Many viewers in the country have applauded the American sportswear brand for showcasing the festival’s human side.
Nike has just done it.
The American athletic apparel company has won the hearts of its Chinese customers with an advertisement that many say seems to understand, rather than patronize, Chinese tradition. Nike released the video on Jan. 6, weeks ahead of Spring Festival, when family and friends gift each other cash-filled red envelopes — the premise of the ad.
The 90-second video shows an aunt chasing her niece, trying to give her a red envelope — known as hongbao — while the girl keeps running away in Nike shoes. In Chinese tradition, it is customary for recipients to refuse the envelope as a courtesy, at least at first. But as years pass in the ad, the roles reverse, and so does the chase.
The video has attracted thousands of comments on microblogging platform Weibo, where it was originally posted. Many have said the video is “close to real life” and portrays “a sense of humanity.”
Nike’s ad is among a flurry of marketing campaigns and products released by foreign brands every year ahead of the Lunar New Year as they attempt to woo one of their largest consumer bases. Nike’s sales revenue in China in the first quarter of 2019 grew steadily to $1.68 billion, with its chief executive saying “Nike is a brand of China, for China.”
However, the company was also criticized last year for pulling its footwear line in the Chinese market after its designer showed support for the anti-government protests in Hong Kong, accusing Nike of trading its values for profit. Continue to read the full article here.
– This article originally appeared on Sixth Tone.
