This week’s guest blog post from Fashionbi will focus on some insightful Weibo analytics for the Italian brand Bottega Veneta.

Bottega Veneta is a brand that has not only made a move into China, but they have made a successful move into China, delivering fashion, culture and art. This is one Italian brand that places a strong marketing emphasis on their Italian heritage and craftsmanship but what we love is the way they do it both online and offline inside of China. 

Bottega Veneta – Soaring Male Engagement 

Bottega Veneta ensures that they share all and any type of news related to the brand on their Weibo channel. From new store openings, to exhibitions inside of China or simply a preview of their new collection. They also make sure to post images of their products, whether it is the new collection, the new advertising campaign or a collaborative collection. One fact that we found interesting at Fashionbi was the comparison between a post dedicated to the latest Autumn/Winter mens series, and the Autumn/Winter women’s series. The men’s post was a photo featuring men’s accessories that generated 35 reposts and 9 comments. The image of the autumn/winter women’s series was filled with small accessories including leather gloves that generated less engagement with 23 reposts and 3 comments. But thanks to the power behind Fashionbi, we were able to see that the overall engagement from Men increased by 14% to bring the engagement of men to 50% during the month of August. Half of the engagement! The women’s engagement dropped by 10%, to a total of 50%. In this case it is a helpful hint for the brand to understand that their current engaging fans on Weibo are an even split between half female and half male. It is important for the brand to note that although this may not be the case in other parts of the world, in China the story is different. The Weibo strategy should not focus on only female handbags but it should equally promote and acknowledge both sexes. Which it seems they are already mastering, as one post was dedicated to their new Winter series of bags, but it was a collection of large leather bags, that are suitable for a long weekend trip for both genders. Another post that appeals strongly to both sexes, was a post on their classic intrecciato woven leather stationery that is a perfect gift or home decor piece. The post proved that the Chinese consumers, are not only looking for fashion products, but for the home decor side of Bottega, as the post generated 29 reposts and 14 comments.

Art Exhibitions and Fashion

So it’s not all just about fashion? This is a brand that is telling their story inside of China. Bottega Veneta opened a global concept store dedicated to showcasing the work of the new generation of artists and photographers. The aim is to build a cultural awareness around the brand and to support the commitment of young artists and lastly for consumers to experience a complete shopping experience and to really experience the brand’s heritage. The exhibition opened at the Rock Bund in Shanghai and it was promoted via Weibo. Thanks to Fashionbi Weibo Analytics we were able to see that 30% of follower’s engagement was coming from Shanghai. One post dedicated to the concept store/exhibition generated 145,440 audience reach and one of the most popular user hashtags was Art Exhibition in the Chinese language. The Chinese consumers are hungry for more and looking for the experience that brand’s like Bottega Veneta are delivering with an Art Exhibition, the Yifeng Art Exhibition.

Product Placement

Weibo can be a great source of feedback from Chinese consumers. Bottega Veneta’s autumn/winter collection features a new color of the season, safran amber and they made sure to place images of this new color directly onto their Weibo page. And the reaction? The two combined posts averaged an almost 80 reposts and over 22 comments. We love the color and believe it is stunning combined with the beauty of the intrecciato weaving technique. That’s not all, we have one last tip for luxury brands that are looking to strategize their next move on the Weibo network, always ensure that a user can view your Weibo page clearly from a mobile device. It is super important that photos load properly on mobile devices, because thanks to Fashionbi we analyzed that 45% of engagers on Bottega Veneta’s Weibo page were coming from an iPhone.

Bottega Veneta has seen their sales rapidly rising inside of China, and their unique marketing approach and communication strategy is certainly one that has not showed disappointment. The brand is seeking a clear understanding of the Chinese consumer and connecting with that consumer to create more than just a shopping experience, but an emotional connection with the consumer.

Are you considering Weibo marketing for your business?

Contact Market Me China to learn about this new and exciting marketing channel. 

Contribution by Courtney Gerring, Digital PR at Fashionbi. Fashionbi is is the world leader in Business Intelligence for the Fashion industry. Fashionbi empowers fashion marketers to make smart decisions. Fashionbi is the first and only worldwide fashion brands database and a passionate team of international analysts, helping you connect the dots behind the big data and guiding you to optimize the marketing efforts.