gives the Nike brand a boost through his choice of a simple black-and-white Air shirt and be-Swooshed cap.
As Seen on TV: The Latest in Brand Integration Campaigns
As title sponsor of Youku’s reality competition “Real Actor” (演技派), smartphone maker Vivo promoted its S5 model through regular use to record and review the contestants’ performances. The phones were also used to film behind-the-scenes footage of actors preparing for their roles, highlighting the phone camera’s features.
In addition, Vivo produced two short-video dramas for Douyin that showcased the acting skills of popular contestants from “Real Actor” along with the beautifying features of the 5S camera, which racked up 3 million views within the first day and moved Vivo from traditional sponsor to content co-creator.
Other recent brand integrations:
The debut of the fifth season of the popular reality show “Trump Card” (王牌对王牌, aka “Ace vs. Ace”) was delayed by several weeks due to government orders to limit entertainment content during the initial phase of the coronavirus outbreak. Airing on both Zhejiang Satellite TV and Youku, one can see that the streaming service provides deeper opportunities for brand involvement with the show’s powerful IP. Youku worked with instant noodle brand Jinmailang to add logo graphics, credits and short inserted ads during the program, and created pop-up ads with hints and tips for viewers as they watch participants on the show play games such as charades.
The Chinese-owned Bordeaux producer Shan Tu is seeking to boost its brand image by appearing as the drink of choice among characters on several recent urban dramas:
On “Rebirth of Shopping Addict” (我不是购物狂), the brand is seen in the background on billboards and in stores, and is also featured in the story, with the lead character choosing a bottle for her first date, then commenting favorably on the taste. The series has received consistently high ratings, with over a billion cumulative views on Hunan TV and streaming partner Mango TV.
Another major recent hit is the romantic comedy “Find Yourself” (下一站是幸福), which offers a refreshing reversal of the typical May-December romance via Victoria Song’s sympathetic portrayal of a career woman. Shan Tu appears as the go-to drink for a supporting male character, an established professional who turns to the wine to soothe a broken heart.
On the drama “Court Battle” (决胜法庭), which focuses on prosecutors taking on corruption cases, Shan Tu is portrayed as a popular drink among elites, and is used in one scene as a social lubricant for an awkward situation. Viewers were invited to participate in a photo contest via the show’s official Weibo account, with bottles of Shan Tu wine and coupons among the prizes for the top images.
Brand Film Pick: Bestore Gives Thanks
Snack-store operator Bestore is an active presence on Chinese television, placing its brand on numerous reality shows and dramas in recent years. The Wuhan-based retailer has 2,100 stores across China and is a top seller on Tmall and JD.com, with some 1,200 products that cater to Chinese tastes for nuts, dried fruit, and seafood snacks.
On February 24, Bestore became the first Chinese firm to launch an IPO since the coronavirus outbreak, making its debut on the Shanghai bourse via a livestreaming event that included speeches from executives and a countdown to a simulated gong strike.
The brand produced a short documentary-style film, “Using Delicacies to Move the World” (用美味感动世界) to commemorate the occasion and thank its partners and customers. The film takes viewers to far-flung corners of the country to meet the company’s artisanal suppliers and closes with recent footage of Bestore workers wearing full protective gear to ensure that products can be delivered throughout a locked-down Wuhan.
Report Corner
Alibaba released a report on “cloud living” highlighting some of the most popular content and products across its platforms since the country essentially shut down due to the coronavirus epidemic.
Kuaishou’s 2019 Content Report notes that the short-video platform has reached its target of 300 million daily active users, and that last year 22 million users were able to make money from the app.
Media 360 looks ahead at content in store for 2020 from the major streaming services and satellite TV networks.
News in English
Amid ongoing store closures around the country, Prada is strengthening its online presence in China with the trial launch of a Tmall flagship store. WWD
A Wavemaker survey found that more than three-quarters of Chinese consumers remain optimistic and 68% say they haven’t decreased their spending as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. (Campaign Asia)
The appetite for snacks keeps growing: PepsiCo plans to acquire domestic online vendor Be & Cheery for RMB 5 billion ($705 million), a fivefold increase in the company’s value since it was last sold in 2016. KrAsia
5G kung-fu fighting: Huawei’s latest brand video pits a martial artist against an esports player in virtual reality to highlight the capabilities of the new high-speed network and its practical applications. Branding in Asia
Fitness games have become so popular that Nintendo’s gesture-based controller for the Switch Ring Fit Adventure is selling for double the usual price from online retailers. China.org.cn
We’ve got China covered.
China Film Insider: Shanghai TV Festival Will Take Place as Scheduled
Jing Daily: Milan Fashion Week Shows Supports for China Amid Covid-19
Jing Travel: Standing Together Through Thick and Thin — Join an Online Art Auction to Fight Coronavirus
Thank you for reading!