The Lunar New Year is a golden opportunity for foreign brands, especially when trying to align their digital marketing efforts with traditional Chinese culture and festivities.
In 2024, China’s most festive season generated online retail sales of around $112.4 billion (800 billion yuan). With Chinese consumers eager to spend their money during the Spring Festival celebrations, the right strategy will likely increase brand visibility and potential conversions during this period.
Read along as we discuss effective Chinese New Year marketing campaigns and get inspired by the strategies already executed by other global brands in the past few years.
Why is the Chinese Spring Festival important for your business?
The cultural significance of the Chinese New Year period is deeply rooted in China’s history. While it’s celebrated as a one-day event in other Asian countries, this public holiday actually runs for seven straight days in China (from January 29 to February 4, 2025).
Considering most Chinese people are taking a break from school and work during this extended period, this festival is expected to spark a surge in spending both domestically and abroad.
Chinese consumers shopping for Lunar New Year (Source: China Daily)
The Lunar New Year celebrations are also marked by gift-giving, bonus payouts, and a collective belief in new beginnings. Given all of these factors, tapping into the Chinese consumer market requires a culturally tuned approach.
From festive-themed promotions to limited-edition products, Lunar New Year marketing strategies have the power to position your business not only to profit but to build long-term brand affinity.
Here are the recent CNY consumption trends to highlight the importance of this Chinese tradition for your brand:
● High Demand for Technology and Smart Products
More than half of the Chinese shoppers during Lunar New Year celebrations are Gen Z and Millennial consumers born after 1995.
According to Douyin’s data, this age group is particularly interested in modern kitchen appliances and tech gadgets during the season. In fact, this product segment experienced a 40% year-on-year increase in terms of gross merchandise volume.
Beyond usual tech products, other highly sought-after categories during the CNY season are smart door locks and robotic vacuum cleaners.
Chinese Gen Z shoppers shopping for laptops (Source: China Daily)
The demand for tech devices during the Chinese New Year is also evident with the success of electronics trade-in programs.
According to the Ministry of Commerce (MOC), they received 10.79 million subsidy applications for electronic devices a week before the Spring Festival, starting January 20. The trade-in programs cater to the sales of products like mobile phones, tablets, and smartwatches.
● Social Media Engagement Peaks
With the ongoing digital revolution in China, social and e-commerce platforms like WeChat, Tmall, and Xiaohongshu become hubs of online shopping festivals and transactions.
Not only did Chinese consumers honour traditions by buying gifts or giving red packets to friends and family members, but they also spent the holiday engaging, sharing, and celebrating online.
WeChat’s red envelope (hongbao) event has recorded over 5.08 billion transactions in 2024. The success of this Lunar New Year campaign alone symbolizes just how active the local consumers are during this period.
According to a post from Little Red Book, the number of user-generated content about travel increased by 70% during the 2023 CNY campaign period. This trend shows how the interactive nature of social media apps influences how consumers celebrate this holiday.
● Surging Sales of CNY Limited Edition Items
Local consumers celebrate Chinese New Year by giving holiday-themed gift boxes for good fortune. Thanks to this holiday tradition, JD.com has recorded a 171% year-on-year increase in orders placed during the CNY period.
Compared to the 2022 Lunar New Year campaigns, the sales in this local e-commerce platform hiked up to 90%. The search volume for holiday-related gifts and decorations also increased more than 3.5 times than the previous year.
Most popular Chinese New Year gift boxes in China in 2024 (Source: Statista)
Gift boxes are almost customary when local consumers celebrate Chinese New Year. As you can see from Statista’s data, the most popular items during the holiday are food and drinks, particularly traditional goods like sweets, snacks, tea, and alcoholic beverages.
With this much demand for these products, it’s the perfect time for brands under these categories to boost their Lunar New Year marketing campaign by releasing CNY-themed items.
For example, Coca-Cola released an exclusive dragon-themed branding campaign to emphasize 2024’s Chinese zodiac animal of the year. By launching a limited-edition product, the global brand resonated better with its local consumers and sold more.
Coca-Cola dragon-themed branding campaign for 2024
5 Chinese New Year Marketing Campaign Strategies For 2024
1. Localized Branding
The best Lunar New Year campaigns start with a local perspective. As a foreign brand, you must remember that the way this holiday is celebrated in China differs from the rest of the world.
The perfect example of this is Nike’s Lunar New Year marketing campaign in 2025 called the “Year of the Mamba.” They took the chance to incorporate the Year of the Snake into their initiatives while also referencing the global basketball legend Kobe Bryant.
This move not only taps into the cultural significance of zodiac signs in the Chinese market but also captures the attention of dedicated sports fans.
Nike Chinese New Year 2023 marketing campaign
The brand also makes it to a point to release campaign-specific hashtags on platforms like Weibo, Little Red Book, and WeChat to take advantage of user-generated content. Their social media posts also often incorporate local elements like collaborations with Chinese athletes and influencers.
2. Community Engagement
As previously stated, Lunar New Year in China is a time when people celebrate not only physically but also digitally. Foreign brands who intend to capitalize on this holiday can consider holding online contests, giveaways, or engagement posts to increase engagement in your social profiles and generate interest from potential consumers.
You can invite your audience to share stories or mention someone in the comments who brings joy into their lives. This kind of positive, feel-good content perfectly matches the Chinese New Year theme of happiness, family, love, and hope.
Coca-Cola had a similar Lunar New Year marketing campaign in 2019 that became a massive hit for their social media channels. It generated over 650,000 reposts, helping the brand build trust and a lasting connection with its audience.
3. Launching Co-branding Campaigns
Cultural differences are often the barrier that separates foreign brands from Chinese consumers. One of the most effective strategies for bridging this gap is collaborating with domestic personalities or companies. This can establish credibility and expand your potential audience reach.
Remy Martin’s co-branding campaign with Chinese artist Huang Yuxing did exactly just that. Beyond utilizing his artistic vision for their Lunar New Year product launches, this campaign allowed the brand to attract younger consumers.
They also incorporated the campaign with interactive consumer experiences in some international airports to generate more buzz. During this campaign, the brand’s hashtag generated over 341,100 reads on Xiaohongshu.
Source: Jing Daily
4. Utilizing KOLs and KOCs
Collaborating with KOLs and KOCs is a timeless digital marketing strategy that global brands can rely on regardless of the season.
Some brands sometimes don’t necessarily have to incorporate typical Chinese New Year representations to generate traction during this holiday. All they need is to find the right influencer and tap into their dedicated follower base.
Miu Miu did precisely that in their 2023 CNY marketing campaign. The brand collaborated with known personalities like Qiu Tian and Amber Kuo. Thanks to its solid reputation and the popularity of its chosen influencers, the promotional film garnered over 7 million views on Weibo.
Miu Miu’s Chinese New Year Marketing Campaign with KOLs (Source: Jing Daily)
The consistency of the brand’s image and the subtle nod to the Chinese New Year symbols on the product’s design helped Miu Miu to gather positive campaign results.
China’s luxury market seems to have enormous success utilizing top KOLs in their Lunar New Year marketing campaigns. Dior and Prada, in particular, employed the same strategy for their CNY celebrations.
5. Prioritize Your Target Audience’s Channels
When it comes to launching a Lunar New Year marketing campaign, brands must observe which online channels their target audience is using. Take the global luxury brand Gucci, for example.
In addition to releasing exclusive items for the festivities, the brand drove traffic to its social media channels by posting different content on each platform. Gucci maximized the video features of popular Chinese apps by releasing a campaign film and posting short clips of its brand ambassadors.
Gucci Chinese New Year 2024 campaign
They also made their Lunar New Year marketing campaign more Gen-Z friendly by maximizing WeChat content features. From posting articles and setting up branded stickers to creating a mini program for the event, all these features are integrated across all the brand’s profiles.
Best Chinese New Year Marketing Ideas From Global Brands
As foreign marketers, major lunar calendar celebrations can be hard to get used to. However, Lunar New Year brand activations from global brands are not new in the Chinese market. Here are a few noteworthy campaigns to inspire you to create your strategy:
● Burberry Chinese New Year Weibo Short Film
Burberry is another luxury company that realizes the power of social media platforms in China during the lunar new year. They smartly debuted a sneak peek of their holiday-themed video, “A New Awakening,” on Weibo.
This brief 60-second video content attracted over 3.4 million views. Even more impressive, the hashtag associated with it exploded, racking up over 89.5 million impressions.
● Chen Yingjie x Vans
Vans made a brilliant marketing move by collaborating with Chen Yingjie, known as Huatunan, a famous young artist from Foshan, China. They launched a special CNY collection featuring tiger designs, tapping into the influencer’s significant following.
The collection saw huge engagement from young people, thanks to the buzz created on WeChat by influential trendsetters and fashion bloggers. Plus, the traction was fueled further by a dedicated topic on Weibo for the launch.
VANS X HUATUNAN YEAR OF THE TIGER COLLECTION (Source: Vans Website)
● McDonald’s Hall of Zodiacs
McDonald’s dove into the metaverse for the 2022 Lunar New Year with the “Hall of Zodiacs.” Collaborating with Humberto Leon, co-founder of the fashion label Opening Ceremony, they crafted a collection showcasing zodiac animal designs in a vibrant, virtual world.
Consumers can access this marketing experience via Altspace and Spatial VR on mobile and desktop. It helped the brand to have a fresh, interactive way to join the celebrations and resonate with younger target audiences.
For foreign marketers looking to make a splash locally, this blend of traditional elements, digital innovation, and cross-media marketing is a masterclass in engaging with a market as diverse as China.
McDonald’s Hall of Zodiacs (Source: McDonald’s)
Quick Q&A
Is Chinese New Year a big deal in China?
Chinese New Year is the most important traditional event in China, deeply rooted in the country’s rich culture and history. It’s a holiday where families come together, with a huge emphasis on starting fresh. For marketers, it’s a golden opportunity to connect with customers through culturally relevant campaigns and promotions.
What is the impact of celebrating Chinese New Year?
Chinese New Year is a time of high consumer activity, with people buying gifts, decorations, and new clothes. It also influences travel and food trends of the season. Tapping into this festival can mean increased sales and a chance to build brand loyalty by respecting and understanding local culture and traditions.
Your Trusted Digital Marketing Partner In The Chinese Market!
Many global brands have seen digital marketing success during the Lunar New Year festivities. With the right strategy and understanding of its cultural significance, this holiday can generate positive traffic and potential sales for your brand.
You may also want to read:
At Sekkei Digital Group, we can help you dive deep into the intricacies of the Chinese consumer market. With our extensive expertise in this niche, we offer you the avenue to unlock your brand’s potential and secure a formidable position as a leading entity in the industry.
Whether it’s crafting compelling advertising campaigns, utilizing social media apps, or opening a virtual shop, we have the digital solutions you need. Contact us today, and let us help your brand navigate the intricacies of the Chinese business scene.