10 Valentine’s Day Digital Marketing Campaigns Courting Chinese Shoppers

As Valentine’s Day is upon us, many luxury brands in China have already kicked off their digital and social media campaigns in attempts to make emotional connections with the consumers who celebrate the traditionally Western holiday. In China, February 14 has increasingly become an excuse for people to go shopping. It's particularly common for millennial women to receive gifts from their partners, so whether they sell cosmetics and fragrances, or jewelry and handbags, brands are strategizing not only how to reach their female audience, but to encourage men to give gifts. In the past week, luxury brands' social media accounts have been filled with both localized campaigns and Valentine's Day products that seem to translate to Chinese audiences alongside their Western debut. The following is a roundup of 10 creative marketing campaigns that luxury brands in China have launched on social media for their lovestruck customers this year. 1. Cartier As one of the most well known luxury jewelry brands in China, Cartier opted to not let this social media opportunity go to waste. This year is the first time the brand has launched a Valentine’s Day campaign on its WeChat store, We-Boutique. From February 6 through Valentine’s Day, 150 specially designed “Pink Gold Bracelets” were launched and sold exclusively on We-Boutique. Cartier will send bellboys to deliver the first 88 orders, and the remaining 62 bracelets will be delivered to their owners with flowers. The brand’s friend, also one of the most influential Chinese celebrities on social media, Lu Han, reposted Cartier’s campaign information on Weibo, drawing a lot of attention from his fans. The original Weibo post by Cartier was liked by almost 24,000 users and reposted more than 500,000 times. In 2016, Lu Han successfully helped the brand expand into the Chinese millennial market by launching the “Juste un Clou x Lu Han” series. Cartier said the 150 bracelets were sold out within one week of their debut on We-Boutique. 2. YIRANTIAN Yirantian is a namesake fashion brand launched in 2014 by Yirantian Guo, a Chinese designer who graduated from London College of Fashion. The brand released its capsule collection, four pairs of silver earrings, for Valentine’s Day with the Hong Kong jeweler Chow Tai Fook. The collection first debuted at K11’s Art Store on February 6, but at that time, they only accepted pre-orders. Now the collection can also be purchased on Chao Tai Fook's online channels. 3. Louis Vuitton Hollywood actress Michelle Williams, who is about to compete for the “Best Supporting Actress” role in the upcoming Oscars, starred in Louis Vuitton’s latest campaign video to promote the Valentine-themed “Blossom” jewelry. The collection was inspired by the monogram flower, which represents the elegance and femininity of women. Louis Vuitton has been promoting the products along with the video on Weibo and WeChat for the past week, attracting praise, particularly on Weibo. 4. Yoox.cn The Chinese site for the Italian luxury e-commerce giant Yoox collaborated with Beatrice Bongiasca, an Italian jewelry designer, to tailor a capsule collection themed “No Rice, No Love” in celebration of Valentine’s Day for its Chinese customers. The collection features seven items of jewelry, including bracelets and cufflinks for men. Rice in Chinese culture symbolizes prosperity, happiness and a great life. Currently, the collection can only be purchased on Yoox’s China site. 5. Diptyque The French company Diptyque’s scented candles and perfumes are increasingly popular with Chinese consumers as they embrace lifestyle and home decor. Many fashion bloggers mentioned Diptyque's products in their Valentine’s Day gift lists. The brand released a limited edition collection themed “Rosa Mundi” in partnership with Antoinette Poisson this year. A great number of Chinese internet users have been keen on posting photos of their “Rosa Mundi” products on Weibo, with most of them praising the products. The followers of Diptyque’s WeChat account all have a chance to win a sample package of the “Rosa Mundi” scented candles if they share and repost the brand’s promotion information for Valentine’s Day to their Moments. 6. Hilton Hotels and Resorts The luxury hotelier has pushed out a series of events in different cities targeting Chinese customers during Valentine’s Day. For example, the hotel in Shenzhen offers a private car service to pick up guests from their home to take them to the hotel for 5.20 RMB (roughly $0.76) if they plan to have a two-person buffet dinner at the hotel, which costs 888 RMB. Hilton Chongqing has set up a professional photo studio outside of the hotel to shoot free photos for every couple coming to dine there. 7. Armani Beauty On the brand’s WeChat platform, Armani Beauty published an easy-to-digest article to teach its followers how to dress up for a Valentine’s Day date using Armani cosmetics and skincare products. 8. Moleskine The Italian luxury papermaker Moleskine targeted female Chinese consumers with its cute Line Friends x Moleskine Limited Edition Collection for Valentine’s Day. From February 12-14, any customer who takes their significant other to spend more than 520 RMB (US$75) at any brick and mortar store will receive a special Valentine’s Day gift package worth 388 RMB (US$56). The brand also offers the promotion on its Tmall flagship store. 9. Coach Coach prepared a wide range of products with heart-shaped patterns for Valentine’s Day. On WeChat, customers could also customize tags for their products with a love letter for the recipient. 10. WeChat Not a luxury brand, but a platform that many brands rely on, Tencent’s WeChat debuted its gold gift-exchange feature on Valentine’s Day. Users with their real names verified by the app can purchase and receive gold, similarly to they way they can send red envelopes to each other. The function is done in collaboration with the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, from where the gold is being offered to buyers on WeChat. Tencent sets a cap on the amount of gold people can buy at 1.314 grams per gold package on the Valentine’s Day, as the number of “1314” in China has a very romantic meaning which is “I will love you for the rest of my life.”

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10 Valentine’s Day Digital Marketing Campaigns Courting Chinese Shoppers