Calvin Klein and Gucci find they’re winners on WeChat

Luxury fashion brands Calvin Klein and Gucci are using WeChat ahead of Chinese New Year and their activity is paying off. 

According to the Vogue Business Index, the two brands’ campaigns were the most popular search on the social media messaging app in January during the run up to the hugely important seven-day holiday, which this year begins on February 12.

The context

• Searches for Calvin Klein were up 32 times compared to average, and reached 3.1 million; Gucci was up to 10 times its average. Other luxury brands, notably Balenciaga, Burberry and Moncler, also saw high consumer interest.
• China accounts for an estimated 37% of luxury spending globally, and the New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, provides important impetus for Q1 sales.

What’s going on

• Analysts put the key to success largely down to the brands’ campaigns, which this year offered more local celebrities, relevant content, interactive activations, as well as characters from popular culture – Gucci formed an IP collaboration with manga character Doraemon, for example. This allowed the brands to connect with consumers’ values.

Why it worked

“[Luxury consumption] is not about [showing off] a lifestyle anymore. It’s about the consumer’s personality and the association with the brand’s personality. When Gucci associated itself with Doraemon, they made themselves a relevant brand to an aspiring audience” – Humphrey Ho, managing director, Hylink Digital Solutions.