Les deux coffee: What the Gu Ming and Mo Dao Zu Shi Collaboration Shows About IP Tie-Ins
Gu Ming launched a limited-edition collaboration with the novel and animation property Mo Dao Zu Shi in early November, setting up themed stores in 16 cities. Queues drew social media attention, but the brand issued an apology before launch because a planned drone show for protagonist Wei Ying's October 31 birthday was cancelled over weather conditions. A second wave of delivery set meals followed.
The rocky rollout echoed an earlier failed tie-in with Love and Deepspace. Brands in tea and coffee keep pairing with popular IPs because crossovers bring exposure to both sides and lift drink sales. The case shows the execution risk: weather, scheduling and fan expectations can undercut even a well-publicised event, so contingency planning matters as much as the IP itself.
In recent years, collaborations between new tea beverage brands and popular IPs have become the norm, and the partnership between Gu Ming and "Mo Dao Zu Shi" is no exception. In early November, the two parties launched a limited-edition collaboration event, covering themed stores in 16 cities nationwide, with fans showing immense enthusiasm—the queuing spectacle even trended on social media. However, before the event even began, the brand issued an apology due to the cancellation of a drone show, and the shadow of a previous failed collaboration with "Love and Deepspace" had not yet faded. Despite the rocky start, Gu Ming still announced a second wave of delivery set meals, intending to ride the hot IP to boost sales again. This article will walk through the entire collaboration process, fan reactions, and brand strategy, interspersed with Front Street Coffee's observations on the industry phenomenon of brand collaborations.
In recent years, it has become commonplace for new tea beverage brands to team up with popular IPs to launch collaboration drinks. A successful crossover collaboration can not only bring叠加 exposure to both brands but also drive up tea beverage sales, while attracting more casual attention to the IP—a truly mutually beneficial win-win.
From November 1 to 3, domestic chain tea brand Gu Ming launched a collaboration with "Mo Dao Zu Shi," which boasts a massive fan base. According to the official announcement, the event was limited to themed stores set up by Gu Ming in 16 cities nationwide.
"Mo Dao Zu Shi" is a novel by Mo Xiang Tong Xiu, which later spawned an animated series of the same name and the adapted drama "The Untamed," among other works. With its gripping plot and vivid characters, it has accumulated a large following in China.
For this reason, after Gu Ming announced the merchandise collaboration, fans of "Mo Dao Zu Shi" across the country closely followed event updates. Some compiled complete collaboration guides on social media and listed the specific addresses of the 16 themed stores, making it easier for out-of-town fans to visit the nearest location.
Notably, before the collaboration even launched, Gu Ming issued an apology letter. It turned out that October 31 was the birthday of the novel's protagonist "Wei Ying," and Gu Ming had planned an offline "Wei Ying Birthday Celebration" event. However, due to weather conditions, the scheduled drone show was forced to be cancelled, and the brand publicly apologized that same evening.
This was not the first time Gu Ming apologized for collaboration mishaps. On June 14, Gu Ming had issued an apology statement on its official Weibo for errors in its collaboration with "Love and Deepspace." At the time, employees leaking collaboration materials in advance and showing insufficient respect for game players sparked strong dissatisfaction and complaints from "Love and Deepspace" players. What was meant to be a user acquisition campaign ultimately backfired.
However, compared to the previous mishap, the cancellation of the drone show for the IP protagonist's birthday this time was not a subjective fault of the brand. While apologizing promptly, Gu Ming promised to reschedule the performance, and most "Mo Dao Zu Shi" fans expressed understanding and were willing to continue participating in subsequent collaborations.
(Evening of November 7: Drone show restarted)
On November 1, the first day of the collaboration, long queues formed outside Gu Ming's themed stores in Hangzhou and Chengdu. Although purchasing four collaboration drinks entitled customers to peripherals such as paper cups, straw covers, paper bags, stickers, transparent cards, and acrylic stands, it was noted that the "Tianzi Xiao" and "scroll" items could only be collected at themed stores. In an era where whether the milk tea itself tastes good no longer matters and completing the peripheral collection is a must, fans flocked to the themed stores.
On November 3, #HangzhouGuMingMilkTeaUnprecedentedQueuing# and #ChengduGuMingMilkTeaQueuingBecomesTheNorm# trended on Weibo. One person who experienced it posted that they queued from 9:30 to 12:30 just to get the limited-edition letter card, and then spent another one or two hours on stamping and the lucky draw, sighing that once you enter the Mo Dao, it's as deep as the sea.
Seeing the astonishing appeal of "Mo Dao Zu Shi," Gu Ming announced the launch of a second wave of collaboration set meals on November 8. This time, in addition to participating stores, fans could also order through delivery platforms to support their favorites. It seems Gu Ming is planning to cash in heavily on this hot IP.
Front Street Coffee believes that while collaborations can boost traffic in the short term, a single misstep in planning and execution can lead to fan backlash. How to balance popularity and reputation remains an ongoing lesson for new tea beverage brands.
Image source: Internet
The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
