Western brands, and companies seeking timely collaborations for meaningful Lunar New Year marketing
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Trevor Lui, the co-founder of Quell agency, applauds campaigns that promote Asian artists, their backgrounds, and Lunar New Year experiences.
Trevor Lui, the co-founder of Quell, an agency that highlights BIPOC talent in the hospitality industry, applauds campaigns that promote Asian artists, their backgrounds, and Lunar New Year experiences, such as this one at Holt Renfrew. Photo by NICK PROCAYLO /00099441A Article content
Lunar New Year decorations at downtown Vancouver’s Holt Renfrew store feature whimsical illustrations of a tiger and rabbit holding a red paper with couplets written in Chinese characters that welcome a bright new year.
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Article contentThey’re the creations of a couple from China who moved to Toronto in 2011, met at a design school, and now run a small creative studio called Astro Circo.
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Article contentVancouver’s Artizia took a similar tack highlighting Zila Li, a Calgary-based illustrator, who along with Asian artists in New York and other cities created several Lunar New Year designs for a collection of sweatshirts.
In recent years, more companies have launched campaigns to coincide with the holiday, which this year starts on Jan. 22. It is celebrated in China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Brunei, Vietnam and South Korea and by expatriates around the world.
But the trend has also brought scrutiny and raised questions about how Western brands use Asian culture for profit.
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Article contentTrevor Lui, the co-founder of Quell, an agency that highlights BIPOC talent in the hospitality industry, applauds campaigns that promote Asian artists, their backgrounds, and Lunar New Year experiences.
“I think that’s the minimum we should see,” said Lui. “It’s not just a mobile company, saying, ‘It’s Lunar New Year! Get a new cellphone plan, unlimited data.’ What does it have to do with Lunar New Year?”
“I would say if at the end, the only beneficiary is the brand itself, then the campaign is incorrect,” he said.
He encourages consumers to support Asian-owned businesses if they can. If they can’t and are choosing a brand or business that is using the holiday to promote themselves, he suggests asking if the business has worked with Asian staff or collaborators to come up with the marketing campaign.
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Article content“Have they done their homework and research into the cultural aspects? Are they paying tribute? Or looking into a charitable component of supporting Asian initiatives in the community?”
It’s become more important to younger consumers, especially with the sharp rise of anti-Asian racism during and since the pandemic, said Lui.
Last year, blogger and social media strategist Linda Hoang pointed out that North Vancouver’s Arc’teryx released what it described as a Lunar New Year’s jacket.
“It was an orange jacket and that was it. I shared that as a bad example. What about this makes it for the new year?”
This year, the company presented a campaign that highlights climber Alannah Yip and the artwork of visual artist Zinan Lam. He came up with a limited edition logo that features a rabbit in a tribute to 2023 the Lunar New Year of the rabbit.
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Article content“There’s a bigger description about the design of the rabbit, who they worked with and that’s all I could have asked for. Last year, it was just the title, ‘lunar new year jacket.’ This year, it says, ‘we actually worked with this Asian artist and this is what the rabbit is meant to say,” said Hoang.
Despite some successes, Lui said he had to shrug in disbelief at some of the disastrous Lunar New Year campaigns he is seeing online this week.
One of the most jarring came from KFC Thailand. It launched fried chicken-flavored incense sticks, displaying three of these burning in a box of chicken the way many Asian cultures would associate with grief and respect for deceased friends, relatives, and ancestors at funerals and cemeteries instead of the holiday’s focus on celebrating symbols of life, luck, abundance, and family reunion.
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Article content“It was catastrophic,” said Lui.
Even when Lunar New Year marketing isn’t culturally offensive, trying different ways to move beyond trivializing symbols and to the heart of feedback and collaboration can be helpful.
At Wild Sweets in Richmond, co-owner Dominque Duby has experimented with various offerings, hoping to appeal to customers who celebrate the holiday and come to him for his expertise in European chocolates.
One year, he created chocolates with the face of a mountain ram or goat to celebrate the Lunar New Year’s zodiac symbol.
“We introduced animal sculptures, which didn’t work very well,” said Duby.
Now, he packages chocolates and desserts in boxes and sleeves tied with auspicious red and gold ribbons that are ready for gift-giving, which is what customers said they need to have on hand.
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Article contentHe has also been involving his staff, most of whom celebrate the Lunar New Year.
This year, he came up with a sesame truffle that is based on the Chinese bakery sesame ball made with rice flour and filled with red bean paste. His version comes with a chocolate truffle shell filled with peanut butter praline and red bean paste rolled in caramelized white chocolate and toasted sesame seeds.
“We tested it with them (with our staff) and that’s how we did it,” said Duby.
Guide to some upcoming local Lunar New Year eventsStarting this Friday, Jan. 20, LunarFest features a number of events spread throughout the city, including lantern installations, art workshops, music, and food. A full schedule can be found at lunarfestvancouver.ca.
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Article contentAberdeen Centre in Richmond is hosting a “Countdown Night” on the evening of Saturday, Jan. 21 featuring stage shows. There will be a dragon and lion dance on Sunday, Jan. 22, and other performances. A schedule of events can be found at aberdeencentre.com.
The 48th Vancouver Chinatown Spring Festival Celebration parade will take place Sunday, Jan. 22. featuring traditional lion dance teams and other performers. It starts at 11 a.m. at the Millennium Gate on Pender Street.
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