Published 08 February 2024

8 min read

The best brand strategies celebrating Lunar New Year (LNY) 2024 (Year of the Dragon, February 10) transcend the now-mainstream Guochao (the movement centring traditional elements of Chinese culture). With two billion participating worldwide, campaigns reframing obscure traditions, encouraging a dialled-back “quiet quitting”, taking female success stories global and wooing brand-agnostic “zero consumers” highlight year-round ways to captivate Chinese audiences.

Next-Gen Guochao: Preserving & Reframing Tradition

Independent Women Taking Chinese Success Stories Global

Not-Quite Quiet Quitting: Landscape Therapy & Self-Care

Captivating Brand-Agnostic ‘Zero Consumers’

Evolving the now-mainstream concept of Guochao (meaning “national wave” or “China chic” – a patriotic movement celebrating Chinese culture and style), young consumers are seeking brand campaigns that move beyond generic Chinese tropes and motifs and delve into lesser-known traditions and crafts. The sweet spot is “proactively renewing traditional cultures”, says Stylus Advisory consultant and China specialist Erica Ng.

Evolving the now-mainstream concept of Guochao (meaning “national wave” or “China chic” – a patriotic movement celebrating Chinese culture and style), young consumers are seeking brand campaigns that move beyond generic Chinese tropes and motifs and delve into lesser-known traditions and crafts. The sweet spot is “proactively renewing traditional cultures”, says Stylus Advisory consultant and China specialist Erica Ng.

Summary

Next-Gen Guochao: Preserving & Reframing Tradition

Evolving the now-mainstream concept of Guochao (meaning “national wave” or “China chic” – a patriotic movement celebrating Chinese culture and style), young consumers are seeking brand campaigns that move beyond generic Chinese tropes and motifs and delve into lesser-known traditions and crafts. The sweet spot is “proactively renewing traditional cultures”, says Stylus Advisory consultant and China specialist Erica Ng.

Independent Women Taking Chinese Success Stories Global

“China chic going overseas” is an emerging phrase on Chinese social media, says Ng, with consumers craving worldwide recognition of Chinese culture and success. Partly inspired by the international success of Chinese companies, such as ByteDance (owners of TikTok and Douyin), young people are ambitious to see their peers’ achievements as well as traditional values celebrated globally by brands.

Not-Quite Quiet Quitting: Landscape Therapy & Self-Care

Evolving “tang ping” (meaning “lying flat” – a social protest movement pushing back against  relentless work culture, deemed the Chinese precursor to “quiet quitting”), young consumers are responding to brand campaigns showing a healthier middle ground. Some of the best-received encourage dialling back (not quitting) and highlight a reconnection with nature and family for wellbeing and self-care.

Captivating Brand-Agnostic ‘Zero Consumers’

With a “preference for immersive experiences” that are often technologically powered, says Effie Chen, business development lead at social commerce company Yaso, China’s “zero consumers” (omnichannel, brand-agnostic and loyalty-shy) require innovation-harnessing campaigns to impress and hold their attention. As they’re receptive to concepts involving artificial intelligence (AI) and augmented reality (AR), leveraging these cutting-edge technologies to create captivating and interactive experiences is likely to deliver.

Lunar New Year 2024: China's Next-Gen Guochao, Not-Quite Quiet Quitting & Capturing ‘Zero Consumers’

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