How to connect with Chinese consumers in the era of emotional marketing

In China’s rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive consumer marketplace, transactional loyalty is no longer enough; brands need to connect with their target audience on an emotional level

While nothing new, emotional marketing – a kind of strategy that uses storytelling, personalisation, and emotional triggers to create a deep connection between a brand and its customers to drive engagement and loyalty – has emerged as a key strategy for brands in China in recent years.

A new prioritising of self-care, self-awareness and self-expression as part of consumption decisions is a common thread across China, the UK and many other countries, especially among younger consumers. As a result, consumers are increasingly looking for brands to fulfil their needs rather than persuade them to buy things.

This has been driven by a number of factors, including economic instability, growing awareness of sustainability and, of course, the Covid-19 pandemic. According to China Skinny, “The lockdowns and health risks [during Covid] forced consumers [in China] to reflect on what is important to them. It contributed to much greater self-awareness of feelings, emotions and previously-taboo areas such as mental health.”

Jack Porteous, Commercial Director at TONG Global, points to a textbook case of how this paradigm shift is affecting marketing campaigns with Nike’s ‘Just Do It’ campaign. According to Porteous, the campaign “was really focused on pushing boundaries, self-discipline and self-development – in 2024, this seems a bit out of touch with the prevailing mood of young Chinese… a generation weary from a stuttering economy, the pandemic [and] stressful ‘996’ work environments.”

Understanding the Chinese market in the era of emotional marketing requires brands to prioritise cultural sensitivity and relevance. “This means delving into Chinese traditions, values and the cultural landscape itself,” says Porteous. “Importantly, there are specific online trends among Gen Z audiences that have changed the conversation on emotional marketing tactics.”

Trending topics online in the past year have included “visiting temples” (寺庙), “Gen Z overhaul the workplace” (00后整治职场), and “woman power” (女性力量).

This is a strategy that takes time and patience to get right, and Porteous advises companies look to local Chinese brands as valuable resources.

For example, Chinese mother and baby brand Babycare recently ran a campaign called “Today don’t call me mum”, which focused on the need for self-care and the desire to have an independent identity among young mothers. “This tapped into the emotional desire of mothers to break away from the expectation that their lives now revolve around their children, focusing [instead] on self-care and self-confidence,” says Porteous.

But Chinese brands can get it wrong, too. According to China Skinny, a recent example is home cleaning company Blue Moon, which, for this year’s Mother’s Day, ran a poorly thought-out campaign fronted by a male Douyin KOL and with a slogan that roughly translated to: “In the past, mum used a big bottle of laundry detergent to wash our clothes, which was heavy and tiring. Now, with extraordinary future laundry technology, mum’s laundry is easier, lighter, and more effortless.”

While the campaign effectively expressed Blue Moon’s impressive product innovations, needless to say, many consumers did not appreciate the insinuation that doing laundry is exclusively a mother’s duty.

Campaigns like this show the potential pitfalls of basing marketing decisions on consumer data alone; mothers certainly constitute a major market demographic and are often the drivers of purchasing decisions in the household in China. However, as we noted in a recent article on consumer tribes, emotionally-resonant marketing needs to look below the surface of consumer data to uncover the factors that influence purchasing decisions.

For example, it’s not enough to decide that your brand is going to focus on mental wellbeing; you need to think about why it’s a priority for your brand, why it will resonate with your target consumer, and how you will convey that with your messaging. Chinese consumers certainly won’t hesitate to hop online and criticise a campaign they find crass or inauthentic.

Ultimately, this strategy requires brand managers to work closely with their China partners to define a target audience and set out a clear marketing strategy that communicates their brand values and stories consistently and innovatively. This should be achieved with a combination of data and on-the-ground insights.

Explore successful China marketing strategies at China Consumer 2024

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