Fifth of UK luxury fashion marketers focusing on Chinese New Year campaigns

As Chinese New Year approaches - this year it falls on 25 January - 22 percent of luxury fashion marketers in the UK are capitalising on the event by launching specific Lunar New Year campaigns, according to new research.

In the last two years, there has been a 35 percent increase in UK campaigns targeted at international shoppers - with the highest growth (42 percent) in the luxury fashion sector. That’s according to a study by Rakuten Marketing which was conducted among 600 retail marketers in the UK, France and Germany.

Burberry is just one example of a luxury brand focusing its marketing on international shoppers. Earlier this month, the British luxury brand launched a Chinese New Year 2020 campaign celebrating the Year of the Rat - it even released a new online mobile game, called Ratberry, to celebrate the event.

Rakuten Marketing’s study more broadly focused on the “importance of smarter marketing investment”, after finding that two-thirds of advertising campaigns lack personalised experiences as marketers struggle with the “multi-national challenge.”

It also found that 32 percent of retail marketers think that ‘consumer fatigue with online ads’ is the biggest threat in 2020. In a bid to counter this, nine in ten retail marketers are now opting to create more relevant campaigns orientated around major sales moments in the calendar, including Christmas (51 percent), Cyber Weekend (32 percent), Amazon Prime Day (18 percent) and Chinese New Year (15 percent).

Nick Fletcher, country manager UK at Rakuten Marketing, said in a statement: “Marketers are increasingly struggling to reach their entire target audience across all channels at all times. The truth is it’s unsustainable. Marketers have to rationalise their approach, making data-led decisions about who it makes sense to speak to, when and via which channels.

“Going international with marketing campaigns means making fundamental alterations – from language to pricing and messaging. In some cases, price competition and discounts are essential to driving cross-border commerce, but they should not be seen as a substitute for great customer experiences. To ensure brands can replicate their success in new markets, experiences that feel personal are a must.”

Photo credit: Off-White