Sunday, many affluent Chinese consumers will be sharing gifts with their mothers all thanks to a campaign they saw on WeChat. Many luxury brands have been leveraging the increasingly popular holiday to promote their collections, offering WeChat users creative digital experiences with well-crafted stories, quizzes, photo contests, and more that encourage consumers to reflect on their relationship with their mothers and inspire them to give them something special.
Which brands have launched campaigns on WeChat that stand out from the crowd? Jing Daily picked out 10 case studies that have set the bar high this year.
1. Clarins: Online to Offline (O2O)#
Luxury skincare brand Clarins launched its “Speak Out Your Love” campaign on May 10, where users are encouraged to leave voice messages for their mothers via the Clarins WeChat platform to qualify for a free gift at any store during Mother's Day weekend. Customers who visit Clarins stores this weekend will also have a chance to win one of the following prizes: a 15-minute French-style facial, a travel kit, or spa coupons.
2. Coach: Photo-Sharing Contest#
Coach applied a multi-pronged approach to its Mother's Day marketing strategy by launching a photo-sharing campaign on May 8, where participants can upload photos with their mothers on WeChat to get entered into a contest where the user with the most votes wins a free handbag. To give followers a nudge in the right direction, the brand posted three examples of photos featuring KOL mothers and daughters wearing Coach clothing and accessories, complete with links to purchase the products in the pictures.
3. Furla: Social Interaction#
Like Coach, Furla also launched a photo-sharing campaign for Mother's Day, but took it a step further by offering the option to add customized stickers that could be uploaded within its own HTML5 page. Furla encourages its followers to share their favorite sticker-covered photo to their Moments feed for their friends to see by offering a chance to win a wallet.
4. Givenchy: Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs)#
Givenchy’s Mother’s Day campaign features Xu Weizhou, a Chinese actor who is highly popular with millennials. The video Givenchy has posted on WeChat features Xu explaining why he thinks the AW16 blue Horizon bag designed by Riccardo Tisci will be the perfect gift for his mother.
5. Hugo Boss: O2O#
Hugo Boss designed three special greeting cards (pictured above) that will be available in their offline stores through the end of the weekend. Customers who buy a gift for their mother in stores will receive one exclusive card to go with their purchase.
6. Swarovski: Mini Programs#
Swarovski has become the latest big luxury brand to use WeChat's mini programs, a new feature launched by Tencent about four months ago. The brand has invited several celebrities and KOLs to send wishes to their mothers and explain why Swarovski’s products make the perfect gift. Here's the twist: the campaign and boutique where users can purchase the recommended gifts are all contained on a mini "app" within WeChat, allowing users to seamlessly share it with friends like they would share a contact. They can even pin the mini program to the top of their message feed like a chat thread to save for later.
7. MCM: Gamification and O2O#
MCM is calling for its followers to spend more time with their mothers in a game were users have to answer six questions, including "What is your mother's favorite flower?" and "Have you ever traveled with your mother alone?" to get matched with gift ideas for mom. The German brand is also promoting on its WeChat that its offering special events during Mother’s Day weekend at 18 of its stores in China.
8. Shang Xia: Social E-Commerce#
The Hermes-backed, Chinese luxury lifestyle brand Shang Xia launched an exclusive Mother's Day sale on its WeChat boutique on May 5, where followers can purchase limited-edition products for mom, including scarves, tea sets, and rings without having to leave the app.
9. Loewe: Contest#
To celebrate Mother’s Day in China, Spanish luxury fashion label Loewe launched a contest on May 6, inviting its followers to share creative ideas for how to spend the holiday with their mothers in the comments section under the post. Each commenter will have a chance to win a bottle of Loewe’s fragrance.
10. Longchamp: Artist Collaboration#
Parisian luxury house Longchamp is promoting its printed silk scarf by French artist Julien Calot for the brand in celebration of Mother’s Day. Longchamp told the story between Calot and the brand in a recent WeChat post, showing how art and fashion can pair with each other and why the scarf will make a perfect gift for Chinese mothers.