January 2020 saw Nike roll out its first marketing around Chinese New Year in the form of a witty commercial which adds a twist onto the tradition of the hongbao red envelope gift.
These envelopes are typically filled with money and given by elder family members to children for good luck.
Developed in harness with creative agency Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai, the 90-second spot is based around a cat-and-mouse game between an aunt attempting to give an envelope and her niece who repeatedly declines out of politeness.
The narrative arc opens with the niece as a young girl (complete with a classic/clichéd/conventional ‘lucky’ Chinese bowl hairstyle. Her aunt attempts to give her a red envelope, but the girl quickly to refuses as it is clear her mum doesn’t want her to accept it. But she is not quite fast enough, as her aunt slips the envelope into her niece’s pocket and makes a quick exit.
Then, as the years tick by (and fashions change), the giting game/struggle gets more and more intense until the niece decides to pull on a pair Nike’s to try to outrun her determined aunt.
Comment:
Each Lunar New Year, Chinese people engage in the time honoured tradition of gitfinh cash in small red envelopes known called红包.
The tradition is practiced with many variations, but it is generally older family members who gift them to the young…..who in turn continue the tradition once they are grown and married. Thus creating a cycle of good fortune.
As a show of respect, it is usual and polite to kindly decline these gifts when initially presented, before eventually accept out politeness as a sign of respect.
All those old enough to remember the HSBC commercials will be familiar with the tradition.
Links:
Nike
https://www.youtube.com/user/nike
https://www.instagram.com/nike/
Wieden+Kennedy Shanghai
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