Do mark the Mid-Autumn Festival on your campaign calendar! — Take the opportunity to impress

Let’s bite into Chinese mooncake festival together with creativity!

One of the many things that cross-cultural marketers should be aware of is taking the opportunity of celebrating cultural festivals to engage your diverse audiences. For brands that wish to crack your way to the Chinese market, do mark the Mid-Autumn Festival on your campaign calendar!

Mid-Autumn Festival, aka, the Mooncake is the second most important festival for Chinese people on the lunar calendar.  This nostalgic festival is akin to Matariki for Māori in that it’s a family celebration with plenty of traditions. Some of the traditional ways that Chinese people celebrate this festival are by having family gathering, feasting, eating moon cakes, and appreciating the full moon.

Falling on September 10 this year, it’s not too late to think about a bespoke campaign (or maybe for the following year) to build a deeper connection with your Chinese customers. For big or small brands, depend on your size and resources, here are some ideas for you to grab!

1. Create a Festival Greeting Poster

Particularly for smaller brands, we understand that you might not have the budget or the time for an integrated social campaign. We’d say a simple & warm-hearted greeting poster is the most accessible way to send the wishes. Simply sharing the poster among your brand socials, this lets your Chinese customers know that you care!

2. Getting in on the Mooncake Gift Game

Among the marketing tactics used to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival, mooncake gift boxes are the most common. These well-designed gifts have become an integral part of brand builders’ narrative particularly in the Asia-pacific region. Luxury brands such as Dior, consuming brands such as Haagen-Dazs and Lindt have all seen the opportunity to leverage the popularity of mooncakes in their marketing efforts. Tips for all brands, considering the production cycle, it requires at least three months preparation time for the project.

3. Crossover to expand consumer bases

This idea is particularly for consumer brands that focus on exporting to the China market. Crossovers between consumer goods brands have become a popular exercise. Collaboration between Lewis Road and Whittaker’s is a great example. Does a limited-edition moon cake collab, say, between Pic’s peanut butter and Chinese famous pastry brand ‘Daoxiangcun稻香村’ sounds like a tasty idea to you?

4. Giveaway is always a good gesture

The traditional occasion for family reunions will surely be an indispensable opportunity for brands to impress their Chinese shoppers. No matter of your creativity idea, a giveaway or lucky draw campaign potentially plus a sales promotion is always a good idea to incentivise your audience and boost your sales. But of course, you will need a steady pricing strategy behind.

We hope this light reading could inspire some strategies surrounding the beloved Mid-Autumn Festival for your brands. Don’t be overwhelmed by the nuances of these cultural celebrations. At Touchpoint CC, we, a group of proud high CQ cross-cultural marketers are here to help!