Burberry personalizes Lunar New Year notes via WeChat

Lunar New Year gift wrapping by Burberry

British fashion house Burberry is using messaging application WeChat to involve Chinese consumers in its Lunar New Year promotions.

Lunar New Year, celebrated by Chinese consumers around the world this year on Feb. 8, allows Burberry to curate an effort exclusively for its Chinese clients, thus creating a personalized and localized connection. WeChat offers brands an in with Chinese consumers around the world since the app is the go-to form of communication between shoppers, brands and peers.

“Brands need to connect with their audiences where and when they are active in the way they communicate on a particular medium,” said Brian Honigman, New York-based content marketing consultant and social media marketer.

“This does not always mean TV or Facebook, but is often another community that requires a different approach overall,” he said. “Personalizing your message to the audience and the communication cadence on a particular channel makes all the difference when driving results as making this effort makes dialogue with people more natural.”

Mr. Honigman is not affiliated with Burberry, but agreed to comment as an industry expert.

Burberry was unable to comment directly by press deadline.

Celebrating the new year
For Lunar New Year, Burberry has curated a collection of gifts for the holiday. The gifts can be gift wrapped by the brand with a pink ribbon and gold packaging designed exclusively for the Year of the Monkey.

To further interaction between Burberry and Chinese consumers for Lunar New Year, the fashion label turned to WeChat. The dedicated experience on WeChat serves as a gifting platform and incorporates the aforementioned gift wrapping and recommended presents.

Burberry’s “A Lunar New Year Gift,” is accessible to WeChat users through its main account page on the app. When loaded, a cylinder-shaped gift in gold wrapping and a pink ribbon appears, with sparkles shimmering from its base.

WeChat users are encouraged to “shake, tap and swipe to try and open the gift.” Using the app’s native functions, the consumer works to open the gift and upon doing so receives well wishes for Lunar New Year from Burberry.

Burberry Lunar New Year gift on WeChat 

At this phase of the campaign, consumers are able to send a personalized greeting via WeChat. Next the consumer can select the colors of a Burberry cashmere scarf and personalize the Lunar New Year greeting and send to a friend.

After the greeting is sent, the consumer can opt to send another or shop the Lunar New Year collection. By clicking the latter option, consumers can browse gift recommendations such as fragrance of gifts for men, women and children, all within WeChat.

Burberry note for Lunar New Year 

By using the Lunar New Year effort on WeChat, consumers are given the chance to win limited-edition Burberry Lunar New Year envelopes. The limited-edition envelopes are for in-store pickup, which will drive foot traffic to Burberry boutiques, likely resulting in a purchase.

Apt at apps
Burberry, a brand that is digitally-savvy and often embraces new app platforms earlier than its peers, has executed a number of efforts on WeChat.

For instance, Burberry celebrated the opening of its Shanghai flagship store with an immersive theatrical event.

To connect with consumers in the store’s market, the brand posted content on Chinese messaging platform WeChat, with which Burberry has a digital innovation partnership. Leading up to the event, Burberry included its global followers in the preparation, posting a series of photos of the journey from London to Shanghai (see story).

Burberry has also shown its digital strengths through its use of video and still messaging app Snapchat.

For example, Burberry responded to the way in which consumers interact with its campaigns online by doubling the amount of imagery it is making available to them in its latest effort.

Burberry’s spring/summer 2016 advertising campaign contains a series of 40 images, which will be shared via print, online and social platforms, including Instagram, WeChat and Line. Burberry first peeled back the curtain on its Mario Testino-lensed fashion campaign through a live content feed on Snapchat (see story).

Well-executed digital efforts are appreciated by consumers, but brands must also link the online and in-store experience. The resulting omnichannel outreach will offer consumers a richer experience.

“Synching offline and online activations is beneficial because it stands out to consumers, period,” Mr. Honigman said.

“With all the tweets, snaps, emails, text and all the other marketing messages we receive from brands on a daily basis, it becomes easy for any company’s messaging to get lost amongst the noise,” he said. “Consumers do not expect as much interaction offline, as it requires more effort from a brand, which make it noteworthy when an organization like Burberry gets it right and in a meaningful way.”

Final Take
Jen King, lead reporter on Luxury Daily, New York

from Luxury Daily » Apparel and accessories http://www.luxurydaily.com/burberry-personalizes-lunar-new-year-notes-via-wechat/
via Your #1 Source to Finding Luxury & Designer Goods, Handbags & Clothes at or Below Wholesale: Click Here.