One of Tmall's New Print Advertisements
On the heels of the successful ‘Empty Cities’ ad campaign, Taobao Mall is hoping to increase its share of the Chinese B2C (business to consumer) market with a new marketing strategy.
The ‘Empty Cities’ advertisements imagined a world where shoppers have fled from the busy shopping streets of major cities like Beijing and Shanghai to the convenience of their personal computers. The campaign’s motto “没人上街，不一定没人逛街” – roughly translated to, “no one on the streets, doesn’t mean no one is shopping” – expressed the ease of shopping online and its increasing popularity among Chinese shoppers.
Below is the original advertisement:
Similar campaigns were used in Europe and the United States during the 90’s, but unlike China, it would be almost impossible to imagine the luxury shopping streets of London and New York City completely abandoned. The lack of a dominant physical shopping infrastructure in China makes it a little more believable that Chinese consumers would retreat to their computers in search of better deals and more options. Because Chinese consumer culture is relatively new, the idea of “going out shopping” isn’t as big a draw, and companies are investing less in setting up large luxury stores and more in establishing a strong presence online. This has led to the incredible growth of e-commerce in China, and makes the ‘Empty Cities’ campaign particularly relevant.
TaoBao Mall has recently released its new ad campaign that emphasizes the luxury brands that can be purchased at the online mall.
Here is the new advertisement:
Taobao Mall hopes both campaigns will help solidify its dominance in the online shopping market. By effectively emphasizing convenience and the availability of premium brands, TMall will continue to lure Chinese shoppers off the streets and online.
