10 awesome Lunar New Year marketing ideas

For marketers, this is a time of year full of shining celebrations and rich traditions, and it offers a wonderful opportunity to connect with customers. Whether or not your product relates to the holiday, you can create an awesome Lunar New Year marketing campaign by using an imaginative touch and working toward the right goals. Check out these inspirational examples that struck a chord with consumers in recent years.

Apple’s Lunar New Year marketing involved hiring a creative agency to create a 15-minute short film called Little Garlic, in which a young girl struggles with her looks and identity.

The short film was shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max using the Action and Cinematic modes. This ad creatively shows how the product works and tells a touching story about common insecurities.

Here are some Lunar New Year videos from Envato to help you tell your own brand story:

In this Lunar New Year marketing ad, Time Internet highlights family interactions during this holiday while also adding humor. It creatively shares with customers that they can customize their internet to their preferences.

When using humor in an ad, you must respect the culture you’re celebrating—you definitely don’t want to offend customers. Time Internet found a way to be respectful and showcase the essence of the holiday while adding humor.

Barbie partnered with Guo Pei for their Lunar New Year marketing. The renowned Chinese couturier balanced artistic heritage with contemporary innovation in the two-piece created for Barbie.

Another company that created themed merchandise for their Chinese New Year marketing is Starbucks. They came out with limited edition mugs, cold cups, and tumblers featuring a wood dragon design on the merchandise. This is an easy way to celebrate the holiday, and creating limited-time merchandise will excite collectors or brand enthusiasts.

Here are some Lunar New Year graphics from Envato that you can use on your branded merchandise:

Culture is important in Chinese New Year marketing, and Huawei emphasized that in its holiday ad. It showcased a traditional fire dragon dance, which is supposed to bring health, wealth, and happiness for the Chinese New Year.

In the end, the ad emphasizes Huawei’s product goal of creating human connections through technology. When including culture in marketing, it’s essential to understand the culture you’re trying to portray or represent.

Nike’s recent Lunar New Year marketing campaign was called “Dragon Soars New Year” and was based on the concept of the hidden dragon. The hidden dragon embodies traditional Chinese beliefs in a person’s potential, patience, and the eventual revelation of their abilities.

Nike created three short films showcasing three people who danced to hip-hop while wearing streetwear. Along with the ads, Nike released a limited edition Year of the Dragon version of its Air Force 1 Low sneakers in China. The film and the sneakers took advantage of the growing streetwear trend in China.

A recent trend has been to practice mindfulness and to pay attention to your well-being. Lululemon’s Chinese New Year marketing reframes mindfulness with the short film Be Spring. This film features Michelle Yeo and eight theatrical dancers from the Shenzhen Opera and Dance Theatre.

The film takes place in the Jingning and Xiandu mountains and celebrates the arrival of spring, a season signifying rebirth and new beginnings. In this ad, Lululemon used current trends while respecting the holiday culture. Following trends, when done respectfully, can show customers that your brand is relevant to contemporary culture.

User-generated content (UGC) is becoming more popular. Brands increasingly use videos that customers post about their products and repost them on social media.

In this TikTok video, Panda Express uses UGC to promote their product in a relatable way for Chinese New Year marketing. Posts like this can inspire, show how a product works, and attract new customers.

Here are some Lunar New Year themed graphics and videos that you can use on social media:

In this commercial by Singapore supermarket NTUC Fair Price, a little girl tells the story of a great race from ancient Chinese mythology. In the story, the dragon doesn’t win the race because it is helping people.

This example of Chinese New Year marketing evokes comparisons between the brand’s role in Singapore’s Chinese New Year festivities and the helpful spirit of the dragon. It also encourages people to carry the Dragon Spirit by helping others in the New Year. This ad is an excellent example of wholesome marketing and how you can capture the holiday spirit while still advertising your product.

Prada’s Lunar New Year marketing in the Year of the Tiger contributed to a cause as a part of their Action in the Year of the Tiger campaign.

They contributed to the conservation of endangered Amur Tigers by donating to China Green Foundation’s “Walking with Tiger and Leopard” program to raise awareness for wildlife and biodiversity. Donating to a cause can boost a brand’s image and allow customers to feel they’re making an impact when buying the product. When deciding what cause to contribute, follow Prada’s example and choose one relevant to the celebrated holiday.

McDonald’s Chinese New Year marketing used an augmented reality filter designed by Karen X Cheng. Users experienced the 3D AR filter on Instagram, and there was also a dance party with Cheng in avatar form in the Metaverse. This campaign was a creative way to interact with customers while staying relevant to the holiday.

Now that you’ve read about some Lunar New Year marketing ideas consider using them in your next holiday marketing campaign. Envato has you covered with marketing materials, icons, fonts, web templates, and more if you need digital assets.

For more holiday marketing inspiration, check out our articles on Valentine’s Day marketing ideas and Halloween marketing trends.