Qixi Festival marketing cases: conveying Chinese-style romance

The Qixi Festival, 七夕节 (Qī xī jié) in Chinese, is named after the seventh day of the seventh lunar month in the traditional Chinese calendar. August 10th marked this year’s Qixi Festival, celebrated as Chinese Valentine's Day. This festival has its roots in the beloved folklore of the Cowherder and Weaver Girl, reflecting a uniquely Chinese sense of romance. As a result, many brands see it as an important opportunity for marketing. We selected a few Qixi festival marketing cases that will hopefully inspire you.

WINONA & KANS: gift box co-branded with Chinese traditional handicrafts

In the history of the Naxi people (纳西族) from Lijiang, Yunnan, there's a tale about a "Heavenly Maiden Weaving Brocade." The Weaver Girl wove beautiful brocade as a gift to the Naxi people, and in return, they wove blessings for the world. This Qixi Festival, Winona (薇诺娜), a Chinese skincare brand that focuses on providing dermatologically-tested products, particularly for sensitive skin, has partnered with Yunnan's brocade artisans to bring you the Winona Qixi Gift Box, inspired by the Weaver Girl's heartfelt gift. Winona hopes this gift will bring a touch of healing to your busy life. Moreover, Winona is challenging the traditional idea that only men give gifts to women on Qixi. The brand prepared nine reasons to give this gift box to someone special—whether it's a single friend, someone you care about, someone you’ve lost touch with, or even yourself.

WINONA Qixi-themed poster.

WINONA X Yunnan's brocade artisans gift box.

WINONA x Yunnan ZHIJIN (Brocade) Qixi-themed video 2024

KANS (韩束), a Chinese skincare brand that was launched in 2002, has collaborated with the Suzhou Silk Museum to create a special Suzhou embroidery gift box. This gift box symbolizes weaving threads of longing and love into the wind, the rain, and the elegant charm of Jiangnan, the south of the lower reaches of the Yangtze River.

KANS x Suzhou Silk Museum collab video images.

KANS x Suzhou Silk Museum collab video image

KANS x Suzhou Silk Museum Qixi-themed gift box.

Hermès & Burberry: animated short films to depict the Qixi romance

For Qixi festival, Hermès has introduced a special collection of beloved gifts and released two animated short films. The story unfolds by the seaside, where waves of affection flow endlessly. A couple dances, plays, and exercises together on the beach, building a fortress of love and folding paper boats to set romance afloat.

Hermès Qixi Festival-themed animated short film 1

Hermès Qixi Festival-themed animated short film 2

Hermès animated film images and corresponding products.

Burberry has launched a special gift collection featuring T-shirts, dresses, and scarves. The inspiration comes from the swan, a symbol of enduring love. Known for its graceful nature and tendency to pair up, swans are often seen by park ponds and coexist harmoniously with humans, embodying elegance, love, and commitment.

Burberry’s Qixi-themed collection with swan element.

Burberry’s Qix-themed white rocking horse bag with its curved silhouette.

Additionally, the brand has created a themed animation inspired by the limited-edition collection. As the sunset casts its glow, a pair of lovers dressed in Burberry's Qixi limited-edition pieces sit by the lakeside. In the lake, two swans gracefully intertwine their necks.

Burberry Qixi-themed animated short filme images.

SK-II: immersive offline pop-up stores

SK-II has teamed up with fashion illustrator Pencil Bryan to launch the "SK-II Qixi Limited Edition Gift Box." This special edition features five expressions of true love, depicted through illustrations that allow for colouring. Additionally, SK-II is partnering with JD.com Super Brand Day to present a limited-time pop-up "House of Love" from August 3rd to 10th on Yuyuan Road, Shanghai. The pop-up will showcase five themed spaces including "Sweet Love," "Timeless Love," and "Nurturing Love," inviting consumers to explore and immerse themselves in the romance of Qixi festival.

SK-II Qixi-themed immersive pop-ups.

SK-II Qixi-themed products.

SK-II Qixi-themed immersive pop-ups.

Consumers were experiencing products at SK-II Qixi-themed pop up.

NAIXUE & PROYA: romantic product designs with elements from “dopamine“ trend

Tea brand NAIXUE has launched a campaign themed “Love is Blue,” with their cups and merchandise gifts adorned in romantic shades of blue, reminiscent of Tiffany Blue. NAIXUE believes blue represents the source of life and the essence of beauty, embodying the eternal romance of the cosmos and the ocean. In collaboration with Xiaohongshu, they are hosting a themed marketing initiative that invites users to complete tasks and share notes on Xiaohongshu to win exclusive merchandise and gifts on the platform. During last year’s Qixi festival, NAIXUE’s cups were romantic pink. UGC content on Xiaohongshu shows that consumers are enthusiastic about this colour marketing approach, tapping into the "dopamine trend" of mood-boosting self-care through vibrant, colourful clothing, objects, and decor.

NAIXUE's Qixi-themed limited-edition products this year.

NAIXUE's Qixi-themed limited-edition products in 2023.

PROYA has collaborated with fashion designer Susan Fang to launch a collection of romantic and creative co-branded products. The collection incorporates Susan Fang’s signature bead elements and print designs into PROYA’s products. The special edition gift box retains PROYA’s original heart-shaped design, combined with Susan Fang’s unique prints in a gradient of red, white, and blue, creating a serene and romantic atmosphere filled with love.

PROYA Qixi-themed gift box design 2024.

Wrapping up

Launching limited-edition gift boxes or product packaging for Qixi or other holidays is a common approach for brands. The challenge lies in creatively integrating the holiday theme to build emotional connections and deeply engage consumers, possibly through co-creation. This year, while the examples above haven't been particularly exceptional, there are some creative efforts. It might be that Qixi, being one of traditional Chinese festival, hasn’t yet achieved the same level of audience reach as more widely engaged holidays like Chinese New Year or International Women's Day.