How Did La Mer’s New Product Grow Its Gen Z Consumers in China?
In August 2021, skincare brand La Mer launched a hydrating infused emulsion in China. It quickly became the Top1 in the lotion category on Tmall, and sold over 10k bottles in a month.
What makes it a learnable case study for brands is that the lotion successfully attracted new customers to La Mer. It helped raise the percentage of new customers to nearly 70%, among which was a 10% growth in the Gen Z consumer group.
What marketing strategy did La Mer apply to launch this lotion? How did the lotion bring young consumers to La Mer?
Product Targets at Young Generation
The hydrating infused emulsion is La Mer’s first lotion for anti-aging, which helps to build up the brand’s products team.
Most lotion has the issue of being too sticky to the skin, and they are not suitable to be applied either in spring or summer. La Mer spotted the problem and decided to create a light and hydrating lotion and, at the same time, has the ability to combat the aging issue for consumers.
Based on research conducted by Mintel, over 60% of Chinese consumers choose high-end skincare products because of the anti-aging need, such as tightening the skin (63%) and antioxidants (60%). Post-85s and post-90s are the most generous groups in spending money on anti-aging skincare products.
La Mer planned to use the lotion to bring consumers aged between 25-30 to the brand in China.
“Young as Me” Campaign
To make sure the brand reach the young consumer group, La Mer launched a “Young as Me” campaign (hashtag #年轻由我#).
The brand filmed a series of mini-movies featuring Chinese millennials and Gen Z. Scenes in the movie echoed with young people’s interest, such as surfing, camping, and skiing, showcasing the characteristics of the young generation: carrying clear goals and keep exploring the unknown, regardless of traditional boundaries.
Another hashtag that La Mer used when introducing the lotion was #轻启年轻#, meaning becoming younger. Either the campaign or the hashtag delivered the message to consumers, especially young consumers that by using La Mer’s hydrating infused emulsion, you can look younger.
Celebrities and KOLs Helped Bring More Traffic
To show La Mer’s sincerity for its new lotion, the brand invited Chinese Victor Ma (马伯蹇) to show up at its launch event with Tmall. Victor created a song dedicated to La Mer, which shared his attitude towards being young. The event was livestreamed on Weibo, generating more buzz for the new lotion.
In terms of KOLs, La Mer invited KOLs whose fans are the young generation to offline glamping, including top fashion KOL Yuanlanshi Ximendasao (原来是西门大嫂), fitness KOL Zoey (周六野), and travel KOL odin and kitty. La Mer coupled the lotion together with its iconic serum and educated KOLs on their effects.
Couple The Lotion and Serum
CP, or couple, is a hot word among Chinese young people. The term originated from actors/actresses, whom fans wish to have real relationships in life, other than in films or TV series. When it comes to marketing, everything can be coupled. Brand A can couple with Brand B to bring more attention. Similarly, Product A can couple with Product B to get a better effect.
La Mer has educated KOLs about the effect brought by the coupling of its lotion and serum. In March 2022, La Mer launched an upgraded serum and officially and publicly announced the combination of its two products.
Our Thoughts
La Mer smartly uses the hydrating infused emulsion to fill the gap in its product team, which mainly serves the young generation. Through its online channels and offline events, the brand successfully targeted Chinese millennials and Gen Z and educated them about its anti-aging effect.
