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China Duty Free Group – Dottie for More
In time for Chinese New Year 2023 (22 January), China Duty Free Group (CDFG) designed Dottie the Rabbit, an intellectual property character, and introduced it through a short rap video.
In Chinese, the character for ‘free’ (as in China Duty ‘Free’ Group) is ‘免’, which bears resemblance to the character for ‘rabbit’, ‘兔’ – the zodiac symbol for 2023. The key difference is a single stroke, which CDFG creatively interpreted as China Duty Free offering ‘more’. This linguistic coincidence served as a metaphor for the retailer’s commitment to providing customers with more – more discounts, a diverse product range, added convenience of shopping locations and superior service.
The lyrics to the rap song featured in the short video echoed CDFG’s promise of offering ‘more’, creating a distinctive blend of modern rhythm and symbolic representation. As part of the supporting campaign, which ran from 19 January to 5 February, customers were encouraged to share new year blessings by distributing animated stickers and special red pocket covers on social media platforms including WeChat and WhatsApp.
Dottie comes to life for Chinese travellers through CDFG's platforms
In physical retail locations, CDFG brought Dottie to life as a three-dimensional model for visual merchandising and an exclusive rabbit lamp was gifted to VIP customers. This multi-platform strategy extended Dottie’s presence beyond the video and drove virality and customer engagement.
The video increased Dottie’s recognition and paved the way for its extensive use in future promotional materials and on social media platforms. The campaign, with a CN¥150,000 (US$21072) budget, boosted brand recognition and customer engagement. The ‘free’ wordplay strategy catered to CDFG customers, members, followers and their friends. The retailer presented a fresh approach to Chinese New Year greetings with the video’s trendy rap style, encouraging organic sharing and engagement. The goal was to rapidly expand video reach and Dottie via the viral marketing strategy.
Pushing the boundaries of creativity and strategic thinking, the video garnered over 1 million views and 5,000 shares. CDFG harnessed the power of symbolic language, catchy rap music and a fun rabbit character to create a campaign that gave the audience more than they expected – more engagement, shareable content and memorable experiences. This campaign will continue to serve as a prime example of CDFG’s innovative marketing approach as the retailer commits to offering ‘more’ in everything it does.
*Dottie was named among The Moodie Davitt Report’s People of the Year for 2023. Click here for more.
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