The She Economy: 5 Campaigns Showing How Brands Can Tap Into Feminism in China
Feminism or women’s rights in China are being more valued in recent years. There has been a lot more open discussion in the media about the struggles and societal pressures that women face. A recent article from WeChat account NewMediaLab shared several brand campaigns that tapped into the concept very well in 2020 and resonated with consumers.
Pechoin (百雀羚)
Among the campaigns mentioned in the article, Pechoin’s is my favourite. Pechoin is a domestic beauty brand. Though it was founded in 1931, it keeps refreshing itself and speaks in a young tone, which helps the brand maintain a dominant place in the domestic beauty industry.
The campaign was about the definition of women. Women are not allowed to be too masculine nor too girly. Being too masculine, they are not treated friendly by men, and being too girly, they tend to be considered too b***chy and other girls don’t like to hang out with such a person. The video presents three women who go from doubting themselves to finally accepting who they are.
Throughout the campaign, Pechoin was delivering the message to females that women should not be labelled. What makes it different from other feminism campaigns is that it is not telling women to fight against the world, it is telling women to accept themselves and to break the rules that they set for themselves.
NEIWAI
If you follow China marketing, you’ve probably heard of this one. NEIWAI is a domestic underwear brand. It ranks in the TOP 10 on Tmall’s underwear category. In February last year, NEIWAI created a campaign called “NO BODY IS NOBODY”, featuring 6 females with different body shapes.
The campaign presented how they truly accept their bodies. It was telling females that, even if you have a small belly, even if you have scars on your body, or you start having wrinkles, you are still a unique person in the world. The campaign spoke to females’ anxiety about their bodies and encouraged them to accept themselves and find their own beauty.
Apple
This was a global campaign but it did well in the China market. In the campaign, Apple features females that have made contributions to the world. It is one of the clips from its Behind the Mac series. The video attached warmth to the cold digital product.
T3 Chuxing (T3出行)
T3 is regarded as the top competitor of ride share company Didi. The campaign was about one topic: women’s safety when using ride sharing (an issue that Didi has faced in the past).
T3 invited a talk show female celebrity Yang Li (杨笠) and 100 women from different careers, including a doctor, airline stewardess, Coser (person who loves cosplay), DJ, fitness trainer, and plus-size model. The campaign was telling the audience that women’s safety won’t be a problem when using T3’s service.
Tmall
Compared with other campaigns, Tmall’s is flatter and a bit trite. It was telling women that they should make time to love themselves even though there are many other things for them to take care of.
Recommendation for Brands
Feminism is a great topic for brand campaigns but brands should be careful when using it and to avoid creating anxiety and chicken-soup type of content. Body anxiety, career and family support are common themes in these campaigns. What brands can do is to dig out new perspectives either to present or solve these issues. Otherwise, consumers will get bored and reluctant after they have seen enough similar campaigns.
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