What China’s big celebrity crackdown means for luxury
Government crackdowns are nothing new in the People’s Republic of China, with Beijing authorities regularly issuing new regulations on business, tech, and entertainment at the drop of a hat, leaving companies both foreign and domestic scrambling to adjust. But in 2021, the expanding scrutiny of China’s booming celebrity culture crackdown carries especially strong long-term implications for the marketing efforts of luxury brands that have come to depend on the Chinese market as critical to their post-COVID recovery.
This Insight Report looks at what China’s crackdown on celebrity culture and the “fan economy” could ultimately mean for luxury, examining the possible implications for marketing efforts over the years to come.
Among the key questions covered by this report:
- What spurred China’s current crackdown on celebrities and fan culture?
- What effect might the spate of recent high-profile “cancellations” of stars have on luxury marketing in China in 2022?
- What are the long-term implications of the celebrity crackdown for global luxury brands and retailers?
- What options do luxury brands have apart from working with celebrities in China?
- Could the celebrity crackdown ultimately be a net positive for luxury brands in China?
Table of Contents:
- Executive Summary
- Jing Daily Trend Rating
- Introduction
- An Entrenched Celebrity Culture
- Why the Fan Economy Matters
- The Dark Side of the Fan Economy
- The Road to China’s Celebrity Crackdown
- Sidebar: The Xinjiang Cotton Controversy
- Celebrities in the Crosshairs
- Clamping Down on the Fan Economy and “Sissy Men”
- Where Do Luxury Brands Go From Here?
- The Silver Lining
- Appendix: Timeline of China’s Key Initiatives on Celebrities