On 8 July, Louis Vuitton’s podcast EXTENDED presented a special edition on Beijing. In the first episode, media personality Hong Huang and Qin Siyuan, co-founder of the Sound Museum, were invited to use sound as a medium to connect memories of Beijing from different eras. On 9 July, Louis Vuitton’s “Beijing Style” (北京范儿) time-limited spaces were opened in four major neighbourhoods: 798, Drum tower, Liangma River, and China World Trade Center. Listeners can follow the podcast’s memory guide and visit these spaces to connect with the stories of Beijing life.
The sounds of Beijing featured in the podcast include the whistling of pigeons from afar, the yelling of street vendors, and the sound of taxi timers ticking away. The deep connection between the two guests and Beijing allows listeners to feel the warmth of human interaction and explore the hidden people and events of the city through sound narratives. One netizen commented, “Louis Vuitton’s City Guide series is great, from the choice of guests to the topic setting; it is both culturally rich and fun.”
This is the second time Louis Vuitton has chosen to use a city as the focal point after the “Hello, Shanghai” (侬好，上海) series in October last year, creating an all-round, multi-sensory immersive experience for consumers through various formats such as time-limited spaces, time-limited bookstores, and podcasts. More brands are exploring city-related branding activities, giving consumers cultural experiences and fostering closer emotional ties to different cities through continuous campaigns, aiming to achieve a more in-depth and warm localisation strategy.
On Weibo, the hashtag #Louis Vuitton Beijing style# has gained 22.61 million views. Louis Vuitton invited famous female skier Ailing Gu, rock band New Pants, young actor Bai Jingting and others to visit the time-limited space, hoping to attract more visitors.
Among them, New Pants is a “sound representative” outside the podcast – a rock band that has garnered much attention from young people. In recent years, with the popularity of band variety shows, more brands are choosing to collaborate with indie bands. For example, this year’s Valentine’s Day saw the Chinese lingerie brand Aimer release a new song by the rock band The Molds, with the band donning Aimer pyjamas and loungewear for the show. Another example is rock band Second Hand Rose and JD.com’s participation in Double 11 sales events.
