The 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns in 2020 (2023)

2020 has been a tough year all along. But during the turmoil of a global pandemic and global economic crisis, there were brands that still insisted on spreading messages of hope and empowerment. There were also brands that inspired us with their creativity and adaptability, offering new products that resonated with Chinese culture on another level. These are the brands that made our handpicked list of the 10 most epic marketing campaigns in China in 2020.

Our team evaluated the "epicness" of each marketing campaign in China based on 6 criteria:

• creative and adaptable– the ability to present new ideas in an increasingly competitive market. While all marketing campaigns are “creative” to some degree, campaigns scoring high on creativity resonated with Chinese audiences through clever localization methods and use of humor.
• brave and daring– these are the campaigns that didn't play it safe and still succeeded. They may have challenged the status quo or risked their reputation to share a reputation consistent with their values.
• positive impact— whether through philanthropy, sustainability or consumer empowerment. These campaigns are uplifting and inspiring and make the world a better place.
• Visible– The goal of any marketing campaign is to be seen by a lot of people, especially the right people. Some campaigns gain visibility by investing in putting their message on a major platform, while others generate buzz on social media and generate organic traffic.
• game changer– These innovative campaigns did something unique and, thanks to their success, are likely to be followed by other brands in the future.
• emotionally moving– Many brands used exciting means to resonate with audiences, such as While other brands moved us with humor and optimism.

Some trends we saw in 2020 were a continuation of manyThe co-branding campaignthat really took off in 2018 and also opened up groups of young consumersNostalgie-Marketing. Finally, after guochao, or the popularity and support of traditional Chinese culture, local brands are on the rise and foreign brands are finding ways to show their appreciation for Chinese culture.

These are the 10 most epic marketing campaigns of 2020

Nike Hongbao Lunar New Year Campaign

Fonte: Nike, Red Cover Campaign

ONike campaign showcased Chinese traditionhanding out red envelopes full of money during the New Year. This Chinese TVC campaign put a humorous spin on Chinese courtesy and humility. When other sportswear brands jumped into celebrity endorsements, Nike took a more responsible path.

TVC shows elders desperately trying to hand out red envelopes and children desperately refusing. In this down-to-earth ad, every year an aunt faces stiff competition to get her headstrong but humble niece to accept her red envelope. As she grows up, the time always comes to accept her aunt's red envelope, so she puts on her Nikes and decides to run away from her aunt, fighting more and more each year.

At TVC, Nike shoes have become synonymous with rejecting the red envelope. In the last scene, the adult niece opens the door to greet her aunt with a red envelope, but the aunt is wearing Nike sneakers.

The used Nike campaignpositive feelingsEncourage customers to take action and buy products. This campaign gained high visibility by adapting to Chinese culture.

Fonte de dados: Daxue Consulting, The 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns of 2020, Nike's New Year Campaign

Apples Women Empowerment-Kampagne

What: Global Times, Apple China 2020 Campaign

In 2020, Apple brought a lotemotional and inspirational marketing campaignto demonstrate the high quality of the new phone's camera. Continuing the cinematic storytelling style of Apple's Spring Festival commercial, the 8-minute short film tells the story of a single mother played byZhou Xun. The main character has a conflict with her mother, who believes that it is not a woman's duty to enter the job market. The mother needs to support her daughter and takes her daughter for a walk with her while she becomes a taxi driver. At the end of the video, the grandmother finds her daughter's taxi and reconciles with her daughter bringing cookies.

This campaign is based on a true story - a taxi driver Li Shaoyun from Wuhan. Not only does this ad show mothers' love, but it also inspires nostalgia in viewers about their mothers' New Year's Eve meal. The short film explores family nostalgia while delivering an empowering message for women.

Fonte de dados: Daxue Consulting, The 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns of 2020, Apple's New Year Campaign

AirBnb Chinese New Year Campaign

Source: The Drum, Airbnb Chinese New Year campaign

As many young people in China now live in big cities, not everyone has the opportunity to visit their parents on Chinese New Year.China's Airbnbcreated an emotional marketing campaign showing how she can help bring families together. The three-and-a-half-minute 3D animation tells the story of Jiajia, a young nurse who seeks her dream job in a big city, but cannot return to her hometown on New Year's Eve. Her parents are saddened by the news that she won't be able to come home for the holidays, but they surprise her by renting an Airbbnb in Shanghai so they can be together.

This marketing campaign promotes yourbrand equity, that is, the platform can bring families together for the Chinese New Year and work miracles.

Fonte de dados: Daxue Consulting, The 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns of 2020, Airbnb Chinese New Year Campaign

The ultimate Coca-Cola location with Ginger

Quelle: WhatsOnWeibo, Ginger Coca-Cola in China

Noting that the Chinese have started to heat up Coke and add ginger as a cold remedy, the soda brand has joined the trend with a localized product based on three years of market research.

The first time Coca-Cola launched a gingerbread-flavored limited edition marketing campaign in China was in 2017. At that time, Coca-Cola realized the needs of Chinese consumers, introduced gingerbread-flavored cola products in some regions and received good feedback.

In 2019, based on consumer feedback, the product development team made another major product update. First, the R&D team decided to use real ginger juice."coca cola ingwer', and kept adjusting the types of ginger and the concentration of the ginger juice. The new product not only restored Coke's traditional ginger flavor, but also maintained a "hot and spicy" balance. A balance to which health benefits are attributed in Chinese medicine.

In 2020, Coca-Cola officially launched its location campaign. The company included it in its marketing campaign, introducing a hot drink made with ginger juice that was meant to be heated to drink.

Fonte de dados: Daxue Consulting, The 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns of 2020, Coca-Cola's Ginger Campaign in China

Perfect Diary - International Nurses Day

Source: Perfect Diary, International Nurses Day campaign

Perfect Diary shows the waychinese cosmetics brand. The company's target groups areChinese Generation Zand Millennials, who have a special fondness for brands that offer personalized products and services and have a strong Chinese identity.

In 2020, Perfect Diary decided to create a digital campaign in China to commemorate International Nurses Day, featuring images of nurses right after their shift ended and their photo after renovation. Perfect Diary also held a makeup class for medical staff in Guangzhou.may 2020. Perfect Diary's senior makeup artists taught makeup skills to nurses at 18 hospitals.

This digital campaign in China expresses gratitude for medical workers during the pandemic and has attracted a lot of attention on Chinese social media and has made the tedious work that nurses do for our health and safety more widely known.

Datenquelle: Daxue Consulting,China's Top 10 Most Epic Marketing Campaigns in 2020, Perfect Diary International Nurses Day Campaign

W+K - You can't hide a smile

Source: DaoInsights, W+K 2020 Campaign

Advertising agency W+K located near a hospital in Shanghai was inspired to cheer people up ahead of the Chinese New Year. Since the Chinese had to celebrate the New Year with masks, it was difficult to see the emotions of loved ones. That's why W+K launched the "You Can't Mask A Smile" campaign. Photos of masked people have been edited with funny facial expressions.

This digital campaign in China helped showcase the brand's values ​​and its commitment to creating positive emotions. Also, advertising agencies typically don't release a physical product, which shows the creativity of agencies in finding new ways to spread joy.

Fonte de dados: Daxue Consulting, The 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns of 2020, W+K You Can't Hide a Smile

Tmall TVC's New Year's Campaign in China Shows LGBT Tolerance

Source: Jing Daily, Tmall Chinese New Year campaign

TVC's campaigns in China create long-term brand awareness and shared values ​​through storytelling. Despite being a traditional and ancient form of marketing, they are effective all over the world.

In early 2020, Tmall launched a TVC campaign in China titled “New Year', including a homosexual couple. The video sparked a heated debate online, as the LGBT community is not universally accepted in China. The general plot of the ad features the main character bringing her friend over for New Year's Eve dinner. The protagonist's father enthusiastically serves the soup to his son and friend during the meal. The son's friend happily says "Thank you dad".

Marketing campaigns with LGBT characters were few and this Tmall TVC was one of the most visible. Due to strict censorship, it is risky for brands to include LGBT concepts, this campaign was a bold move by Tmall, and the result was emotionally moving and impactful.

Datenquelle: Daxue Consulting,10 Most Epic Marketing Campaigns From China In 2020, Tmall's New Year TVC

Tmalls 11.11 cat game

Quelle: Scmp, Tmall Cat Game

Another trend in marketing campaigns in China isgamification. This makes it possible to make the user experience with the brand more engaging and attract a large number of new customers.

In its second epic marketing campaign of 2020, Tmall leveraged gamification as its 11.11 promotion. The main task was to log into the app every day and feed the cat, which earned them gold coins.

By playing this game, users received red envelopes and shared them with friends. These points can be appliedDupla Our 2020discounts. The company distributed more than 100 yuan in red envelopes3 million people.

Until this year, most gamification campaigns were competitive, but Cat Game was collaborative. This brings a new perspective on gamification that other brands may follow in the future.

Datenquelle: Daxue Consulting,Top 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns in 2020, Tmall 11.11 Cat Game

Charity campaign for the British juice brand "Innocent".

Quelle: Thatsmags, Innocent Juice in China

Philanthropy and social marketing have become increasingly popular in recent years. A global survey conducted bynobleshowed that 85% of consumers prefer socially responsible brands, 70% are willing to pay more for these brands.

Innocent Juice is a British company dedicated to the development of healthy drinks. In the production of juice, it also actively participates in charitable causes. Every year, the company donates 10% of its global profits to help people in need. Innocent is committed to energy saving and recyclable production methods in a non-profit and sustainable wayReduction of CO2 emissionsduring transport.

Since the beginning of 2020, the Innocent Foundation has participated84 projectson five continents and donated more than 57 million yuan. The brand entered the Chinese market in 2020, bringing its philanthropic campaign to China. Innocence sends a donation of RMB 1 from the profit of each bottle to give free food to children in remote areas. As charities are not as common in China as they are in the West, this campaign left a deep and positive impression on consumers.

Fonte de dados: Daxue Consulting, The 10 Most Epic China Marketing Campaigns of 2020, Innocent Philanthropic Marketing Campaign that China

Budweiser e Ele.me #BUD-Meal Slot Machine Budweiser Play Beer Machine

Source: adsofttheworld, Budweiser x Eleme collaboration

More and more consumers in China prefer foreign brands of alcohol. This is due to the growing caution of younger generations when choosing a brand. Also in 2020O2O food deliveryin China is more relevant than ever in the context of the corona virus. This has become a great platform for marketing campaigns in China, especially for collaboration with other brands.

Budweiser and Ele.me's co-branding initiative is a digital campaign built on the understanding that people often struggle to decide what to eat when ordering. Budweiser and Ele.me simplify the process by pairing beer with food. The digital and physical version of the BUD Food slot machine allows consumers to receive different food combinations with Budweiser. Consumers can click the Playing Beer Machine toggle for appropriate packaging recommendations, such as KFC's Fried Chicken + Budweiser or Crabs + Budweiser package. Also, users can get various coupons.

Datenquelle: Daxue Consulting,China's Top 10 Most Epic Marketing Campaigns in 2020, Budweiser and Ele.me Co-Branded Campaign

How your brand can make the list of 2021 epic marketing campaigns

Will your brand make the list of the most epic marketing campaigns of 2021? Market research is the first step, contact our team atdx@daxueconsulting.comto start yourChina market research project.

Welcoming 2021 with 21 lessons from 21 entrepreneurs in China, click here to download the ebook today!

Stay up-to-date on the Chinese market by following our WeChat, scanning the QR code below orSubscribe to our newsletter

Hear 100+ stories from Chinese entrepreneurs on China Paradigms, the Chinese business podcast

Listen to China Paradigm on the Apple Podcast