At the beginning of the year, the hottest metaphysical marketing, emotional value is the traffic pa

Text |NewMarketing

Many FMCG brands have also followed the time stall of the opening day and started metaphysical marketing: a little bit, m stand to buy milk tea and send wooden fish; Jasmine Milk White Launches "Good Luck Grail**" contains a pair of beech chalices.

In fact, since the year ago, and during the Chinese New Year, temple tours have become a popular way to decompress, and the popularity of Fujian Youshen, and even continued to the start of construction, this "metaphysics" boom has been at a high level. When "praying for good luck" becomes an emotional norm, and when "metaphysics" becomes a calming agent for many young people to gain a sense of security, the resulting metaphysical marketing will be a major brand marketing trend in 2024.

Although "metaphysical marketing" is not new, it is presented in a variety of forms, such as horoscopes, fortune telling, feng shui, MBTI, and it has been tried and tested repeatedly for young people. And as early as more than 5 years ago, NetEase Cloud**h5, which can be used from time to time to swipe the circle of friends, can be regarded as the "originator" of metaphysical marketing, at that time, various personality color tests can set off one viral spread after another, precisely because it has a deep insight and grasp of user psychology and communication laws.

Today's young people can be said to be more and more "superstitious", whether it is work and life, or studying for exams, before making any big or small decisions, it is difficult to feel at ease not to engage in metaphysics. When this kind of good luck goes from being occasional to becoming the norm, how can brands use metaphysical marketing to keep it new?

According to the Third Chinese Public Sampling Survey Report on Unknown Phenomena released by the China Association for Science and Technology many years ago, at least 1 in 4 Chinese believe in metaphysics. To some extent, people's enjoyment of metaphysics stems from the need for everything.

For example, the need to become beautiful and better, there was a popular "metaphysical transfer makeup" on Xiaohongshu, and there are various particularities in the blogger's makeup teaching**: the base makeup should be clear, and pay attention to covering moles, otherwise be careful to break the wealth; It is necessary to show the forehead, because the forehead is the "Guanlu Palace"; The nose tip should be rounded, the eyebrows should be coherent, and the eyebrows should be gathered and not scattered; The distance between the eyebrows should not be narrow or wide, there should be no broken eyebrows, and the nose and chin should not be swept.

Urban Decay has used "New Year's Transit Makeup" to market lipsticks, eye shadows, and setting sprays; Shu Uemura launched a New Year's transit red limited lipstick; The Mac Dragon Limited Edition is available in new shades; RMK uses "Golden Brown Lucky Eye Makeup" to market monochrome eyeshadows and so on.

"Metaphysics" has always been a marketing tool that the beauty industry is happy to do, after all, metaphysical culture has a long history, and the statements about physiognomy are also colorful, which is a carrier that beauty products can continue to carry. However, with the increasing pressure of the social environment, the number of people who "seek a hexagram" is becoming more and more abundant, the frequency is getting higher and higher, and the methods are becoming more and more diverse.

Therefore, more and more FMCG brands have begun to try "metaphysics", especially milk tea and coffee: Yihetang launched "Shun Shun Zhu" in the college entrance examination season, tea Tailiang "Bamboo You Good Luck" and "Bamboo You Gaosheng" series, and the popular coffee decorated with glutinous rice paper of the God of Wealth, etc. These products linked to metaphysics are not only visible to the naked eye, but also form a topic on social networking.

It can be said that all the uncertainties related to luck, choices, and opportunities, even extended to ordinary three meals a day, young people are willing to devote themselves to the embrace of metaphysics to find psychological comfort.

According to Maslow's theory of needs, after realizing the five types of needs of security, love and belonging, respect, and self-actualization, human beings also have a layer of self-transcendence needs, and "metaphysics" hits the lifeblood of this level. This also gives more brands in more industries, and "metaphysics" has the opportunity to penetrate into more brands, after all, it is essentially to meet the actual needs of consumers and give him a higher level of spiritual protection.

For brands, "metaphysics" marketing can be used in a huge space, it can be very lightweight, such as from the peripherals, packaging, and naming can be put into it; It is also possible to play big as a brand positioning or even an entire market strategy.

But no matter how you play, the metaphysical marketing that can get out of the circle is not because of superstition, the focus is on moderation and fun, which is enough to grasp consumers.

Give a few successful cases of getting out of the circle.

Last year, a coffee shop called Ci Cup opened in Hangzhou's Yongfu Temple. In fact, as early as 2012, Starbucks settled in Lingyin Temple, and many coffee shops have been doing similar things in recent years, but Yongfu Temple has an advantage as the first to eat crabs.

What exactly did Eifuji do right? Timing is the primary factor, "Ci Cup" just opened at the peak of young people's temple culture, since February last year, the number of tickets for temple-related scenic spots increased by 310% compared with the previous year, and at that time, many temples were still marketed by burning incense and worshiping Buddha, cultural and creative peripheral products.

The second is positioning, from the product to the brand style, the main focus of the "Cibei" coffee shop is metaphysics to the end, from the packaging to the copywriting, to the coffee name carefully made "Buddhism": American called Difu, latte called stop snow, Mocha called joy.

What's more, "Ci Cup" follows the trend and adds a more high-end blind box gameplay, since they have come to seek Buddha, it is better to order a cup of "casual fate", draw a roll card, draw what to drink, and the sense of metaphysical experience is directly full.

Let's talk about an independent American bathing brand Moon Bath, this kind of toiletry, the technical barriers are not high, and it is difficult to make differentiation, which is often very unfavorable to the best players.

However, Moon Bath has found an ancient traditional bathing ritual called ayurveda, which originated in the ancient science of India more than 5,000 years ago, and focuses on harmonizing with the elements and rhythms of nature to evoke inner health. Focusing on this concept of "metaphysical" colors, the brand has launched botanical bath teas, bath salts, fragrances, and some everyday tools that are used in baths.

In order to differentiate itself from other brands, Moon Bath takes the ritual of bathing to the extreme, not only combining its products with the moon cycle, but also encouraging customers to choose the corresponding moon phase and energy function according to the guidelines on the official website for ritual bathing at the new moon, full moon and other key moments. The process is also quite formal: it involves lighting candles, placing **, scattering flower petals, etc., in order to "clear the chaotic magnetic field that exists in the space". The guide has also become an additional source of revenue for the brand, with each copy reportedly costing around $20.

This year, the "Dream Trusteeship" in Nanjing's Xiaoxi Lake Scenic Area has also become a case of metaphysical marketing hit at the beginning of the year, and Dianping shows that the store's local bar sales list ranks 2nd, and the store atmosphere score is as high as 49。Not only is every detail of the store's decoration permeated with the taste of "metaphysics", even the boss is a Taoist priest, and the clerk is called Si Meng, of course, the uncertain ordering method is the main thing.

You can place an order normally, and each one on the wine list is named after a famous poison from ancient times, such as Wushi San, Poison, Ecstasy Smoke, Arsenic, and a Sword to Seal the Throat; You can also shake the lot, each sign corresponds to a different wine party, and it can also indicate the current situation; You can even "exchange dreams for wine", as long as you leave a message under the corresponding notes of the Xiaohongshu account "Dream Tavern" to say that you can dream and choose a dream, you can go to the store to exchange for a designated wine.

This interactive marketing method has made this tavern popular. The weekly metaphysical theme night activities have strengthened the brand positioning, created a social environment dominated by metaphysical colors, and made consumers emotionally connected through various related topics and activities.

A good name + a good product comes with traffic, coupled with good marketing methods to empower traffic, the above-mentioned cases are all in the existing "metaphysics" culture to find the points that are easy to be ignored for refinement, and at the same time combined with the brand to amplify, so that the brand has recognition. To summarize the classification, there are a few key grippers:

Take advantage of the contrast and be more competitive

The sense of contrast is like a lever, as long as you grasp the scale, you can add enough power to marketing communication. Whether it is the Oriental temple selling Western coffee, or the ordinary bath fragrance to wash out the aura of heaven and earth, without exception, they are using the contrast to create a new singularity that attracts young people.

Although young people can't bear the ** of seeking good luck, the spotless gameplay will also make young people lose the motivation to try. When forms such as asking for lots and divination become too simple and boring, it will also weaken the charm of "metaphysics" itself.

The essence is to give young people a sense of experience in marketing interaction, and facts have also proved that using this sense of contrast, combined with their own characteristics, the brand is more competitive.

Connotalize "metaphysics" and provide emotional value

In the final analysis, when brands label their products or activities as "metaphysics", they undoubtedly need to learn to tell stories, and it is not only the mysterious rituals that attract young people to participate, but also the meaning behind them, that is, what kind of emotional value the brand can provide to consumers.

From city walk to tea brewing around the hearth, from temple coffee to bamboo milk tea, young people's emotional consumption outlets are indeed changing, but what remains unchanged is the yearning for a beautiful, happy, positive life, which also makes them have more meanings other than consumption when buying any product.

People buy coffee in the temple, not just for drinks, but for a quiet atmosphere and a wish for peace and tranquility. People's first cup of milk tea in autumn is not only a new taste, but also a yearning for the new season, and a desire to take care of themselves and be better to themselves.

Something related to fate, everyone believes that sincerity is spirituality, which is exactly the deeper emotional connotation that the brand needs to explore with the help of "metaphysics", that is, to give more "spiritual effects" beyond the product.

"Metaphysics" is contagious, a new type of social currency

The reason why metaphysical marketing can frequently create hot spots is also due to its strong social attributes, and the New Year's Fortune Lama Temple bracelet has become a "new specialty" in Beijing, and the analysis of the horoscope is the best example of the must-see horoscope every Monday.

The popularity of "metaphysics" itself lies in the spread between people. "Metaphysics" is a tool that instantly reduces the cost of socializing, whether it is a familiar friend or a stranger, it can make a group of people with common spiritual needs resonate across the screen, and quickly generate a sense of identity and belonging through imitation and participation.

"Dream Depository" amplifies this attribute, making metaphysics a social currency, E people can release their nature, and I people can also make friends, so that consumers can quickly have cognitive and emotional connections with the brand, and it has become a matter of course for the brand to sell wine.

Tighten the time window and fill the "atmosphere bureau".

Metaphysics itself has a lot of creative space, and the gameplay of the Internet can make products, content, differentiated scenes, and interactive gameplay continue to innovate, so that brand products always have a fresh and interesting state.

Of course, in the selection of marketing time, if you can closely follow the window, such as the exam season, Valentine's Day, New Year's Day, and other holiday nodes, you can amplify the atmosphere of "metaphysics", and the product can better reach users and trigger topic discussions.

Therefore, in addition to the collective CNY marketing that is huge at the beginning of the year, brands can also dig out the appropriate time nodes in the following days, combine the means of metaphysical marketing, and create a mysterious sense of surprise for young people.

Are young people really "superstitious" supremacy? Not necessarily.

Peeling back the "shell" of metaphysics, it is more about young people looking for a better self, a higher level of spiritual belonging, and a way to release stress, which happens to be a mysterious and interesting way to play among many interactive games.

For many brands that try "metaphysics" marketing, it is more often a matter of being briefly loved. It's not just that young people's attention span is fleeting, but it's also that brands need to learn to constantly change, discover and grasp the things that don't change, and at the same time give this generation of consumers more than just products.

If brands can do this, the better the chances of successfully hitting the interests of younger consumers.