Lunar New Year (LNY), or Chinese New Year (CNY), is one of the biggest cultural events celebrated in Asia. With the wide diaspora of the Chinese population after successive waves of immigration, LNY has become a global cultural phenomenon and is observed all over the world. More and more brands have realised that this is an unmissable opportunity to make meaningful connections with customers who celebrate.
This year, we will ring in the Year of the Dragon on 10th February. With the LNY quickly approaching, are your LNY campaigns ready to go? Read on for some last-minute suggestions.
LNY is widely celebrated
Even though LNY is hailed as CNY in many places, the holiday isn’t just celebrated in China. After centuries of Chinese immigrants relocating to other parts of the world, there are more than 10.7 million Chinese overseas today, or over 60 million, if we include their descendants. Therefore, it has become a public holiday observed across multiple countries and territories, including China, North and South Korea, Malaysia, the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Taiwan, Brunei, and Vietnam - mainly in Asian regions where early Chinese immigrants settled.
With more and more Chinese immigrants and expats going overseas, LNY celebrations are taking place all around the globe. In big global cities with Chinatowns, including London and New York City, all kinds of events, such as lion and dragon dancing, are held to celebrate, with residents of Chinese descent coming together to join in on the festivities.
The population of Chinese immigrants overseas continues to grow. 5.5% of the total population (1.4 million) in Australia have Chinese ancestry, with Sydney’s percentage of Chinese descent reaching 16.8% in 2021. In Canada, approximately 1.7 million Canadians are of Chinese descent, accounting for approximately 4.7% of Canada's total population, according to the 2021 Census. Thus, it’s essential to consider scaling up your campaign coverage.
Maximise your LNY campaign
There are many traditional and cultural elements that brands can tap into for their LNY campaigns. Undoubtedly, incorporating a good selection of relevant symbols can not only demonstrate a brand’s nuanced understanding of Chinese culture, but can also create an authentic connection with your target audience.
Aesthetic
The LNY aesthetic is dominated by traditional refrencences. The obsession with red and gold colours shows no sign of changing - from red lanterns to red envelopes (hóng bāo) and traditional paper decorations, like hanging scrolls, faux firecrackers, and square cut-outs. Any deviation from the traditional colour scheme may put you at risk for criticism, as your brand’s aesthetic may be deemed not ‘festive’ enough.
The year’s zodiac animal is another indispensable element brands often leverage for LNY limited edition products or creative design. As the Dragon is always a prominent symbol of Chinese culture and national identity, the Year of the Dragon is expected to be swathed by all kinds of dragon-related designs.
Travel
A major theme of LNY is the reunion of family. Every year, hundreds of millions of people of Chinese descent, including expats from overseas, return to their hometowns to celebrate the festival with their families. This grand migration is called ‘chūnyun’ (or Spring migration). The crowded transport terminals before and after CNY are classic scenes and core memories for Chinese people.
However in the past decade, people have increasingly chosen to celebrate the holiday through domestic or international family trips, as opposed to celebrating at home. Particularly this year, as the Chinese government eased travel restrictions and gradually removed international flight suspension rules after three years of the pandemic zero-COVID policy, the enthusiasm for tourism can only be higher. According to Alibaba Group’s online travel agency Fliggy, CNY’s Day domestic travel bookings more than doubled year-on-year. For travel and hospitality brands suffering in the past three years, the upcoming LNY will be a long-awaited rebound opportunity.
Food
Festival food is another popular symbolic element brands can use to easily stimulate emotional resonance. In China, New Year cake (nián gāo, sticky rice cake) is a must-have food for the family reunion dinner, which has evolved into bánh chưng in Vietnam, Tikoy in the Philippines and Tteokguk (rice cake soup) in South Korea. Apart from New Year cake, dumplings, steamed fish and spring rolls are popular lucky foods to ring in the LNY.
2024 campaigns are rolling out
Brands usually kick off LNY campaigns at least one month before the holiday, but in recent years, the warm-up period has become longer for brands wanting to maximise the festival season.
This year, limited edition designs based on the dragon zodiac are the most common choice, but smart brands will add another layer of sophistication, such as collaborating with artists or designers, to further embellish their use of this symbolic, traditional animal.
For example, Mulberry worked with London-based Lebanese designer Mira Mikati to deliver a colourful, cartoon-like collection for the Year of the Dragon, which is also Mikati’s first collection with this luxury fashion brand.
Additionally, MCM launched their LNY capsule collection with the US streetwear brand, Bape, as part of their partnership that began in 2019.
Luxury house Louis Vuitton used physical installations to impress their Chinese shoppers, setting up five custom gilded dragons at its flagships and pop-ups in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu. These were crafted by Chinese artisans, combining design elements from Pharrell Williams' pre-fall 2024 menswear collection, with the aim to attract LNY shoppers.
Spanish luxury label, Loewe, also tapped into this holiday to release a new jewellery capsule collection in early January. The campaign kept the spotlight on Chinese jade carvers Xiaojin Yin, Lei Cheng, and Qijing Qiu to show the brand’s respect for Chinese traditional craftsmanship and jade culture, helping them stand out from other mundane collaborations.
The LNY brings a wealth of opportunities for marketers to engage with audiences all across APAC. Are you ready to join the LNY party?
To find out more about Croud’s APAC services, and how we can support your Asian marketing strategies, get in touch with our team.
