As the Spring Festival approaches, major foreign brands in China are launching a series of innovative marketing campaigns including exclusive limited-edition products and pop-up events to drive up sales.
The Spring Festival, which marks the start of the Chinese Lunar New Year, is the biggest annual holiday in China, when people across the country return to their hometowns for Lunar New Year celebrations and family reunions. This year, it falls on Jan 29, ushering in the Year of the Snake.
Selling Spring Festival limited edition items has become standard practice for most foreign retail brands operating in China. For instance, ZARA has opened a pop-up space at the Bund, while Inditex Greater China's President, Eugenio Bregolat Lukashov, revealed that it's the fourth year they're collaborating with local designers in China during the Chinese New Year.
"It's a very important moment of the year for us and for brands in general here in China. And it's going to be the first time that we're going be doing a multi channel livestreaming. In the previous three collaborations that we did, we were extremely satisfied with the results that some of them get sold out in minutes," Lukashov said.
Many foreign brands have discovered that Spring Festival is also attractive to foreign buyers.
This is the seventh year the Lego Group has been producing the Chinese Traditional Festival series. It's definitely one of the best selling products, according to Xu Zhida, Senior Brand Manager at the LEGO Group.
"Every year, the Chinese traditional festival series got sold out in the first three months of the year. But we are seeing that we started as from China for China series, but now we're seeing a lot of like global attention about this product. So, last year when we launched the auspicious Dragon, actually the U.S. market also went crazy about it. So, we are like seeing that these series can really achieve the goal to, from China for global, to have a bigger impact for the Chinese festival among the globe," said Xu.
And as it is the start of a new year, many foreign brands have already put their plans for 2025 in motion.
"China is a very important strategic market for us. We get a lot of inspiration from the Chinese market as well. And we will also continue to invest in our new stores. Next year in March, we have our Asian flagship opening in Nanjing, including the first ZaCafe in China. Next week, we will be opening a brand new image store for MassimoDutti in Chongqing. And in May, we will be opening new stores in Xi'an and Tianjin," said Lukashov.
Spring Festival sparks retail boom for foreign brands in China
The Chinese animated blockbuster Ne Zha 2 began preview screenings in London on Friday ahead of its official release in the country and Ireland on March 21, attracting excited crowds to watch the film in advance.
The film made its debut in the UK at London's BFI IMAX, home to the country's largest IMAX screen and is scheduled to screen in over 250 cinemas of 100 cities across the UK and Ireland during the first week of release.
The film's Europe-wide distributor, Trinity CineAsia, announced that it has acquired theatrical distribution rights for Ne Zha 2 across 37 countries in Europe, including the UK, Ireland, and Germany. This scale of film release is exceptionally rare in the history of overseas distribution for Chinese-language films, reflecting the strong confidence of local cinemas in the movie's market potential.
"The fact that it is here and, you know, that we are getting a lot more influx of films from all across Asia from China, South Korea, Japan, South Asia as well. I think it's really good to kind of like widen the palate, because we all want to escape our little cinematic bubble and see what the rest of the world has to offer," said Jack Martin, a film reviewer, in an interview with the China Central Television (CCTV).
"Ne Zha 2" has shattered global box office records to become the No. 1 box office animated film of all times and also the first non-Hollywood production to crack the global all-time top 10 box office chart.
Rooted in 16th-century Chinese mythology with a bold reinterpretation, the movie has attracted attention of global audiences with its stunning visuals, well-crafted storytelling, and deep cultural heritage.
"And I think all these elements show that Ne Zha 2 is both a film that's modern, but also has its roots in something very deep and very ancient," said Cedric Behrel, managing director of Trinity CineAsia, in an interview with the CCTV.
Many audiences attending the preview screening in London have shared their thoughts about the movie in interviews with the CCTV.
"It was moving like heartwarming. Yes, I'll go home now and talk to it to all my friends," said a moviegoer.
"I thought that the humor of the film was really great, but it balances so perfectly with some of the more dramatic and heartfelt moments of it. And yeah, I really, really enjoyed it. And the language barrier was not a problem at all," said another moviegoer.
"We might not speak the same language, but at its heart is a very universal theme of friendship and just trying to do right in the world. And I think that a lot of people really resonate with that. I can see why it's done so well in China already," said Jack Martin.
James Smith, an social media influencer, shared his views about the movie in Chinese language during the interview. He thought the movie can serve as a bridge for foreigners to understand Chinese culture.
"I watched Ne Zha, the 2019 box office hit, in China. When I heard that its sequel was set to debut in the UK today, I rushed to the cinema to see it. It's definitely a great movie, filled with humor, touching moments, and encouragement. My friends often ask me how they can better understand China, because they think I know something about the country. I would say that you can watch the Ne Zha 2, as I believe it's a great film and through which you can learn something about Chinese culture," he said.
Ne Zha 2 begins preview screenings in London, captivating local audiences
