Using New Platforms (and Pikachu) to Turn Fans into Collectors
Plus: Bilibili's big investment, and Animal Crossing: crossing a line?
Collaborations between brands and artists have enormous appeal for Chinese consumers who seek to upgrade their consumption habits with knowing cultural references.
From luxury to mass-market products, buyers have sought out these limited-edition products with increasing enthusiasm: witness last year’s frenzy over Uniqlo’s collection by American artist KAWS, which saw shoppers trading blows to get their hands on the goods.
Next up to partner with the Japanese retailer is New York-based artist Daniel Arsham’s interpretation of Pokémon. The New York-based artist designed a capsule collection of graphic tees that will be launched globally on April 24 as part of a much broader collaboration.
Arsham is the first visual artist to be given access to the Pokémon archive, which will offer 25 years worth of inspiration from the beloved cartoon franchise’s history.
To connect with the Chinese market, Arsham has established a new platform called Archive Editions for artists and other creative professionals to market limited-edition artworks, collectables and brand collaborations, with a WeChat mini program and official WeChat account for the platform launched this week. The goal of Archive Editions is to make art more accessible, potentially turning fans into collectors through innovative content and experiences.
The inaugural release of Archive Editions will be a scaled-down version of Arsham’s bronze sculpture “Eroded Pikachu,” which reimagines the popular character as a monument of Kanto (the first region in the Pokemon universe) and will be available as an edition of 500 pieces. It will go live on April 24, the same date as the Uniqlo release.
The new platform builds on the artist’s experience of founding Arsham Editions, which primarily offered his “Future Relics” series to collectors in the U.S. and elsewhere in the world.
Arsham Editions has also served as a platform to highlight collaborations with other artists and brands such as Dior and Rimowa, and those will also be made available through Archive Editions, along with additional works created exclusively for the Chinese market.
Mentioned in today’s newsletter: Adidas Originals, Armani Beauty, Bilibili, BMW, Dior, Evian, Louis Vuitton, McDonald’s, Net-a-Porter, Nintendo, Oppo, Rimowa, Sony, Uniqlo, Xiaomi.
As always, if you have any story tips, an article you’d like to contribute or any feedback to share, please reach out anytime.
Bilibili Scores High-Profile Investment From Sony As More Brands Want In
Last week Bilibili (NASDAQ: BILI) announced that Sony will invest $400 million to take a nearly 5% stake in the company, joining the ranks of Tencent and Alibaba as a major backer of the popular youth-oriented video platform.
The parties are also planning to partner on entertainment content in China, including animation and games — two areas where Sony’s offerings dovetail nicely with the interests of Bilibili’s predominantly Gen Z user base.
In a separate announcement last week, Sony Music Entertainment and Bilibili announced a strategic partnership to share music videos from Sony’s extensive holdings of copyrighted works on the platform, including content from artists such as Beyoncé and Michael Jackson.
Why is Bilibili having such a moment?
Bilibili originated as a platform for user-generated content around ACG (anime, comics, games) themes and developed a strong community that engages through its distinctive “bullet chat” (danmu) feature, which allows users to post comments that stream across the screen in real-time. In the fourth quarter of 2019, Bilibili had an average of 130.3 million active monthly users, up 41% from the previous year, and had doubled its average monthly paid members to 8.8 million.
While Bilibili continues to cater to its core ACG followers with upgraded content offerings such as an anime adaptation of Liu Cixin’s Hugo Award-winning “Three-Body Problem” and a multiyear contract to broadcast League of Legends championship events, it also covers the wide range of lifestyle interests shared by its youthful demographic. These include self-produced food and travel shows, educational lectures uploaded by popular academic types and classic movies licensed from major studios.
During the coronavirus outbreak, Bilibili emerged as a key platform for livestreamed entertainment such as “cloud” music festivals and dance parties, while also hosting informative content such as an official WHO channel and firsthand documentary footage from the Wuhan epicenter.
Brands have been paying increased attention to Bilibili as well, with China’s tech firms leading the way. With all live events canceled, both Xiaomi and Oppo livestreamed the launches of their latest flagship 5G smartphones on the platform, and used the opportunity to develop additional content designed for Bilibili’s audiences, such as unboxing videos and branded films.
Another recent brand trend has been the revival of meme-filled music videos known as guichu (鬼畜, literally “ghost beast”). This genre of amateurish videos, using common gifs, catchy music, and repetitive lyrics with autotuned vocals, has become wildly popular with Bilbili’s youthful and tech-savvy audience, who can easily create their own derivative versions to share. Alibaba has led the charge on the latest round of guichu videos, followed by Tencent, and more brands are now launching official channels on Bilibili to get in on the action.
On April 1, McDonald’s released its first guichu video to promote a deal for its spicy chicken sandwich, but it has yet to make a big splash, with some users commenting sarcastically on its struggle to find an audience. The fast-food chain is not letting up, though, and is planning to launch a “5G product” on Bilibili this week.
The platform also offers opportunities for higher-end brands, as seen in the recent Louis Vuitton partnership to create filters that allow users to transform themselves into characters from League of Legends with skins designed by Nicholas Ghesquière. Beauty brands have also benefited by working with the platform’s network of influential creators who post vlogs and tutorials.
Bilibili is backed by China’s rival tech giants, Alibaba and Tencent, which gives it a unique ability to benefit from the relative strengths of both: Alibaba’s e-commerce capabilities and Tencent’s vast content ecosystem with its depth in gaming, animation, music and sports.
Interested in learning more about China’s streaming platform ecosystem? Keep an eye out for the upcoming CCI Guide to Streaming Platforms.
Did “Animal Crossing” Cross a Line in China?
Nintendo’s recent launch of “Animal Crossing” for the Switch console has been a worldwide success amid the coronavirus pandemic, and though it has not had an official release in China, that did not stop players, brands and others from getting in on the game in that market.
Gray market imports were widely available through e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and Pinduoduo, but now it appears that they are cracking down on sales amid concerns that “Animal Crossing” is being used as a platform for Hong Kong democracy activists to spread their messages.
Joshua Wong, one of the leaders of Hong Kong’s protest movement, shared a Twitter post of his “Animal Crossing” island with a banner that read, “Free Hong Kong, revolution now.” Since then, listings for the game on Chinese e-commerce platforms have largely disappeared.
For now, that’s bad news for brands that were early movers in using the game to reach Chinese consumers. Net-a-Porter, for example, began offering virtual skins for sale so that players could dress their avatars in the latest styles from several Chinese designers.
It also puts into question other “Animal Crossing” initiatives targeting the Chinese market, such as Beijing museum M Woods’s virtual museum, which was launched last week with a livestreamed tutorial on Bilibili to help players access and navigate the collection, which includes digital exhibits of works by Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Lu Yang, among others.
China has strict controls on game approvals, and only three games for the Switch are officially available through Nintendo’s Chinese eShop. However, players can access other games by either owning an imported version of the console or by purchasing game cards from overseas, which is how “Animal Crossing” gained its foothold in the market.
Some Taobao sellers are reportedly circumventing restrictions on the title by selling it under different names, and it may eventually get a China release via Nintendo’s partnership with gaming powerhouse Tencent.
Brand Film Pick: BMW Marks China’s Recovery With Idol Jackson Yee
Earlier this month, BMW released a short film with a timely and sensitive message of hope to commemorate China’s gradual recovery and return to somewhat normal life following the country’s initial experience with the coronavirus pandemic.
Actor and singer Jackson Yee reads a “letter to 2020” as a series of still images plays, starting with shots of empty streets and masked faces and shifting to scenes of home life under quarantine and, gradually, inspiring shots of individuals reaching out for the sun. “The blue skies and white clouds will arrive as promised,” it concludes. Yee’s involvement adds an element of integrity to the campaign, as he was actively involved in making donations and fundraising to support relief efforts in Wuhan.
The film was produced by Juice Network Beijing, which has worked with BMW in China since 2018, and offers a good example of how brands can find ways to get their messages across even when on-set productions are halted.
While BMW is a high-end auto brand, the simple style and emotional script of the video lend it an aura of approachability that may be welcomed by audiences during these times. Apart from a shot of a BMW X3 SUV and an image from the automaker’s logo as seen in its 2020 Spring Festival film, there are no other obvious references to the brand.
BMW’s related campaign on Weibo has had enormous reach, thanks in large part to Yee, with its hashtag (#蓝天白云 定会如期而至#) racking up 1.2 billion views to date. A week after the film was released, BMW announced that Yee would be the brand’s “New Generation Spokesperson,” adding to a long list of endorsement deals that includes Rimowa, Armani Beauty, Evian, and Adidas Originals.
News in English
Can China’s mobile carriers pose a challenge to WeChat? The three biggest state-owned firms have partnered to launch a powerful 5G-enabled messaging platform. Caixin
Social e-commerce platform Pinduoduo surpassed Taobao for monthly active users in the first quarter of 2020, according to data from App Annie. Pandaily
How brands used creative methods to support customers and buoy their businesses through the coronavirus’s peak, recovery and “bounce back.” WalktheChat
While online premieres of theatrical films were few and far between, China’s video streaming services released more than two dozen new movies during the Spring Festival holiday period, drawing twice as many viewers as last year. Hollywood Reporter
Will luxury sales in China make up for losses in the rest of the world? More brands are turning to the country’s platforms to launch new products there first. WWD
Handbags and shoes are among the most sought-after products for post-lockdown “revenge buying.” WWD
But with an increased emphasis on health and fitness and consumers cutting back on big-ticket spending, moderately priced athleisure brands are poised to benefit. Business of Fashion
We’ve Got China Covered
China Film Insider: Internet Giant Tencent’s Busy Investment Season
Jing Daily: JD.com Vs. Tmall: China’s Luxury E-Commerce Battleground
Jing Travel: The Jing Travel WeChat Index: March 2020
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- CCI Team