3 Spring Festival marketing strategies of Moutai, Nongfu Spring and Jiang Xiaobai

The Year of the Tiger is approaching. Every Spring Festival is a marketing node that brands must compete for. How to successfully break through this marketing node where many brands gather is an issue that every brand needs to consider.

Moutai, Nongfu Spring and Jiang Xiaobai gave their own answers: upgrade product packaging.

It seems that the three companies are using the same approach - launching zodiac commemorative edition products. However, the logic behind them is not exactly the same.

For brand marketing, you need to know the whys and hows.

Product packaging is just the result. The purpose, positioning and function behind it are the key.

Let’s take a look at the logic behind these three brands that use the same approach.

01 @Moutai: Protecting classics + creating uniqueness

In the New Year of the Tiger, Moutai launched the latest Moutai Tiger Year Zodiac Wine. The concept is taken from the attributes of Yin wood. The bottle body is made of tourmaline green, which means the color of forest and life, symbolizing the intersection of heaven and earth, the growth of all things and vitality. The packaging uses the calligraphy works of famous calligrapher Yan Fuchu and the painting "King's Spirit" by famous painter Meng Xiangshun as the main elements. It brings together the culmination of Moutai craftsmen, and concentrates on Chinese zodiac culture, traditional calligraphy and painting art, and Moutai's thousand-year heritage. It embodies the inclusiveness and inheritance and innovation of Moutai culture, interprets the ultimate Chinese wine culture, and fully demonstrates the quality of Moutai and the "king's spirit" of Moutai culture.

What is the logic behind Moutai’s launch of the zodiac commemorative edition?

Differentiate from competitors and boost sales during the Spring Festival.

As we all know, Moutai is a household name in China. The classic paper box packaging has been with Moutai for more than 40 years. The eye-catching "Guizhou Moutai" written by Lingnan calligraphy master Mr. Mai Huasan on the paper box has become an important symbol of Moutai.

The classic packaging of Moutai has become the "visual hammer" of its brand and has good brand value. However, it still has its flaws. For various reasons, imitations of Moutai's classic bottles are not uncommon. This has no impact on the brand value of Moutai itself, but it does have an impact on sales.

Therefore, in order to protect the classic bottle and differentiate itself from competitors for the Spring Festival promotion, Moutai’s choice is to launch a commemorative edition of the Chinese Zodiac.

The zodiac commemorative edition of Moutai did not make too many changes to the bottle. Instead, it incorporated new elements - zodiac images in the style of traditional Chinese painting - on the basis of the original bottle (retaining the classic "visual hammer"). The product packaging of Moutai's Zodiac commemorative edition, on the one hand, uses a famous painting back label - Moutai has exclusive intellectual property rights - even if imitators can imitate its classic bottle, they cannot imitate its zodiac bottle packaging design; on the other hand, it integrates cultural elements such as zodiac and Chinese painting, fully demonstrating the perfect fusion of China's modern liquor culture and traditional culture, and greatly enhancing the value of the zodiac wine.

Under such circumstances, during the Spring Festival promotion, as long as Moutai strengthens the Zodiac commemorative edition in brand marketing, it can better give the original brand potential to the Zodiac commemorative edition and achieve the purpose of the Spring Festival promotion.

02 @Nongfu Spring: “Gift-like” + Creating Social Topics

Starting with the Golden Monkey Bottle in 2016, Nongfu Spring has launched limited edition zodiac bottles every year that are only given away and not sold. In 2022, Nongfu Spring will continue this New Year strategy, and the Year of the Tiger collector's edition mineral water will arrive as scheduled. This time, the "Golden Tiger Water" still follows the "group portrait" design concept, with the Siberian tiger as its IP image. It is divided into two models: one is a green bottle - carbonated natural mineral water, and the picture on the bottle is two Siberian tigers leaning against each other and having fun, symbolizing a happy reunion; the other is a Siberian tiger walking forward domineeringly, embodying self-confidence, calmness and courage.

In Nongfu Spring's product line, in addition to the classic model that we see every day at 2 yuan per bottle, there are also 8 natural water series products for different scenarios and groups of people. Among them, the natural mineral water (glass bottle) is a high-end product in the natural water series. Its packaging design has always used animals and plants as the main selling point - high-end products highlight the origin of the water source.

Nongfu Spring’s zodiac bottle is derived from this high-end product. It uses a teardrop-shaped glass bottle with smooth lines, simplicity, grandeur, elegance and clarity. It is both beautiful and artistic, and can highlight the texture of Nongfu Spring's high-end water. The zodiac animals on the zodiac bottle follow the artistic style of outlining with white lines, fully displaying the charm of oriental aesthetics.

Although Nongfu Spring’s products are not expensive, its brand strategy has never catered to the “people-friendly” style. Especially the advertisement with the line “We don’t produce water, we are just nature’s porters”, which can be described as high-end documentary-level, making Nongfu Spring’s water source appear “natural” and “pure”. However, Nongfu Spring’s products are so user-friendly, but its brand strategy is so high-end. Isn’t this contradictory?

No.

The more prestigious the brand image, the more affordable the price. The "reverse gap" created here is an excellent "brand weapon", which makes a good "product promise" to consumers: products as good as mine are more expensive than me, and products as cheap as mine are worse than me.

The logic behind the introduction of the zodiac bottle is consistent with this idea. During the marketing period of the Spring Festival (winter), it is difficult for "water" to gain real popularity. Therefore, the purpose of Nongfu Spring’s zodiac bottle is not marketing, but branding.

1. Use the "gifting" approach to increase brand premium and gain exposure for high-end products.

I have a deep impression of Nongfu Spring’s classic ordinary mineral water. Many consumers may not be aware of Nongfu Spring’s high-end natural water products. If you want to break consumers' inherent impression of brand prices and gain exposure for high-end products, a better way during the Spring Festival is to create a "gift" strategy that is only given away and not sold.

2. Create social topics and connect consumers.

In the Spring Festival, "gifts" is a very good topic to play the "intimacy card". If you want to get the Nongfu Spring Zodiac Collector's Edition, Nongfu Spring provides two ways: ① Log in to the official mini program, complete tasks to win a chance to win a lottery, and ask friends for task props; ② Participate in the topics designated by Nongfu Spring's official media to win, etc.

The Weibo topic #Nongfu Spring虎年吉祥# created by Nongfu Spring this year has been read 1.646 million times on Weibo as of January 15, 2022, with 3,206 discussions participated in.

03@Jiang Xiaobai: Using national trends + IP to attract core customers

In the Year of the Tiger, Jiang Xiaobai also launched the Tiger Year Zodiac commemorative edition of the liquor "Tiger Coming to the Door", which inherited Jiang Xiaobai's concept of "old flavor and new life" and painted a picture of tiger coming to the door, lively and auspicious. "God Tiger" sits upright with a koi in his hand, which means everyone will be prosperous and have good luck; among the little tigers playing around, there is the "Golden Tiger" who embraces a book, which means knowledge is wealth; there is the "Happy Tiger" who plays with a pearl; there is the "Ruyi Tiger" who steps on a calabash (blessings and fortune) and is content; and there is the "Lucky Tiger" who is accompanied by the koi and smiles happily; it symbolizes the arrival of the Five Tigers and the five blessings.

Before that, starting from 2017, Jiang Xiaobai also launched zodiac commemorative editions, including five zodiac wines: chicken, dog, pig, rat and ox.