Op-Ed: In the Year of the Rabbit, slow and steady wins the race
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Op-Ed: In the Year of the Rabbit, slow and steady wins the race

By Wonna Wen, Telum Media

The countdown to Chinese New Year is on, and brands across the East Asia region have been hard at work, running carefully planned comms campaigns for several weeks in anticipation of the 2023 Spring Festival.

As we ramp up to celebrate the Year of the Rabbit, it is important to reflect on the momentous nature of this new year and acknowledge the challenging times our region’s economy and communities have weathered together.

As travel restrictions ease, borders reopen and markets emerge from a period of prolonged hibernation, this year’s CNY celebrations carry with them a current of optimism and hope for the region’s future. A selection of the campaigns brands have been running in Mainland China this season suggests that the PR industry is taking a “slow and steady” approach to their comms strategies as the market recovers.

Annabel Li, Brand Business Unit Head, Branding, Digital, Marketing at A2 China, agrees that the results are overall, optimistic, where successful strategies are woven seamlessly into the current landscape. “In the spring after the opening up, everyone's communications campaigns will be more authentic and executed smoothly, which will be much more conducive to branding and promotions,” she said.

Campaigns are also conveying equal parts hope and sensitivity, as PR professionals take their lead from the changing mindset of consumers and the market at large. With so much going on, “PR promotion should conform to the country’s policy changes and fluctuations in the market as much as possible,” Annabel said.

According to Annabel, we’ll see campaigns featuring PR strategies interwoven with digital marketing. “PR is no longer the traditional PR, focused on content only. The combination of PR and digital marketing may be an important trend in the future,” Annabel predicted.

Many brands opted for CNY collaborations this season such as Mulberry’s carbon neutral leatherware line featuring a series of pieces and a short film with beloved cartoon character, Miffy. Ports and L’Oréal targeted Gen Z consumers through partnerships with local toy collectible brand, RobbiART, of which the latter's incorporated digital drops on Dewu App and Xiaohongshu.

Nespresso worked with local artist Angel Chan to produce a limited-edition range of rabbit-themed products, integrated with ideas of upcycling and luxury. Asahi Super Dry’s team launched a CNY campaign that balances tradition with modernity.

Moving away from bunny-themed visuals, Bottega Veneta took a multi-phased, on/offline approach to its CNY campaign this year. Following the success of its Qixi campaign “Love in Motion”, the Italian luxury fashion label continued its partnership with Director Jess Jing Zou to release “Reunion in Motion”, a short film starring models including Liu Wen, that aims to evoke the nostalgic feeling of returning home. Having removed almost all of its social media accounts in 2021 (Instagram and Weibo inclusive), the brand launched a digital activation on WeChat in conjunction with the film.

For its offline activation, aside from introducing the fresh pink range of handbags featured in the film, Bottega Veneta has scheduled a green-skinned train - a major mode of transport in Mainland China between the 50s and 90s - that will run from Shanghai to Dalian, making a stop at the Great Wall as a nod to its Year of the Tiger campaign. The train will bear no markings except for the slogan “On the road back home, Happy New Year”, echoing the film’s final message and achieving a campaign of cultural relevancy, sensitivity and focus.

Whether brands are rolling out their campaigns on the sides of trains, or opting for more subtle messaging, it’s clear the central theme of successful CNY comms strategies acknowledge the hope and healing consumers will be celebrating this Spring Festival. As we hop into the Year of the Rabbit, the market’s slow and steady recovery can become a source of inspiration for even more upcoming PR and comms campaigns in Mainland China.

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