Fashion Western brands have to maximize their social medias campaign in China !
Nowadays, penetrating the Chinese market is not easy, especially for companies overseas.
Ready-to-wear’s brands pass through the social media in order to attract the Chinese consumers because they are very connected.
Fashion Western Brands social Media Case studies in China
Otte company’s strategy
On the last March, Otte a small shops’ chain in New-York opened its gates for the first time out of America, in Shanghai. While this feat, the most of American people have never heard the brand’s name.
Why ? Social Medias are huge opportunity for brands
The major part of it online customers are Chinese who are living in USA or in China. Indeed, these last years, Otte was mainly active in the Chinese market thanks to the famous social media’s platforms Wechat and Sina Weibo.
- Thus, this Otte’s spreading emphasize on these platforms efficiency for foreign brands to penetrate the Chinese market by attracting Chinese consumers.
- Obviously, social networks occupe an important position around the world but particularly in the Asian mainland.
- Actually, using the social networks for a brand in order to increase it activity in China really a huge opprotunity in a strategy’s development.
Basically, Otte had not met any success until it discovered the social networks powerful in China to expose it brand image. Also, the brand passed through e-commerce platforms such as Shopbop and Revolve which increased it awareness in China.
Mobile Marketing
That is not amazing because Chinese people are totally in love with their smartphone. Then, they are browsering on the internet through their mobile phone instead of using computer. Moreover, the Chinese users rate got an e-mail address considerably decreased because they prefer discuss on Wechat, the largest message mobile app in China.
Brands overseas got it !
Chinese consumers are totally fond of social media. They love surfing on their favourite plaftoms aim at unearth products they want. They are looking for last trends and tendencies especially regarding the luxury goods.
Stores or online platforms ?
Effectively, Otte succeed in opening a store in Shanghai, what a success !
- Therefore, is this needed ? The brand have been known on famous Chinese e-commerce platforms and social networks and Chinese consumers prefer purchasing abroad.
- In addition, that allows to maintain directly relationship between brands and customers who don’t need to buy products within stores.
- Moreover, many brands succeed in penetrating the Chinese market without being present on the Mainland.
Events
According to Tommy Hilfiger brand, social networks are also an efficient way to promote events around products or activity. Indeed, the brand’s thirtieth birthday set up in Beijing, brought 2000 visits on it Weibo page and further 21% of online sales. The big brand decided to get it own mobile app in China.
Entertainments’ quality
- Chinese users are very attracted by their favourite networks’ content.
- That’s why, brands know it, it is crucial to be aware on their target’s expectation in order tailor their Weibo or Wechat page.
- They emphasize their strategy through the entertainment and they launch campaign by converting customers and organising games, trials with prizes to be won.
- Then, thanks to Weibo, brands have the opportunity to reach a larger audience when they publishing contents.
Influence users
Having a brand voice might be effective, mainly for a small brand such as Diane Von Furstenberg. Obivously, for Tommy Hilfiger or Burberry icons, many important professional come to represent its so that attract Chinese consumers.
Subjects to approach
Getting Key Opinion Leaders, such as popular bloggers or celebrities, take part of strategies to adopt in order to increase e-reputation on social networks.
- Therefore, marketing’s professionals as Avery Baker, brand and marketing development manager at Tommy Hilfiger, noticed talking about business on social medias don’t have so impact and don’t brought many comments.
- However, approaching topics as the every day life, weather, private area, meets more success among users. They need more simplicity, and don’t feel the brand strategy through brands’ contents.
- Thus, Tommy Hilfiger hired Qin Shu Pei, a Chinese model. She appears discussing with their friends in a ad which brought further 60% of followers.
Read more: How brands use WeChat for impact and engagement
- Wechat is a “One-to-One” message app and for luxury brands, this feature is important to increase its e-reputation. To some of them, brands get awareness on Weibo, and then use Wechat so that maintain deeply relationships with users.
- On Weibo, brands are free to publish freely contents and users take a look at posts without being the page’s member. On Wechat, it is more private area, where users have to be page’s followers or members so that access to the content.
Foreign companies use Wechat because it offers various functions they don’t find on Western social medias such as Facebook or Twitter.
Many luxury brands adopt this solution in order to set up events, promote products, as Michael Kors regarding it store’s opening at Beijing.
To sum up
- Wechat is the largest message app in China with over 500 millions active users monthly.
- Famous Internatioanl brand manage their business on social medias.
Therefore, it is more difficult for startups or young companies overseas to understand these various platforms. Marketing digital represent a huge opportunity for them in order to launch their brand within the mainland !
Need a Market Agency to Enter to the Chinese Market ?
In China, Marketing Agency exist to help them to learn these different tools and then approach the Chinese consumers and market.
Read our Top Guide for Fashion Premium Marketing Strategies for China
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3 comments
Ursula
I agree, very good content! I know now about the importance of social media in China. Would you still recommend offline events? I wonder if it’s accurate, even combined with a digital strategy? Thanks
Edouard
Really good article and true story. Western has to localize their content and social media strategy in China