CBI News Wrap: Singles’ Day Prep, Coke’s Music Play

Furniture firm Kuka is set to return as title sponsor of Alibaba’s Singles’ Day gala

News From China

Marketing efforts for this year’s Singles’ Day shopping extravaganza are in full swing, with China’s big e-commerce platforms and brands collaborating to hype sales ahead of the big day next week.

Furniture maker Kuka Home will again be the title sponsor for Alibaba’s Singles’ Day Eve show, which will be broadcast on Zhejiang Satellite TV, Dragon TV and Youku. Last year, Kuka’s brand was seen roughly twice a minute onscreen, or nearly 500 times throughout the course of the night, resulting in a huge boost to sales and visitors to its stores the following day. 

The extravaganza is going global, with plans for the show to be broadcast in 106 overseas markets, and Tmall and Alibaba’s online travel platform Fliggy are working with brands such as L’Oreal and Shiseido to illuminate landmarks around the world for the shopping event. 

As title sponsor of music competition “Let’s Band” (一起乐队吧 ), Coca-Cola positioned its brand alongside the show’s themes of youthful energy, freedom, passion, and authenticity. In addition to traditional brand integration techniques such as product displays, interactive placements, and graphic effects, Coca-Cola used its sponsorship to introduce its new Coca-Cola Coffee+ beverage, with a single that merged classical and pop music to promote the drink played during the season finale. 

The “CCTV 2019 Presenter Competition” (中央广播电视总台2019主持人大赛) became a trending topic on Weibo following its debut on October 26, providing a boost to title sponsor Jing Liquor. The alcohol brand, which is marking its 30th anniversary this year, scored another official success earlier this year with its sponsorship of iQiyi’s patriotic documentary series, “Me and My Motherland” (我和我的祖国). 

News in English

  • American brands may lose out on some of the Singles’ Day action. More than three-quarters of Chinese consumers said they would avoid buying from U.S. firms, according to a survey by AlixPartners, with more than half citing patriotism as the reason. SCMP
  • The iQiyi rock music competition show “The Big Band” (乐队的夏天) has brought undreamt-of mainstream success to veteran indie musicians, including opportunities to collaborate with major brands such as L’Oreal, Cadillac, Lexus, and JD.com. Radii
  • Is the clock ticking for TikTok? The Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) has reportedly commenced a national security review of TikTok parent Bytedance’s 2017 acquisition of Musical.ly, which it then merged into TikTok. Sources said TikTok in discussions with CFIUS about measures it can take to avoid a forced divestiture of its Musical.ly assets. Reuters
  • TikTok declined to testify at a Congressional hearing scheduled for today to discuss its business and potential risks posed to U.S. users of the app, citing insufficient notice to provide a suitable witness. SCMP
  • A report on China’s media scene in the first half of 2019 highlights emerging trends and opportunities for brand collaborations in areas such esports, domestic animation and music.  GroupM

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