Chinese New Year & Watch Industry: Year of the Snake Marketing Campaigns to Inspire Your Brand

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Rank Brand MIV® Placements Avg. MIV®
1. Blancpain $2.43M 1.30K $1.86K
2. Breguet $1.96M 1.14K $1.71K
3. Franck Muller $1.36M 921 $1.48K
4. CORUM $562K 184 $3.06K
5. RAYMOND WEIL $373K 192 $1.87K

The Insights Behind the Chinese New Year & Watch Industry

Despite recent economic slowdowns leading to polarized performances among luxury brands, China remains a cornerstone market for the industry, especially for premium and luxury watchmakers. According to the latest Bain & Company report, the long-term outlook for luxury in China remains optimistic, with a growing base of affluent consumers expected by 2030.

Chinese New Year (CNY) offers a unique opportunity for watch brands to connect with this key demographic. Not surprisingly, brands continue to dedicate significant effort, creativity, and budgets to their CNY campaigns, leveraging the cultural relevance of the zodiac to craft snake-themed collections for the Year of the Snake. Esteemed names like Franck Muller, CORUM, Blancpain, RAYMOND WEIL, and Breguet have embraced this tradition, blending artistic watchmaking with deep cultural resonance.

However, how effective are these campaigns in driving both cultural and commercial success? To better understand the impact, we conducted a benchmark analysis of five leading watch brands, evaluating the strategies they deployed and the outcomes achieved following the launch of their Year of the Snake collections. Our analysis uncovers key insights into what it takes to resonate authentically with Chinese consumers during this pivotal cultural moment.

  • Media Placements as a Core Driver of Brand Visibility: Media coverage emerged as a critical factor in amplifying the impact of Chinese New Year watch collections. For instance, Franck Muller's Silhouette CX Snake garnered significant attention through a feature by Hypebeast US, ranking among the brand’s top 10 media placements globally. This single article alone generated an impressive $15.3K in Media Impact Value (MIV). Similarly, RAYMOND WEIL experienced strong results with its Millésime Infinite Burgundy Limited Edition: 3 of the brand’s top 10 media placements last month highlighted this release. Combined, these placements accounted for 14% of the total MIV RAYMOND WEIL generated across all marketing efforts during this period.
  • Strategic Collaboration with APAC Influencers: Influencer partnerships in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region proved to be a pivotal promotional tactic. Blancpain leveraged its relationship with top regional influencer Biao Shu Wang Ji, who created two posts showcasing the new snake-themed watches—one on TikTok and one on WeChat. These posts alone generated $7K in MIV, underscoring the effectiveness of tapping into local digital platforms and influential voices to engage with culturally resonant audiences.
  • Investing in Chinese Social Media for Targeted Engagement: A critical strategy for the success of these collections has been the strategic use of Chinese social media platforms, particularly WeChat, to engage with APAC audiences. This approach allows brands to tap into one of the region's most influential digital ecosystems, ensuring maximum visibility and cultural relevance. For example, CORUM utilized its owned Chinese social media accounts to guarantee full coverage of its campaign launch, with a significant focus on WeChat. This ensured that the brand’s new collection reached a culturally attuned audience, driving awareness and interest in the region. Similarly, Breguet saw strong results from WeChat-based promotions. Zebra Magazine, a top-tier media outlet, posted an article on WeChat about Breguet’s Chinese New Year collection, generating an impressive $6.23K in Media Impact Value (MIV). Adding to this momentum, influencer An Shi Jian On Time (安时间) shared a single WeChat post about the same collection, which alone generated $4.22K in MIV.

As luxury watch brands pour significant budgets and efforts into elevated campaigns like Chinese New Year during this budget-conscious era, understanding the ROI of these investments is more critical than ever. Beyond the artistry and cultural relevance of snake-themed collections, the true measure of success lies in leveraging data and insights to evaluate performance. Launchmetrics data provides a foundation to refine and optimize future campaigns, setting the stage for a successful year ahead.

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