How Should a Fan Drink Coffee During a Chaotic Collab Launch?

Chagee's co-branding with Nezha 2 opened today with pre-sale packages that pair a drink voucher with a merchandise redemption voucher, and stores swapped to themed cups, bags and laser tags. On day one, buyers reported material shortages, mismatched packaging and uneven execution across stores, while many orders arrived without the character items they expected.

Cotti Coffee's earlier Nezha 2 tie-in drew praise for prompt after-sales service, which sharpened the contrast. The redemption model means customers collect merchandise at the store where they ordered once the redemption window opens, so timing and store choice matter. Whatever the promotion looks like, knowing how to drink coffee properly, and checking the order before leaving, avoids most of the frustration.

The co-branding campaign between Chagee and "Ne Zha 2" officially launched today. Fans, who had been anticipating it for a long time, rushed to place orders for the limited-edition merchandise. However, on the first day of the campaign, issues such as material shortages, mismatched packaging, and inconsistent execution across stores surfaced, sparking strong dissatisfaction among consumers. In contrast, the previous co-branding between Cotti Coffee and "Ne Zha 2" was praised as a "textbook-level" example due to its timely after-sales service and sincerity. Chagee's chaotic performance this time has left many fans disappointed, with some even joking that they "can't even copy the homework properly." This article reviews the specific problems and consumer feedback on the first day of the campaign, and revisits Cotti's successful experience, providing a comprehensive perspective for coffee and tea enthusiasts.

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This morning, the co-branding campaign between Chagee and "Ne Zha 2" officially kicked off, and many fans had been looking forward to it for a whole week.

According to the campaign rules released by the brand, the limited-edition co-branded merchandise is sold via a pre-sale model. After purchasing designated packages through the mini-program, consumers receive a drink voucher and a corresponding merchandise redemption voucher. When the redemption period arrives, they can go to the store where they placed the order to collect their desired merchandise.

(Image taken from the official Weibo)

At the same time, after the campaign launched, Chagee stores nationwide uniformly switched to limited-edition co-branded packaging materials, and promised that customers who purchase any single co-branded drink would receive a paper bag, a takeaway cup, and a themed laser tag attached to the bag, all featuring the corresponding anime character.

Although on the first day of the campaign fans could not get both the limited-edition packaging and the themed merchandise at the same time, fans everywhere could hardly wait and rushed to place orders, hoping to get their hands on paper bags, paper cups, and other items printed with their favorite characters as soon as possible.

However, when the delivery riders delivered the orders, some consumers found that the limited-edition packaging they received was not entirely consistent with the official promotional materials.

Some users placed orders based on the promotional images in the mini-program, buying one Ne Zha cup and one Ao Bing cup, only to receive either two identical paper cups or ordinary takeaway cups. Other customers shared their buyer's photos, saying they only received the laser tag but no corresponding paper bag; while others had the opposite experience, receiving only the paper bag but not the laser tag that was supposed to come with the order.

In addition to the "shortfall" in materials, some users also reported that when they placed orders after the campaign began, store staff still used regular packaging materials to pack the drinks, and did not fully switch to the limited-edition packaging as officially advertised.

It is worth mentioning that after discovering that stores had given them fewer materials, some consumers immediately provided feedback to the store where they placed the order. The staff had a good attitude and apologized for the work errors, but regarding the missing materials, some stores said they could send them out after the customer's next order, some asked customers to pick them up in store with their receipt, and some stores reluctantly replied that some packaging materials had already run out and the arrival date of the next batch was unknown.

Many unpleasant consumer experiences reminded many fans of Cotti, which also co-branded with "Ne Zha 2." It is understood that Cotti's co-branding campaign did not include blind box draws, nor did it offer two-cup packages or bundled sales. Moreover, once a customer posted on social media saying that materials were missing or merchandise was damaged, the official team would automatically show up and contact the customer to discuss after-sales matters.

Cotti's sincere attitude undoubtedly won unanimous praise from merchandise collectors, who praised it as a "textbook-level co-branding." And precisely because such an excellent template was right in front of them, fans believed that later comers could perhaps refer to the predecessor's experience and deliver an even more impeccable performance.

Unexpectedly, on the first day of Chagee's co-branding campaign, problems such as incorrect pairing of limited-edition packaging materials and stock shortages appeared, leaving fans who had excitedly rushed to the stores disappointed and unable to resist making sharp comments: "They can't even copy Cotti's homework properly. Chagee just can't handle this massive windfall."

Image source: Xiaohongshu

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.