Young Shanghainese love attending free-of-charge exhibitions held by many luxury brands, such as Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Prada. China’s younger generations have a specific mindset and behavior – which is very different from their parents’.

• Social media “clock in” culture: The exhibitions are a da ka (literally, “clock in”) opportunity for social media, giving visitors a great backdrop to post photos of themselves so they can “check in” on social media; some will eagerly snap photos of themselves in front of the company branding and post heavily.
• Social media “taste upgrade”: Many young people are no longer eagerly showing off their material life on social media but tend to exhibit their elevated taste, style and social class in a more subtle and intellectual way; such exhibitions can suit their needs.

We look at some recent luxury exhibitions – and what made them successful. Chanel Mademoiselle Privé Exhibition in Shanghai Chanel held a successful exhibition called Mademoiselle Privé from late April to early June in Shanghai. The event generated around 880 million social media views and 2.72 million discussion posts On Weibo (China’s version of Twitter). Also, a WeChat tool that can show how many times a word is searched or mentioned on WeChat showed the exhibition boosted Chanel’s Brand Index 125% to 7.1 million per day. [caption id="attachment_92341" align="aligncenter" width="700"] CHANEL Mademoiselle Privé on Weibo Topic Total view: 880 million; total discussion: 2.72 million
Source: Chanel official Weibo [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_92342" align="aligncenter" width="551"] Upper green line = “Chanel” mention index, lower purple line = “Chanel Mademoiselle Privé” mention index
Source: WeChat Index [/caption]   Several elements helped make the exhibition successful:

• An immersive multisensory experience: A large space with a visually impactful backdrop, featuring moving flowers, a Karl Lagerfeld working desk, the smell of different flowers that make up Chanel No. 5 perfume, movies and live bands, and samples of fabrics used to make Chanel jackets.
• Interactive DIY section: Chanel flew in experts to demonstrate Chanel craftsmanship and ingenuity; for example, every bottle of Chanel No. 5 still uses a hand-made wax seal.

[caption id="attachment_92343" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Chanel craftmanship
Source: Coresight Research [/caption]

• Digital engagement: Bookings for various activities were made through WeChat and in every section, there’s a WeChat mini program to play videos for more information.

[caption id="attachment_92344" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Digital engagement, WeChat mini program with tour guide, audio and video
Source: Coresight Research [/caption]

• Knowledge deepening: The exhibit also featured movies about Gabriel Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld, presented information on the brand’s color design philosophy and products, and had a library with books about the brand.

The Mademoiselle Privé exhibition reached consumers on two levels: Delivering an amazing backdrop for Instagrammable selfies and offering deeper knowledge about the brand in an interactive format. [caption id="attachment_92345" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Visual presentation of moveable flowers – many KOLs taking selfies
Source: Coresight Research [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_92346" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Library and movies about Chanel
Source: Coresight Research [/caption]   Louis Vuitton VVV Exhibition in Shanghai and Time Capsule Exhibition in Chengdu The LV Volez Voguez Voyagez exhibition, held November 2018-February 2019, was one of the most popular events on China’s social media, creating around 1.22 billion views and 8.37 million discussion posts on Weibo. [caption id="attachment_92347" align="aligncenter" width="700"] 1.22 billion views with 8.37 million discussion posts
Source: Louis Vuitton official Weibo account [/caption] Several elements helped make the exhibition successful:

• It successfully linked vintage with modern real-life scenarios.

[caption id="attachment_92348" align="aligncenter" width="700"] A video shot on a Shanghai street
Source: Louis Vuitton official Weibo account [/caption]

• Offered a large, visually impactful space for taking photos – and posting on social media.

[caption id="attachment_92349" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Photos from the VVV Exhibition
Source: Louis Vuitton official Weibo account [/caption]

• Digital engagement: Louis Vuitton collaborated with bicycle sharing brand MoBike and customer rating and review app Dianping, in addition to using a WeChat Mini Program with a selfie function with LV stickers, filters and video clips.

[caption id="attachment_92350" align="aligncenter" width="691"] Louis Vuitton WeChat mini program and videos starring celebrity Chris Wu
Source: Louis Vuitton WeChat mini program [/caption]   Tapping into the faster consumer growth in China’s lower-tier cities, Louis Vuitton held a Time Capsule Exhibition in Chengdu, a tier 2 city, from June to July 2019. At the time of writing, it had already accumulated 220 million views and 1.27 million discussion posts on Weibo. [caption id="attachment_92351" align="aligncenter" width="581"] Louis Vuitton Time Capsule Video for Chengdu
Source: Louis Vuitton official Weibo [/caption]   Similarly, the exhibition provided many da ka opportunities: A large number of local KOLs went, drawing huge numbers of everyday consumers. Louis Vuitton also designed Chengdu-specific stickers as free gifts to visitors. [caption id="attachment_92352" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Photos by KOLs at the Time Capsule Exhibition
Source: Louis Vuitton official Weibo account [/caption]   [caption id="attachment_92353" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Chengdu-themed Luis Vuitton stickers
Source: Louis Vuitton official Weibo [/caption]   Gucci The Artist Is Present Exhibition The Artist Is Present exhibition held by Gucci in October 2018 strengthened the brand’s connection to art. It not only presented artistic visual and audio content but also curated works from a group of 30 artists. The event created around 210 million views with 1 million discussion posts on Weibo. [caption id="attachment_92354" align="aligncenter" width="594"] 210 million views and 1 million discussion posts for The Artist is Present
Source: Gucci official Weibo [/caption]   With an authentic artistic look and feel, celebrities extolled people to visit and showcase their own interpretations of the art on display. [caption id="attachment_92355" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Celebrities Ni Ni, Liu Wen, Li Yuchen at the exhibition
Source: Ni Ni Weibo/Liu Wen Weibo/Li Yuchun Weibo [/caption]   Key Insights Holding exhibitions is an effective way for a brand to get closer to consumers in China and generate social media buzz. Exhibitions naturally suit the current trend and the needs of Chinese consumers in terms of the "clock in" culture and "taste upgrade" evident on social media. Exhibitions bring brands to life, allowing consumers to experience the brand and connect it to their lifestyle, pursuits, attitudes and tastes.