British fragrance brand Jo Malone is targeting Chinese consumers with major outdoor advertising to promote its collaboration with beloved British character Paddington Bear, writes Robynne Tindall
Jo Malone has launched a limited-edition Orange Marmalade fragrance inspired by Paddington’s love of marmalade sandwiches. The brand is clearly hoping that the collection will be popular in China, as in addition to social media marketing on WeChat (where customers can create a custom Paddington digital postcard), Weibo and Xiaohongshu, it has invested in two major outdoor advertising campaigns in Shanghai.
According to Jing Daily, the first of the events will be a large-scale display on the Bund from 18-22 July, followed by a subway takeover on Shanghai Metro Line 2, 18-31 July. These are both busy, high-traffic locations, which will maximise the brand’s exposure.
The collaboration’s key touchpoints of “British nostalgia” and “cuteness” may well resonate with Chinese consumers. Many Chinese consumers have a preference for cute, childlike things, known as ‘meng culture’ or cute culture, which can be considered similar to the Japanese concept of kawaii in Japan.
Some have suggested that cute culture has caught on with millennials and Gen Z as a sort of therapeutic escape from the extreme pressure many experience as part of China’s intense work environment. Many big brands — including luxury brands like Louis Vuitton — have taken note of this trend and launched collaborations with cartoon or other fictional characters targeted at the Chinese market.
Jo Malone made its official China debut in 2014 and has since become a popular high-end fragrance brand with a strong association with the UK. It has flagship stores on e-commerce platforms Tmall and JD.com and has also seen success with recommendation-based marketing via platforms like Xiaohongshu, where it ranked third in terms of user engagement with paid adverts.
Image captured from YouTube
