Luxury brand podcasts struggle for Chinese audiences

Luxury brands are investing heavily in Chinese-language podcasts but struggling to build meaningful audiences, with recent launches drawing limited engagement despite the format’s growing user base. On 7 June, luxury house Loewe launched the second episode of its Loewe Frequency (罗意威调频) podcast on the Xiaoyuzhou platform, titled “Hands On” (要上手). While the brand maintained its signature aesthetic and tone in both visuals and content curation, the episode had garnered just 16,000 plays at the time of writing. Social media engagement was minimal, and the release has yet to generate significant buzz. Early adopters set high expectations Luxury brands venturing into the podcast space is by no means a recent phenomenon. As early as 2017, Chanel launched its 3.55 podcast, a series of conversations rooted in the house’s century-long heritage. The show invited creatives from across disciplines to share personal stories and reflections tied to Chanel handbags. Later, during the pandemic, podcasts emerged as a new narrative medium — a way for brands to connect more intimately with their audiences. The format promised slower, deeper storytelling, and was quickly embraced by houses like Prada, Gucci and Dior. With their eyes on affluent Chinese listeners, luxury brands hoped to cultivate emotional resonance and expand their cultural equity through Mandarin-language podcast content. Yet so far, the reality has fallen short of expectations. While user numbers on Chinese podcast platforms continue to rise, most branded shows have struggled to break beyond niche circles, with limited cultural impact or visibility. “Most luxury brand podcasts are just self-indulgent, lofty topics no one’s really interested in,” a senior commercial director in the luxury industry tells Jing Daily. “I’d rather hear about how a handbag is crafted than sit through another vague episode on feminism.” As consumers increasingly seek tangible value and relatable storytelling, podcasts, once viewed as an innovative brand-building channel, now face a critical test: Can these narratives truly be heard? Or, are they simply echoes of a monologue disconnected from the lives of those they’re meant to engage? The challenge of authentic storytelling In the visually driven world of luxury brands, podcasts were initially considered a relatively unconventional medium. Compared to the instant gratification offered by short videos, podcasts build a brand’s cultural presence through immersive storytelling. Without filters or flashy packaging, podcasts rely on tone, rhythm, and the authenticity of content to resonate with listeners. In 2023, Louis Vuitton launched its first Chinese-language podcast, Louis Vuitton Extended. Beginning with the new Shanghai City Guide, the podcast delved into the limited-time “Nong Hao, Shanghai” (侬好，上海) space by the Suzhou River, where local cultural icons like Jin Yucheng (金宇澄) and Ma Yili (马伊琍) discussed their memories of the Suzhou River and the iconic “Four Great Kings” of Shanghai’s breakfast stalls. The initiative was hailed as the beginning of a new era for luxury brands’ communications. Today, an increasing number of luxury brands are attempting to replicate the podcast model, yet many fall into the trap of homogenized content. Strip away the intro and the host, and much of what remains feels indistinguishable. The formula of elite dialogue, artistic discourse, and female narratives has been replicated to the point of aesthetic fatigue. What once conveyed sophistication now risks becoming hollow repetition. Success stories offer blueprint This does not imply that podcasts are ineffective. On the contrary, their impact lies in their ability to genuinely resonate with listeners on an emotional level. Take Bloom on the Rock by Italian label Giada, for instance. Since introducing renowned interviewer Chen Luyu (陈鲁豫) in its third season, the podcast has found its rhythm, with significantly increased engagement. Its success stems not from abstract feminist themes, but from grounding those ideas in real, lived experiences. What makes it compelling is not simply who is speaking, but what emotional tension the content captures. The podcast guests wove Giada’s long-standing metaphor of the “flower on the rock” into the conversation with remarkable ease and authenticity. Through varied personal narratives and emotional inflections, the brand’s core philosophy was repeatedly reinterpreted in fresh and compelling ways. Importantly, the brand allowed each guest's individual journey and emotional resilience to organically unfold. From a clearly defined philosophy to a deliberately restrained delivery, Bloom in the Rock embodies an understanding and respect for feminine power. It is this sincerity and narrative clarity that propelled the podcast to over 350,000 plays per episode and a cross-platform following of more than 600,000 subscribers. Understanding the Chinese podcast ecosystem It’s increasingly clear that some global luxury brands have misread the unique media ecology of Chinese-language podcasts. In China, podcasts are not primarily a vehicle for consuming brand narratives — they are an intimate, companion-style medium. Listeners don’t tune in to absorb “brand values,” but rather in search of presence and emotional companionship. When a brand focuses solely on projecting its “cultural capital” without first identifying the emotional entry point of its audience, the podcast risks devolving into a one-sided corporate monologue that lacks resonance. This is why the rise of “template podcasts” is eroding the content competitiveness of luxury brands. Every episode discusses art and aesthetics; every guest waxes philosophical about life and meaning. But the question remains: Do these conversations reflect the brand’s true DNA? Do they articulate a distinct brand voice? This is particularly relevant as feminist discourse has become a default setting in luxury brand podcasts. Yet, the narratives remain stuck in superficial tropes like “her power” or “her perspective.” The result is often the aestheticization of women’s issues, stripped of authenticity and substance. Rather, authentic storytelling emerges organically from a brand’s core values, contextual heritage, and commitment to offering real, concrete support for modern women.

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Luxury brand podcasts struggle for Chinese audiences