What You Can Learn from These Chinese New Year Social Media Marketing Campaigns

Planning to launch social media marketing campaigns in China? You can learn from these companies that had “been there, done that.” Try to figure out how you can tailor the same principles to match your industry requirements.

Remember, different industries have different approaches when engaging with Chinese consumers. Once you understand the market and have the research, you can decide what works best for you. And you’ll also learn why some received negative comments.

You can’t miss such a mobile strategy that involves social media and videos. There are plenty of ways (and channels and networks) to send your message to them. WeChat supports almost all types of online activities of consumers. It still remains the number one go-to platform for most brands. It’s ubiquitous. It’s penetrating the lives of consumers and any resident, whether expat or native, in China.

Let’ see what we can learn from these campaigns.

#1 How Peppa Pig Became Viral: Emotions and Culture #WhatisPeppa

Peppa Pig’s 5-minute video “What is Peppa” 啥是佩奇garnered huge amounts of views among the viewers. The #WhatisPeppa on Sina Weibo went viral with more than 1.6 billion views. Moreover, more than 1 million netizens engaged in the discussion. It was a preempt campaign for the upcoming movie, “Peppa Pig celebrates Chinese New Year.”

The video went viral because it evoked emotions to the viewers. It touched the culture and traditions, linking the storyboard to Chinese New Year. When producers and marketers tap the emotions, they start the conversation. When they infused such a deep understanding of the core values, campaigns go viral. They are being talked about, and netizens engaged in public discussions.

#2 Coca-Cola’s Sticking Together this Chinese New Year

Coca-Cola has been a staple drink anywhere in the world. The company was also ready to celebrate the Chinese New Year with a promotional video. It seemed the company also did their assignment, too. They portrayed one of the most critical aspects of the culture, THE FAMILY. In the 30-second, the family is eating together.

And there were two fictional characters stuck in the label of the bottle. They were playful and snooping what’s on the table, trying to reach out for the Coca-Cola. And the little boy kicked it (as if like a Kung-fu master), and the bottle was almost close to dropping on the floor. One of the kids in the family caught the bottle.

Such a scene, though very simple, also is sensitive to the core values of the market. The theme “Sticking together this Chinese New Year” speaks much volume of what the brand conveys, even in such a short, yet catchy phrase.

#3 Burberry’s Modern New Year with influencers gone bad

Burberry’s CNY campaign taps two Chinese influencers. They worked with Zhao Wei and Zhou Dongyu for the “Modern New Year” campaign. The British fashion brand showcased a family portrait wearing luxury clothes. However, the campaign received negative comments from netizens. Some said it lacked warmth because of the gloomy and serious faces on the photos. Others seemed happy and commented that it was stylish and modern. Afterwards, Burberry changed the portraits.

What can we learn from this campaign? Netizens will always say something good or bad about the campaign. There’s no such thing as a neutral zone where you can please them with your products or brands. Still, Burberry was able to achieve the goal: to attract the attention of the audience. Even if they received a backlash from the netizens.

What can we learn? Do your homework, evoke emotions, know the culture and traditions

Launching a campaign is a laborious, yet collaborative task that will allow you to learn more about your audience. There’s a secret to stay engaging and maintaining positive influence among the customers. Make sure you understand the emotions, culture, and deep-seated values of your market.

We like what Connie Chan tweeted about localization, commenting on the success of the Peppa Pig. “This Peppa trailer reflects a deep, deep understanding of Chinese culture: family duty, generational love, rural cities, community, Chinese New Year.” Touching the heartstrings through a deep cultural connection is the most powerful kind of localization and marketing!”