In this episode, Michael Norris, research and strategy manager at AgencyChina, joins Lauren to discuss the growing intersection of luxury and gaming. Their topics include collaborations with virtual influencers, luxury brands creating their own games or gamifying the shopping experience, and brands creating product lines influenced by characters from popular online games. 

This trend is not only in China — it is a global phenomenon — so Michael and Lauren also discuss the origins of the trend, how it manifests itself in the West as compared with in China, and how it might develop in the future. To help illustrate the trend, they have shared several case studies, which we have provided links to below. 

Lauren’s new article:

The greatest threat to global cosmetics’ China success: An interview with D2C unicorn Perfect Diary 

Resources:

Global phenomenon

• LV: Lightning - a virtual heroine
• Even better than the real thing? Meet the virtual influencers taking over your feeds
• You can try on the latest Adidas sneaker drop on Snapchat
• From Animal Crossing to esports: How fashion met gaming
• Animal Crossing

China angle

• Dissecting the 10 best luxury WeChat campaigns
• Luxury brands Hermès, Guerlain and Dior use mobile games to attract Chinese millennials
• Beauty games: M.A.C. lipstick collaboration with Tencent mobile game sells out in 24 hours (not specifically luxury, but relevant)
• Why luxury brands are betting on Bilibili
• Alibaba uses lockdown to promote its virtual avatar game
• Can virtual influencers and avatars change the face of Chinese ecommerce?
• What could be the next trend for livestreaming?

Guest: Michael Norris

LinkedIn | Twitter

Host: Lauren Hallanan

Website | LinkedIn | WeChat: H1212118514

Check out Lauren’s book: Digital China: Working with Bloggers, Influencers and KOLs.

­To learn more about marketing in China, sign up for Lauren’s newsletter: The China Marketing Update.

This podcast was edited and produced by Jason MacRonald.