Location-Based Service Has Worked With Burberry, Puma, And Beijing's Strawberry Festival#
Jiepang's LV virtual badge
Following recent collaborations with Burberry for the grand opening of its new Beijing flagship and the Strawberry Music Festival, the Chinese location-based service Jiepang (often referred to as "China's Foursquare") today announced its newest partnership, a tie-in with Louis Vuitton for the French luxury giant's "Voyages" exhibition. Currently up at the National Museum of China in Beijing, as Jing Daily recently noted, "Voyages" features rare pieces of Louis Vuitton luggage from the brand’s collection as well as a new video installation by the Chinese contemporary artist Zhan Wang (展望). Through August 30, visitors to the exhibition can now "check-in" through Jiepang and collect a special Louis Vuitton branded virtual badge, share details about the show with friends, and commemorate their trip.
Louis Vuitton has also created a brand page on Jiepang that will let the service's more than 1 million users "connect and share design concepts," according to a company release.
While Jiepang says its has partnered with over 300 brands to date, including Starbucks to McDonald's, up until recently major luxury brands have been slow to jump aboard. However, with Burberry working with Jiepang to award virtual badges and place users into the running to receive VIP passes to its grand opening in Beijing, and now Louis Vuitton tapping the service for its "Voyages" exhibition, more brands could follow. As Jeremy Webb of Ogilvy Beijing, who works with a number of luxury brands in China, told Jing Daily in April, the use of location-based platforms by major brands is “not just about driving direct sales,” but is instead about “increasing general awareness, positioning themselves as being more ‘accessible,’ and driving attention to other initiatives to tell a more in-depth story about brand, products, and heritage.”
In the case of Burberry and Louis Vuitton, this accessibility is key. Even if a Jiepang user can't afford an LV bag or Burberry scarf, he or she can still collect and show off a branded "virtual badge."