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: from Perfect Diary’s Chinese New Year campaign to Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Fall 2021 presentation.
Perfect Diary Goes Home To Celebrate Chinese New Year#
BRAND#
Perfect Diary
CATEGORY#
Beauty
PLATFORMS#
Weibo, WeChat, Douyin, Little Red Book
MEDIUM#
Imagery, Short-video
OVERVIEW#
On January 14, C-Beauty unicorn Perfect Diary rolled out its “Home Is The Most Beautiful Chinese Color” campaign to celebrate the Year of Ox. The campaign features a New Year gift box, which includes an eyeshadow palette in collaboration with the Chinese edition of National Geography magazine. The special edition draws inspiration from a family reunion scenario in a Siheyuan, a traditional courtyard house in Beijing. Meanwhile, the brand also debuted video tutorials showcasing how to create looks with the newly launched eye palette.
NETIZEN REACTION#
Netizens were impressed by the various detailed designs of the special launch. The campaign hashtag #HomeIsTheMostBeautifulChineseColor” has received over 8.6 million views on Weibo. The topic of domesticity that the campaign highlighted resonated greatly with young consumers who study or work away from their hometowns and look forward to visiting their families during the Spring Festival break.
VERDICT#
“We look to reunite with our families this Chinese New Year more than ever, since many schedules were disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak last year,” Fang Fang, the project director explained in a campaign video. Instead of merely appropriating traditional cultural motifs such as the color red and paper-cut designs, Perfect Diary’s special launch organically added a touch of humanity to its product design and powerful storytelling. From this approach, global brands can learn how to use indigenous narratives in order to elevate their localization strategies.
Roger Vivier Announces New Brand Ambassador#
BRAND#
Roger Vivier
CATEGORY
Luxury
PLATFORMS
Weibo, WeChat, Little Red Book, Tmall
MEDIUM#
Image, WeChat Mini Program
FEATURED TALENTS#
Deng Lun (39M Weibo Followers)
OVERVIEW#
On January 20, French luxury designer brand Roger Vivier announced Chinese actor Deng Lun as its new brand ambassador. The campaign highlights the brand’s signature Flower Strass Buckle Pumps and Miss Vivier Strass Buckle Handbag. Both products are available via the brand’s Tmall flagship store and WeChat Mini Program. Deng is the first male face of the brand and comes on the heels of Chinese actress Tang Yan and singer Ouyang Nana’s appointments.
NETIZEN REACTION#
The announcement campaign hashtags #RogerViviverBrandAmbassadorDengLun and #TheFallOfHearts (芳心伦陷) garnered over 420 million and 110 million views, respectively, within 12 hours. Deng Lun’s many social followers commented below the campaign posts with screenshots of their Tmall order confirmations. The Miss Vivier Strass Buckle Handbag, which was featured, sold out on Tmall once the announcement was published.
VERDICT#
Roger Vivier’s ongoing collaboration with Gen Z female celebrity Ouyang Nana has allowed the brand to reach younger shoppers. Yet, Deng Lun’s appointment can help the brand reach a wider demographic with greater buying power, as products priced from $820 to $4,145 sold out within minutes. Also, Deng’s commercial value, which ranked eighth among other Chinese male celebrities in 2020 according to Tencent Entertainment White Paper 2020 released on January 11, already seems to be paying off for the brand.
Vuitton’s Fall ‘21 Men’s Show Connects With China Market Via Celebs#
BRAND#
Louis Vuitton
CATEGORY
Luxury
PLATFORMS
Weibo, Little Red Book, Douyin, Youku
MEDIUM#
Image, Short-Video, Livestream
FEATURED TALENTS#
Kris Wu (51M Weibo Followers) | Turbo Liu (31M) | Dylan Wang (10M) | Bai Jingting (27M) | Chace (210K)
OVERVIEW#
On January 21, Louis Vuitton presented its Men’s Fall Collection 2021 by Virgil Abloh in Paris. The presentation — livestreamed via Weibo, Douyin, and Youku in China — starred the brand ambassadors Kris Wu & Turbo Liu, actors such as Dylan Wang & Bai Jingting, and music producer Chace from Mandarin Band. Five 20-second video teasers featuring the talents were published on Weibo, Douyin, and Little Red Book, inviting audiences to engage in the event virtually.
NETIZEN REACTION#
The campaign hashtag #LouisVuittonFW21Men and the video teasers have received 110 million and 13.5 million views on Weibo, respectively, since the premiere. The virtual event gained wide online exposure thanks to endorsements from male celebrities with cult-like social followings. The digital presentation on Weibo received a positive reception from local netizens, collecting 10.4 million views in total.
VERDICT#
Louis Vuitton participated in Paris Men’s Fashion Week after hosting men's shows in Shanghai and Tokyo last year, and its social engagement numbers have remained high this season. Though celebrity endorsements were not included in its livestream session, the social posts announcing the show information still helped local audiences connect with the brand and the event.