4 quick digital marketing hacks for marketers ahead of Chinese New Year

According to Google, with Chinese New Year just around the corner, more Singaporeans are placing an emphasis on honouring the traditions of Chinese New Year.

Search volume of CNY-related queries in Singapore last year was twice of Malaysia’s, and was also 40% more than Hong Kong, whose population is made up of 92% Chinese. The number of searches has also increased 27% year-on-year as more digitally-savvy Singaporeans go online for ideas and inspiration such as reunion dinner recipes, or fashion inspiration for visitations.  Google's survey findings also found that Singaporeans are 44% more likely to try out new products and brands during Chinese New Year than the rest of the year. The three key areas that are driving a big part of the spending are food, decorations and lighting, as well as clothing.

Apart from finding things to buy online, Singaporeans are increasingly looking to YouTube to find CNY content, as watchtime for prime Chinese-language content grew by 91% year-on-year. To date, the platform has more than 104 million minutes of CNY-content offering a plethora of videos from festive songs, skits, and tutorials that Singaporeans can choose from to help them get into the festive mood.

In 2019, Google saw brands leveraging this behaviour by creating videos that capture the spirit of togetherness, and tutorials which introduce new products and recipes. Some of the top videos from 2019 include Singtel’s poignant short film, titled “From Ma, With Love” and  Yeo’s CNY’s video. NTUC Fairprice also invited Chef Eric to teach a unique dish for customers and the audience to try their hands at during the festive season.

(Read more: 10 popular YouTube ads in Singapore this Lunar new Year)

Tips for marketers to maximise this festive season:

- Digital first creativity: Develop creatives that are digital-first which tap into the emotions of the consumers. Chinese New Year is all about emotions, with Singaporeans mostly associating the popular festive season - joy, people and fun. According to Google, it is a key moment for brand building in Singapore and a quick look at the CNY YouTube ads in 2019 show that brands who were able to customise creatives to tap into these emotions enjoyed stronger brand connections. This included a 90% increase in brand recall, 40% increase in favourability, and 4% increase in purchase intent.

- Personalise to drive conversion: A Google survey shows that seven in 10 consumers prefer advertising that is tailored to their personal interests and shopping habits. Tailoring ads to the customer also makes them 40% more likely to engage with your ad and make a purchase. To reap maximum benefits from an ad, brands are encouraged to experiment with creating different ads for different groups of customers.

- Be online-friendly: As eCommerce becomes a regular shopping experience in the region, with over five million orders submitted on an average day, it is important for brands to optimise their site’s experience for consumers. Brands can focus on reducing loading times, and methods to track and measure their site’s performance.

- Support offline purchases with an online presence: While Singaporeans primarily turn to Search for shopping, they don’t only look online to make purchases. Searches for stores and store locations doubled in the week leading up to CNY in preparation for the festivities which makes it important for brands to ensure that their store information is readily available online.

Melissa Lee, sector lead for finance, government and retail, Google Singapore said with many Singaporeans turning to the internet to prepare for the festivity, brands should ensure that they have a strong online presence and also evolve in the way they tell their brand story. "We've seen many marketers adopt a digital-first mindset and successfully use YouTube to stand out by developing creatives that tap on emotions and key moments that matter during Chinese New Year,” she added.