LSN : Daily Signals : The China Playbook: What brands get right and wrong about Chinese New Year campaigns

SXSW 2026: How can brands move on the pulse of culture?

Elf Up! Roblox experience

US – On day three of SXSW 2026, the conversation turned to one of the biggest buzzwords in modern marketing: community. The panel entitled You Can’t Create Cultural Relevance Without Community brought together Marcus Collins, professor, best-selling author and cultural scholar; Patrick O’Keefe, chief integrated marketing officer of Elf Beauty; Lisa Rosenberg, global president, consumer brands at Allison Worldwide; and Anne Santoro, senior vice-president of marketing at Dexcom, to explore why cultural relevance cannot be engineered, only earned.

Marketers, the panel argued, are no longer in control of discovery. Where mass media once centralised attention, today it emerges organically within communities. These communities do not reward sponsorship; they reward participation, authenticity and contribution. Brands that approach culture as a place to give, rather than take, are welcomed, turning audiences into collaborators and fostering loyalty that lasts.

Collins framed culture as a dual system of fast and slow elements: fast culture encompasses trends, behaviours and artefacts that shift quickly, while slow culture reflects deep-seated ideologies and values. Smart brands navigate the tension between the two, engaging meaningfully in real time without losing their foundational purpose.

Elf Beauty was cited as a prime example. Anchored in its core values of accessibility and inclusivity, the brand moves with the pace of culture, showing up boldly and contextually while remaining rooted in its mission. Head to our Brand Innovation Debrief report: Elf Beauty for more on the beauty brand’s Gen Z-winning strategies.

The panel reflected insights from our Neo-community Market, which examines how future-forward brands are shifting away from chasing algorithm-driven virality towards deeper, two-way connections with their communities, prioritising authenticity and behind-the-scenes storytelling.

Strategic opportunity

Anchor your brand in clear, value-driven slow culture, then activate through fast culture moments – co-creating with communities, contributing meaningfully and showing up contextually

The China Playbook: What brands get right and wrong about Chinese New Year campaigns

The China Playbook is a monthly briefing from Hot Pot China equipping businesses with the knowledge to navigate the complexities of the Asian premium lifestyle market.

China – We have entered the Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac, which is a rare astrological event that only happens once every 60 years. The Fire Horse is historically associated with high energy and volatility, and this is reflected in this year’s marketing.

: From red-washing to emotional realism

We’re seeing a shift very much away from the red-washing you find around Chinese New Year, and much more towards what Hot Pot China is calling emotional realism. Instead of just showing perfect families and utopian lives, brands like skincare company Kans are using humour to acknowledge the burnout and difficulties people are facing in their daily lives.

Does that mean the traditional Chinese New Year campaign is dead? ‘No,’ says Hot Pot’s Fan Tu-Cerny on The Hot Pot Table podcast, ‘I still see a lot of brands doing just the so-called common practice thing this year, like red everywhere and gold horses. I think that’s why Kans, Nike, The North Face and Céline stood out – they challenged the standard ways of storytelling. People are getting tired; if you have nothing to say, it’s also okay just to skip it.’

Breaking Through with Sport by Nike, China

: How Nike got it right

Nike released its Breaking Through with Sport film series in 2026, addressing the Chinese New Year ritual of talking about money and comparing salaries. The first film follows a young woman who responds with the number of kilometres she has run, rather than her salary. Another depicts children ranking their parents by job titles until one child breaks the mould, calling his father the MVP (most valuable player).

The most common mistake, says Fan, is when brands don’t count on a local team and come up with ideas that are beautiful on paper, but just don’t resonate with the market. ‘I loved the Nike campaign because it’s bringing back the nostalgia of its early 2000s ads where ‘everyone can be an athlete’,’ she said. ‘It added new, easy-to-understand insights reflecting on society, like kids competing about their dads being an MVP instead of a CEO.’

According to Hot Pot analysis, the campaign films (released on Rednote) reached more than 62,000 likes collectively.

Hot Pot’s CEO, Jonathan Travers-Smith, adds that the campaign’s strength lies in its in-built vulnerability. ‘Do we think people are sick of the ‘winner at all costs’ perfect life aspect?,’ he asks, ‘and relate more to brands that realise, maybe I didn’t smash my targets this year?’

Find more from Hot Pot here.

Strategic opportunity

Replace symbolic red-washing with culturally attuned storytelling that reflects lived realities – partnering with local teams to deliver humour, nostalgia and emotional honesty that resonates more deeply with Chinese consumers

Stat: How everyday rituals are becoming markers of status

Aurezzi, Sweden

Global – According to a recent report by global fashion and media brand Highsnobiety, status is becoming embedded in everyday rituals, environments and objects.

Drawing on a survey of 730 members of its global audience of Cultural Pioneers, alongside insights from about 1,000 Gen Z and Gen Y consumers in collaboration with the consumer insights platform GWI, the research also incorporates interviews with category experts and opinion leaders.

The first of the three-part series focused on the grocery sector underlines how identity is now performed through the ordinary. Some 73% of respondents say what’s in their bathroom cabinet reflects who they are, while 71% view groceries as a form of lifestyle expression. Meanwhile, 75% agree that certain food and drink brands feel part of a wider cultural world.

These shifts signal a move towards ritualised status, where meaning is embedded not in statement purchases, but in the curation of everyday life.

This mirrors findings from our Bougie Basics report, where we analysed how household activities and hygiene routines are being transformed into moments of everyday opulence.

Strategic opportunity

Embed status and identity signalling into everyday rituals by creating design-led products – from bathroom staples to pantry items – with elevated packaging, curated narratives and culturally resonant storytelling