Chinese Sportswear Giant Anta Rides China’s Winter Olympics Fever

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 Chinese sportswear brand Anta's partnership with a young skiing star, Li Ning's crossover with contemporary artists, and Japanese beauty label ADDICTION's collaboration with POP MART. Anta Rides China’s Winter Olympics Fever BRAND Anta CATEGORY Fashion & Sportswear PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat MEDIUM Image, Short-video, Offline Exhibition FEATURED TALENTS Eileen Gu (588K Weibo Followers) | Li Fei'er (12M) | Yuan Shanshan (30M) | Jiang Yingrong (6M) | Jiang Luxia (3M) | Chen Zitong (2M) OVERVIEW Chinese sportswear brand Anta launched its “Keep Moving” campaign in collaboration with ambassador Eileen Gu — a freestyle skier who, on March 13, clinched her second gold of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Snowboard and Freeski World Championships. The next-generation sports idol was also featured on the cover of the last edition of SuperELLE magazine. The campaign’s one-minute film, which stars Gu, encourages women to express themselves and gain self-confidence in sports. Meanwhile, the brand has initiated online conversation under the campaign's hashtag by teaming up with the five female celebrities involved in the second installment of China's popular reality TV show "Sister Who Make Waves." Anta has also created immersive exhibitions called “Snow Land” for the Shanghai TX Huaihai Mall and the Wanda Plaza (Wujiaochang), which has brought the interactive experience of winter sports to local consumers. NETIZEN REACTION The American-born Chinese skier has collected 588,000 followers on Weibo, thanks to her exposure in China’s mainstream media. Her latest run in Aspen was also a sensation, as it marked China’s first-ever world championship in that program. As such, her appearance in the campaign sparked audience patriotism and drove huge social traffic for Anta. VERDICT Anta's initiatives combine female empowerment and the Winter Olympics hype, helping the brand further expand its influence among Chinese youth. China’s government has devoted substantial efforts toward promoting winter sports to prepare for the upcoming 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing. Anta has smartly leveraged this trend, standing out among sports brands through its marketing. Li Ning Scores Again With Latest Campaign BRAND Li Ning CATEGORY Fashion & Sportswear PLATFORMS Weibo, WeChat MEDIUM Image, Short-video, Offline Exhibition OVERVIEW On the heels of Li Ning’s groundbreaking 2021SS campaign theme, “The Art of Sports,” the local sportswear powerhouse has collaborated with New York-based visual artist Mel Bles, fashion stylist Jay Massacret, and its production team to create a new project titled "New Frontier." The campaign video takes place in a desert outside Los Angeles and uses drone shots and CGI-rendering techniques to portray the four classic elements: land, fire, water, and wind. The brand also teamed up with the Chinese robot artist Sun Shiqian to create a 2.2-meter high installation of the Ox from the Chinese zodiac. The artwork was exhibited at its Shanghai Grand Gateway flagship store. NETIZEN REACTION The video has been a success, garnering over 321,000 views since its release on March 16. The brand’s newly-announced global ambassador Xiao Zhan and fashion ambassador Hua Chenyu own a social following of 28 million and 39 million, respectively, which has driven significant traffic for the campaign — even though they didn't star in it. The campaign hashtag #TheArtsOfSports has received over 80 million views on Weibo alone, and netizens have commented that they love the industrial aesthetic and are eagerly anticipating the collection. VERDICT Li Ning has extended sportswear beyond functionality and pioneered the territory of Guochao (national pride) over the past few years. The company’s strategy — "Single Brand, Multi-categories, Diversified Channels" — has proven an effective way to tap into China’s booming fashion retail market. According to the company’s 2020 annual report, released on March 19, its net profit rose by 13.3 percent to $261.3 million (1.7 billion yuan) last year, bucking the retail turbulence the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought. The collab exemplifies the label’s dynamic approach, which resonates with today’s young leisurewear shoppers, who value newness and brand communities. ADDICTION’s Blind Box Blueprint BRAND ADDICTION CATEGORY Beauty PLATFORMS WeChat, Weibo, Tmall MEDIUM Image OVERVIEW The KOSÉ Corporation-owned cosmetics brand from Japan known as ADDICTION has produced a collaboration with Chinese toymaker POP MART’s popular BUNNY character. The launch, which is available on the brand’s Tmall Global flagship store, features an exclusive lipstick gift box that includes two random dazzling imprint matte lip glazes and a toy from the BUNNY magic series. The collectible figurines are packaged opaquely, similarly to the toymaker's usual “blind boxes.” The gift box packaging also doubles as a DIY jewelry box that customers can assemble themselves. NETIZEN REACTION The blind beauty box is exciting Chinese beauty shoppers who are also fans of POP MART. Since the BUNNY magic series is rarely available at regular retail prices (prices for the popular characters in second-hand markets are usually higher than retail prices), collectors consider the lipstick box to be a value-added set. KOL @RubyYouxi posted a cosplay make-up tutorial video about creating a Bunny look based on the figurine from the gift box, which received over 1 million views on Weibo. VERDICT Blind or mystery boxes that feature opaquely-packaged, collectible mini-figures have become a phenomenon in China’s retail market. Yet not all toy consumers are children, and POP MART has become a leading player in the country's designer toy market. Discerning fashion and beauty brands like Little Ondine are organically leveraging this trend to reach their young target consumers, as blind-box marketing hinges on the exclusivity tactic on which luxury brands usually rely.

Chinese Sportswear Giant Anta Rides China’s Winter Olympics Fever

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Published March 26, 2021

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Chinese Sportswear Giant Anta Rides China’s Winter Olympics Fever