Montblanc held an exhibition celebrating its 90th anniversary in Shanghai, inviting fans to the event via a WeChat campaign. (Montblanc)
Fans of Swiss luxury brand Montblanc who wonder if they have what it takes to be a “big boss” can find out with the brand's first integrated WeChat campaign. In celebration of the brand's 90th anniversary, it has rolled O2O features and a new game on the mobile messaging app in which thousands of followers rate photo submissions of users to assess whether or not they display the sophistication and leadership of a daban (大板), or “big boss.”
The game is part of a major campaign Montblanc launched in April to celebrate 90 years of its Meisterstück (German for “masterpiece”) flagship line of pens, known in China as Daban. Montblanc held a Black & White exhibition at the Shanghai Exhibition Center on April 22 and invited its WeChat followers through the new online-to-offline (O2O) campaign. Users who registered through the mobile app received customized e-invitations. Montblanc considered the feature a success: it announced that more than 1,000 registrations were generated for the four-day exhibition. In addition to the community daban rating game, the campaign enhances users' experience at the exhibition through QR codes that provide them with more product information.
Montblanc's WeChat followers voted on whether or not others had what it takes to be a "big boss." (Montblanc)
O2O has become a buzzword among social marketing circles in China, where consumers have strong mobile internet penetration and are willing to experiment with new ventures on social media. Other brands in China have also been adapting their marketing strategies to incorporate social media into bringing consumers into physical locations and events. Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer’s recent watch exhibition leads users on a “treasure hunt” via WeChat, peppering the site with QR codes and promising a gift and an enhanced understanding of the brand at the end of the journey. French Cognac house Martell recently courted Chinese travelers with an airport display featuring billboards with QR codes and profiles of celebrities.
Brands are increasingly aware that multi-channel marketing is the way to go if they want to target China’s young consumers. “Our digital presence is the best way to support our ambition to rejuvenate Montblanc and reach younger users, and WeChat is instrumental in achieving this,” says Julien Renard, Montblanc Asia-Pacific president, in its press release. “We are ‘digitalizing’ our brand in China and it is only the first step.”