Selling Britain to China: Luxury brand lessons

This article will soon be exclusive to Jing Daily Pro* subscribers, with a membership that accesses our most focused, insightful coverage yet. Pre-register for a free trial, coming this summer. Whether it’s Gordon Ramsay’s menu at the Harrods Shanghai members club, a Vivienne Westwood-branded afternoon tea at the Guangzhou Ritz Carlton, or Burberry’s camping-style experience with deck chairs and parasols in Zhongshan Park, the best of British luxury brands know the impact of marketing England to China. It is the mainland’s love of quintessentially British culture which has fueled the popularity of certain heritage brands, from Rolls-Royce to Alexander McQueen. Fragrance and lifestyle house Jo Malone London is a fine example of that, boasting a high social following: on Xiaohongshu, the brand has 156,200 followers, and on Weibo the hastag #JoMalone is at 130 million views. The brand recently released a collaboration with treasured national icon Paddington Bear — an adorable fictional character with global appeal, with the Chinese name #paddington (帕丁顿熊) at 8.1 million reads on Xiaohongshu. For that launch, the fragrance and lifestyle house confidently invested heavily in China marketing, which included taking over Shanghai’s most popular metro (Line 2) for a campaign, an influencer bus takeover, and an event on the Bund waterfront. “Paddington is a British icon that has global love and welcomes nostalgia,” says Jo Dancey, Jo Malone London’s senior vice president and global general manager. She asserts that all China operations are done in partnership with the brand's local teams. "There are several ways in which we bring our tone of voice of Britishness to China. It's about bringing a depth of the British lifestyle to the Chinese consumer." After all China’s UK fan culture is immense — #UK (英国) has 4.8 billion reads on Xiaohongshu and the country even has its own mini England real estate development located close to Shanghai called “Thames Town.” But today, brands have to work specifically according to market needs, and cannot simply rely on being British. Even Burberry recently announced a significant 34% YoY decline in annual profit in the final quarter of last year, significantly due to a sharp decrease in sales within its largest market, China. Put bluntly, it is a climacteric time to learn how to win over Chinese consumers, and capitalize on Britishness. Translating Britishness Established in 1784, Derby-born John Smedley is a historical knitwear player that has been championing its identity to the Asian market for over 100 years. In fact, 2024 marks the 110 year anniversary with Japan. Jess Mcguire-Dudley, Deputy Managing Director, explains that Eastern brand representation is more detailed in comparison to the West. “We know in the Asian markets, the customer is incredibly loyal and wants to buy into not just a garment but the story and resonance of the brand, therefore we’ve extended our product ranges with a specifically tailored silhouette and fiber profile that suits this region.” Says Mcguire-Dudley. Beyond a wider product range, John Smedley also offers a magazine for storytelling of the manufacturing processes, design inspirations and historical archive. Mcguire-Dudley adds, “We find these to be an important tool in extending the way we communicate with customers, it’s a return to paper items that has resulted in our magazine becoming a collector’s item to true brand fans.” Ensuring that local consumers have an in-depth understanding of the cultural nuances present within a British brand can establish a crucial connection. Jo Malone London’s Dancey travels to China around three times a year to deepen her knowledge of the market. Explaining how significant it is to be aware of the national preferences, Dancey says, “We still use British idioms. We've got some really funny ones, but we always give a nice little translation to explain the meaning behind it and the British etiquette that it is linked with. We're a nation that is quite apologetic and so on, so we like to embed that within our tone of voice. Dancey emphasizes that brands must be explicit otherwise that nuance is lost, whether that is explanation of ingredients used or more information on why a product was selected. Creating joy in experience In a market as dense as China, brick-and-mortar retail must go above and beyond to gain recognition among fans, driving online traffic as well as footfall. Leveraging that, British brands can incorporate elements of their identity to attract a form of tourism within China. In October 2023, for example, Burberry introduced a taste of British culture to Shanghai by hosting a pop-up of Norman's (pictured above), a renowned North London café known for its quintessential British fare. This experiential aspect can also be amplified through connection to local communities. December 2023, for example, saw Jo Malone London collaborate with cult Chinese cafe chain Manner in promotion of the festive “Gingerbread” fragrance. When fans purchased the seasonal Manner Caramel Cocoa Latte, they received a Christmas candy cane pin and sample of the fragrance. China’s booming coffee culture can be tapped in order to generate photogenic moments, with Xiaohongshu replete with photos by influencers clutching branded coffee cups, or local foodies holding up their drinks in front of cafes and restaurants. “The Manner collaboration was about tapping what is culturally relevant and having your authentic moment within the market,” explains Dancey. She continues, explaining how physical marketing is so central to the Jo Malone London strategy for China, such as the Paddington Bear subway takeover: “The volume of high traffic moments is relatively unique to China. [The mainland] requires a level of building communities through KOLs, ambassadors, partnerships, and even more so, in collaboration.” Understanding Chinese consumer behavior While notions, trends, and artifacts like afternoon teas, TV shows like Peaky Blinders, and prairie dresses might symbolize British culture to China, the heritage is received differently there, which must be considered. To avoid appearing as a performative parody when accentuating Britishness, there is a need for authentically teaching consumers about cultural nuances. As Dancey answers the question of what attracts China so greatly to Jo Malone London, she says: "The ingredients, the depth of inspiration, and how important the story is. "In China, information is really absorbed and appreciated, particularly in the luxury space. Chinese consumers want a reason to explain why they purchased something." The level of intelligence in terms of brand history, manufacturing, and reputation is a defining aspect of luxury consumers hailing from the mainland. And these are all touch points that can feed into how foreign heritage brands tell their stories well there.

Selling Britain to China: Luxury brand lessons

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Published August 16, 2024

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Selling Britain to China: Luxury brand lessons