2023 August Industry Insights & Best Practices
In August, top luxury brands focused on the following key themes: Leveraging E-commerce platforms to craft captivating Qixi (Chinese Valentine’s Day) Stories, Luxury brands launch co-branded afternoon teas with high-end hotels and Maillard Style takes the spotlight.
Overview
Curio Eye™ Brand Index: Top 10 best performing brands
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The Top 3 best-performing brands in July were Louis Vuitton, Dior, and Armani.
Louis Vuitton regained the top position with House Ambassadors Zhou Dongyu, Victoria Song, and Liu Yifei gracing the cover of ELLE's September issue, showcasing the Louis Vuitton 23FW women's collection. The brand also relaunched the GO-14 Bag and enlisted Emma Stone, HAIM, Jin Chen, and Amber Liu to showcase its versatile styles.
Dior gained significant engagement by designing costumes for China Ambassador Liu Yuxin’s tour. The brand also unveiled its Winter 2023 Men's Collection, featuring China Brand Ambassador Arthur Chen and Chinese singer-dancer Lay Zhang.
Armani featured Rikimaru to showcase the Emporio Armani 23SS Collection. Additionally, the brand released its FW23 collection and enlisted the participation of celebrities like Jackson Yee, Song Zu'er, and Song Weilong for advertising videos.
Gucci, Prada, Bally, Balenciaga, Kenzo, and Fendi attracted attention through various Qixi campaigns and the launch of new collections.
Luxury Industry Trends
Leveraging E-commerce platforms to craft captivating Qixi (Chinese Valentine’s Day) Stories
According to the “Qixi Consumption Observations” report released by JD, pre-festival consumption trends indicate significant growth in sales of jewelry, with a remarkable 90% increase in sales of jade and gold jewelry. Among the sub-categories - luxury bags, beauty gift boxes, and gold bracelets experienced an impressive surge of nearly 100%. Gifting culture and self-indulgence play a significant role in driving the increased demand for luxury products.
As the Qixi Festival marketing has shown significant homogeneity, brands are persistently exploring new marketing scenarios and platforms. E-commerce platforms are introducing a wide range of activations, combined with new technology to create new paths for luxury brands to expand their growth and reach a wider audience.
Tmall – Technology-Empowered Digital Interactive Activations & Gifting Experience
3D Gift Card: Tmall offered personalized 3D gift cards that incorporate brand elements with tech modules to present an immersive experience that allow consumers to express their gifting messages while interacting with the brand.
Digital Album: Several brands such as Burberry, Bally, Tory Burch created digital photo albums for customers.
Digital Music: La Perla also released an exclusive digital music for Qixi at its Tmall flagship shop, allowing consumers to interact with the brand's version of the "Rhythm Master" game for a virtual music experience and redeem the brand gifts.
3D+AR: GUCCI Tmall flagship store supports viewing handbags in 3D and AR virtual try-on function.
JD.com – Collaborations with Brands and Enriched Brand Experiences
*Image Source: Gucci Mini-P
During the 2023 JD Qixi Gift Season, luxury brands such as Gucci, Valentino Beauty, Dior Beauty, Prada Beauty, and De Beers joined JD.com. As of now, JD.com has become one of the companies with the highest number of collaborations with luxury brands worldwide.
JD.com has partnered with Gucci to create an immersive shopping experience that aligns seamlessly with the brand's image and philosophy. Leveraging its digital technology capabilities, JD.com integrates AR, VR, 3D applications, and supports interactive user experiences such as 360°product viewing and online try-on for a more engaging shopping journey.
RED – An Emerging Platform for Luxury Brands to Venture into
*Image Source: Valentino Official Flagship Store & RED Account
Valentino launched the "VLOGO FOR LOVE" collection during Qixi and for the first time, Valentino opened a Qixi pop-up store on RED, where the collection will be available for sale from July 25 onwards.
Van Cleef & Arpels launched live stream for the first time in brand history on August 5, inviting fans to explore the “Poetry of Time” limited-time space. The live-streaming was available on RED, WeChat channel as well as Tmall official flagship store.
Luxury brands launch co-branded afternoon teas with high-end hotels
With tourism picking up in the post-epidemic era, August saw a number of luxury brands including Rolls-Royce, GIVENCHY, Lamborghini, and Georg Jensen collaborating with upscale hotels to launch co-branded afternoon teas, reflecting the aspiration of luxury brands to cater to the high-net-worth customer segment.
Rolls-Royce x Regent Chongqing
Rolls-Royce has partnered with Regent Chongqing to launch a co-branded afternoon tea and held a media tasting event to mark this collaboration. Limited to five sets per day, this exclusive offering emphasizes the luxury‘s rarity while providing a glimpse into the forthcoming unveiling of Rolls-Royce’s first fully electric motor car, Spectre, in Chongqing.
GIVENCHY x JW Marriott Beijing
GIVENCHY and JW Marriott Beijing have joined forces to unveil the GIVENCHY Sparkling Wine Co-branded Afternoon Tea. RINA IANCA×GIVENCHY sparkling wine draws inspiration from haute couture dresses, and its limited global release highlights its precious and unique qualities. This collaboration creates a high-fashion gastronomic masterpiece infused with French romance.
CURIOSITY SPOTLIGHT
Luxury brands and high-end hotels share a mutual customer base, characterized by similar consumption patterns and concepts. By collaborating on co-branded afternoon teas, luxury brands can effectively expand their reach among high-net-worth customers.
The launch of co-branded afternoon teas with upscale hotels allows luxury brands to extend their brand experience. This collaboration serves to reinforce the perception of luxury and sophistication in the minds of their customer base, effectively conveying the brand's positioning.
Maillard Style takes the spotlight
CURIOSITY SPOTLIGHT
The Dopamine Style craze that captivated the summer is slowly being replaced by Maillard Style, emerging as the prevailing trend for the autumn and winter seasons.
What is Maillard Style?
The term “Maillard” originates from the culinary process known as the Maillard Reaction, which refers to the browning of food during cooking. So, the Maillard Style predominantly features neutral tones such as beige, grey, and brown, similar to the popular earthy color palette of previous autumn/winter seasons, incorporating reds and bright hues.
How is Maillard Style gaining popularity?
On August 6th, @GQ Lab debuted a grand fashion show on Douyin, introducing the concept of Maillard Style for the first time. With the promotion and endorsement by celebrities like Chen Linong and Wen Yongshan, as well as several KOLs/KOCs, coupled with targeted advertising efforts on Douyin, the Maillard style quickly gained traction and became a sensation. “Maillard Style” gained around 174k social posts across WeChat, Weibo, RED, and Douyin platforms in August.
The popularity of the Maillard Style indicated the aspirations and endeavors of Douyin to become a trendsetting platform in the fashion industry.
Maillard Style Application:
Numerous brands have unveiled their latest autumn/winter collections, featuring the trendy Maillard Style in their fashion shows, like Hermès, Max Mara, etc.
Maillard Style has become a prevalent theme across various content types, including mix & match inspiration, makeup tutorials, and photography styles, creating a buzz among influencers and trendsetters. Leveraging Maillard Style keywords in brand content can help capture consumer interest and engagement.
Campaign Best Practice
Van Cleef & Arpels “Poetry of Time” exhibition space in Beijing
Van Cleef & Arpels recently showcased its watch collections in the "Poetry of Time" exhibition at Beijing's National Gymnasium from August 7 to August 23. The exhibition featured seven thematic spaces that revealed the captivating story of the brand and its timepieces. With over 280 iconic Van Cleef & Arpels watches and jewelry pieces on display, visitors were immersed in the philosophy of the renowned jeweler's Haute Horlogerie.
Enhancing Online Live-streaming
On August 5, Van Cleef & Arpels introduced a live-streaming tour of the limited-time experience space "Poetry of Time" at its Tmall flagship store. This marked the brand's first-ever live-streaming event worldwide and the inaugural presentation for the temporary experience space. Viewers could reserve their spot to watch the live stream on Tmall or the official WeChat Mini-P. Additionally, targeted patch ads were displayed in individuals' WeChat moments. The live streaming attracted an impressive total of 138k viewers and received 57k likes, showcasing a significant surge in popularity.
Delightful Immersive Offline Experience
Visitors at the offline exhibition space can explore the brand's history and masterpieces through guided explanations in seven themed rooms. They can receive customized flower bouquets and postcards, provided by the brand, as special souvenirs. Interactive games add to the immersive experience. During dinner, professional ballet dancers perform the romantic tale of Pont des Amoureux in the "Love Story of Time" space.
*Image Source: Van Cleef & Arpels Live-streaming, Official Weibo & WeChat & DOUYIN Accounts
CURIOSITY SPOTLIGHT
Why live-streaming? The relationship between luxury and live streaming continues to evolve. Live streaming offers high interactivity, aligns with the consumption habits of young people, and serves as a rapid means to engage with users compared to traditional e-commerce and offline stores. It allows brands to break geographical restrictions and convey their culture through innovative scenes and live-stream methods, such as virtual store visits and fashion shows. Many brands opt for Tmall or WeChat as their platform of choice for live-streaming brands’ events. Beyond boosting sales, store live streams aim to enhance user engagement and loyalty.
Why create an experience space for watches? For Van Cleef & Arpels, offline spaces serve as crucial avenues to connect with the younger generation alongside online channels, even if they may not be current customers who can afford Van Cleef & Arpels timepieces. Rather than seeking immediate conversions, the brand aims to forge deep experiential connections and offers a warm welcome for young customers to choose their own Van Cleef & Arpels pieces when they are ready. This approach necessitates telling a "consistent" story that unfolds over an extended period, allowing the brand to build lasting relationships with its audience.
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