With the Summer Olympic Games just around the corner, dairy brands Mengniu and Yili have rolled out creative marketing campaigns that tap into the latest meme trends. As official sponsors of the Olympics, both brands are using humor and cultural icons to connect with their audience in a big way.
Yili’s Meme-Driven Campaign
Yili, the official dairy brand of the Chinese sports delegation, has embraced a meme based on the Paris 2024 Olympics logo. The logo, which features the Olympic flame, gold medals, and France’s Marianne, surprisingly resembles the face of famous Chinese host Lu Yu. This resemblance sparked a huge debate online and turned into a widely shared meme.
Recognizing the potential, Yili officially declared Lu Yu as the ambassador for the Paris Games. On July 17, they launched a humorous ad campaign featuring Lu Yu. The short film captures the brand ambassador in playful scenarios, with people exclaiming, “It’s too similar! Can’t unsee it!” every time they see the logo and Lu Yu. This clever use of the meme has effectively tied Yili to both Lu Yu and the Olympics, making their campaign highly relatable and memorable.
The Weibo topic #Yili Announces Lu Yu As The Ambassador For The Paris Olympics# gained 130 million views, showcasing the campaign’s popularity. Yili’s quick response to the meme trend has not only boosted their visibility but also reinforced their playful brand image, securing their position in Olympic marketing.
Mengniu’s National Pride Strategy
Mengniu has also made a splash with their Olympic campaign by focusing on national pride. On July 13, they launched the ‘Nutrition World, Everyone’s to Be Strong’ strategy, naming Chinese singer Han Hong as their brand ambassador. Han Hong is known for her passionate advocacy for Chinese singers and her commitment to public welfare, making her an ideal representative for Mengniu’s brand values.
Han Hong’s first advertisement for Mengniu features the song ‘All the Way to the Flower – China’s Team to Be Strong Expedition Edition’, celebrating the spirit of strength and unity from Olympic athletes to everyday people. Her recent comments on the show Singer 2024, where she urged Chinese singers to compete against foreign artists, align perfectly with Mengniu’s message of national pride and resilience.
The Weibo topic #Han Hong Sings China’s Team To Be Strong For The Expedition# garnered a staggering 1.63 billion views. This campaign has successfully built an emotional connection with the public, tapping into the shared sentiment of pride and strength.
What Marketers Can Learn
The campaigns by Yili and Mengniu offer valuable lessons for marketers looking to leverage meme marketing effectively:
- Stay Current: Both brands quickly identified and capitalized on trending memes. Staying up-to-date with internet culture can provide unique marketing opportunities.
- Be Relatable: By using well-known cultural icons like Lu Yu and Han Hong, the brands created a strong emotional resonance with their audience.
- Inject Humor: Humor can significantly boost engagement. Yili’s playful approach with the Olympics logo meme made their campaign memorable and shareable.
- Align with Values: Mengniu’s focus on national pride and strength resonated deeply with their audience, showing the importance of aligning marketing messages with core brand values.
Yili and Mengniu have demonstrated how effective meme marketing can be when done right. By staying current, being relatable, using humor, and aligning with their brand values, they have created campaigns that not only engage but also resonate deeply with their audience. As the Olympics approach, these strategies highlight the power of creativity and cultural awareness in marketing.
Whether you’re looking to enhance your own campaigns or simply interested in innovative marketing strategies, Yili and Mengniu’s approaches provide plenty of inspiration. The key takeaway? Don’t be afraid to embrace the memes – they might just lead to your next big marketing win.
