As covered by Bloomberg in the Business of Fashion, the China luxury market is set for 30% growth in 2020 as it shrinks 45% globally.
And as we explained in this article on localisation being a defining factor for winning in China:
“Appeal to the right audience in the right way as an international brand, and you can enjoy the kind of commercial success that sees China continue to grow as their leading source of revenue. Get it wrong as a ‘foreign’ business, and you can go so far ‘out’ as to be completely cancelled from the country altogether.”
So let’s continue our look at examples of successful localisation in China:
Valentino x Qi Xi Festival
To celebratewhat’s known as Chinese Valentine’s Day, Valentino launched a new collection called ‘VLoveTN’ (pictured above), in a limited edition exclusively for the festival. The brand’s WeChat Mini Program featured a pop-up store for the season. In selecting to work with famous Chinese actors Yang Zi and Yang Yang, the campaign set the tone for romance with Chinese tonality.
Nayuki x Karl Lagerfeld
Nayuki is one of the most popular cream tea and bakeries in China. Karl Lagerfeld launched a new series of drinks called ‘Treasure’. It featured two products – Karl’s Milk Tea and Miss Coco, named after Coco Chanel, the founder of Chanel. They used cream, chocolate and sesame to replicate the classic black and white colour palette of Karl Lagerfeld and to imbue luxury and style to a low-cost beverage.
League of Legends Collection x Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton and Riot Games collaborated on several fronts for the League of Legends World Championship Finals in Paris: a bespoke travel case for the Summoner’s Cup trophy, prestige skins designed by Nicolas Ghesquière, along with other digital assets. The LV x LoL campaign is notable for quickly selling out of all limited edition products.
One Zone x Luca Shacchi
One Zone, a lifestyle company, is about Nordic design lifestyle. The collaboration with a famous visual creative designer from Hermes, Luca Shacchi, launched 4 mugs with the concept of ‘a child’s fantasy’. The mugs cost just 25 RMB yet carried the sense of accessible luxury.
Hilton x Country Garden
Localisation doesn’t have to only mean campaigns, but entire strategy. Hilton announced an agreement with Country Garden, China’s biggest hotel developer, to introduce and develop the Home2 Suites by Hilton brand in China (Hilton’s second largest market). Hilton is adapting its strategy in China by targeting domestic long-stay guests, as a pivot from the global pandemic effect. They will open 1,000 hotels over the next decade – the first extended-stay product in China.
Everlane x Seesaw Coffee x Eleme
To celebrate its 1 Year Anniversary in China, premium fashion brand Everlane launched a campaign to raise awareness for the environment by highlighting the need to reduce waste. Everlane partnered with Chinese eco-conscious lifestyle pioneers: Seesaw Coffee and Eleme, China’s largest food delivery service platform.
The campaign saw the exclusive launch of a sustainable crossover gift box made from re-used lunch boxes recycled by Eleme. The giftbox included organic coffee beans from local brand Seesaw and the iconic Everlane re-cotton T-Shirt.
The integrated campaign was activated by working with KOLs (Influencers), media consumer engagement in physical Seesaw stores, the Eleme APP and on Everlane’s own social media channels. The campaign played a key role in creating buzz and engagement with conscious consumers who could obtain the giftboxes both online and offline. Offline, Seesaw Coffee customers were given the box after re-using their own cup 6 times, and Online, the Eleme app selected winners via a lucky draw.
The campaign resulted in over 11 million views on Weibo, 274,000 consumer responses on social media and over 1 million vists to Everlane’s Tmall page during the promotional period. Through the giftboxes it is estimated that the campaign saved 623kg of CO2, 2,431kwh of energy waste and 23m3 landfill.
Read more cross-overs and collaborations:
Creative Cross-Overs in China from F&B, Beauty, Tech, Art & Luxury
