The marketing of fortune-bringing is booming. How crazy are young people about "metaphysics"...

Metaphysics has recently seen a resurgence in marketing, with tea brands taking advantage of the opportunity to launch new products to attract consumers and meet the emotional needs of young people. Let's see what this article says?

Following the "first cup of milk tea in autumn", we welcomed the "first cup of work" at the beginning of the Year of the Dragon. The tea industry has launched one gimmick after another, harvesting consumers' wallets.

Data shows that on February 18, sales at many Heytea stores increased by more than 500% compared with the weekdays before the holiday. Among them, sales at Heytea stores near office buildings increased dramatically, with some stores increasing by more than 700% compared with the previous month. Of course, compared with "first", people pay more attention to the good omen behind the start of work. The unwritten custom of "starting work with good luck" has influenced generations of urban workers.

Under the huge consumer enthusiasm for seeking good luck at the start of the work, in addition to Heytea, a number of milk tea brands such as Bawang Chaji, Nayuki's Tea, and Tianlala have also launched wave after wave of new products for the start of the work, and all of them focus on good luck new products to help workers gain good luck in the new year, which can be regarded as the first shot of metaphysical marketing at the beginning of the year.

Image sources: Tianlala, Heytea, Bawangchaji

People's willingness to "pray for good luck at the start of work" is actually a pursuit of a sense of ritual for the start of work, and it also stems from their inner expectations for the metaphysics of good luck.

What is the charm of metaphysical marketing from last year to now? Why is metaphysics so popular at the beginning of this year? What kind of market and consumer demands are behind the hot sales of metaphysical products?

1. Good luck at the beginning of work is the first shot of this year's metaphysical marketing

From last year's "young people choose to burn incense over work and advancement" to this year's "first cup of drink at work", metaphysical marketing has become popular again.

It is worth mentioning that Heytea is a real veteran in the marketing of the beginning of the year. Last year, Heytea selected the latest seasonal fresh fruit products and launched the "New Cherries at the Beginning of Work" campaign in collaboration with Tesla, bringing the first "joy" of the beginning of work to the workers returning to work. The product sold nearly 500,000 cups within three days.

Image source: HEYTEA

Foodaily found that the reason behind the hot sales is that cherries are in season and have a high sense of value. They are also the fruit with the strongest "New Year flavor" during the Spring Festival.

According to data from Meituan Waimai and JD.com, sales of cherry gift boxes continued to rise throughout the Spring Festival. More importantly, Heytea used the opening of work as a starting point to bring good luck and fortune to consumers with the meaning of "good luck at the beginning of work".

With the support of seasonal fruits and good luck marketing, the popularity of "Good luck at the start of work" remains high, and Heytea has continued the same action this year. As it is good at leveraging brand characteristics and using seasonal quality fruits as beverage ingredients, Heytea launched the "First Cup of Work" on the first day of work, upgraded and returned to the guava series, and launched two new products: Refreshing Guava Liquor and Refreshing Guava Grape.

It became the top-selling product on the first day of its release.

Image source: HEYTEA

Moreover, according to data reports, the sales of Heytea stores across the country increased significantly on the first day of work, with many stores increasing by more than 500% compared with the pre-holiday working days. Among them, the sales of Heytea stores near office buildings increased dramatically, with some stores increasing by more than 700% compared with the previous month. It can be seen that the annual "starting work to see happiness" has made the mentality of drinking Heytea at the beginning of work penetrate into the consumption consciousness of urban workers, and gradually become a "new custom" for urban workers to return to work.

The craze for the "first cup of coffee at work" continues to be popular in the coffee and tea industry, and the ways of playing are becoming more and more diverse. For example, in addition to auspicious homophones such as "good luck at the start of work", many brands are leveraging elements of traditional Chinese folk culture to resonate with consumers from different regions and cultural circles.

Jasmine Milk White seized this marketing opportunity and launched the "Good Luck Holy Grail Set", which includes a cup of "Ruyu Agarwood" and a holy grail pendant with southern Fujian characteristics, the "Good Luck Holy Grail". The "Good Luck Holy Grail" is two pieces of red crescent-shaped beech wood with front and back, and netizens joked that "throw the Holy Grail when in doubt".

Image source: Weibo (@钟紫婷)

The "Good Luck Holy Grail" originated in Chaoshan, commonly known as the "笅杯", which is a folk divination method. A pair of 笅杯 has front and back, flat and convex, and there are three results of throwing the 笅杯, representing different opinions given by the gods. In terms of packaging design, Jasmine Milk White presents the Holy Grail and interpretation card in the form of a keychain, which is easy to carry and also provides consumers with the possibility of divination anytime and anywhere.

"Good Luck Holy Grail" is a new metaphysical marketing method that Jasmine Milk White has launched by focusing on the traditional folk culture of Chaoshan. It has also successfully popularized traditional culture and made more consumers aware of this rich cultural heritage. Jasmine Milk White also uses "good luck marketing" to deeply tap into the resonance of young people and enhance brand power.

Wooden fish is still a popular peripheral this year. On February 6, 1DianDian launched a limited event in Shanghai where customers can get a free wooden fish with their purchases. The slogan "Knock the wooden fish, welcome the Year of the Dragon, and receive good luck" attracted many "1DianDian believers". The random wooden fish with two cute expressions also won the hearts of young girls.

Image source: Yidiandian

On February 20, M stand empathized with the mental state of young people on the first day of returning to work, "at their workstations, with a calm mind", and launched the "Knock" energy start-up package, which also came with limited edition wooden fish toys. It immediately became a mental stabilizer for workers, "Knock the wooden fish when you are in a bad mood, and the focus of the new year will be peace of mind."

Image source: M Stand

Judging from consumer response, with the soaring sales of Heytea’s “Good Luck at the Start of Work” and the popularity of Jasmine Milk White on social media, metaphysical marketing has accurately hit the needs of young people.

So, what is the reason behind the popularity of good fortune marketing? How does the combination of metaphysical gameplay and experience to create a hit product bring emotional value to young people?

2. Metaphysical marketing has continued from last year to now. Why is it still producing hits and its popularity remains unabated?

In the past two years, "anxiety" seems to have become a mainstream emotion. There are endless news of corporate salary cuts and layoffs. According to incomplete statistics, as of November 2023, more than 500,000 companies have closed down nationwide. Even for the surviving companies, most of the profits have dropped sharply, so they have adopted salary cuts or layoffs to cut costs. As a result, young people are facing risks such as unemployment, salary cuts, and entrepreneurial failures, and with them comes anxiety about not having classes to attend and not being able to finish them. In the context of the times, young people are destined to find some emotional fulcrums.

As a result, metaphysical marketing began to become popular. Foodaily observed that in the spring of last year, the temple economy had set off a metaphysical fever, from the flow of people to the Lama Temple in Beijing, the purchase of bracelets at the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, the one-kilometer-long queue at the entrance of the Guangren Temple in Xi'an, to the "requesting for ritual objects" becoming a popular new profession...

The rise of metaphysical marketing has hit the mark in soothing the anxiety and confusion among young people today.

On the one hand, in the world of metaphysics, there is not so much rational logic and thinking. On the contrary, some interesting products and metaphysical peripherals provide a respite for young consumers who are highly focused on their work. The emotional value they provide brings temporary comfort and sustenance to "high-pressure young people."

On the other hand, people have endless wishes for passing exams, finding a happy marriage, having a healthy family, and having a smooth career. Praying for good luck in specific scenes and moments provides them with emotional nourishment to a certain extent. Products that bring good meanings bring people more positive beliefs in the future.

Of course, the novel and varied metaphysical gameplay has expanded the coverage of the younger generation of audiences. Various metaphysical gameplays such as the combination of Chinese and Western cultures, regional culture, and cross-border innovation have emerged one after another. Through the close integration of various forms such as product names and peripherals, novel concepts and highly interactive gameplay quickly aroused young people's desire to try new things, bringing them a sense of value for money and lowering the threshold for trying, so that they are becoming more and more "addicted" to metaphysics.

At the same time, this popular metaphysical concept product is a perfect tool to promote social interaction and communication among young people. For example, last year Longfu Temple and @NEED

The Longfu Temple disco party held by OFFICIAL attracted a large number of trendy people. The young people who participated in the party found resonance with each other here, and metaphysics became the best language for them to communicate.

Image source: Need Official

3. Focusing more on emotions and timing, what other methods are there in metaphysical marketing?

In addition to emotions, "timing" also affects consumers' willingness to pay for metaphysics. Combining product and marketing cases, the peak of Foodaily's payment can be roughly divided into two categories.

One type is influenced by traditional concepts and seeks metaphysical power in specific scenarios, such as exams, traditional festivals and other critical moments. They expect to gain good luck by purchasing various metaphysical products and peripherals such as amulets and wooden fish.

For example, the Si Nian "Persimmon Ruyi" glutinous rice balls that swept the screen on New Year's Day this year not only have a cute persimmon shape that looks good on camera, but also have a beautiful meaning that fits the public's custom of seeking good luck during the Chinese New Year, making them a popular product on the Internet. Si Nian implanted the concept of good luck into its products, combined special holidays with metaphysical marketing, and tried to create new selling points that resonate with consumers.

Image source: Weibo (@一颗海盐冰)

Examinations are also the day when metaphysical needs explode. Previously, Foodaily has introduced classic cases of college entrance examination support from domestic and foreign brands such as Wanglaoji, Mengniu, KitKat, and Nissin. The elements such as amulets and Dingsheng cakes that appear in them all have a hint of "metaphysical color".

In the past two years, "exam metaphysics" has become increasingly popular, and more brands have also joined in. In the June 2023 college entrance examination, Baidu APP and Heytea formed a "metaphysics CP" and released the "College Entrance Examination Metaphysics Picture Book" - absorbing the European energy and worshipping the king of heaven, electronic wooden fish to accumulate good luck, crushing all the way to pray for exam luck, winning the first battle to get happy air, taking the "sunflower" in one fell swoop to ask for good luck, and "checking" the "ferry" to the shore of the six major college entrance examination metaphysics moves to send blessings to college entrance examination candidates.

In addition, Tianlala's "Golden List Title Bucket" sold 2 million copies, Mengniu launched "College Entrance Examination Topic Milk" for two consecutive years, and Wanglaoji launched three customized college entrance examination cans, namely, Senior High School Class, College Entrance Examination Subject, and Wanshi Daji, etc.

Image source: HEYTEA

The other type is the "metaphysical omnivore" type of users. From Western horoscopes and tarot divination to traditional Eastern blessing crystals and merit wooden fish, etc., this type of users are keen to accept various metaphysical concepts. As long as it is "beneficial to me", everything can be tried. The demand for metaphysical items is lighter but more frequent in daily life.

For example, in addition to the milk tea and wooden fish peripherals, folk metaphysics holy grail, etc. mentioned above, even instant noodle boxes can become metaphysical props.

On January 25 this year, Nissin Ramen launched a "fortune-telling instant noodle box" that allows users to draw lots while eating instant noodles. The 21 leaks are marked with good and bad luck, and the corresponding word is the divination result of the outlet from which the noodles come out when filtering the water.

Image source: Nissin

It has to be said that Nissin Ramen really understands the mental state of young people too well - since everyone believes in this divination, why do we need to go to the temple or find a tarot reader? You can also complete this sacred process while eating instant noodles.

If by chance a noodle is chosen and crawls out of "Daji", it can start the day in a good mood.

The success of these metaphysical marketing efforts lies in the fact that, when facing metaphysical people with specific needs, the brands integrate "metaphysics" into various vertically segmented fields: work, life, study, love and other things that involve uncertainty such as luck, ability, choice, and opportunity are deeply bound to metaphysics, giving them more confidence and comfort.

When facing metaphysical people who go with the flow, the brand extends the concept of metaphysics to ordinary three meals a day. By combining metaphysics to create diverse consumer experiences, it helps consumers relieve stress, release emotions, and pray for good luck. This gives "metaphysics" the opportunity to penetrate the consumer market layer by layer, and also allows the brand to leave a positive image in the minds of consumers, allowing consumers to achieve a spiritual connection with the brand through "metaphysics."

Author: Julie Zhu

WeChat public account: Foodaily Daily Food (ID: foodaily)