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 Chinese tea drink brand Heytea’s collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara, homegrown lifestyle brand NEIWAI’s SS22 launch, and Beast’s first dedicated camping collection.
Chinese Tea Drink Brand Heytea Drops Hyped Collab With Hiroshi Fujiwara
BRAND Heytea, FRAGMENT
CATEGORY Tea Drink, Fashion
PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu
MEDIUM Image, Short Video, Livestream
OVERVIEW
On April 7, Heytea — one of China’s most popular tea chains — unveiled its collaboration with Japanese streetwear artist Hiroshi Fujiwara’s label FRAGMENT. The “Black Tea” (a pun in Chinese) campaign features, of course, black as the key color alongside FRAGMENT’s iconic lightning symbol. In addition to raspberry-flavored drinks in limited-edition black cups, the crossover includes a range of other cups, cup sleeves, and paper bags designed by Fujiwara. Offline stores in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, and Chengdu will also launch pop-up activities while a livestream will be hosted via Heytea’s WeChat channel to share the inspiration behind the partnership.
NETIZEN REACTION
The campaign has gone viral on social media. The #Heytea x Hiroshi Fujiwara hashtag received 1.28 million views within six days, and there are over 6,000 UGC posts so far on Xiaohongshu. The all-black marketing resonated greatly with local young consumers — many of whom are dedicated streetwear enthusiasts.
VERDICT
Heytea is a pioneer in initiating brand collaborations with players in the beauty and fashion sectors. Global groups such as Fenty Beauty and adidas, as well as domestic labels like Girlcult, are among the numerous partners it has worked with over the past two years. Given that drinking flavored tea is trending among China’s younger generation, brands collaborating with Heytea can easily leverage word-of-mouth marketing, compared to betting big on other approaches like celebrity endorsements.
Neiwai Launches SS22 Video to Celebrate Its 10th Anniversary
BRAND Neiwai
CATEGORY Lifestyle
PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Tmall
MEDIUM Image, Short Video
FEATURED TALENTS Faye Wong (No Weibo Account)
OVERVIEW
To celebrate its 10th anniversary, Chinese lifestyle brand Neiwai launched its first fashion show on April 12th. Featuring its SS22 collection, the video presentation used interactive choreography and visual art — with the combination of the two languages making it quite distinct from the typical runway outing. As part of this, the event employed a “See Now, Buy Now” approach, which allowed viewers to purchase the collection on Weibo, WeChat, and Tmall.
NETIZEN REACTION
The video presentation garnered over 1.7 million views within one day on Weibo, thanks to the endorsement from its global ambassador Faye Wong, as well as women celebrities including Maizi, Du Juan, and Tan Yuanyuan. In particular, many netizens showed appreciation for how the show elaborated on the definition of the brand name, exploring the relationship between the inside and outside of women’s bodies.
VERDICT
Last month, Neiwai launched the concluding installment of its “No Body Is Nobody” campaign and hosted an offline exhibition in Shanghai as a retrospective of its 10-year journey. From its roots as a lingerie label advocating for body diversity, the company has developed into a lifestyle player with activewear, loungewear, and fashion lines. With the debut of this fashion show, the business has manifested its ambition for growth and development — with stronger brand desirability and its own unique identity.
Beast Tap China’s Camping Hype
BRAND Beast
CATEGORY Lifestyle
PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat, Xiaohongshu, Tmall
MEDIUM Image, Short Video
FEATURED TALENTS Gong Jun (19.5M Weibo Followers)
OVERVIEW
Chinese lifestyle label Beast has launched its Spring 2022 “Inspired by Camping” collection, with gear like mats, night lights, and portable cookware, as well as three sets of gift boxes. This debut offers exquisite camping and picnic equipment, encouraging consumers to embrace the beauty of nature and outdoor activities. The campaign “Walk into the Wild,” starring brand ambassador Gong Jun, also features limited-edition complimentary products with Gong’s endorsement.
NETIZEN REACTION
The campaign teaser, a one-minute short film starring Gong, received over 16.2 million views on Weibo within two days. (His fans have showed high expectations for the collection since it was announced earlier this month.) Some of the most popular sets and products sold out immediately once they were available on the company’s Tmall flagship store. As of now, the campaign hashtag #BeastWalkIntoTheWild has racked up 170 million views on Weibo.
VERDICT
Glamping has become one of the hippest trends among young Chinese travelers since last year. The experience of nature aside, its glamor and high-end connotations translate well to social media. On Xiaohongshu, there are over 2 million UGC posts, from snapshots of camping gear to journeys taken. Beast has not only tapped this trend but also directly influenced and even escalated it: such celebrity endorsements reach those who might not have been enthusiasts of the great outdoors.
