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Tag: craze

  • Watsons creates a ‘family’ of collectables to tap into character craze

    Watsons creates a ‘family’ of collectables to tap into character craze

    Health and beauty retail giant Watsons has unveiled its new initiative, The Watsons Family, a character-driven brand strategy set to enhance customer interaction throughout Asia.

    The Watsons Family Initiative

    The Watsons Family comprises 16 distinctive characters inspired by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). These characters are featured on the packaging of various Own Brand products, ranging from skincare to body care essentials. This creative marketing concept makes the packaging itself an appealing and collectible item.

    The campaign is set to kick off in Hong Kong where three core characters will take center stage:

    – Sunny, representing wellness supplements.
    – Kilo, symbolizing energy and wellness.
    – Flora, embodying beauty through facial masks.

    Jared DeGuzman, Customer Director of Brand Marketing at Watsons, explained that the objective of this campaign is to transition the brand from traditional retail into a more experience-driven model.

    “We are leveraging the power of character-based storytelling,” DeGuzman shared. “Our aim is to create a health and beauty universe that not only sells products but also brings joy, inspiration, and a sense of community to our customers across Asia.”

    Retail Transformation

    As part of the campaign, Watsons stores in Hong Kong will feature branded visuals, interactive campaigns, digital extensions, and even meet and greet events with the characters.

    Following its initial launch, the expansion of The Watsons Family will continue into Mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand. These new markets will be supported by significant marketing campaigns tailored to each region.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the purpose of The Watsons Family initiative?
    The Watsons Family initiative is designed to transform Watsons from a traditional retailer into a more experiential brand, using character-driven storytelling to create a universe where health and beauty are sources of joy, inspiration, and community connection.

    Who are the three flagship characters of The Watsons Family initiative?
    The three main characters are Sunny, who represents wellness supplements; Kilo, embodying energy and wellness; and Flora, symbolizing beauty through facial masks.

    Where will The Watsons Family initiative be launched and expanded?
    The campaign will initially roll out in Hong Kong and later expand into Mainland China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Thailand.

  • Craze for Starbucks Korea’s reward items appears unstoppable

    Craze for Starbucks Korea’s reward items appears unstoppable

    Amid the hype for Starbucks Korea’s small suitcases offered under its reward program, customers’ competition to get camping chairs, another promotional item, ran high this week ahead of an end to the seasonal event.

    On May 21, Starbucks kicked off a summer promotional event that finished today, giving away limited editions of goods to customers under its “e-frequency” rewards program.

    To secure one of two “summer-ready bags” or one of three foldable “summer chairs,” a person needed to drink 17 beverages, including three seasonal ones.

    It’s a seasonal event, but this year, the craze to secure pink or green summer-ready bags was high enough to see the formation of long queues in front of Starbucks outlets nationwide at dawn.

    As stockpiles for the suitcases recently ran out, customers’ last-minute race to get camping chairs heated up early yesterday morning.

    People’s repeated search for the number of remaining chairs with the Starbucks app caused the application’s functions to freeze at one point, according to the company.

    “Since I got a summer chair in early June, I’ve made several attempts to receive a green bag. But I gave up after seeing some 50 people waiting in front of me when I arrived 30 minutes earlier than the opening hour,” said a 39-year-old office worker surnamed Jung.

    Indeed, demand for the summer-ready bags, in particular the pink ones, ran high, riding on the popularity of products targeting “home camping clans” during the new coronavirus outbreak.

    In late May, one customer purchased 300 cups of coffee at once at a Starbucks branch in Seoul’s financial district of Yeouido. Snatching 17 summer bags, the person reportedly took just one cup and left the rest behind in the store.

    The move caused an uproar as the remaining 299 cups were said to go down the drain.

    The Starbucks gift items and stamp-like e-frequency rewards are being traded on local secondhand marketplace applications, including Danggeun Market.

    To collect 17 e-frequency stamps costs less than about US$75 when a customer buys 17 drinks including 14 tall-sized Americanos.

    Someone posted a pink suitcase for sale on the online Danggeun Market yesterday for $100.

    “I sold 10 e-frequency stamps that I’ve collected for $3 within three minutes of putting them up for sale,” said a 29-year-old office worker surnamed Lee.

    “I got two Starbucks chairs earlier this month, but it’s hard to explain why people, including me, have been so into the craze.”

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