At Monoprix Montparnasse, in Paris, two pandas turn on themselves at the entrance of the feeding department, a tiger 2 meters long moves the head and moves the tail above impressive linear sauce soy. “2022, it was so awaited that we will celebrate twice,” said the slogan of the brand to announce the means deployed for the Chinese New Year.
Among the products intended to celebrate the year of the water tiger, shrimp chips, but also Japanese miso soups, tandoori chicken and masala. More Indian than Chinese, but we are not going to pinch because, from the confinement and restrictions, who still knows how we live abroad? And then, in France, we have already agreed to believe for chandeliers that we ate cheese beef skewers in Japan.
The great distribution has horror of the vacuum. For a long time, the experts of the “promotional calendar” put on the house and the fold back to create opportunities to return to the hypermarkets in January after the holidays. But the “white” has never boosted the grocery store. Strategically installed between Christmas and Valentine’s Day, the Chinese New Year now has among the major ethnic marketing appointments. It presents the double advantage of being secular and commercial, and has its place in advertising catalogs with the effectiveness of the “Black Friday”.
What we recognize them
They do not talk about holidays or promos but “highlights” and “to eventualize a space of the store”. They distribute Chinese New Year’s prospectuses from mid-January to not bite on candlemas and Valentine’s Day but without trimming the end of winter sales. They put pandas, soaps and red lanterns everywhere. They are not too sure of what the Chinese characters mean in the window. They use typographies that seem from the board game the mysteries of Beijing.
How they speak
“It’s the Chinese New Year at Bagel Corner.” “Thai pancakes, it allows you to combine Chinese candlemas and New Year.” “Asia at Aldi prices.”
their Great truths
The year of the water tiger will be the year of change. Chinese New Year does not arouse halal and kosher tensions. We are not going to celebrate Thanksgiving, but there is a market for the autumn decorations between Halloween and Christmas.
their existential questions
Do you have to say Chinese New Year or lunar New Year to include other countries, such as Japan, Vietnam, Malaysia and South Korea? When we start the promos of the candleholder? Can we chain the Dry January (“January without alcohol”) and the Chinese New Year? Does the single day, the day of singles on November 11 will soon be in the French promotional calendar?
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