Chinese e-commerce giant Taobao has made waves in the digital marketing world with the debut of its first-ever Double 11 ‘Golden Peach Night’ awards ceremony.
Held on November 9, this unique event was a culmination of a novel product collection campaign that began on Weibo in August to celebrate brands that had achieved sales of over 1 million units. Out of these, eight standout products were selected, including a Huawei scale, spicy snacks, and various household items. Each was awarded a specially designed golden peach trophy, but this time with a creative twist that generated significant buzz on social media.
The Golden Peach Night set itself apart with an unusual concept: a ceremony without human attendees. Instead, figurines, brand mascots, and dolls represented the brands. This innovative approach turned the event into a unique visual spectacle. Highlights included a double pole dance performed by a spicy snack mascot and a comedic chase involving a mosquito mascot. The ceremony’s success was further boosted by an official video packed with popular internet memes and jokes, showcasing Taobao’s adeptness at tapping into modern internet culture.
Taobao’s Golden Peach Night represents a shift in digital marketing, moving away from traditional methods to more creative and internet-focused strategies. By incorporating humor, pop culture, and meme-centric content, Taobao not only retained its existing customer base but also reached a broader audience. On social media platform Weibo, the hashtag “Golden Peach Night” amassed a staggering 57.062 million views and high engagement of 160,000 interactions with netizens flooding the comments in fits of laughter.
All in all, the event’s success lies mainly in the strong audience involvement online, which highlights the importance of keeping up with internet culture and leveraging user-generated content for more impactful marketing. Taobao’s approach, which personified products and infused humor, helped forge a stronger connection with its audience. For international brands looking to break into the Chinese e-commerce market, tailoring their marketing strategies to align with the cultural preferences and online trends of their target market can serve as an effective way to capture China’s young consumer base.
