The Social Edition is our weekly series which deep dives into luxury initiatives in China’s social media landscape. Every week, we highlight brand campaigns distributed on Chinese digital platforms — WeChat, Weibo, Tmall, Douyin, and beyond.
Our coverage spotlights global luxury brands, global beauty brands, and local Chinese brands. The latter gives insight into some of China’s most successful campaigns, which often come from local players, and are outside of the beauty and fashion space.
In this week’s roundup, we look at three campaigns, including Chanel's Electro Watch capsule collection launch in Chengdu, Chinese cashmere giant ERDOS' F/W 2021 launch campaign, and FILA's celebration of its 110th anniversary.
Chanel Hosts A Chengdu Electro Music Party For Watch Launch#
BRAND#
Chanel
CATEGORY
Luxury
PLATFORMS
WeChat, Weibo
MEDIUM#
Image, Short-video, Offline event
FEATURED TALENTS#
Zhou Xun (51M Weibo Followers) | Liu Wen (16M) | William Chan (10M)
| Zhang Yunmi (232K) | Lexie Liu (7M) | Caelan (1M)
OVERVIEW#
Chanel unveiled a launch party in Chengdu on June 26 to introduce its newly released Chanel Electro Watch capsule collection. The party featured an electronic music theme (the inspiration for Chanel Electro), inviting disco-punk bands Pet Conspiracy and Tremble Mix to perform live. In addition to these musicians, the brand also collaborated with six celebrities, including three brand ambassadors and three young faces active in music production.
NETIZEN REACTION#
The initiative resonated with young Chinese netizens, garnering over 140 million views for the campaign hashtag #CHANELElectro over three days. Meanwhile, the campaign’s young celebrity endorsements aligned with the brand's watch collection, helping it reach target audiences interested in electronic music and club culture.
VERDICT#
With the leading luxury watchmakers doubling down on affluent Chinese shoppers after the pandemic, fashion houses have found it more challenging to sell high-end watches. Chanel’s watches target a younger demographic, as opposed to its ready-to-wear and handbag collections. Yet, eschewing an elegant image to engage local electronic communities is more likely to pay off in China.
Homegrown Cashmere Giant ERDOS Highlights Indigenous Culture for F/W 2021 Collection#
BRAND#
ERDOS
CATEGORY
Fashion
PLATFORMS
WeChat, Weibo
MEDIUM#
Image, Short-video
FEATURED TALENTS#
Liu Wen (16M Weibo Followers) | Ye Xiangye (147K)
OVERVIEW#
The Chinese cashmere giant ERDOS launched its Fall/Winter 2021 Collection “Sounds For Celebration” on June 24. The campaign photography and video, shot by Xu Chuang, feature brand ambassador Liu Wen and supermodel Ye Xiangye at the Huitengxile Grasslands in Inner Mongolia, with an inviting contrast between the collection, the vast natural landscape, and the indigenous culture there.
NETIZEN REACTION#
The ongoing collaboration between ERDOS and supermodel Liu Wen has been greatly received by Chinese consumers, and this time was not an exception. The campaign hashtag #ErdosA/W2021 has generated 1.38 million views. In particular, netizens adored the two-minute campaign video, commenting that its texture aligned well with the global fashion house.
VERDICT#
In recent years, ERDOS has focused on building their image as a homegrown fashion brand in China. As Chinese consumers’ cultural confidence and patriotism have been surging after the pandemic, campaigns that communicate local culture have resonated well with them. This season, the label wanted consumers to explore the vast landscape of Inner Mongolia, where the brand sources their sustainable cashmere, hoping it will educate them more about the brand‘s heritage and story.
FILA Celebrates Its 110th Anniversary with Crossover Content Marketing#
BRAND#
FILA
CATEGORY
Fashion
PLATFORMS
WeChat, Weibo
MEDIUM#
Image, Short-video
FEATURED TALENTS#
Huang Jingyu (19M Weibo Followers) | Gao Yuanyuan (49M) | Jia Zhangke (18M) | Kimura Koki (1M)
OVERVIEW#
In celebration of FILA’s 110th anniversary, the sportswear brand released a video campaign “Dialogue” starring the film director Jia Zhangke, actor Huang Jingyu, actress Gao Yuanyuan, and Japanese actress Kimura Koki. In the two-minute video, the featured celebrities have cross-temporal conversations with an Italian mountaineering legend, a Winter Olympic ski king, a Hall of Fame basketball player, and a tennis superstar. Through a retrospective of highlight moments in sports history, the video explores the definition of elegance, which is engrained in FILA’s brand DNA.
NETIZEN REACTION#
The short video and the campaign hashtag #FILAElegantSports110Years have received 3.2 million and 38 million views, respectively. The social traffic of the campaign has been mostly driven by the endorsement from the brand’s fashion sports ambassador Huang Jingyu, as well as major media outlets such Sina Fashion and New Weekly. Although Jia Zhangke’s social influence is not as strong as his younger counterparts, his presence added to the campaign’s cultural relevance to local audiences.
VERDICT#
Since the FILA China business was acquired by local sportswear conglomerate Anta Group in late 2009, the brand has been positioned as a high-end sports fashion brand in the China market. As compared to its peers focusing on sportswear’s functionality, its brand image has been more infused with fashionability, elegance, and premium lifestyles. Beyond the 110th anniversary celebration campaign, FILA’s newly unveiled collaboration with the luxury designer brand Y/Project has also received positive feedback from China's younger shoppers.