Why Did the Luckin Coffee Pingu Giveaway Upset Buyers?

Luckin Coffee's Pingu co-branding campaign drew complaints after merchandise first required buying set meals or two new drinks, then was later handed out with a much lower threshold or free. Customers who paid full price or stockpiled vouchers felt the rules changed against them, and staff reported slow sales with unsold inventory piling up in some stores.

The items included stickers, fridge magnets, phone stands, plush bags and face-changing cups, with set meals often costing above 30 yuan after discounts. Some buyers spent more to complete the full set. The gap between the teaser phase and the rerun highlights a mismatch between the brand's marketing rhythm and what customers expect.

Luckin Coffee's recent co-branding campaign with clay animation character Pingu has sparked heated discussion. At the start of the campaign, consumers had to buy designated set meals or two new drinks to get the merchandise, and many fans placed orders at full price or even stockpiled coffee vouchers for this. However, not long after the campaign ended, Luckin once again gave out the same merchandise with a much lower threshold or even for free, leaving consumers who had previously bought at high prices feeling dissatisfied. At the same time, employees on social platforms reported that the merchandise was selling poorly, with inventory piling up at some stores, and materials such as stickers even being discarded or given away. From teaser to rerun, this collaboration reflects the gap between the brand's marketing rhythm and consumers' expectations.

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Recently, Luckin Coffee has once again become the focus of public opinion because of the giveaway rules for its co-branded merchandise.

On the 21st of last month, Luckin announced a collaboration with clay animation character Pingu, launching a series of penguin-themed merchandise, including co-branded stickers, cute head fridge magnets, plush bags, and DIY face-changing expression cups, giving fans the chance to collect multiple Pingu-themed items at once.

It is reported that before the campaign launched, Luckin announced in advance how to obtain each item of merchandise. For example, ordering two new drinks could get one co-branded sticker; buying a designated in-store set meal (including merchandise) could randomly get a fridge magnet or phone stand, etc.; and the cup and plush toy set meals included 7 drink vouchers, with relatively higher pricing.

Because the threshold for obtaining this merchandise started at two cups, and the set meals were priced on the high side, even with discounts from third-party platforms, the actual spending was usually still above 30 yuan. Many budget-conscious office workers, out of their love for Pingu, still bought two large drinks at the original set meal price even if they could not find a "coffee buddy," and ended up drinking them alone.

Some consumers who care about ritual and presentation, in order to complete the entire penguin merchandise set, not only got up early to wait, but also stockpiled seven coffee vouchers at once on the Luckin app, which shows their enthusiasm.

However, after the campaign officially ended, many netizens discovered that Luckin had launched a second wave of Pingu merchandise, still including stickers, fridge magnets, phone stands, and other items. But compared with a week earlier, the threshold for obtaining them this time was greatly lowered, requiring only any two drinks to get them easily. This created a strong psychological gap for consumers who had originally bought the set meals at full price.

As news spread that the penguin merchandise had returned and was being given away for free, many consumers said they were shocked by Luckin's handling. According to these true Pingu fans, they had bought the set meals precisely for the merchandise, and the bundle price was already not low. Just over a week later, the merchandise given with the designated set meals had actually become discounted or even free. "It really makes people feel disheartened."

In response, some netizens speculated that this Luckin campaign had low popularity, and the set meals that included designated merchandise were priced at more than 30 yuan, so most consumers unfamiliar with the co-branded IP would not buy them at all, resulting in many stores still having large amounts of inventory after the campaign was taken offline. Rather than simply throwing them away, it would be better to "dump" them in this way.

Judging from feedback from employees who have long been active on social platforms, compared with the popularity of Luckin's previous collaborations, this limited-edition merchandise really suffered a setback, with multiple penguin items failing to sell. Just a few days after the co-branding campaign launched, some people threw stacks of stickers into the trash, some mailed the remaining materials to their exes, and some employees even started "selling them cheaply" online.

Image source: online screenshot

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