Christmas has long since faded into memory and so the forthcoming Chinese New Year is the next big holiday season for marketers to take advantage of.
Aligning a social media campaign with a special occasion and the goodwill and celebratory sentiments that go with it can go a long way to deepening your engagement with your existing audience, attract new ones and steal a march on your competitors.
Chinese New Year is celebrated by one in six people around the world and therefore social media campaigns that tap into the holiday spirit present a large window of opportunity. But it can’t just be any old campaign. While there is no magic formula to creating a wildly successful social media marketing push, there are some key elements that will increase your chances of success.
These are great content, competitions, discounts and giveaways and platforms for engagement. What follows is a look at some of the leading campaigns that are employing some or all of these tactics:
PepsiCo’s Bring Happiness Home Social Media Campaign
For this year’s Chinese New Year festivities, PepsiCo is eschewing the big budget blockbuster adverts and is instead turning to members of the public via social media. The soft drinks manufacturer is inviting the crowd to create an ongoing movie about the important Chinese festival.
Through mobile video app, Mei Pai, consumers can submit 15-second videos around a number of themed topics related to family reunions. The finished movie will be curated and stitched together by award-winning director Wei-Ran Lei and simulcast on the giant screen at New York’s Times Square.
In a press release, PepsiCo Greater China chief marketing officer Richard Lee said: “For the first time, we subverted the traditional micro-film/mini-movie/video-vignette format. We returned the ‘right to direct’ to consumers so that every Chinese can be personally involved this year.”
Social Media Search for the Best Goatee
Bundaberg Regional Council Community Services in Queensland, Australia has rolled out a hilarious social media campaign to tie in with the Chinese New Year. Knowing that goats have beards, the council is asking residents to send in photographs of their goatee beards to help celebrate the Year of the Goat.
“In the lead up to the Chinese New Year celebrations on Saturday, February 22 we’re encouraging a bit of frivolity through our social media competition Year of the Goat(ee) said council spokeswoman Judy Peters.
The more outlandish and or stylish the facial hair, the more likely participants will win prizes. Children and women are not being left out of the fun either. You don’t have to be able to grow facial hair to take part, because styling aids, props and wigs can also be used. Pet owners are also being encouraged to submit goatee photos featuring their beloved household animals.
Designer Outlet Celebrates Chinese New Year with Red Envelope Giveaways
UK-based developer and manager of designer outlets McArthurGlen Group, will be launching a page on the WeChat app as well as re-launching its Sina Weibo page in time for the Chinese New Year. They will be directed at luxury-loving Chinese consumers and retail and fashion influencers.
By subscribing to the company’s WeChat page or following its Sina Weibo page, consumers will receive a Chinese New Year envelope when they visit the welcome desks of participating McArthurGlen centres. The envelopes contain a fashion passport offering savings and discounts on participating brands. This social media campaign is also targeting Chinese people living in and working in Europe.
Live in the Moment with Levi Jeans
To coincide with the Year of the Goat, Levis has launched its ‘Live in Levis’ campaign in Greater China. The social media element includes a video featuring Brand ambassadors Shawn Yue, a Hong Kong actor and singer, and Ai Fei (Ivy), a Chinese pop singer. The story-driven promo highlights the thrust of the campaign, inspiring people to express themselves and live in the moment.
Perodua Tweckbot Returns
The Perodua Tweckbot project is helping people celebrate the Year of the Goat by providing a 50-point free inspection for Perodua car owners travelling to their hometowns for the festivities. The project first launched in 2011, and it lets drivers use social media to secure an appointment for a free inspection of their Perodua vehicles.
“We wish our customers a very prosperous and safe Year of the Goat. In honour of this celebration, Perodua customers are treated to a free vehicle inspection before and after this New Year,” said Perodua President & CEO, Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh.
Bloomingdale’s Celebrates Chinese New Year
Bloomingdale’s is celebrating Chinese New Year in their stores throughout the United States. On social, consumers can follow @bloomingdales for details of special products and offers as well as information and coverage of events happening across the country.
Chinese Government Turns to Social to Promote TV Extravaganza
To promote its annual Lunar New Year gala TV show, the Chinese government has turned to social media. The event will be broadcast on February 18 and this year will be going international so that Chinese viewers overseas as well as those with a love of Chinese culture can watch the celebrations unfold. To get viewers in the mood for the TV bash, best of clips from past shows are being sprinkled on YouTube, Google Plus and Twitter. The move has surprised some people, as these are social media sites that have been blocked in China.
The Chinese Ministry of Culture has also launched a global contest in which users can post photos, videos and essays about the festive season to social media sites. In so doing, they will be in with a shout of winning prizes up to a value of $500.
The ‘Just Share It’ contest will run for more than a month and “hopes to tell stories of the Spring Festival all over the world, demonstrate the happiness, vitality and harmony of the festival and reflect its growing charm and influence”, according to a statement released by the ministry.
Winners will be determined by public voting and the views of a panel of experts from universities, the China Photographers’ Association and China Daily. The winners will be announced in March and their works will be put on display on ChinaDaily.com.cn and ChinaCulture.org.
New Year New Social Media Campaign from Media Prima
In Malaysia, Media Prima, one of the country’s largest media platforms has launched its VERY GOAT social media campaign. Although not specifically a Chinese New year promotional push it has been launched now to capitalise on the season’s values of togetherness and new beginnings. There are several aspects to the campaign, including a mobile app called ‘178’ that will share recipes of popular Chinese dishes, horoscopes, greetings cards and a schedule of shows on Media Prima’s channels. The multichannel campaign encompasses TV, radio and online.
“With the “VERY GOAT” campaign, we are connecting with consumers across every conceivable platform, serving them relevant and engaging content,” said Ahmad Izham Omar, chief executive officer television networks, Media Prima Berhad.
Deliver What the Audience Wants
The new lunar year is a fantastic time to launch a new campaign. You can use any or all of your platforms to great effect. As with the examples in this article, achieving the best results will come from having a handle on what your audience wants. This could be discounts, prizes or quality information.
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From MavSocial | Complete Social Media Visual Content Management & Publishing Software
