What happened in China marketing this September? In this articles we summarize 5 major buzzwords: unblocking links, travel, Harry Potter, metaverse and carbon neutral.
Read on and discover the fresh and hot cases of the month.
Unblocking Links
In early September, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China, held an administrative guidance meeting on the issue of blocking web links, requiring that from September 17 onwards, all platforms must be unblocked according to the standard.
Now you can open Taobao links inside WeChat. Applications under Alibaba group, such as food delivery service platform Ele.me, video platform Youku, ticketing platform Damai, cross-border e-commerce platform Kaola and other applications have access to WeChat pay. 2nd-hand marketplace Xianyu, fresh e-commerce Freshhema and other apps have also applied for the access to WeChat pay.
This is said to be the falling of Internet "Berlin Wall". The Chinese Internet traffic has entered the era of secondary distribution, which is more user-centered. This is significantly important to the development of the China Internet industry, the cultivation of innovative technologies with restraints of the existing giants.
Double V. will continue to follow the dynamics changes after the new regulations.
Travelling
Every September, brands are launching campaigns for the upcoming China National Day holiday, also known as the Golden Week.
CASE 1 : Xiaohongshu X China National Geography: Seeing China in a New Way
Click HERE to see the full video
This TVC records the young people’s way of traveling: camping in the desert, diving, hiking, making new friends, and how they share their lifestyle on Xiaohongshu. Xiaohongshu provides users with a wealth of travel tips since it is the largest lifestyle sharing community in China.
Young people are actively discovering every inch of the China's land in playful ways (since travelling abroad is not available because of the pandemic). Xiaohongshu has become the place to seek for travelling tips.
Xiaohongshu also released a creator incentive plan during public holidays. Users who add hashtag #NotIndorseonNationalDayHoliday to their posts may receive travel bonus.
CASE 2 Meituan: National Holiday Helper
Click HERE to see the full video
Similarly, Meituan's TVC featured several groups of relaxed and cheerful parties during holidays, showing how Meituan can help users spend a better holiday through the segments of fun, hotel, takeaway, cycling and sports and fitness.
CASE 3 Gen-Z Camping Style Social White Paper by Taobao and Soul
On September 28th, Taobao and Soul (a dating app) together published "Gen-Z Camping Style Social White Paper". The report disclosed that annual searches for vintage camping lights grew by 498%, outdoor tablecloths grew by 487%, outdoor single chairs grew by 327%, and other camping supplies had significant increases in search volume including outdoor storage boxes, camp flags, and outdoor audio stands.
Metaverse
Everyone is talking about metaverse, from NFT to virtual idols. What interesting cases happened in September?
Baidu index of metaverse (June - September)
On September 10, 2021, AYAYI, the first hyper-realistic digital person in China, announced that she has joined Alibaba as the digital mastermind of Tmall Super Brand Day. They will jointly open the marketing world of metaverse. Until now, Ayayi has become the ambassador of many brands, from BOSE to AMX. Meanwhile, Alibaba Group is applying for several metaverse trademarks.
Ayiyi also Launched Xiaohongshu, and gathered other virtual idols. We can see how Xiaohongshu is following the trends of Gen Z among China.
On September 25, China's hottest mobile game Honor of Kings teamed up with Perfect Diary to launch a new eyeshadow pallate. It's not the first time that Honor of Kings collaborates with beauty brands, previously with MAC to launch co-branded lipsticks. The combination of Guochao and virtual idols is popular among Chinese Gen Z consumers.
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is undoubtedly one of the hottest IP, with total revenue of $32.2 billion by 2021, ranking as the 10th most profitable IPs in the world. Its journey in China began in 2000. The first book of the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, was published. Over the past 20 years, this magical IP from the UK has accompanied with China's post-80s' and post-90s.
Baidu index of Harry Potter (June - September 29th)
On September 9th, the mobile game "Harry Potter: The Wizards Awakened", co-produced by Warner and NetEase, was officially launched. The discussion about the game is also very hot, 400 million views and 220,000 discussions on Weibo's trending topic list. As of September 10th, the game has topped the IOS free-download game list.
On September 20th, Beijing Universal Studios Park officially open, which is the 4th park in the world with Harry Potter theme. Once again, the wizard world swept over China's social media. No one wants to be left as a muggle.
Carbon Neutral
Baidu index of Carbon Neutral (Sep 1st - 29th)
Carbon Neutral has recently become the buzzword. We have noticed that several emerging Chinese brands have launched eco-themed promotions accordingly.
CASE 1 HowBottle Pillow Bag: Best ESG Product
Last week, HowBottle’s pillow bag rewarded by Xiaohongshu as annual best ESG (Environmental, Social and Corporate governance) product. Each bag is made of 10 plastic bottles, aiming to provide a different experience for urban commuters. It is sold at 289 RMB on Taobao.
CASE 2 MANNER x Allbirds: Sugar Cane Latte
From September 8th to 19th, MANNER and Allbirds have launched a co-branded drink, the Sugar Cane Latte, which will be available at MANNER stores in Shanghai, Beijing and Chengdu. The drinks are inspired by the natural materials Allbirds makes from Brazillian sugar cane, replacing traditional rubber soles for soft, lightweight comfort.
By reposting the promotional post and ordering the drink, Consumers will receive a limited-edition cup from MANNER,and an eco-friendly shoelace from Allbirds. The two brands are promoting the sustainable trend of self-carrying cups and practicing the inspirational beauty of regeneration and recycling.
CASE 3 NEIWAI x Wolford: ECO Collection
On September 28th, NEIWAI co-branded with European luxury underwear brand Wolford, launching the "Gaze Into Eternity" environmentally friendly collection. Wolford is the first apparel brand in the world who gets Cradle to Cradle Certified®.
Collection exploring the creation of modern, and stylish bottom wear and emphasis the sustainable of quality fabric.
(All pictures from brand's official social media accounts)