Tanabata Approaching A New Battleground For Luxury Brand Marketing

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In 2016, Tanabata first sold handbags at WeChat as a key time node. Luxury brand Tanabata digital marketing has entered its third year.

Without any warning, in the early hours of August 1, 2016, the French luxury brand Dior announced its official WeChat public platform. Online boutiques issued the Lady Dior Small handbag Tanabata limited, becoming the first to buy handbags on the domestic line.

It also officially opened the curtain of luxury brand Tanabata digital marketing.

Last year, the team launched the Tanabata series, especially limited handbags, began to expand, including Dior.

Chlo and Valentino brands launched the Tanabata limited handbag half a month earlier, expanding the momentum of the Tanabata marketing ever before.

In addition to Loewe and Tmall's launch of the Tanabata special style, the rest of the brands are selling handbags in the form of WeChat online mall.

With WeChat becoming an important platform for information dissemination of luxury brands in the Chinese market, selling handbags online has become the main feature of Tanabata marketing last year.

This year, new brands continue to enter the war, and the brands that have already joined are trying to play new tricks.

Luxury brands have not only expanded the Tanabata marketing efforts on line, but also made subtle changes in their means.

According to the fashion headline statistics, the brand of the Tanabata series has been released, including Dior, Givenchy, Michael Kors, Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Fendi, Miu Miu and Loewe.

Compared with last year, this year's brand took the opportunity to seize the opportunity. The time for launching Tanabata products was even earlier. In July 23rd, the Tanabata limited series Valentino was the first to be released, which was nearly one month ahead of August 17th's Tanabata Valentine's day.

Dior is still the biggest player on the seventh night of the year.

In July 31st, Dior announced that the DIORAMOUR series China exclusive limited edition handbag was officially launched at the Dior Mini program "Dior Tanabata online limited time boutique" launched by Dior.

The handbag is priced at 34500 yuan, which supports WeChat's payment.

It is sold out online.

Dior China's official micro letter has been the focus of the series since July 25th. So far, a total of 12 WeChat series related DIORAMOUR have been released.

Like last year, Dior invited Chinese brand ambassador Angelababy, brand friend Wang Likun, Tian Jing, Sun Yihan and fragrance ambassador Wang Ziwen to shoot an advertising video for the DIORAMOUR series.

Michael Kors became the first light luxury brand to join Tanabata marketing.

This year, Michael Kors and global spokesperson Yang Mi have launched a special Whitney handbag, including black and red two colors, priced at 5900 yuan, the cheapest handbag for the year.

In August 1st, Michael Kors

In WeChat limited, limited time boutiques are on sale.

In addition to Online Limited shop, Michael Kors also opened the Tanabata limited time boutique online, which has been exhibited in Shanghai and Chengdu.

After last year's Tanabata handbag got a good response, Valentino's Tanabata marketing is also in the forefront this year.

In July 23rd, Valentino released the Tanabata series notice on the WeChat public issue by Zhang Yixing, a Chinese ambassador, two days later on the WeChat Mini program titled "VALENTINO Tanabata limited series".

The restricted series is no longer limited to last year's monochromatic handbags, but also includes lower sports shoes and T-shirts, and more kinds of handbags, including classic Rockstud and Candystud.

In August 1st, Valentino announced that its online products were sold out, with only a limited number of merchandise sold in individual physical stores.

Bottega Veneta released Catena City Knot and other four handbags mainly Tanabata series, it is worth noting that Bottega Veneta Catena City Knot exceeds the Dior, with the high price of 49800 yuan to become the most expensive handbag on the seventh eve of the year.

The Dior, Michael Kors, Valentino and Bottega Veneta chose to set up a special small program Limited shop for the Tanabata series, becoming the biggest highlight of this year's luxury brand Tanabata marketing.

With the increasing potential and imagination of WeChat's small program, its functionality is beginning to be favored by luxury brands.

As far as Tanabata marketing is concerned, the characteristics of "small program" is just in line with the demand of luxury brands.

Lightweight small program stores not only make the interface clearer and clearer, but also reduce the steps for consumers to reach the purchase page, and enable the brand to separate the complicated marketing activities from the brand official account so as to better maintain the brand image.

On the other hand, the modular characteristics of small programs are more convenient for brands to integrate different functions of small programs into matrices, and then connect each module.

For example, two weeks ago, Michael Kors just launched the MICHAEL KORS, which formed a small program matrix of brand activities, e-commerce and membership service three modules.

This small program can connect to other small programs, including the Tanabata limited WeChat applet.

Different from the simple electronic business platform, small programs can combine video short films, H5 advertisements and other forms of content with "sale", which is more suitable for the purpose of brand communication.

For example, the Dior and Michael Kors applets set up video clips on the arrival page, and Valentino set up jigsaw puzzles before buying the page.

It is conceivable that future small programs will be applied to more and more activities in addition to Tanabata, especially instant activities such as flash shop pop-up.

In fact, as early as last year, when Loewe sold limited handbags at Tmall, Tmall also put forward the concept of online luxury flash store. Cooperation with Loewe was the first phase of Tmall Space luxury flash store with luxury brands.

But as luxury brands focus on marketing and content production on WeChat, especially today, WeChat's potential is constantly being developed, and small programs have become a more suitable platform for flash.

In addition to Dior and other 4 brands, Givenchy and Miu Miu brands are still on the official WeChat mall offering Tanabata limited series, which are Givenchy's 2018 Tanabata red special GV3 handbag, and Miu Miu products variety of Tanabata limited series.

Surprisingly, Loewe, which took an important step in the electricity supplier last year, although this year has given the Tanabata meaning to the new handbag Gate, this year, it did not open the online shopping channel for the handbag in China, nor did it launch the special Tanabata handbag like last year.

Chlo AI, who launched the Tanabata special handbag last year, has yet to issue any Tanabata related information and is likely to quit this year's Tanabata marketing.

Although Fendi has launched the Tanabata limited series with pink as its theme, it has not yet released the information on the sale channels, and whether the online issue is still unknown.

Judging from the marketing performance of Tanabata on the brand this year, the market has entered a more rational stage from last year's online sale of handbags and sales data.

This is reflected in the brand's choice of products restricted by the seventh day of the Seventh Festival, rather than the bet on individual and handbags.

At the same time, the brand began to use small technology such products to better serve marketing.

And the two brands of Dior and Michael Kors will also extend the shop to the line, widening the depth of the Tanabata marketing.

In addition, the demand for the Seventh Festival of the luxury brands began to differentiate. The brands represented by Dior and Valentino have taken Tanabata as a marketing focus. Their ambition is to help the brand to further enhance its popularity and reputation. This year, the brand name of Tanabata marketing is more conservative than that of Givenchy and Loewe. Its products are all the main products of handbags, so the purpose of Tanabata marketing is to promote new sales.

Some analysts also said that the Dior Tanabata handbag if the choice of the latest saddle bag, rather than the continuation of the past Lady Dior style, may bring more exposure and performance boost for the brand.

On the whole, the heat of Tanabata marketing is improving every year.

According to the news from fashion headlines, more than 20 luxury brands including Chanel, Valentino, Bulgari, Chlo, Tissot and so on were put into the advertising of friends circle last year.

As the Chinese market becomes the most powerful driving force for global luxury brands, the brand is trying to further strengthen its communication with the local market, while the Chinese Tanabata Festival naturally becomes the most appropriate incision, making the brand more willing to launch special projects for the Chinese market.

The holiday gift giving and self reward culture has provided the soil for the luxury brand Tanabata marketing in the Chinese youth market.

The consumerist culture of Valentine's Day sweethearts giving gifts to each other has also been constantly uplifted by the mass media.

With the popularity of "FOK, buy Bags" and "cure all diseases", handbags and lipsticks become the two hottest topics in social media.

Another group of consumers with superior economic capabilities began to pursue personalized products, not satisfied with ordinary handbags, and began to pursue limited handbags.

In addition, Qixi Valentine's Day happens to be in July and August. Luxury brands often reserve enough preparation period for special projects on the eve of the annual plan. According to the industry's fashion headlines, some luxury brands have regarded Tanabata activities as the most important items of the year, with a preparation period of six months.

In February 14th, Western Valentine's Day is often used to update the annual plan before and after the Spring Festival. Although it is also very important, it has no advantage in the preparatory cycle.

From a more practical perspective, Tanabata marketing is the most intuitive embodiment of the creativity and execution of the luxury brand Chinese market team.

In the past, the Chinese market teams, which were strictly controlled by the headquarters, could gain greater autonomy in the Tanabata marketing and make more innovations in marketing methods.

From the current practice of brand names, the speed of the marketing of Tanabata is updating faster and faster.

The advantage of this is very obvious, because the marketing test of brand during the Tanabata period can provide reference for other strategies of brands, and is more conducive to the deepening of brand in the Chinese market.

Not only that, Tanabata marketing has important reference significance for the industry, but also tends to map the current trend of the Chinese market most sensitively.

Since 2016, Tanabata marketing has become a main line for luxury brands to test water suppliers. From WeChat online mall to small programs, from a few brands to scale effects, from single products to product lines, many clues just reflect China online.

The development path.

According to a survey published by KPMG on the consumption of online shopping in China, the consumption of online and mobile luxury goods has exploded as a result of sustained and rapid growth in the popularity of smart phones.

45% of respondents said that most of their luxuries were purchased through Internet channels. Among them, WeChat became the largest traffic entrance of mobile Internet in China. Obviously, luxury brands are beginning to look for market opportunities in this field.

As more and more luxury brands begin to take advantage of the opportunity of Tanabata to sell products on the trial line while offering limited products, the Chinese market is starting to catch up with, or even lead, global luxury goods.

This trend will be more optimistic for the future development of China's luxury industry.

Through "limited" and "global debut", luxury brands are participating in China online frequently and actively.

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But now, for luxury brands, what has become less important, and more importantly, how to better cut into China's online market.