Best Practice for Limited Edition Products in the Year of the Dragon 2024

In 2024, many brands are leveraging the Chinese zodiac 'Dragon' for product marketing. While this presents a great opportunity for localization and customer attraction, there's a risk of your brand's uniqueness being overshadowed by generic Chinese New Year and Dragon clichés. This article delves into various brands' limited edition New Year products, offering insights on how to leverage the 'dragon' effectively and New Year theme in your marketing strategies for 2024.

Guerlain: a dragon adorned with 142 Swarovski crystals

Guerlain launched its first commemorative edition fragrance, featuring the majestic dragon as the symbol for the year. The classic Flacon aux Abeilles perfume bottle is vibrant red and decorated with a splendid golden dragon. Crafted with precision by jewellers, each bottle undergoes a refinement and polishing process, transforming the metal into pure 24K gold. The dragon is individually adorned with a total of 142 Swarovski crystals and 4 droplet-shaped crystals. This limited edition perfume comes in 125 ml bottles, totalling 1,855 pieces, and includes a 30 ml spray bottle along with a funnel for convenient portability. It is now available on Guerlain's official website, priced at 750 euros.

Guerlain Flacon aux Abeilles Perfume - Dragon Year Limited Edition

Clé de Peau Beauté: inspired by cloisonne technique

Clé de Peau Beauté (CPB) partners with Xiwen, an expert in the cloisonné technique—an intangible cultural heritage of China—to revamp the packaging for its best-selling serum and cushion foundation. Drawing inspiration from the traditional Chinese jaded ware shaped like a dragon ('玉龙觿' in Chinese), used to undo knots symbolizing overcoming challenges successfully in the new year. The new packaging, reflecting the brand's concept of 'delicate, intelligent, and intransigent,' not only show respect to Chinese culture but also enhances brand awareness.

Clé de Peau Beauté Serum and Cushion Foundation - Dragon Year Limited Edition

La Mer: inspired by the dragon scale binding (‘龙鳞装’ in Chinese)

La Mer has collaborated with Xiaodong Zhang, an artist and inheritor of the nearly lost bookbinding method 'dragon scale binding', to craft the packaging for their limited edition products. In addition to the iconic products, the gift set features red pockets adorned with dragon scale elements, a traditional Chinese tea pot, and a Chinese chess set. The peacock blue and turquoise packaging not only reflects the brand's luxurious aesthetic but also incorporates elements of cultural richness and tradition.

La Mer New Year Gift Set

Bonpoint: a baby dragon created by Eiko Maekawa

In common perception, the dragon is often associated with majesty and power, portraying a serious image. However, the French children's clothing brand Bonpoint takes a delightful approach, considering dragons as friends to children, playfully celebrating the arrival of the new year. To bring this concept to life, the brand collaborated with Japanese illustrator Eiko Maekawa, who crafted lively baby dragons that perfectly resonate with Bonpoint's playful and lively brand image.

Bonpoint Cleansing Cream (Left) & Facial Cream - Dragon Year Limited Edition

Lululemon: the lanterns and Chinese calligraphy set

Canada's prominent sport & outdoor brand has unveiled a 2024 gift set titled 'Good Mood in the New Year.' This set features the brand's best-selling 'leggings,' accompanied by a lantern, two bottles of ink, and a Chinese brush pen cleverly designed as a retro record player. Instead of incorporating the 'Dragon' element, the set embraces three meaningful symbols – luck words, a lantern, and a calligraphy set. These symbols convey well-wishes for the new year, family unity, and respect for Chinese traditional culture. Through this integration of Chinese culture, Lululemon effectively showcases its top products while narrating the brand's story about China.

Lululemon New Year Gift Set

Louis Vuitton: offline dragon exhibition

During New Year's, the dragon-themed art installations created by the French luxury brand Louis Vuitton made appearances in the streets of Shanghai, Beijing, and Chengdu, China. The dragon was depicted in green, symbolizing the Year of the Azure Dragon ('青龙年' in Chinese), where '青' specifically conveys the color green. From dragon teeth decorated with diamonds to pearl claws, the exquisite and symbolic LV logo as the dragon eyes attracted numerous tourists to take photos and post on Chinese social media like Little Red Book (Xiaohongshu). The installation effectively captures the characteristics of the Chinese dragon while seamlessly integrating Louis Vuitton's iconic brand elements, reflecting the luxury brand's ultimate pursuit of overall image integrity and brand expression consistency in every aspect.

Louis Vuitton Offline Dragon Installation

ARC'TERYX: yellow, the symbolic color of majesty and power

When most brands leverage Chinese lucky red in packaging, ARC'TERYX, the Canadian outdoor apparel brand, opts for yellow and black as the primary colors for their new year 'ALPHA SV' interchange jacket. This choice draws inspiration from ancient China, where only the emperor could wear yellow, symbolizing power and royalty. Additionally, the yellow and black combination offers a more everyday aesthetic compared to the traditional red. The jacket features 'dragon scales' design on both cuffs and inside pockets, adding a unique touch. Initially priced at 8200 yuan ($1154), the exclusive jackets later saw a price increase to 12,000 yuan ($1688) on the second-hand platform.

ARC'TERYX Interchange Jacket 'ALPHA SV'  

Butterful & Creamorous: Dongbei quilted coats (‘东北大花袄’ in Chinese)

Butterful & Creamorous (B&C), the Korean bakery, seamlessly weaves the traditional northeastern Chinese outfit known as the 'Dongbei quilted coat' (‘东北大花袄’ in Chinese) into its packaging design. With the tag 'Dongbei quilted coat' accumulating over 26 million views on Little Red Book and being considered a part of Chinese chic highly popular among the youth, this strategic move is aimed at capturing the attention of the younger generation, perfectly aligning with B&C's targeted audience.

Butterful & Creamorous Packaging Bags - 2024 New Year Edition

Chali: Chinese traditional custom activity ‘shadow puppets’ (‘皮影戏’ in Chinese)

Chali, the high-end Chinese tea bag brand, presents a limited-edition New Year gift set inspired by the traditional Chinese custom of 'shadow puppets.' Infused with elements like the 'dragon dance,' red pockets, and gilt letters, the set seamlessly merges Eastern aesthetics with heartfelt New Year wishes, evoking nostalgic memories of childhood. This considerate inclusion not only elevates the festive spirit but also contributes to the brand's extended reach through secondary dissemination.

Chali New Year Gift Set

Winona: Jia Horse Culture of Yunnan Province, China

The Chinese beauty brand specializing in sensitive skin has unveiled a captivating New Year gift set inspired by the Jia Horse culture of Yunnan Province, China. According to legend, Jia Horses possess the ability to see people's wishes and bring them to fruition. This gift set not only features the brand's best-selling moisturizing lotion, cream, and extra care essence but also includes an addition of five elegant stickers and cards. These artistic elements are adorned with designs inspired by Jia Horse woodcuts, known for their distinct Chinese chic aesthetic. By staying attuned to trends and captivating the youth, this gift set seamlessly combines tradition with modern allure.

Winona New Year Gift Set

Key Takeaway

After reviewing the limited products offered by various brands, it becomes evident that the landscape of New Year's marketing is both innovative and competitive. To stand out and avoid homogeneity, brands could venture beyond the conventional dragon element. By tapping into the Chinese traditional culture, brands can tell stories that not only show respect for customs but also foster trust among consumers.

Furthermore, embracing social media platforms for increased interaction with the audience is significant. This approach not only facilitates a deeper connection but also allows brands to curate a unique shopping experience that resonates with consumers on a more personal level.