Although metaphysical marketing is good, don’t be greedy

This article explores the rise of metaphysical marketing in modern society and its impact on brand promotion, and analyzes how to cleverly combine cultural trends with consumer psychology, hoping to provide new perspectives and inspiration for your brand marketing strategy.

Last fall, I went to Tanzhe Temple in Beijing with my friends. When we were about to leave, I was attracted by the temple’s cafe, which was called "Jiafu".

I had intended to enjoy a cup of "Jiafu" coffee here and sit quietly in the courtyard to enjoy a moment of tranquility. However, every table here was occupied, and people seemed to be seeking a special blessing from the Buddhist temple.

Since I couldn't enjoy it in the temple, I decided to take a cup away, hoping to take this blessing with me, but I found that the queue to buy it was also long. In the end, I could only leave with a little regret.

This phenomenon made me think deeply that metaphysics is no longer limited to the scope of philosophy or belief, it has penetrated into all aspects of daily life and become a part of modern people's spiritual sustenance. Especially in the field of commodities and consumption, metaphysical elements are widely used in marketing, which has aroused great interest and purchasing behavior of consumers.

Take the Saturn necklace of the "Empress Dowager Cixi" as an example. This simple yet mysterious accessory is regarded by young people as a symbol of "good luck". It quickly became popular on social media and triggered a buying spree among young people, becoming a popular phenomenon.

Similarly, Van Cleef & Arpels' four-leaf clover design is also sought after for its lucky connotations. The four-leaf clover is a symbol of good luck in many cultures, and Van Cleef & Arpels cleverly incorporates this element into its jewelry designs, attracting a large number of consumers who seek good luck and good wishes. These designs are not only beautiful, but also have deep cultural and psychological meanings, making Van Cleef & Arpels' products very popular in the market.

These cases show that metaphysics has become a cultural phenomenon that has penetrated into people's hearts. It creates a unique market positioning and competitive advantage for brands by connecting with consumers' emotional needs and cultural identity.

1. An anxious generation relies on metaphysics to gain emotional value

The popularity of metaphysics among young people is not accidental, but is closely related to the current social environment and the thoughts of young people.

In contemporary society, it is undeniable that the reason why metaphysics has become popular among young people is closely related to the environmental pressure they face.

When describing our era, Han Bingzhe used the expression "burnout society", intending to illustrate that modern people are troubled by endless inner pursuits, always hoping to surpass others and their past selves. This continuous self-transcendence makes people feel exhausted.

More specifically, we are living in an anxious society. Whether it is for exams, work or parenting, people are always anxious. Comparing with others, especially seeing other people's wonderful lives on social media, makes this anxiety worse. Anxiety has become a common social emotion, affecting the mental state and quality of life of a large group of people.

The "Social Mentality Survey Report of Chinese Youth Internet Users (2022)" reveals that young people have begun to cope with this anxiety in a unique way: praying on the Internet, the so-called "new Internet metaphysics."

This includes forwarding good luck pictures and emoticons, and making online wishes for good luck in wealth, studies, relationships or health. In addition, they are keen on studying horoscopes, personality analysis, and career or matching tests, and pay special attention to astronomical events such as Mercury retrograde.

This is further confirmed by the data from Sina Weibo. In a sample of 5,492 young netizens, 749 expressed a positive attitude towards "New Metaphysics" in 2022, accounting for 13.6%, an increase from 12.6% in 2021. This shows that more and more young people are trying to bring some certainty to their lives in this way, at least psychological comfort.

Metaphysics may not bring direct material help, but the emotional value it provides has become a way for young people to seek psychological balance. Through metaphysics, young people can gain psychological comfort and a temporary opportunity to escape reality, and this emotion helps them resist the pressure in life.

In addition, in today's society, the popularity of metaphysics has made it a kind of social currency. In social occasions such as gatherings with friends and workplace exchanges, metaphysical topics such as constellations and tarot cards often become hot topics of conversation. Mastering certain metaphysical knowledge can not only increase personal charm, but also gain more voice in social situations.

For example, when friends are talking about zodiac signs, if you have no idea what they are talking about, you will be left out, unable to fit in, and feel marginalized. Therefore, even for the sake of socializing, many young people will take the initiative to understand and learn metaphysical knowledge in order to improve their social skills.

2. Metaphysical Marketing, How Can Brands Follow?

Metaphysics as a business has long existed, but it is only now coming to the surface.

On the Douyin platform, the cumulative number of views of Taoism and related topics has exceeded 10 billion times. There are 64 Taoist influencers whose number of fans has exceeded 100,000. The cumulative number of views of the Douyin topic "Tarot Test" has reached nearly 10 billion times.

Metaphysics also has a strong presence on e-commerce platforms. The prices of divination services on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and Xianyu range from tens of yuan to thousands of yuan, showing the diverse needs of consumers for metaphysical services. According to media reports, some jade plaques that claim to have the function of "attracting wealth and overcoming adversity" can be sold on e-commerce platforms for as high as 1,600 yuan, with monthly sales exceeding 200 pieces.

So how should brands play metaphysical marketing?

1. Launch metaphysical peripherals

In the current market environment, metaphysics has become a hot topic among young people. If brands can keep up with this trend and launch related peripheral products, they can not only cater to consumers' interests and hobbies, but also have the opportunity to gain a wave of popularity.

If the strategy is right, these metaphysical peripheral products may even become real social currency, bringing double growth in brand reputation and sales.

1DianDian launched a limited-time campaign in Shanghai where customers were offered a free wooden fish when they made a purchase. This move not only fits in with the current metaphysical craze, but the wooden fish, as a symbol of Buddhist culture, also brings a fresh and culturally meaningful experience to consumers.

This event sparked widespread discussion on social media, with many consumers going to stores specifically to get this limited edition wooden fish, effectively increasing brand exposure and consumer engagement.

Another example is the "knock" energetic start-of-work package launched by M stand, which comes with a limited edition wooden fish toy, also combining Buddhist culture. This creative marketing strategy not only brings consumers a novel shopping experience, but also strengthens the interaction between the brand and consumers, and improves consumers' purchasing motivation in this unique way.

2. Take advantage of a specific period

The core of metaphysical marketing is to provide consumers with emotional value that goes beyond the physical attributes of the product. Carrying out targeted marketing activities at specific time points, such as the college entrance examination, the Spring Festival, Valentine's Day, and other periods with special cultural or emotional significance, can better meet consumers' emotional needs.

During the critical period of the college entrance examination, brands such as Heytea, Mengniu and Wanglaoji successfully attracted the attention of a large number of consumers by launching products with the meaning of "good luck".

Heytea's "College Entrance Examination Metaphysics Picture Book" combines modern Internet culture with traditional culture, providing a novel way for college entrance examination candidates to pray. Mengniu's "College Entrance Examination Topic Milk" and Wanglaoji's customized canned products send blessings to candidates through auspicious words and pattern designs related to the exam. These initiatives not only enhance the emotional connection between the brand and consumers, but also achieve good sales results in the market.

Nayuki's Tea and Bawang Chaji launched new products that focus on good luck during the New Year. Nayuki's Tea conveys the good wishes of a new year and a new atmosphere through new products, while Bawang Chaji takes advantage of people's expectations for a new beginning during the New Year and launches related products. Both have successfully captured consumers' desire for good luck and a new beginning during the New Year.

3. Provide online and offline interactions

In the early years, Alipay gained huge exposure for its brand through the Koi draw event, and also let people see the power of metaphysical interactive marketing. By using metaphysical elements to interact with consumers, it can increase brand exposure while giving consumers a better sense of participation.

Gucci once released monthly horoscopes through its WeChat official account and pushed related products at the same time. This combination of fashion and metaphysics not only attracted a lot of attention, but also cleverly integrated product promotion into content that consumers were interested in. The first push received more than 100,000 views.

At the baggage claim area at Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport, Tmall packaged it as a "Lucky Claim Area" and used everyday scenes to establish an emotional connection with consumers. The use of this creative medium transforms the ordinary baggage claim process into an experience full of blessings and expectations.

MINISO provided consumers with a novel interactive experience by setting up a fancy incense burning pop-up store in offline activities. This activity successfully attracted a large number of young consumers to participate and social media discussions by modernizing the traditional incense burning cultural elements and integrating them into the concept of pop-up stores. In this way, MINISO not only increased the fun of the brand, but also deepened consumers' impression of the brand.

4. Do a good job of risk management

In the strategy of metaphysical marketing, risk management is a crucial link and its importance cannot be overemphasized.

First, avoid exceeding consumer entertainment needs.

Since metaphysics is essentially an idealistic philosophy, it is somewhat different from the mainstream values ​​of society. Therefore, when using metaphysical elements, brands should ensure that their use is mainly to add fun and provide emotional value, and avoid over-interpretation or attribution of other meanings to avoid triggering unnecessary controversy and misunderstanding.

Second, keep your distance from religious sensitivities.

Religion is serious and systematic, with a complete belief system and rich cultural connotations. When conducting metaphysical marketing involving religious elements, brands need to be extra cautious to avoid possible controversies caused by inappropriate use.

When cooperating and promoting, we need to respect the beliefs and cultures of various religions and avoid any behavior that may cause disrespect or negative impact. For example, the "I Buddha Holding a Cup" product launched by Heytea was removed from the shelves because it did not grasp the scale.

Finally, metaphysical marketing should be viewed as an auxiliary means.

For brands, metaphysical marketing should be viewed as an auxiliary means of marketing rather than a routine operation. This means that metaphysical marketing activities should be carried out at the right time and have an appropriate proportion in the brand's overall marketing strategy, aiming to enhance specific products or activities rather than becoming the main means of brand promotion.

3. Conclusion

Metaphysical marketing is not only a business strategy, but also a reflection of a cultural phenomenon. It reflects the deep needs of modern consumers for emotions, culture and personalization in addition to the pursuit of product functions.

When conducting metaphysical marketing, brands should not only pursue short-term sales growth, but more importantly, they should establish long-term brand value and consumer trust based on respect for cultural diversity and consumer emotions.

Faced with a diversified and increasingly complex market environment, brands need to carefully analyze the cultural tendencies and consumption behaviors of their target groups and meet their specific needs through creative marketing activities.

At the same time, risk management is the most critical part of any metaphysical marketing strategy. Brands need to ensure that all marketing activities are carried out within the framework of social ethics and cultural acceptance to avoid negative impacts.

The key to the success of metaphysical marketing lies in how to balance market demand and cultural sensitivity and create a marketing strategy that can attract consumers without crossing cultural red lines.

Author: Xunkong

Source: WeChat public account "Xunkong's Marketing Revelation (ID: xunkong2005)"