China Social Media Roundup: November

This is a series from our weekly newsletter in which we share a roundup of our favorite social media posts from the previous month including why we thought they were so fantastic and what other brands can learn. Make sure not to miss out on the most recent campaigns, get the newsletter delivered directly to your inbox.

RED - Halloween Riding Night campaign

Urban cycling has become a popular social activity among young people in China's first-tier cities during the pandemic. This Halloween, social media platform Xiaohongshu (RED) combined the fun of dressing up with cycling to encourage young people living in Shanghai to participate in a night-riding campaign on designated routes.

The organizers not only arranged photographers at multiple locations to provide free photo services but also cooperated with corresponding restaurants to provide drinks and meals. The event gained a lot of attention on the platform. People who had low expectations for Halloween this year were all excited and delighted.

Weilong & Auntea Jenny - Double 11 marketing

During the Double Eleven shopping period, brands who can afford to spend millions on live-streaming hosts see big returns, but what about those brands who have a small budget? It’s time to get extra creative. The snack brand Weilong (卫龙) dressed up their operator as the former popular Buddhist-style emoji to reflect on people's current psychology - ‘Find peace in anxiety’ while another other tea drink brand Auntea Jenny (沪上阿姨), simply shouted out “I don't wanna do it anymore” or “f*ck it”(我不想干了) for lots of people to express their current pressure from work and life.

In a special social environment, these small brands helped consumers speak their minds and because of this, earned a lot of attention. They may seem different from traditional marketing ideas, but being able to "successfully get consumers to see you and check your page” is already the first step that many brands desire, and for relatively low priced products such as snacks and tea drinks, consumers would pay directly because “I like you”.

Kuaishou - 11.6 instead of 11.11

During this year’s Double 11 shopping period, Kuaishou took a unique approach and launched the “Kuaishou 116” campaign to promote its cheap and affordable stores on the platform.

 The official video features the actress Fang Qingzhuo, who is very popular among the silver-haired group, to play the leading role, portraying the image of a Chinese mother who is diligent and thrifty in managing the house and good at saving money.

 Based on in-depth observations, the creators accurately captured the ‘money-saving’ mentality familiar to middle-aged and elderly people, such as squeezing toothpaste, sharing a face mask with their spouse, cooking and having dinner at home, etc. The warm living atmosphere makes people smile, and also resonates broadly with the average Chinese family represented by the active users of the platform.

Hermès - The exquisite player in WeChat

Hermès' WeChat account is (in our opinion) always a work of art. The brand is a master at illustrating a simple but elegant style, with fun engaging elements. This article on November 12 aims to promote the FW accessories series by transforming the iconic design elements into four popular mini-games, such as “Snake”, “Tetris”, etc. Users only need to click on the images to turn on dynamic content, and jump directly to the store page on a mini program. Such a piece of "exquisite" experiential post has brought more than 56,000 views to the account.

BAKEROCK - A potato tricycle that warms Shanghai in winter

In the same week that Kenzo's offline activity was abruptly suspended for violating pandemic prevention requirements, a decorated tricycle topped with a large potato attracted attention on the streets of Shanghai. People are attracted by its cute appearance and human-like characteristics. Users on Xiaohongshu (RED) continue to take and share photos which in turn promote this new brand called @BAKEROCK for free. It may not have a lot of budget, or a gorgeous place, but sometimes we forgot, an idea that impresses people's hearts is already good enough for a small brand to rock the city. Whether it will bring more surprises, let us wait and see.