Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 664

Proceedings of the 2022 8th International Conference on Humanities and Social Science Research (ICHSSR 2022)

Marketing Strategy of Chanel Advertisement in

Chinese Market
Yusen Liu1, *
1
Shaanxi Normal University, Xi'an, Shaanxi, 710000, China
*
Corresponding author. Email: leonforyoung@foxmail.com

ABSTRACT
Chanel's sales in China have skyrocketed in recent years. In all the strategies of Chanel, advertising strategy accounted
for the most important part. The research background of this study is based on the advertising forms and advertising
contents of Chanel in China in the past ten years, as well as the sales changes of Chanel in recent years and the growth
of the number of physical stores. Through content analysis as the main research method, the researcher conduct in-depth
analysis and discussion of Chanel's advertising strategy in China. In addition, this study not only reveals the influence
of Chanel's advertising strategy in the Chinese market, but also provides many suggestions for Chanel to make better
use of advertising as a means of business in the Chinese market in the future. And the study's recommendations can be
applied to other brands as well. The researcher' in-depth analysis lead to two most important conclusions. One is that
Chanel has gradually shifted the focus of its advertising platform to Douyin. The other is that Chanel pays much attention
to the role of cultural construction and persuasion mechanism in advertisements in China.

Keywords: Marketing strategy, Chanel, Advertisement

Chinese market. The combination of online and offline

1. INTRODUCTION
advertising placement gives Chanel more opportunities
Chanel brand started in 1910, Gabrielle Bonheur to stimulate consumers’ interest and desire for products.
Chanel opened an accessories shop in Rue Cambon Street Offline ads are typically displayed on LED screens in
21 in France. Chanel launched hats, dresses and casual shopping malls or on the walls of city financial centres.
wear. In 1914, Chanel opened two fashion stores, the They are usually very colourful and eye-catching so that
brand Chanel announced the official birth. In 1924, consumers can feel the charm and detail of the product.
Chanel launched its first cosmetics collection. And in On the other hand, online ads are usually posted in the
1978 Chanel launched its first ready-to-wear collection. form of videos or pictures on TV, or on some social
As Chanel is always chasing fashion, all Chanel products software. In China, Weibo has become the main
have good quality and are extremely distinctive. What’s promotion site for Chanel's online advertising. These ads
more, Chanel is also a feminist promoter, its simple and are usually in collaboration with influencers, including
elegant design breaks the shackles of traditional women’s stars, celebrities, and some KOLs. For example, Zhou
wear, which make it highly praised by people. Today, Xun, a famous Chinese actress, is the first spokesperson
Chanel is a famous luxury brand in all over the world. In of Chanel in China. Her campaign and ads have been
December 2020, the World Brand Laboratory’s “2020 widely circulated on Weibo.
World Brand 500” announced, Chanel ranked 34th. China's first Chanel store opened in 1999 at the
In order to expand business territory, Chanel made a Peninsula Beijing Palace. On February 23, 2001, Chanel
series of commercial marketing strategies. When we pay (China) Trading Co., Ltd. was registered in the free trade
attention to the promotion activities in Chinese market, zone market supervision administration. The legal
we find that Chanel focuses on marketing its products representative is Robert Wilkins. The company's
through advertising. One of the most successful business scope includes the warehousing (except
advertisements is the Chanel No. 5 perfume series, which dangerous goods) and distribution of consumer goods
has received nearly 100 million views. Chanel No. 5 such as fashion, watches, jewelleries and cosmetics.
perfume also achieves the highest sales volume in the Since then, Chanel officially entered the Chinese market.
Since Chanel entered the Chinese market 20 years ago,

Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

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Chanel has sticked to the top of the global luxury line. All different strategies of identity [3]. In addition, there are
its products are imported from France. At present, Chanel studies that define consumer social media engagement
do not do a deputy brand and put the agent in China. At and its four dimensions: consciousness, emotion, rational
the same time, Chanel also found many celebrities in thinking and identification based on the theory of
China to cooperate with to promote the product. Such as participation and characteristics of social media [4].
spokesperson Zhou Xun, brand ambassadors William However, both of these studies have certain limitations.
Chan, Jing Boran, Liu Shishi and so on. They are too macro to carry out marketing strategies for
brand advertising in specific cases. In Liu Xuanyu's
At present, Chanel has 23 ready-to-wear stores and
discussion, he specifically studied Douyin (a short video
more than 100 beauty stores in China. China has become
software in China) in brand advertising communication
the world's largest market in terms of sales volume and
methods. By analysing the current marketing advertising
number of customers. Chanel's prices are also rising in
types and short video marketing methods of clothing
China. Its famous Classic Flap Bag, for example, has
brands, he summarized the characteristics of Douyin
risen by nearly 20, 000 yuan in just three years. In
video marketing of clothing brands and put forward
addition, some of its coats cost more than 200,000 yuan.
suggestions on making use of Douyin video to create
Chanel has become one of the top luxury brands in China.
marketing hot spots for clothing brands [5].
Despite the COVID-19 outbreak, the Chinese market has
maintained an upward trend. This is closely related to In addition, two studies have carried out in-depth
Chanel's advertising strategy in the Chinese market. studies on the connotation of Chanel's perfume
Through the analysis of Chanel's advertising strategy, the advertisement, and obtained the conclusion of how the
researcher can explore the business model and advertisement is successful by studying the connotation.
commercial value of Chanel, and better predict how to The first is the study of Li Xiang, who studied the
better develop the Brand in the Chinese market in the presentation and body language of women's bodies in
future. COCO perfume, reflecting the dual attitude of feminist
resistance and compromise under the traditional male
2. LITERATURE REVIEW gaze [6]. The other is a work by Li Huimin. From the
perspective of semiotics, she analysed the symbolic
With advertising playing an increasingly important meaning of Gabrielle perfume, the symbolic construction
role in people’s life, many scholars have carried out of the advertising and spokesmen of the perfume and the
research on advertising and its audience acceptability. spiritual connotation of perfume [7].
According to Liu Jie's research, she combined the basic
principles of semiotics and the theory of symbol Another focus of the theme is the metaphor of Chanel
mythology to explore the symbol construction system advertising. There are often many multimodal
and symbol persuasion mechanism in luxury metaphorical cognitive constructions in Chanel
advertisements by analysing the symbol system in advertisements. These metaphors have become an
Chanel No. 5 perfume film and television important support point of its advertising marketing
advertisements. She also provides some ideas for the strategy. Xue Mingyuan's research focuses on the
persuasiveness and influence of luxury advertising from cognitive construction of multimodal metonymy and
the perspective of semiotics [1]. Other studies have metaphor and their dynamic relationship in advertising,
focused on Chanel's global advertising media team. taking the advertising text of Chanel No. 5 perfume
WPP's Plus exclusive team (Wei Mai) is its current global micro-film as an example [8]. Judith Brown focuses on
media agent. Wei Mai and its predecessor MEC have modernism in advertising [9]. Hafifah SIti takes a
been responsible for Chanel's media affairs for a long different approach, using a qualitative descriptive
time [2]. approach. The source of the data being analysed is 12
images: a group of photo teasers obtained from the
Although there are few studies about the official Website of Chanel, and the data is the visual
advertisement of Chanel, there are many studies on element of each visual graphic [10].
advertising and marketing. There are more in-depth
studies on the perspective of the new media environment. These studies and theories above help the researcher
It discusses that publishers of advertorials achieve ideal understand some background information in advance.
marketing effect by constructing dynamic pragmatic However, there still exist a research gap. There is a lot of
identity through discourse. To WeChat public number information about Chanel's marketing strategy, but very
respectively according to the men and women in the little about how it works in the Chinese market. The
audience of a similar brand commodity's eight soft text purpose of the research is to better understand the
ads for example, according to the address forms, content development of Chanel in the Chinese market by
and characteristics of discourse and speech act three analysing Chanel's advertising and marketing strategies
discourse strategy, a comparative analysis from the in China. At the same time, through the analysis of
perspective of pragmatic identity publishers for different Chanel's advertising, this study can also provide
gender audience construct the same default identity and

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reference for other brands on how to use advertising for What’s more, in addition to videos, Douyin is also
better marketing. becoming an online shopping app. For certain themed
activities or festivals, Douyin will offer some new
In order to achieve the desired goals of this study and
products in advance of physical stores, and offer large
let the significance of this study can be put into practice.
discounts. For example, Singles' Day is a traditional
This research will study marketing strategy of Chanel
Shopping festival in China. Chanel offers its new
advertisement in Chinese market through content
products to Douyin for sale in advance. Meanwhile,
analysis.
buyers can also receive many gifts when they buy the
products. On this year's Singles' Day, for example, if
3. METHODOLOGY consumers buy a 50ml bottle of perfume, they will also
The main method used by the researcher is content receive three 15ml bottles of different styles, which are
analysis. The researcher trawled online literature and not available in physical stores. Last but not least, Douyin
observed Chanel's advertising over the past seven years, allows marketing ads to be embedded in entertainment
mainly for perfume. At the same time, the researcher also content. Because the content of clever design can let the
observed Chanel's new media platform broadcast in the audience into the story context. If implanted properly,
Chinese market in the past 7 years, and analysed the data whether they are small electric shadow sitcoms or brand
behind the advertising. fashion show, there will be a large number of bloggers
and the fans focus on clothing, or the application of
cosmetics, so as to cause the attention of consumers [5].
4. RESULTS & DISCUSSION
Chanel captures these advantages of Douyin, so primarily
Based on Chanel's advertising design content and focuses its advertising strategy on Douyin in China.
advertising communication methods in China, this study Through Douyin advertising, Chanel has received a
will put forward relevant suggestions for the future lot of benefits. The most direct point is that Chanel's sales
development of Chanel's advertising in The Chinese are rising rapidly and its brand awareness is getting
market. According to analysis, in recent years, Chanel in higher and higher through the promotion of stars and
China mainly put advertising on Douyin platform. Internet celebrities. In addition, Chanel has greatly
There are five main reasons why Chanel is focusing expanded its market share in China. However, there are
its advertising on Douyin. First of all, from a macro point still several negative effects. First and foremost, the
of view, the development of the Internet has overcome promotion by Douyin bloggers has indeed enhanced
the limitations of traditional media. Take newspaper and Chanel's brand effect. However, the top bloggers are
TV advertisements for example, they are often one-way getting more and more expensive to advertise, and
to the audience, the audience can only passively watch promotion costs are likely to be out of proportion to
them. Besides, their content is monotonous. However, revenues. At the same time, there are surprises that can
the development of new media, such as Douyin, has have the opposite effect on the brand. Last year, for
turned advertising into an interactive form. The audience example, a Douyin celebrity with 300,000 followers
can not only watch, but also comment and give feedback. named Suannai Jing tried out Chanel's jelly air cushion
According to data released in early 2020, Douyin has and found it wasn't waterproof. As a result, the sales of
surpassed 400 million daily active users, making it the this air cushion dropped dramatically. Besides,
hottest new media platform in China. Second, there are advertising through live broadcast of stars may also
many Internet celebrities on Douyin. Internet celebrities produce counterproductive effects if the stars selected are
have a huge fan base, and they recommend their favourite inconsistent with the brand image of Chanel. In a recent
products to fans through videos, which will greatly live broadcast, for example, Chanel chose a 30-year-old
increase the purchase group. In China, Chanel's brand Chinese male star to promote its women's perfume, in
publicist pays Internet celebrities with more than 1 conflict with Chanel's brand ideals of freedom, elegance
million followers on Douyin to promote their products, and rebellion. After the live broadcast, many viewers
especially cosmetics, through videos. Thirdly, the gave bad comments. Also, the most serious impact is that
popularity of Douyin livestreaming bolstered Chanel's the advertising of Douyin will reduce the brand value of
marketing. Live broadcast can let the audience Chanel. In China, Chanel has always been a high-end
understand the product in all aspects, at the same time, luxury brand, and its advertisements are often carefully
live broadcast is more conducive to direct interaction shot and post-produced, with a certain cultural
between Chanel officials and buyers. What is more connotation and spirit. But ads on Douyin are often short
noteworthy is that celebrity live broadcasting has become and lack enough cultural connotations to impress the
the main way of live broadcasting. For example, although audience, failing to reflect Chanel's premium brand
Chanel does not directly participate in Douyin Live value.
stream, it has signed short-term cooperation projects with To solve the above problems, researchers put forward
some popular stars, allowing them to broadcast live on the following suggestions. One is that Chanel's publicists
their Douyin account to promote Chanel products. should have contacted influencer bloggers in advance. In

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order to avoid special cases, brand PR should first give to analyse how the symbolic persuasion mechanism in
these bloggers a trial run, and if the bloggers give positive the advertisement stimulates consumers' consumption
comments, then carry out formal cooperative promotion. desire in the Chinese market.
Chanel, for example, can send perfume samples to
Why did Chanel's persuasion drive the consumption
bloggers with huge followings. If bloggers give positive
of Chinese consumers? There are two reasons for this.
feedback, the brand pays them for advertising and helps
First, Chanel alluded to the popular psychology based on
them shoot advertising videos and write advertising copy.
the changing times. Chanel's advertisements always pay
At the same time, Chanel is also targeting some of
close attention to the changes of the times, and express
Douyin's potential bloggers, even if they don't have a lot
the values corresponding to the times. For example,
of followers, not just those who already have a huge fan
Chanel No. 5 perfume has always been a symbol of
base. This can not only expand the spread of advertising
nobility and elegance, so the actors selected in the
but also reduce the cost of advertising. What’s more,
previous commercials were playing such an image of an
multiple factors must be considered when selecting stars
upper-class lady. But with the change of times and the
for advertising placement, such as stars' dressing style,
rise of female power, no longer only the upper-class
age and aesthetic presentation should be consistent with
ladies can wear perfume, but every independent and
Chanel's brand concept. For example, in China, the
brave woman can represent it. In 2014, Chanel's
famous actress Zhou Xun is a typical representative. Her
advertisement named” The One That I Want featured”
free and rebellious personality is in line with the brand
chose not a dowager, but a successful, courageous mother
value Chanel delivers. She also has a kind of
who is also a surfer who won't give up. In China, the
androgynous temperament. Another solution is Chanel
status of Chinese women has been rising in recent years.
should continue to maintain the line of high-end brand,
More and more women have entered the workplace and
carefully produce short videos on Douyin, and increase
enjoyed equal rights with men. Chanel's advertisement
the introduction of cultural connotations symbols. For
expresses the value concept that modern women can
example, Chanel can partner with other luxury brands, or
achieve themselves without relying on others, which is in
the current hot IP, and hire excellent directors and
line with the values believed by modern Chinese women.
screenwriters to shoot high-quality videos that convey
As a result, more and more Chinese women of all ages
not only the product message but also the brand spirit.
are buying Chanel No. 5 as their first high-end perfume.
In general, if Chanel wants to enhance the popularity Second, according to Roland Barthes symbol cognitive
of its products through Douyin, the first thing to do is theory, emotional symbols can stimulate the audience to
definitely drainage. In order to attract advertising, produce a mood change, let the audience as well as the
Douyin's content is very important, and only high-quality consumption desire to voluntary behaviour [1]. In recent
content can get more attention. But to high attention, it is years, cultural symbols in Chanel's advertisements have
not enough to optimal qualitative content, Chanel also aroused the emotional resonance of Chinese audiences,
needs to understand the characteristics of the trill thus expanding consumption in the Chinese market. In
platform and trill the algorithm of the software system. the past, Chanel's advertising videos featured no Chinese
The algorithm determines the cardinality of big data and faces, and very few Asian faces. However, in 2019,
can accurately meet the needs of each user. In fact, on Chinese model Li Jingwen shot a Chanel ad, which was
Douyin, users are presented with comprehensive the first time in 100 years that a Chinese face had been
recommendations based on algorithmic attributes, real- featured in a Chanel ad. At that moment, many Chinese
time popularity and user relationships. For example, after customers were very proud that Chinese people could
the brand uploads a video, the platform will give us an also ascend the stage of Chanel, which aroused emotional
initial flow and judge whether our video is popular resonance. As a result, Chanel's sales soared.
according to the likes rate, comments rate and forwarding
Through the persuasion mechanism of advertising,
rate.
Chanel has gained many positive effects. Most notably,
Another result is that the persuasion mechanism of Chanel is selling more and more because it delivers the
Chanel's advertisements stimulates the emotional desire right values with the times. Women of any age can find
of Chinese customers, thus producing consumption their own value and stimulate the desire to buy. What is
behaviour. French philosopher Jean Baudrillard thinks more surprising is that more and more Chinese men are
consumerism is a special kind of consumer culture. buying Chanel and boldly expressing their uniqueness. In
Contemporary consumption, especially in luxury addition, Chanel's brand image in the Chinese market has
consumption great eye is a symbol of consumption, it been greatly enhanced by its increasingly frequent use of
also requires a brand for product promotion and brand Chinese actors and Chinese elements in its products and
communication in the moment the attention brand advertisements. More and more Chinese people see
symbol building, done through advertising symbols Chanel as a culturally inclusive high-end brand, so its
transmitted campaign advertising persuasion and share of the Chinese market is growing.
communication purposes [1]. Next, the researcher will
take the perfume advertisements of Chanel as examples

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In order to better consolidate the brand image and the emotional resonance of Chinese customers and
gain more economic profits, the researchers put forward stimulated their purchase desire.
two main suggestions based on the advertising
persuasion mechanism of Chanel. First of all, REFERENCES
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According to the above analysis, Chanel's advertising
[10] Hafifah Siti, A Visual Grammar Design Analysis of
and marketing strategy in China has helped Chanel
Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2021 Campaign Teaser
expand its commercial territory in the Chinese market,
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but also has a few negative effects. This study also
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provides corresponding solutions and suggestions, which
can also be used for reference by other luxury brands.
There are two main conclusions in this study. First,
Douyin has become one of the main advertising
platforms for Chanel, which has both positive and
negative impacts on Chanel's sales and brand image. The
second point is that the persuasion mechanism and
cultural meaning in Chanel commercials have very good
market effect. Take the advertisement of Chanel perfume
as a specific example, the persuasion mechanism and
cultural implication in the advertisement have aroused

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