As the Spring Festival approaches, major chain beverage brands are rolling out festive limited-edition merchandise to boost sales. Heytea recently launched a fat-burning slimming bottle with added lotus leaf tea, along with a two-cup set that comes with a New Year limited-edition "oil-absorbing paper." However, this merchandise unexpectedly backfired—a red lucky money envelope packaging containing white oil-absorbing paper made many consumers in Guangdong and Guangxi uncomfortable, as they considered it a New Year taboo and exclaimed "Dai Gat Lei Si" (a Cantonese phrase meaning "bad luck"). While pursuing creativity and festive atmosphere, should brands give more consideration to regional customs and differences? This article will walk you through the entire incident and various perspectives. [more…]

Co-branding between chain brands has long become commonplace, yet Luckin Coffee's frequent moves in co-branded marketing still turn heads. From cross-industry collaborations to routine co-branding, Luckin has consistently demonstrated keen market instincts and creative capabilities. On January 22, Luckin joined hands with artist Han Meilin for a second time to launch Year of the Dragon limited-edition co-branded merchandise, with paper bags and cup sleeves rolling out nationwide. Subsequently, Luckin officially launched the call "Every generation has its own merch makeover frenzy" on Xiaohongshu, sparking a creative carnival among Luckin's craftspeople. From pen holders and picture frames to oracle bone script mahjong and Chinese-style oil-paper umbrellas, netizens transformed free merchandise into works of art brimming with ingenuity. This article will take you through the highlights of this zero-cost DIY merch craze, letting you feel the creative vitality that comes from brand-consumer interaction. [more…]

As the Lunar Year of the Rabbit approaches, the New Year marketing battle in the coffee beverage industry has quietly begun. Major brands are launching creative campaigns around the zodiac "rabbit," from puns and auspicious sayings to limited-edition new products, from co-branded designs to merchandise, all trying to capture consumer mindshare in the fierce market competition. Luckin has teamed up with artist Han Meilin to launch the "Double Rabbit" series, Starbucks offers three limited-edition drinks paired with cute rabbit merchandise, and Nestle Nespresso has collaborated with designer Angel Chen to create an eco-themed gift box. This article reviews the Chinese New Year marketing moves of major coffee brands, analyzes how zodiac IPs help brands build emotional connections with consumers, and explores that, amid the trend, product quality and creative output are the key to standing out. [more…]

The recent collaboration between Heytea and Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama has sparked widespread attention, with the two parties combining polka dot art with the boba tea series under the theme "Add Some Boba to the World." This marks the first cross-industry collaboration between the 95-year-old Yayoi Kusama and a Chinese new-style tea beverage brand. Limited-edition merchandise such as mugs and metal keychains sold out quickly after launch, driving up prices in the secondary market. Some consumers turned to scalpers for proxy purchases, but questioned the contradiction between order times and store sold-out notices. Heytea employees responded to this, and the incident also reflects the scalper chaos behind the rush for tea beverage collaboration merchandise. [more…]

Starbucks China officially announced on January 16 a collaboration with the Chinese animated classic Havoc in Heaven, launching a transforming cold brew latte and reusable straw merchandise inspired by the Golden Cudgel, set to go on sale on January 19. Once the news broke, loyal fans and IP enthusiasts were highly excited, but after launch, many netizens found that only the straws were available, while the most anticipated Monkey King head-shaped merchandise was nowhere to be found. Stores in Beijing, Liaoning, Guangdong, Shanghai and other places had very little material, prompting some to joke, "No head, what use is this iron stick?" Although the official had stated in advance that except for the launch cities, stock would arrive between the 21st and 25th, the pace of releasing drinks first and merchandise later, teasing appetites, still left many consumers disappointed. This article reviews the entire collaboration event and netizen feedback, and also reminds brands to prepare more thoroughly when planning such activities. [more…]

The Christmas season has arrived, and Starbucks, as usual, is the first to kick off the holiday marketing campaign, giving its coffee packaging a full red-themed makeover. This year, what has sparked heated discussion is not only the new products themselves but also the addition of spokesperson Fei Xiang—the Red Fuji series drinks, paired with celebrity stickers and apple sock merchandise, have drawn criticism from many netizens for their "cheesy" use of internet slang on the stickers. Is this move an attempt to break into the middle-aged and elderly market, or yet another down-to-earth attempt at brand aesthetics? Meanwhile, brands such as Luckin, Tims, and Seesaw have also jumped on the mulled wine americano bandwagon, and the Christmas coffee battle is in full swing. [more…]

Starbucks has once again ventured into a cross-industry collaboration, this time targeting League of Legends: Wild Rift! Starting January 10, mobile game gift boxes themed around the hero Seraphine will be available in stores nationwide, with purchasers having a chance to win a 2023 Chinese New Year limited-edition skin. This marks another new attempt by Starbucks in the realm of collaborations, continuing its long-standing strategy of partnering with various brands and IPs. As a trendsetter for collaborations in the coffee industry, Starbucks launches different series of collaborative merchandise almost every year, covering categories such as mugs, thermoses, stored-value cards, and apparel, each time sparking a buying frenzy among fans. This article outlines the specific details of this collaboration, the development history of League of Legends, and the current status and trends of collaborative marketing in the coffee industry. For more specialty coffee bean news, follow Front Street Coffee (FrontStreet Coffee). [more…]

In recent years, the national trend has been on the rise, and local cultural elements have become increasingly common in consumer brands. As a leading brand in the new-style tea beverage sector, Nayuki has abandoned its former Japanese-leaning brand image and transformed Nayuki Dream Factory into an opera space full of Chinese charm, launching more than 20 new Chinese-style pastries represented by mochi and palmiers, with each product corresponding to a classic opera such as The Drunken Concubine, The Peony Pavilion, and Farewell My Concubine. The store also displays traditional theater merchandise such as covered bowls and folding fans, creating an atmosphere of stepping into a traditional opera garden. Previously, Heytea also launched Axi Teahouse incorporating Sichuan opera elements. Against the backdrop of widespread price increases in the tea beverage industry, Heytea attracted market attention with a low price of nine yuan, and whether Nayuki's move into the national-trend pastry track can break through is worth continued attention. [more…]

In recent years, the "China Chic" trend has swept across all industries, with traditional patterns and fonts being repackaged and integrated into modern design, becoming a popular direction for brand marketing. The Lunar New Year is a key moment for major brands to showcase their "China Chic" creativity. This year, Starbucks collaborated with calligraphy artist Zhu Jingyi to launch Spring Festival couplets, attempting to interpret traditional Spring Festival elements in a trendy way, but it sparked widespread questioning from netizens due to the writing style and content expression. This is not Starbucks' first attempt at "China Chic"; from the "Three Good Star Youth" in 2020 to the 2022 Chinese New Year series, its strategy has gradually escalated. However, as an important carrier of traditional culture, Spring Festival couplets carry auspicious meanings, and this controversy also prompts reflection on how foreign brands can appropriately use "China Chic" elements. [more…]

"Ne Zha 2" has surpassed 1.49 billion yuan at the box office, becoming the biggest winner of the Spring Festival season, with Cotti Coffee, Chagee, and Good Me securing co-branding rights from among numerous competitors. Cotti was the first to announce its collaboration details, launching 12 combo packages, each containing one voucher for any drink on the menu and one limited-edition merchandise item, with no cap on merchandise quantities, no need to rush-buy, and drink vouchers valid nationwide within three months. This unconventional move was praised by netizens as "treating consumers like human beings," standing in sharp contrast to the previous co-branding model of limited quantities, bundled sales, and two-cup minimums, and putting pressure on Chagee and Good Me, which have yet to announce their own terms. [more…]

Collaboration campaigns by coffee chains usually come with limited-edition cup sleeves, stickers, and paper bags, while Starbucks has long stuck to its classic brown paper bags and green logo, a habit consumers jokingly call "unchanged for a decade." Yet during the Chinese New Year of the Dragon, Starbucks unexpectedly rolled out three limited-edition dragon-year cup sleeves, sparking widespread discussion. Netizens jokingly dubbed this move "a decision that betrays the ancestors," and it was also seen as a new attempt by Starbucks at localizing in the Chinese market. Against the backdrop of accelerating store expansion into lower-tier cities and insisting on not engaging in price wars, can Starbucks win over more consumers through limited-edition packaging? This article takes you through the details. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee's third store in mainland China has officially opened in Zhangyuan, Shanghai, continuing its location choice in Jing'an District. The new store is based on the Shikumen architectural style, blending weathered brick walls, original wooden lattice doors and windows, and outdoor alley spaces. In addition to continuing the localized design, the Zhangyuan store also offers a fusion of Chinese and Western "scallion oil waffle," limited-edition blend coffee beans, woven merchandise, and debuts honey sea salt latte and caramel jujube cake. A vintage Oji cold drip coffee maker on the bar counter becomes a highlight. Since Blue Bottle Coffee entered the mainland China market in February this year, its store opening pace has been steady, and the brand expects future expansion in China to be faster than in other international markets it has entered. [more…]

The second Starbucks and Disney collaboration is set to launch on January 15, featuring Mickey and Minnie as the campaign's main characters. In addition to regular merchandise such as mugs and plush toys, the official lineup also includes red envelopes printed with the brand logo, omamori charms, and wooden divination blocks (bwa bwei), sparking lively discussion among netizens. The appearance of bwa bwei, a common divination tool in the Fujian and Guangdong regions, in a coffee brand collaboration has left many people exclaiming over the surprising combination. This article will walk you through the specific merchandise of this collaboration, the cultural background of bwa bwei, and the amusing reactions from netizens. At the same time, Front Street Coffee will continue to follow the brand strategy behind this cross-industry attempt. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee's second Shenzhen store opened in Luohu MixC, designed by wrk-shp, incorporating Luohu's "half landscape, half city" concept. The new store introduced specialty items like Lingnan sweet soup-inspired coffee panna cotta and launched co-branded merchandise with Kinto. However, compared to the first store's grand opening with a 2-hour queue, the second store saw sparse foot traffic on opening day, with no wait to order and low discussion on social media. Blue Bottle Coffee has opened three stores in the past two months, accelerating its expansion in the Chinese market, but consumers have raised questions about the product quality control, pricing, and brand uniqueness of its South China stores. This article reviews Blue Bottle Coffee's recent expansion dynamics and market feedback, explores the positioning dilemma of specialty coffee brands amid price wars and localization challenges, and retains Front Street Coffee's observational perspective on industry trends. [more…]

At the start of 2024, the co-branding wars in the coffee industry are intensifying, with Luckin, Cotti, and Starbucks all making their moves, and Peet's Coffee not to be outdone, teaming up with the Dunhuang Museum to launch themed merchandise and two signature drinks. However, once the new products were in hand, they drew complaints from consumers because the cream top melted quickly and the drinks' appearance differed too much from the promotional posters. This article reviews the highlights and controversies of this co-branding campaign, and explores the widespread "buyer's show vs. seller's show" problem with hot drinks topped with cream. For coffee lovers who enjoy trying new things, this is undoubtedly a consumer experience case worth paying attention to. [more…]

Competition in the coffee industry is growing increasingly fierce, and themed cafés are emerging one after another, yet brands with a truly distinctive cultural core remain rare. Recently, the country's first archaeology-themed café officially opened in Yuzhong District, Chongqing. Jointly created by the Chongqing Cultural Relics and Archaeology Research Institute and a Chongqing cultural and creative industry council member unit, it blends professional archaeological expertise with the coffee-drinking experience. The shop not only offers archaeology-themed drinks, but also features distinctive settings such as a stratigraphy bar counter, a wall of archaeological tools, and merchandise inspired by replicated cultural relics, with plans to hold themed salons on a regular basis. This cross-disciplinary experiment brings the niche discipline of archaeology into the public eye in a way young people enjoy, and also opens up new imaginative possibilities for the "coffee + cultural creativity" model. [more…]

Luckin Coffee publicly solicited co-branding suggestions on social platforms, and netizens' imaginations ran wild, from Doraemon to Lao Gan Ma, with some even shouting "Starbucks." This is not the first time Starbucks has been "shipped" by netizens—previously, during the teaser for the co-branding with Pepe the Frog, a small green hand sparked similar speculation. Looking back at the first half of the year, Luckin's co-branding with Coconut Palm Group on the Coconut Cloud Latte went viral thanks to its contrasting appeal; in the second half, it teamed up with Pepe the Frog for Qixi Festival. Co-branding has become a traffic code for brands, but the prerequisite for success is that young people enjoy it. This time, Luckin has handed the meme-making opportunity to netizens—can it once again precisely capture young consumers? [more…]

The word macchiato always brings to mind the sweet, rich classic flavor of caramel macchiato. Since Starbucks first created the caramel macchiato in 1996, this drink has become a favorite of countless coffee lovers. In October 2024, Starbucks China not only held its first-ever macchiato-themed exhibition, but also took the opportunity to launch two new products: Lime Macchiato and Coconut Macchiato. This article takes you through the glorious history of the caramel macchiato, explores the highlights of the themed exhibition, and offers a first-hand interpretation of the flavor performance and consumer feedback of the two new products, providing a reference for your next order. [more…]

Blue Bottle Coffee's first Shanghai store recently officially opened by the Suzhou Creek in Jing'an District, housed in a historic building originally built in 1926—the former senior staff dormitory of the Yutong Flour Mill. On opening day, long lines formed outside the store, with some customers waiting up to 7 hours to get in. This chain brand, known for pour-over coffee and its preference for renovating old buildings, offers a relatively concise menu featuring rare items such as Gibraltar, filtered café au lait, and New Orleans-style iced coffee. The first floor of the store has a modern style, while the second floor has a vintage style, and displays a 60-year-old FAEMA espresso machine. This article takes you on a virtual visit to this highly anticipated new coffee shop. [more…]

Mainland new-style tea beverage brands continue to enter the Hong Kong market. ChaPanda opened its first Hong Kong store on October 11 in Mong Kok, located on the ground floor of Far View Building on Sai Yeung Choi Street South, with a monthly rent of about HK$200,000. Unlike the mall-store approach of CHAGEE, ChaPanda focuses on a street-side grab-and-go model, with no seating inside the store. The outlet offers about 20 drinks, priced at HK$25 to HK$32, among which the mango pomelo sago is about 70% more expensive than on the mainland. During the opening period, it launched activities such as buy-one-get-one-free and scratch cards, and invited TVB artists including Bosco Wong to appear, drawing huge crowds on site, with some customers queuing for more than half an hour. [more…]