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 Loro Piana's collaboration with Hiroshi Fujiwara, Tmall's launch of NFTs in celebration of Double-11 Shopping Festival, and Gucci' foray into Podcast.
Loro Piana Taps Streetwear Icon Hiroshi Fujiwara for Collab#
BRAND#
Loro Piana
CATEGORY
Luxury
PLATFORMS
Weibo, WeChat, Tmall
MEDIUM#
Image, Short film, Offline Pop-up
FEATURED TALENTS#
Henry Lau (12.6M) | Dany Lee (9.5M)
OVERVIEW#
Last week, Loro Piana announced the launch of a capsule collection collaboration with the Japanese artist Hiroshi Fujiwara that blends streetwear style with the house's refined fabrics and venerated brand DNA. The partnership features a unisex wardrobe and Fujiwara’s iconic navy blue, black, dark gray, and white colorways. Meanwhile, Piana opened an offline pop-up boutique for the drop at Shanghai's newly unveiled Taikoo Li Qiantan that will be open between October 18 and November 11.
NETIZEN REACTION#
Thanks to Henry Lau and Dany Lee’s endorsements, the campaign hashtag #FujiwaraLoroPiana garnered 13 million views within one day. The low-key collaboration, which stands out from the usual loud styles of streetwear, has received positive feedback from local shoppers. They believe the collection will be “well-received by the ‘old money,’ who are loyal clients of the luxury brand.”
VERDICT#
Loro Piana has been committed to reinvigorating its business strategy, hoping to better engage with today’s young consumers. According to WWD's exclusive interview with brand CEO Fabio d'Angelantonio, the company will roll out more local activities, including expanding into China’s Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities next year. Until then, its collaboration with a household streetwear name will surely help the brand earn awareness and recognition among young shoppers.
Tmall Partners with Brands to Launch NFTs for Double-11 Shopping Festival#
BRAND#
Tmall, Burberry
CATEGORY
Luxury
PLATFORMS
Weibo, Tmall
MEDIUM#
Image, Short-video, NFT, Mini Program
FEATURED TALENTS#
AYAYI (512K Weibo Followers)
OVERVIEW#
Tmall Super Brand Day, a marketing tool that helps brands navigate their flagship stores on Tmall, tapped the metaverse this Double-11 Shopping Festival with virtual idol AYAYI, curating a digital art exhibition on Tmall that features objects inspired by iconic products from the 10 featured brands. Burberry, the only luxury name included in the campaign, also dropped a limited-edition NFT for the brand’s exclusive launch.
NETIZEN REACTION#
Though the 30-second teaser video posted on Weibo has racked up over 8.7 million views, its three-dimensional graphic design visualizing the metaverse received negative reviews from netizens. Meanwhile, some also questioned the validity of the metaverse and claimed that its value should not be exaggerated in marketing.
VERDICT#
Given that Burberry has been a pioneer in the social and digital transformation of luxury, its participation in this campaign is nothing surprising. However, the meaning of the metaverse and NFTs has yet to be validated by general luxury shoppers in China, though the concept has been advocated by brands and marketing experts. Thus, how to leverage a NFT that authentically resonates with today’s digital natives beyond a marketing tactic deserves luxury players’ careful consideration.
Gucci Creates Podcast to Celebrate 100th Anniversary#
BRAND#
Gucci
CATEGORY
Luxury
PLATFORMS
Vistopia, Weibo
MEDIUM#
Podcast
FEATURED TALENTS#
Li Yundi (20.4M Weibo Followers) | MC Jin (3.4M) | Ricky (834.3K) | Xiao Jun (258K)
OVERVIEW#
In celebration of its 100th anniversary, Gucci collaborated with the digital publication house Vistopia to launch a podcast called A Party for Music which will have four installments. Vistopia invited four musicians — Chinese concert pianist Li Yundi, rapper MC Jin, singer Ricky, and guitarist Xiao Jun — to share both their respective musical journeys and genres. Through tracing the past 100 years of popular music, the podcast series explored how fashion and music have intersected over time.
NETIZEN REACTION#
The collaboration between Gucci and Vistopia impressed Chinese audiences, especially podcast enthusiasts. Many netizens commented that it was an exciting crossover between their favorite audio platform and luxury house. The one-minute teaser video received over 82,000 views in one day, and the brand’s campaign hashtag #Gucci100 has garnered substantial traffic, reaching 51 million Weibo users.
VERDICT#
Podcasting has become a promising media channel for famed fashion houses such as Hermès, Chanel, Dior, and Maison Margiela to reach global markets. Yet in China, podcasting remains a niche marketing tool. Still, discerning homegrown fashion brands like NEIWAI, Maia Active, and FMACM, as well as toy maker Pop Mart, have tapped into this emerging trend. And now, Gucci has become the first luxury brand to experiment with it. As Chinese shoppers become more sophisticated, content commerce strategies that have added-value for users have proven to earn higher organic engagement.