Chinese New Year, the largest celebration in China, is not only an immense opportunity for Chinese people to gather together for a feast with their loved ones but also a huge chance for brands to authentically integrate Chinese culture into their creative work in order to connect and resonate with their audience.

Every year, brands face creative competition during this crucial time because this is a date that both homegrown and global brands have long marked out in their marketing calendar for their culture-focused Chinese New Year campaigns. Before we dive into the brands’ campaigns, let’s talk about what the new trends are, that marketers should know for the festival. 

Beijing Winter Olympics – The biggest surprise of Chinese New Year

While 1 February marked the first day of Chinese New Year, and with it a two-week-long holiday, the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics was set to begin on 4 February. It is the only time in history where Chinese New Year and the Winter Olympics have coincided.

To make the celebration more joyous, Beijing 2022 will launch a special “Spring Festival” edition of Bing Dwen Dwen, after the chubby panda mascot became a smash hit at the Winter Olympics. Hundreds of people queued for hours in the harsh winter in Beijing to get the plush toy. Restrictions on the number of purchases of the mascot per person were soon introduced amid the buying frenzy, and some have been reselling online for hundreds of dollars, showing a wide craving for the ice-glazed toy.

Apart from celebrating the Winter Olympics, watching the Chinese New Year gala with family on Chinese New Year’s eve is another way to take the festive atmosphere to new heights.

A poetic dance performed during the Chinese New Year gala went viral on social media for its synthesis of an in-depth understanding of Chinese history and stunning visual presentation. The dance was inspired by one of the greatest ancient landscape paintings called “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains”. It has been highly applauded on Weibo with over 430 million views under the hashtag #只此青绿 (the name of the dance).

This year, WeChat turns out to be the biggest winner as over 120 million users tuned in to the gala through WeChat Channels (a short video platform within WeChat), during the first-ever vertical screen livestreaming with more than 350 million online engagements.

With WeChat taking such a stride, the other two leading short video platforms, Douyin and Kuaishou, also joined in on the festivities, introducing interactive games and opportunities to win digital red envelopes, to keep users entertained and engaged throughout.

These features have made the traditional TV show more playful, and therefore, naturally catered to social media savvy users, especially the younger generation. It is reported that more than 50% of those who watched the gala via mobile phones were people under 30.

Now it is time to showcase some of the best-in-class 2022 Chinese New Year campaigns and understand why they were such a huge success.

Apple – A short film “The Comeback”

It has become a tradition for Apple to launch its Chinese New Year short film every year, which is something that the brand pours its heart and soul into. It is an inspiring campaign that gives hope to budding filmmakers who are pursuing their dreams but don’t have the budget to buy professional equipment. All the footage in the short film was shot on iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max.

The story is about a young man who is a stunt double and dreams of being behind the camera. He comes back to celebrate Chinese New Year and helps produce a short film of his hometown – a small village that looks like Mars. The villagers aim to make the village famous via the short film, in order to attract more tourists to see the natural beauty of this place. With everyone putting effort into the filmmaking process, they finally created the short film and also turned the forgotten village into an Internet sensation.  

The video resonates with the Chinese audience because it features hyper-local issues such as urbanisation where young people tend to leave their hometowns and pursue their dreams in big cities in China. It also highlights the value of being together with family – one of the main aspects of Chinese New Year celebrations. 

McDonald’s and Vans – exploring traditional ink painting

McDonald’s one-minute campaign video combines Chinese ink painting with modern fast food, showing the beauty of traditional Chinese culture and also tapping into the Guochao trend, which refers to a new mix of contemporary design and nostalgic cues.

Collaborating with Shanghai Animation Film Studio, McDonald’s campaign evokes old and young generations’ memories of how they celebrate Chinese New Year, with most people going back to their hometowns which is usually located in China’s countryside filled with natural beauty – swallows, plum trees, tadpoles and river shrimps, some of the things depicted in the ink painting animation.

It normally takes a long time to shoot an ink painting animation, with there being only 4 completed ones in China so far, due to its labour-intensive format. This shows McDonald’s determination to strike a chord with local consumers.

Similar to McDonald’s campaign, Vans also featured ink painting design in its Year of Tiger collection. By collaborating with the contemporary Chinese artist Chen Yingjie this year, Vans continued its 10-year tradition of creating Chinese zodiac-related new drops. The brand has gone beyond “packaging its products with tiger motifs” and decided to bring out the spirit that the animal symbolises.

The new series, known as “Hungry Tiger”, is inspired by the artwork titled “Stay Hungry”. Delivering the spirits of being hungry for new challenges, not being afraid to break the stigma, and with the courage carried by a tiger, the campaign has showcased the individuality and a sense of rebellion that the foreign brand withholds.

Oppo and Loewe – tapping into traditional culture

Oppo, a homegrown smartphone maker in China, has captured the Chinese love of red, and draped the colour into its New Year Edition Reno 7, reminding users of the year of the tiger with a small tiger logo etched on the back panel.

However, simple visual changes to the product are far from satisfying the young generation of Chinese consumers. Thus, Oppo created limited edition gift boxes featuring the same red colour. In collaboration with Zhi Yu Ji 织羽集, a Chinese clothing brand specialising in the Han costume, the gift box contains a Han-style outfit in velvet red and a tiger-shaped pillow.

Both items have skilfully tapped into the Guochao trend. The tiger pillow is one of China’s traditional folk handicrafts, carrying good wishes for safety and longevity. The Han costume worn by people in the Han dynasty has been growing in popularity among today’s Chinese Gen Z because of its elegant designs. Not to mention that the Guochao wave undoubtedly fuelled the enthusiasm for this nostalgic costume. This exclusive offer to the Chinese market has borne fruit, with many impressed with the new look. In this trendy campaign, Oppo showcased their knowledge of more than just the festival but the market in general.

Loewe is another brand that pays tribute to China’s traditional culture during Chinese New Year – rich and diverse craft traditions. “Marking an auspicious start to the Year of the Tiger, Loewe presents a festive campaign starring acclaimed pastry chef Mr. Zhu Limi 朱厘米 and actor Leo Wu, who explore the unique art of crafting traditional dumplings for the Lunar New Year holiday,” Loewe wrote on its official Instagram account.

By exploring traditional craftsmanship, the brand showcased the craftsman’s expertise and is also helping the young Chinese audience learn more about their country’s intangible cultural heritage.

Gucci and Prada – raising awareness of tiger protection

Prada and Gucci decided to take its Chinese New Year campaigns one step further with a good cause by raising awareness to protect endangered tigers.

In the name of “Prada’s Action in the Year of Tiger”, the project aims to raise money for the “Walking with Tiger and Leopard” program that was initiated by the China Green Foundation. This has endeared consumers in China, who are also showing growing concern about the environment.

But the financial contribution is not the full story of Prada’s campaign. They have also been involved in part of the project for an artwork competition, in which the brand has invited art students under-30 from universities in China as well as across the globe to enter with their creations under the theme of the tiger.

With the competition bringing young talent together to act for the environment, Prada has got the ecological crisis call across, and moreover, the brand has the opportunity to build up relationships with young people; a consumer segment that many brands are keen to get more engagement with. By taking this internationally they have also managed to include others within the celebration and push their Chinese market-focused product line to a wider audience.

Another leading luxury brand Gucci launched the Year of the Tiger collection, including ready-to-wear and accessories featuring the animal motif in various iterations. Under the theme of “Gucci Tiger”, the brands’ Chinese New Year campaign featured real tigers, which were shot separately from human models. In addition, through the campaign, Gucci emphasised its contribution to supporting wildlife as part of the Lion’s Share Fund, which the brand joined in 2020, committing to protecting endangered species and their habitats.

Prada, Gucci, and Loewe are not alone in their celebration of the Chinese New Year in the luxury industry. Louis Vuitton, Valentino, Dior, Burberry, Balenciaga, and Cartier also dropped their tiger-inspired collections and campaigns. Some of Dior’s 2022 Year of the Tiger Spring Festival Limited Series available on its official website “soon sold out”, including a pair of earrings priced more than 10,000 RMB (£1,170) and a men’s collection zodiac scarf priced nearly 9,000 RMB (£1,050).

Each year brands come up with extraordinary Chinese New Year campaigns which never cease to amaze their audience. Whether it’s Apple’s inspiring short film, McDonald’s and Loewe’s exploration of traditional Chinese culture, or Prada and Gucci’s ecological crisis call, many brands have promoted the universality of the Spring Festival range this year and they were able to strike a chord with their target audience. The secret lies in their respect and expertise in understanding the country’s culture, history, and consumers.  

The post Tremendous 2022: Must-have insights from Chinese New Year appeared first on Dao Insights.

The Dao Insights team have produced a mini-documentary that explores the LGBTQ+ community in China, and their representation in Chinese society, family, media, the workplace, and in marketing campaigns.

Read an edited version of the script below:

Every year, June marks Pride Month, a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, its rainbow flag, and the movement’s progress globally.

With every country evolving at their own pace, you may be wondering: what’s happening in China?

Let’s take a moment to delve into the latest developments amongst the country’s estimated 70 million LGBTQ+ people.

Together, we’ll look at the community’s representation in Chinese society, family, media, the workplace, and in marketing campaigns.

LGBTQ+ recognition and societal attitudes

It’s 2021, and China has come an awful long way in the last two decades. Homosexuality was first decriminalised in 1997 and its mental disorder status was abolished in 2001.

It’s incredible what openness and more access to online information can do: people’s attitudes towards the LGBTQ+ community have been, and still are, gradually shifting.

But change remains slow. The lack of laws referencing sexual or gender minorities and the unclear legal status of LGBTQ+ organisations have often made it more difficult to advance recognition and rights.

While the urban middle class and young people are more accepting, being homosexual, and particularly being trans, is still not viewed as ‘normal’ in the mindsets of many Chinese people.

This is especially true when it comes to their own family.

A 2016 report by the UN found that out of several different communities, including the workplace and school, families are the least accepting towards sexual and gender minorities. Over half (57.6%) of the families surveyed said they were likely to reject an LGBTQ+ relative.

Why might this be?

Historically, Chinese culture places huge importance on social conformity, the family unit, and the continuance of the family line. As such, older relatives often regard being LGBTQ+ as a challenge to raising the next generation. This can make coming out extremely difficult.

However, the growing public support to legalise same-sex marriage became apparent in 2019 when an official announced that legalising gay marriage was one of the most popular requests among the public during the drafting of the first “Civil Code”.

Many believe that one of the largest barriers to increased acceptance is the lack of sex and gender education. In fact, the topic is completely excluded from China’s curriculum.

Sadly, as a result of this lack of acceptance, a report by the Beijing LGBT Centre and the Chinese Academy of Sciences found that China’s LGBTQ+ community is up to five times more likely to develop depression compared to the general public.

LGBTQ+ visibility in media

But there is hope. Social media has, in recent years, created more visibility for the community and has been a space to promote awareness.

Online users shared supportive comments on 17 May 2021 for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia (IDAHOTB). The hashtag “#517 the day to stand against homophobia” gained over 1.02 billion views on Weibo.

Jing Daily told us:

There has also been an evolving conversation about pronouns in China with different forms of ta (TA or X也) being commonly used among the queer and transgender community, as well as appearing on creator’s pages on Gen-Z’s favourite video platform Bilibili.

Bilibili has also reacted to the growing acceptance by offering traffic support to lesbian creators.

Meanwhile, more and more young homosexual couples are coming out on Douyin, China’s TikTok. They see it as one of the safest platforms to share their daily lives with their partners due to its younger, more supportive audience.

China is also home to one of the world’s largest gay social apps, Blued, which made history when it went public in 2020. It has over 15 million users in China, 6 million of which use the app at least once a month and its founder, Ma Baoli 马保力 was awarded ‘Man of the Year’ by GQ China. 

However, there are still barriers…

Earlier this month, Li Ying, a member of China’s national women’s soccer team, became one of a very small number of state-employed athletes to come out publicly. Her Weibo announcement received both positive and hate-filled comments and was later deleted.

This event highlights the pressure on LGBTQ+ celebrities. They feel the need to keep a low profile about their sexuality and identity or use subtle messaging if they want their career to survive.

The hugely popular dancer and TV show host Jin Xing is relatively silent about her trans identity within China. She has only spoken about it more openly abroad, including at the World Economic Forum in 2020.

Censorship regulations on TV also restrict what can be shown, and, in 2016, authorities banned depictions of gay people on TV shows.

This even led to parts of the Eurovision song contest being censored for featuring rainbow flags and tattoos relating to homosexuality.

Yet, despite this, ‘boy love’ dramas are becoming an increasingly popular genre in China. Based on novels that feature gay romance, the on-screen versions show no clear symbol of sexuality and blur the lines between romantic same-sex love and friendship. This seems to make it more acceptable to censors and their Chinese audience.

Word of Honor is one such ‘boy love’ show which has gained a huge following. Publication Radii has explored how fans have even sought to dissect the ‘true meaning’ behind the script. One online user claimed that he could tell through lipreading that the line “putting a dead rat in his mom’s sheets,” had been changed to “I went to bed with my lover and we could not get enough of each other” to avoid censorship.

Some luxury brands have even signed endorsement deals with the stars of ‘boy love’ dramas to indirectly associate themselves with the LGBTQ+ community in China.

LGBTQ+ inclusion in the workplace

So, what’s it like to be LGBTQ+ in the workplace?

Interestingly, China’s Law on the Promotion of Employment prohibits discrimination on the basis of ethnic background, race, gender, or religious belief, but does not reference sexual minorities.

As a result, many people choose to hide their sexual orientation from their colleagues. As of 2016, 75% of Chinese people hadn’t come out in their workplace, according to a UN survey.

However, a new report (Corporate LGBT+ Diversity and Inclusion China Report)  by the Beijing LGBT Centre and Peking University found that employees are more willing to recommend their company, will be more committed to work, and will experience less discrimination themselves, if their employers are LGBTQ+ inclusive.

So, what actions have companies been taking to achieve this?

Some companies, such as Diversity & Inclusion Consulting, work throughout the year to support the LGBTQ+ community in China and promote inclusion in the workplace.

D&I Consulting co-founders Ivy Wong and Charlene Liu shared with us how the company had sought to inspire change during Pride Month. They held a job fair to offer the community a chance to network, find job opportunities, and attend career workshops. Business leaders from over 30 local and multi-national companies, including Apple, Bloomberg, EY, Deloitte, Microsoft, and PwC, attended, offered job vacancies, and shared how they have localised their company values in China.

Luxury e-commerce retailer Farfetch shared pictures of activities in their Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong offices during Pride Month. They also held an Open Day exclusively for LGBTQ+ individuals and allies interested in Farfetch’s opportunities.

Pride Month and events to support the community

Outside the workplace, what other events are taking place for the LGBTQ+ community?

ShanghaiPRIDE was established in 2009 as an annual volunteer-run festival to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. It is China’s largest Pride event. The organisation holds art exhibitions, parties, a film and theatre festival, sports competitions, job fairs, and open days.

The main Pride event was cancelled permanently in 2020, which one of ShanghaiPRIDE’s co-founders described to us as:

Aside from Shanghai, most LGBTQ+ events and organisations are concentrated in other large cities, like Beijing, Chengdu and Guangzhou. Organisers in these cities also hold Pride events and queer film festivals.

Pride campaigns and marketing to LGBTQ+ consumers

In the west, rainbows dominate shopfronts and adverts during June in what is often described as “rainbow washing”. This is slightly different in China, where Pride Month campaigns are much more of a recent phenomenon.

How have brands celebrated Pride in China this year?

Nowadays the conversation about LGBTQ+ inclusivity is not restricted to June, as consumers become more sensitive to which brands are showing genuine inclusivity year-round.

This year, many companies started to engage consumers in May to coincide with the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia.

For example, luxury brand Dior took a strong stance in naming the previously mentioned trans celebrity Jin Xing as an ambassador for its signature fragrance, Dior J’adore.

On 17 May, Coca-Cola worked with glasses brand Bolon to produce an array of snazzy rainbow-coloured sunglasses which were given out for free in an online lucky draw. The two brands aimed to inspire a conversation of diversity and inclusivity with the slogan “Don’t be afraid of difference, see the rainbow” (不怕不同，看见彩虹).

In its third Pride campaign in China, Levi’s worked with Absolut to launch limited-edition gift boxes featuring both brands’ Pride products. Absolut also teamed up with ShanghaiPRIDE to sponsor their iconic RNBW party, as well as working with Taiwanese singer and vocal LGBTQ+ supporter Jolin Tsai.

Absolut wasn’t the only brand to get partying: Farfetch co-hosted an event with China’s first voguing and ballroom culture platform, Voguing Shanghai, on 17 June. The event brought together the LGBTQ+ community at the city’s most famous club, Shanghai 44kw.

UGG was another brand to promote its campaign ahead of Pride Month on 20 May for love-themed festival 520. The brand localised its global campaign with social media endorsements from Jiang Sida, a famous gay celebrity, and two lesbian influencer couples.

Unsurprisingly, a similar theme of self-love and acceptance ran through most campaigns, but it isn’t just international brands that are making their voice heard.

Chinese brands like the lingerie label Neiwai have expressed vocal support for the LGBTQ+ community in recent campaigns.

However, more explicit references to the LGBTQ+ community are rare among Chinese companies.

Hence, why Alibaba’s Tmall caused quite a stir when it showed an outwardly gay couple returning home to their family in its 2020 Chinese New Year campaign.

Sky Canaves of Jing Daily commented that foreign brands can learn from local Chinese businesses about how to develop more emotional and authentic campaigns which tap into societal and cultural phenomena, such as themes of family rejection and reconciliation.

As well as sharing far-reaching messages of acceptance during Pride Month, brands can resonate with their audience by understanding the intersectionality that exists within the queer community and focusing on a specific cause where they can impose change.

The road ahead for China’s LGBTQ+ community

So, what does the future hold for China’s LGBTQ+ community?

While China’s younger generations are becoming more and more accepting, there still is a long way to go to break down barriers linked to traditional family values and official societal recognition. We will see faster progress in urban areas which will, in time, trickle down to rural China.

Social media and conversations on them, no matter how controlled, will continue to help foster awareness about LGBTQ+ issues.

The number of brands launching Pride campaigns in China will keep growing. We will see more companies make bolder moves like working with LGBTQ+ influencers and engaging the community directly.

As 2021 Pride Month draws to a close, there are signs of progress for China’s LGBTQ+ community.

Many thanks to our contributors:

Raymond Phang – ShanghaiPRIDE

Ivy Wong and Charlene Liu – D&I Consulting

Jing Daily

Radii

Media used:

Weibo “同志之声” https://m.weibo.cn/1664065962/4646313888845609

Videvo “Painting Pride Flag onto Face” https://www.videvo.net/video/painting-pride-flag-onto-face/455120/

8TV Mandarin News “亚洲第一！ 台湾承认同性婚姻 众人激动哭了” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE8e41hlw5U&t=13s

Inkstone “Shanghai Pride turns 10” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnKm_4HG2P0&t=3s

South China Morning Post “Taiwan holds Asia’s first legal gay weddings, in a boost for LGBT communities” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8dT7SoHRwoM&t=3s

Videvo “Tracking Away from Pride Flag on Hand” https://www.videvo.net/video/tracking-away-from-pride-flag-on-hand/455119/

South China Morning Post “Hugs for LGBT support in China” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEXme91w0AQ

Shanghai Pride “ShanghaiPRIDE 2020 Workplace and Community D&I” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MFrcmIGSp1s&t=12s

Videvo “Satellite Flying Over Denver” https://www.videvo.net/video/satellite-flying-over-denver/454996/

Videvo “Pride Flag Blowing in the Wind” https://www.videvo.net/video/pride-flag-blowing-in-the-wind/455121/

FRANCE 24 English “Forbidden love: Being gay in China” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pM6izogVLWA&t=250s

ABC News In-depth “Being Gay In Deeply Conservative China | Foreign Correspondent” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IoGYl_m5EYw&t=182s

Hafu Go “Studying 24 Hours With The World’s Smartest Students” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u35PM5xRdaA

Bloomberg Quicktake “China’s Largest Gay-Dating App is Transforming Society” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xX_HebeypLk

The AFC Hub “Hotshots: Li Ying (China PR) – 2018 AFC Women’s Asian Cup” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pLRqsmlacB4

CNBC International TV “Chinese TV star Jin Xing discusses gender reassignment | CNBC Conversation” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LgclsweVmwg

Eurovision Song Contest “Opening of the show and Flag Parade – Eurovision 2019” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rub73V1n0NU

Videvo “Business Men in Downtown Hong Kong” https://www.videvo.net/video/business-men-in-downtown-hong-kong/7934/

Shanghai Pride “ShanghaiPRIDE 2017 Recap Video 2017上海骄傲节回顾视频” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tyXfYFVG4h0

Videvo “Low Angle Handheld Shot Looking Up at Pride Flag” https://www.videvo.net/video/low-angle-handheld-shot-looking-up-at-pride-flag/678274/

Videvo “Tracking Shot of Pride Artwork Painted on Ground In Birmingham” https://www.videvo.net/video/tracking-shot-of-pride-artwork-painted-on-ground-in-birmingham/607468/

Videvo “Crowded Zebra Crossing” https://www.videvo.net/video/crowded-zebra-crossing/8160/

VOA News “Gay Chinese couple talks about acceptance in US vs. China” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjIIp3YrTBw&t=19s

UGG官方微博 https://m.weibo.cn/status/4639276627395603

Levis中国 “Levi’s® 2021 Pride彩虹系列骄傲上市” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4643225097666657?from=old_pc_videoshow

FARFETCH发发奇 “PRIDE MONTH PARTY” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4649501840048232?from=old_pc_videoshow

FARFETCH发发奇 “无所畏，无所谓，只在发发奇” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4643292131033128?from=old_pc_videoshow

FARFETCH发发奇 “无所畏，无所谓，只在发发奇｜保留自我温柔坚定，ShirelyMilan” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4643310225260633?from=old_pc_videoshow

FARFETCH发发奇 “无所畏，无所谓，只在发发奇｜去做就好不必多言，莲龙青” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4643310745354262?from=old_pc_videoshow

娱理 “《不一样又怎样》” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4637786670825536?from=old_pc_videoshow

阵雨在听 “梁静茹&艾怡良《漂洋过海来看你》 和你一起看彩虹 @阵雨在听” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4637762134147097?from=old_pc_videoshow

北京酷儿合唱团 “《秘密港》预告片 北京酷儿合唱团5.17国际不再恐同日特别策划” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4637262114390138?from=old_pc_videoshow

MomentZ迷之 “做自己，享真我” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4652762718470154?from=old_pc_videoshow

DIOR迪奥 “DIOR迪奥 真我女性” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4639055674278010?from=old_pc_videoshow

瑞典驻华大使馆微博 “爱没有所以然” https://weibo.com/tv/show/1034:4504522643669028?from=old_pc_videoshow

Check out our other documentaries:

The post LGBTQ+ in today’s China – visibility, representation and marketing campaigns appeared first on Dao Insights.

The Dao Insights team have produced a mini-documentary that looks into some of the challenges that women face in Chinese society, how this is changing, and the opportunities for brands.

Read the script below:

Viya – million dollar livestreamer, Zhang Nan – CEO of ByteDance China, Liu Wen – supermodel, Li Ziqi – record-breaking YouTuber.

These are just a few women who are changing the course of history in China. By achieving milestones in their respective industries, they are encouraging women in China and across the world to break through the glass ceiling. As China’s economy is developing and the country has digitalised beyond belief, countless doors have opened to women in modern China. But it hasn’t always been like this – let’s take a brief look at the journey to get there.

Women’s experience in the past

Confucian philosophy influenced women’s position in society due to the importance it places on family virtues. In Imperial China, women were seen as the subordinate gender in social, political, and family life. Footbinding was a common practice to show off a woman’s status, while concubines were a key part of China’s Imperial society. Both were only outlawed in the 20th century.

Mao’s famous phrase that “women hold up half the sky” seemed to suggest that the founding of the People’s Republic of China would be the start of a new era. However, the fact that men were still the preferred gender was highlighted when the one-child policy came into effect in the late 1970s. Traditionally, the family line can only be continued by men and women leave their parent’s home to move in with their husband’s family. It is unsurprising then that the one-child policy created one of the world’s worst gender imbalances as many families favoured male children.

How has it changed?

But, to what extent do traditional gender roles still influence today’s society?

As with the rest of the world, women’s rights have taken a turn for the better, however, social pressures still exist.

The term ‘leftover women’ or ‘shèngnǚ’ (剩女) has been widely used to describe women in their late 20s who are still single. While the phrase is going out of fashion, the idea that women must be married by a certain age still prevails. Cuī hūn (催婚) or marriage pushing is a common phenomenon and young women face considerable pressure from their parents and relatives to get married. Marriage markets are still very common in parks in Chinese cities where relatives seek out a partner for their single children. They come armed with a CV-like advert containing their children’s educational status, work, income and height.

What about women’s roles in the workplace?

China has one of the highest labour force participation rates for women in the Asia-Pacific region with women making up 43.7% of workers in 2019. And China is home to two-thirds of the world’s top women billionaires, with a higher number of female entrepreneurs than the United Kingdom and the United States.

Yet, women are still nowhere to be seen in the senior levels of China’s political system with just one woman holding a position in the 25-person Politburo, the Party’s top decision-making body.

Since the implementation of the ‘two-child policy’, China has made great progress when it comes to maternity leave. The national legislation allows for a minimum of 98 days, while some provinces allow for up to 190 days as seen in Hainan and Henan. Still, companies often discriminate on the basis of future pregnancies. In addition, on top of their workload, many women are still expected to take on domestic tasks once they get home and there is little protection for those who face domestic abuse.

China has had a ‘#MeToo’ movement, but it has been different in nature to other parts of the world. Still, much of the recent discussion about women’s rights and equality in China also originated on social media as users share their thoughts on trends, media, campaigns and news stories.

Discussion about women’s rights in the media

TV shows and films have played a major role in igniting discussions.

Last year, the TV shows Sisters Who Make Waves 乘风破浪的姐姐 and Nothing But Thirty 三十而已 examined the social pressures associated with women in their thirties. They were both widely viewed and provoked extensive discussions on Weibo. A hashtag relating to Sisters Who Make Waves gained over 45 billion views and the show even formed the backbone of a campaign from Audi.

Later in the year, WeChat owner Tencent released China’s first-ever female monologue Hear Her 听见她说. Its first episode examined the unfair expectations that Chinese women face to have a slim face, small waist, thin legs, wear makeup and dress well. In response, many netizens agreed that beauty standards should be redefined by individuals not society.

This year, the movies My Sister 我的姐姐 and Hi, Mom 你好，李焕英 have inspired conversations about women’s roles within the family and the continuing gender preference for men. With an unusually female-focused plot and a female director, Hi, Mom was hugely successful in the Chinese box office. It also surpassed Wonder Woman to become the top-grossing film of all time with a female director.

China’s ‘She-Economy’

As Chinese women’s consumption power has increased, the so-called ‘She-Economy’ has emerged. In the run-up to International Women’s Day or ‘Queens Day’ as it is known in China, e-commerce platform Tmall released a report highlighting how women have promoted a new wave of consumption. Indeed, 80% of Tmall’s top new brands in 2020 were focused on female consumer’s needs. Additionally, female entrepreneurs run over half of the clothing brands on the platform.

When it comes to consumer behaviour, Chinese women have shown that they are exerting their increased confidence through their style. One example is the popularity of the minimalistic ‘sexually frigid’ style which has seen women adopt shapeless and simple clothes in order to express their individuality.

The short life of brand history in China and the numerous choices available to Chinese female consumers mean that they are quick to dismiss brands that make superficial or insensitive campaigns.

Brands leverage International Women’s Day

In the past years, many brands have been leveraging International Women’s Day to resonate with their female audience in china.

Cosmetics brand Proya and China Women’s Daily released a viral video campaign ‘Gender is not a borderline, prejudice is’ starring famous rapper Yu Zhen. The video challenged assumptions based on long-standing gender roles and gained huge traction online.

Meanwhile, Neiwai’s ‘no body is nobody’ campaign, which has run for the last two years, provoked a discussion about beauty standards by featuring women of different body shapes, ages and personalities.

Perfect Diary and Dior picked out inspiring female celebrities in their digital campaigns, while Tmall created an interactive bullet-screen wall in Shanghai in which passers-by could stand on a podium to challenge gender-biased comments.

Luxury e-commerce platform Net-a-Porter chose a different approach to Proya and Tmall. Net-a-Porter decided to celebrate rather than to expose. They invited actress Tan Zhuo to shoot a creative short film that depicted the outstanding moments in women’s ordinary lives. The video attracted over 21,000 views on WeChat, including comments such as “every woman has powers that no one should underestimate”.

Many of these International Women’s Day campaigns were shared widely on social media and showed the way in which some brands are moving towards a more realistic portrayal of Chinese women.

What does the future hold?

From birth to the workplace, from the political sphere to the home, women in China still face significant challenges in terms of gender equality.

But they are also living longer, have access to more job opportunities and are graduating from university in greater numbers than ever before, leaving bright hope for the next generation of women in China.

In the last few years, women’s issues have often been trending on Chinese social media sites as the topic has become more widely discussed across society. And brands are responding as they hope to win over China’s 685 million women.

Want to learn more about how to market to female Chinese consumers?

Check out our event Understanding China’s ‘She-Economy’ with Bessie Lee and Arnold Ma on April 30.

Read more:

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The Dao Insights team have produced a mini-documentary to explore Chinese New Year, how celebrations have evolved over its history and how brands can leverage the festival to appeal to Chinese consumers.

Read the script below:

You might have heard of Chinese New Year, watched a dragon dance, or associate it with the colour red – but were you aware of the fact that it is celebrated by a quarter of the globe’s population?

Did you know that it causes the largest human migration in the world?

Together, let’s explore the history and traditions of this ancient festival and how it has evolved in modern day China.

History and roots

Chinese New Year originated over 3,800 years ago when people held sacrifice ceremonies to thank the gods for their harvest.

Chinese New Year lasts for 16 days and its date is set by the lunar calendar, hence why it falls on a different day every year. In 2021 Chinese New Year is on February 12, while it fell on January 25 in 2020. It marks the start of a new zodiac year. Legend has it that 12 animals raced to the heavenly gate. The sequence in which the animals arrived would reflect the ranking in the Jade Emperor’s guard and determine the order of the zodiac years. 

2020 was a special year in that it wasn’t just the start of a new decade but also the start of a new 12-year cycle with the rat – the winner of the race. 2021 is the year of the ox, which is followed by the tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig.

Evolving traditions

Celebrations have shifted over time and new traditions have emerged. Throughout the centuries, burning bamboo became setting off fireworks, and hanging peach boards turned into putting up Chinese New Year couplets – poetic phrases which are usually stuck either side of doors or arches.

While not all traditions have survived China’s rapid economic development of the last century, many still form the basis of how people celebrate.

Just like at Christmas, putting up decorations is an important part of the festival and people deck out their house with paper cuttings, stickers, couplets and ‘fu’ posters – more on that later.

The hectic hustle and bustle of the preparations, rènào 热闹 in Chinese, is what many will associate with the festival, sometimes more than the actual celebrations. FC Barcelona captured this cultural truth in their 2020 Chinese New Year campaign.

Believe it or not, Chinese New Year traditions even dictate your lingerie choices. On a person’s zodiac year, they are expected to wear red underwear to bring them good luck.

Red underwear, red envelopes, red decorations… you might be wondering why everything is red during Chinese New Year. Well, in Chinese culture, red is considered lucky and thought to be able to scare away spirits of bad fortune. “Lychee red” was even named by Tmall as the most popular colour of 2021.

A lot of Chinese New Year traditions are based around bringing prosperity and luck for the year ahead. This also extends to food. On the eve of Chinese New Year, families gather together to share a huge meal, featuring fortuitous foods, such as dumplings, fish and niangao 年糕 (glutinous rice cakes).

After the meal, most families will sit down together to watch CCTV’s New Year Gala, which is the world’s most-watched TV programme and features a myriad of entertainment acts. During the gala, viewers can also get their hands on hongbao or red envelopes which are another crucial part of Chinese New Year.

The digitalisation of red envelops

Red envelopes are small packets containing money which are given throughout the year at special occasions, such as weddings, birthdays and Chinese New Year. The amount of money given in the envelope should be a denomination which features lucky numbers, such as 8 – never 4!

Red envelopes haven’t escaped China’s digitalisation and are a popular digital marketing tool among brands. In 2014, WeChat first launched digital red envelopes where users can send surprise money online, which need to be “grabbed” or “snatched” by anyone who wants to receive it.

This is different from receiving physical red packets, which traditionally should be refused multiple times to appear courteous. A tradition that Nike captured well in their 2020 Chinese New Year advert.

China’s other main digital payment operator Alipay followed WeChat’s example in 2016 with its ‘scan fu’ campaign.

Scan what?

‘Fu’ 福 is the Chinese character for luck and prosperity and is put up around the house during Chinese New Year. If you see one hung upside down – don’t panic, it’s intentional. The word for ‘reversed’ sounds similar to ‘arrive’, hence “Good fortune has arrived!”

Alipay users can hold up their mobile phone to scan any fu character they see during the Chinese New Year period, even handwritten ones. After scanning, they will be presented with one of the five traditional Chinese blessings: dedication, harmony, patriotism, prosperity, and friendship. If a user opens all five, they can enter into Alipay’s raffle and be in with the chance of winning a cash prize.

For this year’s campaign, Alipay users can design their own fu posters and have them printed and shipped to their house for free.

Over 600 million people have participated in the ‘scan fu’ campaign over the last five years and it has therefore been named one of the four new Chinese New Year customs in the 21st century along with cloud greetings, grabbing red envelopes, and family travel.

Travelling home and the emergence of ‘chunyun’

Regardless of old or new traditions, at the heart of Chinese New Year is the family. For many urban workers, the 7-day national holiday is their one and only chance of the year to return home and spend time with their family.

Due to the large-scale urbanisation that has taken place in China, the ensuing travel rush has resulted in a phenomenon called ‘chunyun’ 春运, the largest annual human migration in the world. It has become custom that city-dwellers return to their hometowns and people go travelling. In total, racking up about 3 billion trips during the 40-day period.

Getting your hands on a train or plane ticket during this period is near to impossible, and many must accept hours or even day-long journeys using private vehicles or slow public coaches.

‘Reversed celebration’

For some people, however, work pressures mean that they can’t return to their hometown. As a result, ‘reversed celebration’ has become common in China as parents travel to the cities to celebrate the festival and spend time with their children.

Airbnb incorporated this tension between traditional and modern into their 2020 Chinese New Year campaign. The animation features a girl whose parents book an Airbnb property in the city so that they can be close to their daughter during the festival.

Chinese New Year in 2021

Now, you may be asking: What about this year with COVID-19? Unfortunately, or fortunately for virus containment, celebrations won’t look the same this year.

Stringent virus prevention and control measures have been put in place, meaning that everybody who returns to their hometown must conduct 14 days of ‘health monitoring’ and can’t go to public gatherings. Those travelling from high-risk areas must complete two weeks of quarantine at home.

Indeed, the first day of ‘chunyun’ this year saw so few people travelling, that videos were shared across social media of empty train stations – a scene vastly different to previous years.

Opportunity for brads

Despite these restrictions, Chinese people are still keen to spend during this year’s festival, however, they are being encouraged to do so online.

Douyin, China’s TikTok, launched its first-ever online Chinese New Year shopping festival. Associated videos and e-commerce live streams took place in early January and generated a staggering 20.8 billion RMB, that’s over $3.2 billion!

Tmall, China’s largest e-commerce platform, also geared up for the Chinese New Year shopping rush. In a report, they noted that new types of Chinese New Year goods, known as nianhuo, are emerging among China’s young consumers. This year, traditional handicrafts, New Year meal kits and pet outfits proved to be particularly popular online.

Special collections featuring the ox zodiac have also been flying off the shelves due to their limited edition, exclusive appeal, including Burberry, Dior, and GUCCI’s products.

Like Chinese New Year traditions, the changing demand for goods reflects the way in which Chinese society and culture has evolved with the country’s economic growth and digitalisation.

It is no surprise that the festival has become the most important annual occasion to advertise to Chinese consumers and to develop brand awareness. Indeed, Chinese New Year adverts are as anticipated as Christmas adverts in the West. Those brands that go the extra mile and truly understand the spirit of Chinese New Year are the ones that win hearts in China.

The entire team at Dao Insights wish you a very happy Chinese New Year – 春节快乐!

Read more about Chinese New Year:

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Singles’ Day, the world’s largest shopping festival, is upon us and with that comes countless deals and discounts as brands and platforms encourage consumers to shop, shop, shop!

The year-by-year increase in sales revenue of Singles’ Day is truly symbolic of the growth and potential of China’s consumer society. This year marks the 12th Singles’ Day and figures from the day so far indicate that the festival is only getting bigger and bolder. E-commerce platform JD’s GMV hit 243 billion RMB during its pre-Singles’ Day promotional activities from November 1 to 11. While COVID-19 continues to massively impact most global economies, sales during the event will highlight China’s ability to have recovered rapidly from its setbacks earlier on in the year.

In our case study and mini-documentary, we introduce the festival, the trends predicted to dominate this year’s event, the logistical challenges it brings and its environmental impact.

The origins and growth of Singles’ Day

What started as a student festival to help singletons find a partner at Nanjing University in 1993, became transformed into a shopping bonanza. The occasion was originally referred to as Guānggùn Jié 光棍节, literally meaning “bare sticks holiday”, but, since Alibaba’s take-over it has become better known as Shuāng shí yī 双十一 (Double 11) due to it taking place on November 11 or 11.11 which represents four single people.

Alibaba’s e-commerce platform Tmall first adopted the festival in 2009 in the aim to boost sales between Golden Week in October and Chinese New Year in January/February. It certainly worked as shown by the ten year growth in scale and sales revenue on Alibaba’s platforms.

The festival has transformed into one of the most, if not THE most, important shopping event annually in China with brands and platforms rushing to take part. Over 250,000 brands and 5 million merchants are predicted to take part in this year’s event. Brands and independent shops devote a lot of resources to gear up for the festival by launching campaigns, offering discounts and producing limited edition products.

E-commerce platforms also seize the opportunity to attract customers and grow sales, with Tmall’s main competitor JD extending the festival from November 11 itself to hold four key sales periods during this year. Tmall also prolonged its promotional activities this year in order to create more opportunities for small and medium-sized businesses and help merchants recover from the impact of COVID-19.

As well as discounts galore, platforms also celebrate Singles’ Day with large-scale events. Alibaba’s gala attracts high-profile Chinese and Western celebrities alike, with last year’s event featuring a live performance from Taylor Swift. However, this year retailer Suning has sought to rival Alibaba’s Singles’ Day gala by appealing to China’s rapidly expanding gaming audience with an esports nights in collaboration with livestream gaming platform Huya.

Key trends include revenge shopping, livestreaming and health products

With China’s economy experiencing a remarkable rebound from the impact of COVID-19 and recording 4.9% GDP growth in quarter 3, the festival is set to continue its annual run of record breaking status. For an indicator of what to expect for the main body of the festival, the transaction volume on Taobao Live surpassed that of the entire first day last year in the first 10 minutes of pre-sales on October 21.

Indeed, many consumers will embark on “revenge spending” as a result of pent up demand from lockdowns earlier on this year. Revenge spending will be particularly beneficial to luxury brands as consumers have been unable to travel overseas for luxury shopping for the majority of the year.

Livestreaming will also dominate this year’s Singles’ Day promotional activities as the scale of the e-commerce livestreaming industry has skyrocketed throughout 2020 as shoppers have shifted online. Surveys show that the majority of consumers plan to use livestreaming during the festival, especially young Chinese and those from lower-tier cities.

Trends and sales patterns throughout the year suggest that Chinese consumers will be looking to the following to make their purchases:

• COVID-related spending in case of a second wave, e.g. medical supplies and cleaning products.
• Health products, such as fitness equipment, sustainable products and health foods, due to Chinese consumers’ growing interest in health and fitness.
• Home-related spending, including decoration packs and home appliances, which is a continuation of a trend triggered by COVID-19 lockdowns.
• Products from domestic brands as national loyalty takes centre stage with half of consumers planning to buy fewer American products than last year.

A logistical and environmental challenge

With 1.9 billion packages being delivered following last year’s Singles’ Day, the festival is no short of a logistical headache. However, China’s logistics companies are relying on the latest AI and big data technologies to help deal with the massive peak in demand. One of China’s biggest logistics companies, Alibaba’s Cainiao, involves 3 million people to cope with the logistics of Singles’ Day.

“The use of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, predictive algorithms and big data analytics will empower merchants with demand forecast data and allow them to accurately pre-stock their goods in the right quantity and location.”

James Zhao, Cainiao’s general manager of global supply chain

The use of packaging to cater for the vast number of orders means that the festival has a significant environmental impact. If China’s e-commerce sector maintains its current rate of growth, the use of packaging material for deliveries will reach 41.3 million tonnes by 2025.

Cainiao has introduced a special recycling day following Singles’ Day on November 20 to encourage consumers to recycle their packaging waste which over 25 million people participated in last year. JD’s drive for a sustainable strategy in the form of its Green Stream Initiative has reduced the use of disposable packaging by 27,000 tons since its launch in 2017.

While some of the largest e-commerce platforms have launched environmental initiatives, there is still much to be done to face the issue that only about 5% of e-commerce waste is being recycled in China.

What to expect from 2020?

What will 2020 Singles’ Day have in store?

Stay tuned to Dao news to find out how this year’s festival performs.

Qumin have produced a mini documentary about Singles’s Day – watch it here:

The post Student festival to world’s largest shopping festival – Alibaba’s Singles’ Day appeared first on Dao Insights.

Roll back six months and most people hadn’t heard of ByteDance, the tech giant which is worth over $100 billion. Founded in 2012, it is the parent company of two of the most popular social media apps in the world – TikTok and Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok).

But why the hype?

Lockdown forces people to short-form video

While Douyin was already a household name last year and TikTok was growing in popularity, their rapid success was hastened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The platforms’ users exploded as people were forced to stay at home and seek new forms of entertainment. The light-hearted videos and challenges provided solace for many people as they were lockdowned at home. While TikTok remains a predominantly Gen-Z platform, the pandemic helped it expand its audience and has led to a more diverse range of content being available.

The two short-form video platforms are breaking records… they raked in more than $102 million through the App Store and Google Play Store in July. As a result, TikTok became the most popular non-gaming app earlier this year, while Douyin obtained 600 million daily active users.

Douyin reveals the power of social commerce

One of the key differences between TikTok and Douyin is how the latter has harnessed the power of social commerce. Users can buy clothes, shoes, cosmetics, luxury products and holidays directly through a video on Douyin. Many well-known international brands, including those in the luxury industry, such as GUCCI, Channel, Louis Vuitton, BWM, Mercedes-Benz, have official Douyin accounts but do not have accounts on TikTok. International brands have realised the power of monetisation on Douyin – a function which has not yet been unlocked on TikTok.

The rise of the content creator

TikTok and Douyin have enabled ANYONE to become a creator. On the platforms, an unknown teenager’s video is just as likely to go viral as a celebrity’s. As such, the platforms are providing employment opportunities and creating new career paths which weren’t possible a couple of years ago.

As of September, over 22 million creators earned more than 41.7 billion RMB ($6.15 billion) on Douyin in the previous year. There is huge potential for creators on TikTok and Douyin and this is an increasingly attractive pathway for young users as it gives them a way to express themselves and earn money.

TikTok comes into trouble

However, it’s not been plain sailing for the two platforms. TikTok has faced a turbulent few months as it has become caught up in the centre of political disputes. Initially, it was banned in India in June as the government issued restrictions on 59 Chinese app due to escalating tensions. On August 6, President Trump signed an Executive Order preventing US citizens and enterprises from doing business with TikTok, which would come into effect 45 days later. In the nick of time, ByteDance agreed a deal giving Oracle and Walmart a combined 20% stake in TikTok Global, the new company created to overcome the restrictions.

However, there are still many unanswered questions about the future of TikTok Global and ByteDance.

Dao made a mini documentary to delve into the roots of ByteDance’s success, the challenges it has faced and its path ahead – check it out below!

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