Rio and Tian Xiwei: Key takeaways
- RIO has appointed actress Tian Xiwei as its new ‘tipsy’ brand ambassador
- The campaign presents tipsiness as permission to abandon productivity, composure and overthinking
- RIO is defending a distinctive emotional territory: drinking for release without drinking to excess.
RIO has appointed actress Tian Xiwei (田曦薇) as its new ‘tipsy’ brand ambassador with the release of a film titled Allow Yourself to Be a Little Tipsy (允许自己微醺点).
The film is four vignettes celebrating states of incompleteness. An ambiguous relationship that doesn’t need to become serious. A mother’s nagging is half-heard and half-forgotten. A job hunt slips into insignificance with a sunset. In the final scene, Tian does away with adult composure to splash through the rain.
The campaign extends online through a user remix challenge, alongside outdoor displays in Shanghai, Hangzhou, Chongqing, Chengdu, Guangzhou, and Changsha.
Tipsiness is permission to cut loose, to do away with rational thinking, a thumbs up not to be productive or composed
While the Tian Xiwei appointment is new, the territory is not. RIO has been developing this emotional tone since positioning its Micro Tipsy range as ‘a little drink for one’ in 2018. Earlier campaigns moved the product from romance towards enjoying solitude and finding release from overthinking.
Tian’s appointment advances the idea further: tipsiness is permission to cut loose, to do away with rational thinking, a thumbs up not to be productive or composed. That permission is a powerful message to an important demographic.
The Dao view: Bucking trends is RIO’s game these days
Chinese drinking culture is changing. Young consumers are tired of traditional baiju slamming banquets and pressure to get hammered. RIO is giving these young drinkers validation to drink without getting drunk.
Competitors may be able to recreate RIO’s light, sparkling flavours. But it’s unlikely they’ll be able to deliver the same message of permission
Differentiation is working here too. Competitors may be able to recreate RIO’s light, sparkling flavours. They might even come up with a drink that garners more appeal. But it’s unlikely they’ll be able to deliver the same message of permission without sacrificing the strength of their own messaging. RIO has that space all to itself.
