On May 20th, Chinese people are celebrating 520 Valentine’s Day. There are several Valentine’s Day in China, from Qixi Day to White Day. And 520 is one of them, especially strong among the local Gen Z. Why? Because in Mandarin, 520 is pronounced “wǔ èr líng” which sounds very similar to “wǒ ài nǐ” (“I love you”). And this origin gives tons of ideas to marketers and brands, from storytelling to influencers activation.
In short, you can collaborate with influencers on 520 Valentine’s Day to:
- Share a unique way of love with couple influencers
- Create a place of love with an offline pop-up
- Generate views around your unique storytelling with a celebrity
Let’s discover some case studies.
Daniel Wellington Partnered with a Chinese Gay Couple
This week, the watch brand Daniel Wellington revealed a unique campaign. While most brands focus on red color, heart shape, and heterosexual couples, Daniel Wellington decided to make their campaign embodied by a Chinese gay influencer couple.
The brand showcased its set with watches, bracelets, and rings for 520 Valentine’s Day.
The post gathered over 3.1K likes and 500 interactions on Little Red Book. The main reactions focus on the set being the best seller of the brand in China and the romantic ritual of offering each other a gift on 520. Daniel Wellington managed to leverage I Love You Day in a more creative way than its competitors by showcasing a gay couple, sharing their own love and moment of happiness together. They break with the ordinary and boring campaign always displayed on May 20th.
Ferragamo Launched a Romantic Place with Influencers
For Valentine’s Day, the Italian brand is at the center of the stage. From WeChat to Xiaohongshu, Ferragamo is overflooding Chinese social media with offline experience and Chinese influencers. For this 520, the brand decided to open an offline pop-up store and invite all Chinese celebrities and influencers to promote the Wanda bag.
The offline experience was organized in Shanghai for 520 Valentine’s Day celebrations.
The current Little Red Book feed is flooded by Ferragamo red posts. From celebrities to KOLs and KOCs, the Italian brand leveraged all communities to attend the event and promote the Wanda bag. With this campaign, they manage to give a new exposure to the Wanda by enabling each person to give their own interpretation of the bag.
How to reach Influencers and Celebrities in China
Tiffany & Co Highlighted Chinese Celebrity
The fine jewelry brand benefits from the success of their brand ambassador Eileen Gu. For 520 Valentine’s Day, the brand presented a limited edition of the Tiffany Hardware necklace with rubies.
The hashtag #ElieenGuTiffanytheColorofLove on Weibo reached over 230 million views.
The sensation of the celebrity right after the Olympic Games was high and enabled the brand to reach higher views and engagement. For 2023, the brand launched a more casual campaign with Angelababy. Is this strategy the best? Yes and no.
Yes, because having Chinese celebrities is always the right choice to bring more exposure, engagement, and sales. No, because the selection of Eileen Gu and Angelababy in 2023 is not the right one due to the recent backlash, bad buzz, and negative opinion they have in China.
Eileen Gu personal branding crisis management explanation here
If you want to collaborate with influencers and celebrities in China, but you ignore who will be the right fit for your brand, you can contact us. We have a pool of 250+ influencers and exclusive partnerships with celebrities for brand endorsement.