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 Louis Vuitton’s celebration of the house founder’s 200th birthday, Burberry’s Qixi campaign inspired by Chinese idioms, and Helena Rubinstein’s Tmall Super Brand Day warm-up.
Louis Vuitton Releases Digital Game for Founder’s 200th Birthday
BRAND Louis Vuitton
CATEGORY Luxury
PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat
MEDIUM Image, WeChat Memes, Mobile Game
OVERVIEW
Louis Vuitton is kicking off a dedicated “Louis 200” project, consisting of digital initiatives celebrating the house founder’s 200th birthday. Visitors can view trunk designs presented by 200 global artists and explore the house’s two centuries of diverse creativity on its official website. Vuitton also launched a WeChat meme package featuring classic design elements for platform users to download.
Moreover, a mobile game called “LOUIS THE GAME” has been released globally, which stars the playful character Vivienne, made from versions of the iconic Louis Vuitton monogram. Players will travel to explore the house’s legacy and collect as many monogram candles as they can along the way, as well as keys to access more levels.
NETIZEN REACTION
Many Chinese netizens have downloaded the mobile game and shared their experiences on social media. The overall reaction has been positive so far, especially towards the adorable character Vivienne. Some gaming veterans said its interface is comparable to the popular game Sky: Children of the Light.
VERDICT
The mobile game comes in only two languages, English and Chinese, showcasing Louis Vuitton’s dedication to the Chinese market and drastically elevating its social engagement. As many netizens shared, the game and WeChat memes made the legacy house more accessible to the general public — who could potentially become clients of the brand — exposing them to the house’s rich history in an interactive and fun way.
Burberry Scores With Chinese Idioms & A Cute Character For Qixi
BRAND Burberry
CATEGORY Luxury
PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat, Little Red Book
MEDIUM Image, Short-video, Emoticons
OVERVIEW
On July 29, Burberry launched the house’s annual Qixi Festival capsule collection, which features heart motifs as a symbol of affection. Burberry also pays homage to the beauty of the Chinese language through fresh and modern interpretations of the country’s traditional love idioms. By combining authentic elements of Chinese culture with modern ones, Burberry reimagines love stories in the digital age through a series of animations and illustrations, featuring Burberry’s lovable virtual character, Pop.
NETIZEN REACTION
The five love-related scenarios, inspired by five Chinese idioms, have been positively received by local consumers on Burberry’s social media accounts. In particular, netizens have been impressed by the adorable looks of the virtual character Pop. Burberry’s campaign post on WeChat received 74,300 views within five days, and the campaign posts have reactivated the house’s Weibo engagement.
VERDICT
Burberry’s Qixi initiative showcases its dedication to traditional Chinese culture. Despite the absence of a celebrity endorsement, the content garnered great feedback from local consumers. Meanwhile, as a discerning player in China’s social arena, the brand launched emoticons on WeChat featuring Pop, allowing users to share the character with friends while helping the campaign reach a broader audience.
Helena Rubinstein Taps Into Women Empowerment to Celebrate Tmall Super Brand Day
BRAND Helena Rubinstein
CATEGORY Beauty
PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat, Tmall, Little Red Book
MEDIUM Image, Short video, Livestream
FEATURED TALENTS Zhang Yuqi (17M Weibo Followers) | Li Yinhe (4M) | Deng Yaping (3M) | Lv Yan (5M) | Huang Yanan (65,045) and five KOLs
OVERVIEW
Helena Rubinstein, owned by the L’Oréal Group, is celebrating Tmall Super Brand Day with its “Ten Question: To Change” campaign, which aims to explore various possibilities of life through the changing experiences of women. The brand invited ten female celebrities and KOLs, including sociologist Li Yinhe, MAIA ACTIVE brand founder Ou Yirou, world champion tennis table star Deng Yaping, actress Zhang Yuqi and six other pioneering women to share their take on life changes. Aligning with the brand slogan “Power to Change,” these dialogues empower women to be more fearless in the face of life’s many challenges.
NETIZEN REACTION
The campaign is on point with Helena Rubinstein’s sophisticated image and higher-end position, which has distinguished the brand from other skincare labels. So far, the Chinese actress Zhang Yuqi’s endorsement drove the highest social traffic thanks to her 13 million followers on Weibo. However, some netizens complained about the halt of the offline celebration event, which was expected to be held in mid-August, due to the pandemic.
VERDICT
The Polish beauty label has garnered growing brand awareness and recognition since the Chinese actress, Faye Wong, was announced as its global ambassador in 2019. Distinct from other beauty players scrambling for young faces who can fuel social traffic, Helena Rubinstein instead focuses on celebrities that can represent the brand value and underscore its storytelling for each campaign. This mindset secures the brand’s loyal and key consumers who are mature shoppers with strong purchasing power.
