Highlighting the importance of cultural marketing for engaging young Chinese consumers: How does fashion crossover with art in China? A Shake to Win showcase of the JNBY “Symbiosis Greenhouse Popup Exhibition”
On May 28th, Shake to Win, in collaboration with its sister brand, Createc Digital, supporting our brand client JNBY launched the JNBY SS21 “Symbiosis Greenhouse” at the Zhihai Lafayette Art & Design Center, Shanghai. This experiential offline pop-up brings together the Chinese leading designer fashion brand, JNBY. Based on the inspiration of essence of prominent female Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, the fashion-meets-art pop-up further realizes the concept of an organic nature through the “Symbiosis Tree”– A tree that grows against time and space, providing a space where the soul and pulse circulate and regenerate.
Culture is key to establishing relevance with young Chinese consumers and cultural brands overseas can be inspired by this showcase
When considering the marketing landscape of China, culture plays a significant role in communicating with the consumer, especially the younger generation who are driven by unique experiences that are relatable. It goes beyond the notion of providing entertainment or wow-factors and rather focuses on the basis of forming long-term connections with consumers through these differentiated experiences. With this in mind, Shake to Win realized a rising trend within the fashion and retail industry related to increased levels of engagement through cultural marketing.
Through this cross-collaboration between art and fashion, JNBY aims to inspire Chinese consumers to find relatable ways of appreciating the depth in the life and work of Frida Kahlo in a contemporary context. This also provides a fresh narrative for Chinese consumers towards the artist’s compelling biography which further supports the preservation and appreciation of Mexico’s culture and legacy. Shake to Win is pleased to be part of this collaboration and design their digital mini-site and support the live-streaming program together with our sister company – CREATEC Digital.
By creating a campaign that is present in the entire digital ecosystem of China, the audience is able to discover, experience, share, react, partake, and reminisce about the interactions with the brand as well as its resonant core message. While the pop-up and the several activities served as a touchpoint for consumers and the brand to communicate, the brand expanded the concept from solely a commercial one into a cultural and artistic exhibition that allows for the audience to immerse themselves into. The exhibition launched officially on 28th May with celebrities and KOLs and was further open to the public from 29th May to 6th June, the exhibition was rated to be the top 3 out of 4 art events on one of the most popular platforms – Dianping.
The exhibition was curated, constructed, and organized from the ground up through the efforts of the involved parties. Visitors to the event were able to navigate around the exhibition area which featured the “Symbiosis Tree” and product display area as well as a visual art installation where part of the live stream was broadcast using a WeChat mini-program and Douyin (Chinese Tik Tok).
The grand opening ceremony introduced several distinguished VIP guests such as international supermodel Xiaowen Ju, JNBY group executive Zhu Gan, actress Yang Zishan, artist Chen Bige, as well as previous Madness event speaker and independent fashion designer, Tiffany Pattison. The guests helped amplify the occasion and the message of sustainability to audiences from all over China both offline and online.
Following the opening remarks, music producer MIIIA (San Tai Zi) and the Voguing Shanghai Dance Group switched the mood for visitors with live music and dance performances. Moving into the exhibition area, visitors could stimulate their senses in five distinct areas of interaction.
Nature and technology blend into the artificial structures, creating a contrast of opposites that are seemingly independent yet co-exist in harmony as one. Branches and leaves flow down from the upside-down tree and the surrounding fauna blend into the concrete. Dreams become a reality as the symbiosis tree beats steadily like a heart. Fashion apparel and accessories combine with the environment as if they were alive. Finally, a large screen emanating waves of colors entices the viewer to dream once again.
“Cultivate the soil where magic and reality coexist. Step into it, the beginning is the end, and the end is the new beginning.”
The five areas are formed into three narratives “Personality Symbiosis”, “Traditional & Contemporary Art Symbiosis”, and “Magic & Reality Symbiosis”. All thee narratives become a point of relation with regard to the Chinese consumer in many contexts. It could be the need to slow down from the fast-paced city life to reflect and recover, or the tranquility away from the artificial structures and return to nature.
Douyin brand content page & authentic content created by our teams
The outcome of the project was a huge success. Over the previous 30 days of conceptualization, strategizing, research, design, communication, and execution by a team of experts from both the advertising and cultural side. The media and PR impression for the campaign reached over multi-millions and the live streaming in Douyin and mini-program platform reached over 200,000 viewership with many KOLs and KOCs sharing the event on their social platforms generating millions of views.
For cultural brands and institutions who would love to tap into China market and target its new generations, Shake to Win is here to share its market expertise as well as its marketing resources to create success for you. If you are interested to collaborate with us, please feel free to contact jin@shaketowin.net or emily.cheung@shaketowin.net.
JNBY Group, the most influential designer brand fashion house in China, was founded in 1994 with its headquarters located in Hangzhou, China focuses on creative design, research, and development of process and technology to produce and sell branded apparel. JNBY Group is devoted to building China’s best platform for design while implementing a multi-brand strategy combining the synergies of multiple brands aimed to “Interpret Tastes with Design, Quality Life”, to actively and continuously shape our brand image, and offer meaningful and quality lifestyles to the multi-dimensional retail market. (More to read: http://www.jnbygroup.com/investorrelation.do?p=2)
