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The 2025 乙巳 Year This year's Lunar New Year falls on January 29, the end of January. We have to prepare for the Lunar New Year's Day shortly afterwards. When the Lunar New Year's Day is in January, not February, how should marketing strategies and campaign messages be different? We have summarized some tips for you.
January Lunar New Year and February Lunar New Year - what's different?
① Customer Spending Capacity
Customers' spending capacity during the January Lunar New Year holiday is likely to decrease (compared to February). This is because it is a time when the aftermath of last year's end-of-year gatherings and Christmas season spending continues. In particular, if you have to spend the holiday without receiving your January salary, you are more likely to prefer substantial consumption. On the other hand, customers during the February Lunar New Year holiday can purchase high-end gifts with expectations for year-end settlement while receiving their January salary.
② Customer's mental leeway
Customers who are celebrating the Lunar New Year holiday in January may not have enough mental leeway. This is because the preparation period for the holiday is relatively short. Customers have to solve their tasks in a short period of time, such as shopping for groceries, shopping for new clothes, and organizing graves. In this case, many customers may want to simplify preparation for the holiday, such as reducing table setting or using convenience food.
③ seasonal factors
January is the middle of winter when energy consumption rises. Household burdens, such as heating bills and buying cold-weather goods, are bound to increase. On the other hand, February is a time when winter is gradually ending, which may slightly reduce the burden of spending on expensive winter clothes or heating. Weather relief may also reduce the burden of coming home and traveling. In 2023, when there was a Lunar New Year holiday in January, about 50 percent of the respondents said yes, while 54 percent, a 4 percent increase, said they would visit their hometown in 2024, when there was a Lunar New Year holiday in February (1).
④ Advertising effectiveness aspects
Compared to the Lunar New Year of February, the Lunar New Year of January does not allow advertising activities to continue for a long time. Comparing 2018 with the Lunar New Year holiday in February and 2020 with the Lunar New Year holiday in January, the number of mentions of holiday gifts reached 32% three to four weeks before the holiday, compared to only 26% in 2020. In addition, running a series of Black Friday, Christmas, and New Year's holidays (New Year's Day) campaigns can cause high levels of fatigue to customers. When it overlaps with other holidays, it affects gift purchases and consumption patterns. In the end, the marketing effect may be relatively low because the duration of the campaign is short and the fatigue of advertising messages is high.
Marketing strategy for the Lunar New Year of January
[Costability ratio + Practical composition & keywords]
January is a time when household income shrinks due to the aftermath of year-end gatherings and essential spending on heating. Campaigns that emphasize reasonable prices and substantial benefits can be effective. In Korea, the emotional Lunar New Year holiday is a time to plan big spending (even if household income shrinks). We need a strategy that maximizes value by emphasizing cost-effectiveness and practicality. For example, an affordable gift set that consists only of the core products of premium brands is a good idea. It is a Korean beef gift set, but it is a small set that includes only popular parts, or a mini kit of an expensive cosmetics brand to maintain premium quality and lower the price burden. Conversely, there is also a way to provide cost-effectiveness bundling by grouping affordable products into several sets. You can bundle up food items essential for setting up a table, or you can combine popular products by age group into one set.
[Very short-term focus! Time-limited promotion]
Due to the short duration of the campaign, it is necessary to quickly attract customers' attention with high-concentration short-term events. Psychologist Robert B. Cialdini explained the Principle of Scarcity in Psychology of Persuasion. Through experiments, Robert Cialdini confirmed that he responded more to the message "Beef Supplies may be Restricted in the future" than the message "Buy Beef." When resources are scarce or time is limited, the desire to own them increases! For high-efficiency time-limited promotions, analyze past data to see which period was the most responsive during the Lunar New Year holiday promotion. Then, try holding ultra-short discount events such as "72 hour limited specials," "Time Deal only for today," "100 people on a daily basis," and "Limited inventory quantity of 500." It is also good to emphasize urgency and scarcity to encourage immediate purchases.
[An immediate benefit that can be used right away]
It is also recommended to offer discount coupons or benefits that can be used together when you purchase now. This strategy shortens purchase consideration time by suggesting benefits that customers can immediately experience right now. According to Nielsen, an American advertising research institute, in 2019, advertisements that utilize instantaneous effects have a higher click-through rate of more than 30% and increase participation rate by more than 25%. Immediate effects are also associated with the human instinctive reward system. Dopamine is released when receiving rewards, and stronger dopamine is known to be released when you get them immediately without waiting. Consider an immediate reward offering strategy so that you can quickly draw customers' purchasing decisions and increase their satisfaction.
1) Data Consulting PMI Results Of Planning Survey On Lunar New Year Holiday, 2024
2) Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Food Education, Culture Information Service, 2020 Holiday Gift Consumption Trend Analysis Report, 2021
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