Singles' Day: From University Tradition to Asia's Biggest Shopping Festival
In an era where shopping festivals dominate the retail calendar, Singles' Day stands out as a remarkable phenomenon in Asia that transformed from a quirky university celebration into Asia's largest shopping event. Let's explore how this cultural phenomenon evolved and its impact on modern retail.
The Origins: An Inclusive Celebration of Singlehood
Singles' Day began in 1993 at Nanjing University in China when four male students decided to create an anti-Valentine's Day celebration. They chose November 11 (11/11) because the number "1" resembles a "bare stick" – Chinese slang for an unmarried individual. What started as a light-hearted response to couple-centric celebrations quickly spread across universities and evolved into a broader cultural phenomenon celebrating self-love, independence and empowerment.
The Retail Revolution: Alibaba's Game-Changing Move
The transformation of Singles' Day into a shopping extravaganza began in 2009 when Alibaba's CEO, Daniel Zhang, saw its commercial potential. What started with just 27 merchants has grown into the world's largest shopping event, surpassing both Black Friday and Cyber Monday combined, particularly in Southeast Asia and China.
Alibaba's innovative approach included:
Celebrity-driven promotional events featuring global stars
Large-scale televised galas
Integration of online and offline shopping experiences
Advanced logistics capabilities handling hundreds of thousands of transactions per second
How Brands Maximize Singles' Day Sales
Today's successful brands employ sophisticated strategies that blend commercial success with the festival's cultural essence:
1. Early Preparation
- Launch teaser campaigns weeks in advance
- Create urgency and sense of FOMO (fear of missing out) through flash sales and limited-time offers
- Design "self-gifting" packages that celebrate personal milestones and self-love
2. Cultural Integration
- Develop campaigns that celebrate independence and self-empowerment
- Partner with Key Opinion Leaders (KOLs) or social influencers who embody confident, single lifestyle
- Create content that resonates with the modern definition of singlehood
- Leverage local social media platforms with targeted messaging
3. Enhanced Shopping Experiences
- Host interactive livestreaming events featuring singles' lifestyle content
- Implement gamification elements that celebrate individual achievements
- Design "treat yourself" promotions that align with self-care themes
- Create virtual try-on experiences for solo shoppers
4. Community Building
- Organize virtual social events for singles to connect
- Create exclusive shopping groups for single professionals
- Develop reward programs that celebrate personal independence
- Host digital workshops on self-development and lifestyle enhancement
5. Strategic Messaging
- Frame products as investments in personal growth
- Create bundles that complement solo living
- Develop marketing narratives around self-love and empowerment
- Design exclusive "singles-first" product launches
6. Digital Innovation
- Implement AI-powered personal shopping assistants
- Create virtual shopping companions
- Develop social shopping features for singles to share recommendations
- Optimize mobile shopping experiences for one-handed browsing
Popular Product Categories Across Asia
Singles' Day 2023 saw remarkable sales across various categories, with notable regional differences:
Greater China:
- Health & Beauty (417% growth)
- Home & Garden (326% growth)
- Luggage & Bags (311% growth)
- Toys & Games
Southeast Asia:
- Baby & Toddler Products (407% growth)
- Health & Beauty (352% growth)
- Furniture (277% growth)
- Electronics and Appliances
2023's Most Successful Brand Campaigns
Several brands stood out with their innovative approaches and impressive results:
1. Apple
- Exclusive Tmall partnerships
- 40% sales increase from 2022
- Rapid sellout of popular devices
- Marketing focused on personal tech empowerment
2. L'Oréal
- Exclusive beauty bundles emphasizing self-care
- Engaging livestream tutorials for individual beauty routines
- 60% sales growth
- Campaigns celebrating personal beauty standards
3. Adidas
- 40% discounts on popular items
- Focus on sustainable products
- 35% year-on-year growth
- Marketing themes around individual athletic achievement
4. Huawei
- Early-bird discounts up to 47%
- Interactive virtual events celebrating tech independence
- 50% sales increase
- Solo-user-focused product features
5. Estée Lauder
- Exclusive luxury beauty sets for self-indulgence
- Virtual try-on technology for confident solo shopping
- 45% sales growth
- Campaigns focusing on personal luxury experiences
Standing Out During Single’s Day
As Singles' Day continues to evolve, setting new benchmarks for online retail success. Its transformation from a celebration of singlehood to a shopping phenomenon demonstrates how brands can authentically connect cultural meaning with commercial opportunity. As we look ahead, successful brands will be those that maintain this delicate balance – celebrating individual empowerment while creating compelling shopping experiences.
The festival's success shows that when cultural understanding meets technological innovation and strategic marketing, the result is more than just sales – it's a celebration of individual choice and personal freedom that resonates across Asia and beyond.
It would be good to see more of that kind of holistic messaging tagged to the campaigns rather than just playing on tactics like discounts, price points and freebies (e.g. 11% off, $11 promotions) that makes the brand look like they are just latching onto a commercial bandwagon, and single’s day losing its original meaning.
Mad About Marketing Consulting
Advisor for C-Suites to work with you and your teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.
Citations:
- https://www.new-rebels.com/en/blogs/new-rebels/singles-day-and-the-rise-of-new-rebels-a-deep-dive/
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/singles-day.asp
- https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/singles-day/
- https://studycli.org/chinese-holidays/singles-day/
- https://www.businessinsider.com/8-crazy-facts-about-singles-day-in-china-2015-11?IR=T
- https://www.digitalcrew.com.au/blogs-and-insights/10-singles-day-marketing-ideas-to-increase-your-sales/
- https://www.contentgrip.com/singles-day-criteo-insights/
- https://www.mastroke.com/blog/digital-marketing/7-brands-that-nailed-it-on-singles-day/
- https://www.warroominc.com/institute-library/blog/marketing-tips-for-singles-day/
- https://www.worldfirst.com/sg/online-sellers/singles-day-ecommerce-guide/
- https://retailasia.com/e-commerce/news/singles-day-top-shopping-season-139-sales-growth
- https://www.criteo.com/blog/double-dates-2023-spotlight-on-singles-day/
- http://martechasia.net/news/over-50-of-singles-day-new-shoppers-return-for-more/
- https://technode.com/2020/11/12/chinas-singles-day-sales-top-rmb-332-billion-across-platforms/
- https://www.businessinsider.com/8-crazy-facts-about-singles-day-in-china-2015-11?IR=T
- https://blog.dot.vu/singles-day-marketing/
From Brand Love to Brand Relevance: A New Paradigm in Brand Building
In the evolving landscape of brand marketing, we often hear about the pursuit of "brand love" – that magical connection where consumers don't just buy your product but fall in love with your brand. But what if we're asking the wrong question? What if the goal isn't to be loved, but to be genuinely understood and valued?
The Paradigm Shift: From Love to Relevance
The truth is, your brand isn't about making customers love you. It's about understanding what they need from you and delivering it consistently. Success isn't measured by how many hearts your brand can capture, but by being top-of-mind when your customers have a need, want, or aspiration.
This shift from pursuing brand love to building brand relevance isn't just semantic – it's strategic. Here's why it matters and how to make this transition effectively.
The Three Pillars of Brand Relevance
1. Define Your Value Proposition
Start with your "Why, What, and How." This isn't just about crafting a clever mission statement – it's about crystallizing the value you bring to your target customers. What problems are you solving? Why should they choose you? Your value proposition should answer these questions clearly and convincingly.
2. Embrace Your Specific Audience
One of the biggest mistakes brands make is trying to be everything to everyone. Remember: You can't – and shouldn't – try to appeal to everyone. Your brand's strength isn't measured by universal appeal but by its resonance with those who matter most to your business. Are you building a brand that demands attention, or one that earns it through consistent value delivery?
3. Foster Organic Brand Presence
Think about brands like Panadol, Pampers, or Coca-Cola. When people have a headache, need diapers, or want a cola, these brands come to mind automatically. Why? Because they've established themselves not just through advertising, but through consistent delivery of value. It's what customers say about you when you're not advertising that truly defines your brand.
The Integration Imperative
When leaders ask me about improving brand perception and scores, they're often asking the wrong question. Instead, ask: "What broke down for our customers?" Because brand relevance requires holistic integration across:
- Sales interactions
- Customer service
- Employee behavior
- Leadership visibility
- Digital presence
When any of these touchpoints fails, customer trust erodes. Why? Because you're no longer doing right by them. You're not giving them what they want or need. They feel betrayed.
Building Sustainable Brand Value
1. Maintain Unwavering Consistency
- Across all channels
- Through time
- In messaging and delivery
2. Align with Your Target Audience
- Speak their language
- Address their specific needs
- Show up where – and when – they need you
Think of it as a relationship where loyalty is as good as your ability to serve their needs.
3. Demonstrate Value Continuously
Don't fall into the "too big to fail" mindset. Instead:
- Prove your worth through actions
- Deliver meaningful solutions
- Create tangible impact
Remember: It's a perpetual courtship.
4. Recognize and Reward Loyalty
Too many companies focus on acquiring new customers at the expense of existing ones. Build sustainable value by:
- Rewarding continued engagement
- Building long-term relationships
- Creating organic advocate communities
The Bottom Line
The question isn't whether your brand is loved – it's whether your brand is relevant. In today's market, relevance beats romance every time. Your brand's strength lies not in universal appeal but in its ability to consistently deliver value to those who matter most.
Are you building a brand that demands attention, or one that earns it through consistent value delivery? The answer to this question might just be the key to your brand's future success.
Mad About Marketing Consulting
Advisor for C-Suites to work with you and your teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.
B2B Marketing Excellence: 8 Pillars for Strategic Transformation
8 Pillars for Strategic Transformation
In today's rapidly evolving B2B landscape, success demands more than just traditional marketing approaches. It requires a strategic transformation that embraces both time-tested approaches and innovative thinking. Let's explore the eight essential pillars that can revolutionize your B2B marketing strategy.
1. Content Marketing: The Foundation of Thought Leadership
True market leadership isn't claimed—it's earned through valuable insights. By creating data-driven research reports, detailed case studies, and educational content, you're not just marketing—you're elevating industry discourse. The key lies in translating complex insights into actionable approaches that drive real business results.
2. Lead Generation: An Art Backed by Science
Moving beyond basic lead capture requires a coordinated effort in terms of insightful content, compelling call-to-action and compelling landing pages, intelligent lead scoring, and personalized lead nurturing campaigns. It's about creating a journey that resonates with your prospects' needs while maintaining a clear path to meaningful business conversations.
3. Digital Presence: Your Virtual Self
Your digital presence isn't just a website—it's your organization's digital personality. In the B2B space, this also means crafting a mobile-responsive experience that speaks directly to your audience's challenges, backed by client testimonials and industry recognition.
4. Account-Based Marketing: Precision at Scale
ABM represents the convergence of strategic thinking and personalized execution. By aligning marketing and sales efforts around high-value accounts, you're not just reaching audiences—you're creating tailored stories that address specific business challenges and opportunities.
5. Relationship Building: The Human Element
In an increasingly digital world, human connections matter more than ever. From customer advisory boards to strategic partner programs, successful B2B marketing hinges on building and nurturing authentic win-win relationships that transcend traditional business boundaries.
6. Sales Enablement: Bridging the Gap
Empower your sales team with more than just collateral—provide them with intelligence. From comprehensive competitor analyses to ROI calculators, sales enablement should focus on tools that facilitate meaningful business discussions and demonstrate clear value propositions.
7. Analytics & Measurement: The Pulse of Performance
True transformation requires clear visibility. By focusing on metrics that matter—from customer acquisition costs to lifetime value—you create a feedback loop that drives continuous improvement and strategic refinement.
8. Customer Experience: The Ultimate Differentiator
In B2B, customer experience isn't just about satisfaction—it's about enabling success. From streamlined onboarding to comprehensive education initiatives, every touchpoint should reinforce your commitment to your clients' success for sustainable growth.
The Path Forward
These pillars don't operate in isolation—they form an interconnected framework for B2B marketing excellence. The key to success lies not just in implementing each pillar, but in orchestrating them harmoniously to create sustainable competitive advantages.
Mad About Marketing Consulting
Advisor for C-Suites to work with you and your teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.
If Marketing is A Stock, How Much Would You Value It?
Engage a marketing team for as little as $1,000 monthly.
You don’t need a CMO; you just need to tap on Gen AI to do your marketing for you.
Start-Ups don’t need a CMO or Experienced Marketing Leader; just hire a fresh graduate or a junior marketer since you as a Founder Can Do Everything!
Some horror stories I have been reading from LinkedIn either through people’s comments, posts or articles. I also had stories shared with me recently when I spoke with some junior marketers who are working for start-ups or micro businesses.
Let me turn this around for a moment and see how it makes you feel, if you are say a CEO, COO, CDO or whatever C-suite person who is likely to be a Founder of the next flashy app or platform or business:
Engage an IT team for as little as $1,000 monthly to develop and maintain the app for you.
We don’t need a CEO/COO/CDO; just hire a fresh graduate or junior sales/operations/digital manager to do your job.
It seems marketing is the single most replaceable or redundant job in any given company.
It also seems everybody and anybody can and knows marketing.
It’s the easiest skill to master in the world of business, sales, HR, IT, Data, operations, finance….the list goes on.
Perhaps it’s a bad encounter with a bad marketer. Or perhaps you actually have zero idea of what marketing can and should be doing for your business.
In any case, I feel sorry for you but as the saying goes, pay peanuts and get monkeys.
Companies need to be realistic and cognizant of the fact that the level of contribution and value of that contribution comes with experience in the field. There is no shortcut to it. Similar to any profession, the more experience the person has, especially across their own field, across the same and/or different industries and even across different countries, the more valuable the contribution.
This is different from say someone who has stayed on in their marketing position in the exact same company and same portfolio for decades and hasn’t learnt anything new, achieved anything new or launched anything new. It’s like a chef cooking the exact same dish year on year and not changing the menu at all - stale.
But to have the unrealistic expectations that a junior marketer should be able to think and act like a seasoned marketer, the shame is on you, not them.
In essence, a good and seasoned marketing leader can add value and provide guidance around:
customer acquisition, retention and sales enablement strategies
customer experience and lifecycle management
market and customer research and user testing needs
omni channel engagement and experience management
insights that can be gathered from customer data as well as interactions with your channels
shaping your product and business proposition, including providing opinions on areas for improvement
These are also tenets of core marketing functions and dependent on the exposure the marketer has had over the years of working across different portfolios, companies or industries.
About the Author
Mad About Marketing Consulting
Ally and Advisor for CMOs, Heads of Marketing and C-Suites to work with you and your marketing teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.
Everyone Loves Some Data But…
The million dollar question is - what exactly do you want to get out of the data?
Everyone has been talking about data for a good decade or so and depending on your level of data maturity, you are either still trying to find where are all of your data sources are located or you are now trying to monetize the insights gathered from your data.
Woe to you if you’re in the former bucket but no surprise many organizations, especially non digital native ones are still sadly in this bucket. Wow to you if you’re in the latter bucket, so what can you do to monetize it?
Customer data platforms, data management platforms and customer relationship management platforms suddenly became the talk of town thanks to Google’s flippant stance on third party cookies, that kept rolling back and back. Companies realized their archaic customer data collection methods and storage methods (often just in excel spreadsheets (horrors!)) are not quite cutting it.
Some are even confusing the whole customer data terminology and what it means when we talk about cookies, first party data, third party data and personal information level data. Some have all but sitting in silos or disconnected platforms that don’t talk to each other while others have none (more horrors!).
Some used to think a good data visualization and analytical tool is the holy grail to get all the answers they need by simply plugging it onto of their so-called data sources. But they soon wonder - how to plug, what to plug, where to plug and why can’t it just be plugged and played?!
Things like:
is the data clean, updated or accurate?
is the data in the format that is even retrievable., extractable or readable?
do you even have the data sitting where you thought is sitting?
is your data even categorized in the logic, classification and format that is aligned with your decision-making algorithms?
million dollar question - what exactly do you want to get out of the data? What is the truth that you’re after?
If these were not considered before your so-called plug and play approach, then you get a ton of data yes and a ton of outputs yet but hardly any useful insights. You get more of what we call, data outputs in a format that looks like you just downloaded a gigantic excel spreadsheet or a bunch of fancy looking graphs to make you feel good about some visually appealing data formatted in a presentable manner
E.g. you might see things like:
xx customer transactions performed over xx period
xx customer spent over xx period
That is still not data insights, it’s just data outputs telling you how many transactions and spent over a certain period of time. What are you going to do with that without other insights around:
who are these customers in terms of their interests and life stage needs and what is the co-relation between this and what they are spending versus not spending on?
what did they exactly spend on and why that might be the case?
what are their other needs and what is the possibility for that?
what else have they spent on and why that might be the case?
are they spending more or less on the same products/period and why that might be the case?
The difference as you can see is in terms of the why and the co-relation between the transactional data and the rationale behind it.
We first need to know what it is that we want to see and how that will help us to better understand our customers’ behavior or potential to engage more with us. It helps to have these in mind, and then work backwards to derive what we then need to have in terms of data types and sources in order to arrive at the desired insights.
It’s equivalent to knowing what is that treasure you’re seeking for so you know which location, treasure map, equipment, skills, knowledge and coordinates to get there.
So, do you know the treasure you’re after?
About the Author
Mad About Marketing Consulting
Ally and Advisor for CMOs, Heads of Marketing and C-Suites to work with you and your marketing teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.
Are You Selling a Product or a Solution?
Brand purpose and value creation are two things that go hand in hand for a successful and sustainable business. A business does not sustain for long, based purely on the sole purpose of making money, instead of solving problems.
The former can capture a market quickly in the short term to capitalize on a specific trend or lowballing the competition with an attractive pricing or promotional incentive, but the latter will help the business with real customer value creation.
This is easier said than done of course, similar to carving out your brand purpose and why customers should care about you. Actually, they don’t and they don’t have to. They care about themselves and the value you bring to them, which in turn is also why your brand purpose is relevant to their needs and/or wants.
Many brands simply talk too much about themselves and how good they are. This is passe and no one cares, really. Your customers want to know why you are good for them. Period.
Many brands are also simply selling a product and it’s obvious when they just call out the product’s features but not their intrinsic benefits for their customers and how it solves their problems.
E.g. - if you are a tire company:
if you’re selling a product, you might say things like - we sell tires for your cars. Our tires are made of quality rubber made to last. Buy now for xx% discount for a limited time period.
If you’re selling a solution, you might say things like - we are the reason mummy and daddy can drive home safe during wet weather or we can save you up to xx% in annual cost since our wheels are made to last.
The above is just a generic example with the second point highlighting potential customer pain points around:
concerns with road safety and enhanced protection against wet weather road conditions where cars are more likely to skid and get into accidents
concerns with costs in maintaining their cars and saving them the hassle of having to swap out their tires too often
There could be more pain points thus it’s critical to first understand the problem you are trying to solve for on behalf of your target customers. Selling a product means they are solving your problem instead by lining your coffers but you are simply enticing them for the short term to get a quick purchase. It doesn’t always work for the discerning customer and your competition can easily out-do you with a better discount.
When you move on to think about value creation and solution selling, it changes the narrative and you become 100% focused on addressing your customers’ needs. You start thinking broader as well what else you can add to your slew of products and services that can more holistically address their pain points.
It’s not as simply as bundling a bunch of products and calling it a fancy name as that is ultimately still product pushing; worse, it’s pushing a bunch of products now that might not even be what they want or need.
It involves insights from customers and non customers. It includes consumer trends, their purchasing behaviour, feedback and proactive research to really tease out useful insights. It’s not a bunch of your internal stakeholders sitting down and narrating what they think. It requires empathy as well as a genuine interest in consumer behaviour.
So, are you selling a product or a solution?
About the Author
Mad About Marketing Consulting
Ally and Advisor for CMOs, Heads of Marketing and C-Suites to work with you and your marketing teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.
Companies - Stop Launching Mediocre Products, Please.
Just as marketing is sometimes guilty of not going deep enough into the hoods of the true value proposition of what they are promoting on behalf of the company, business is just as guilty of launching mediocre products.
What is considered as a mediocre product? Is there such a thing as a bad product if it can sell?
In my experience, a mediocre product is one that is positioned largely on the following:
being first to market as its pure competitive advantage and nothing else
offering an incentive or price based positioning that can be easily displaced by its competitor who is willing to go lower or offer better
not making a real effort to tailor the products/services based on the needs of your target customers. Instead, you rely on marketing to position it and pretend that it is tailored for their needs when in fact, it is just a generic product/service that is catered for everyone
Based on above, it is telling that if a company focuses purely on quick wins and conversions, they are not looking to build a sustainable solution based product that addresses their customers’ actual needs. They are in it purely to make a quick buck from willing customers and what they usually end up with is a bunch of products/services that they have to keep topping up with more and more incentives/discounts/promotions/fancier taglines or creatives just to outdo their competition. I.e., they realize they don’t really have a truly unique selling point as they didn’t put in enough effort and thinking into developing something that cannot be easily replaced. Such approach will only work if you are the only seller or if the product and service is really hard to develop, thus you are confident most of your competitors are not able to achieve it..
Take for example, if you decide that there is a need currently in the market by for student aftercare services to support working parents who don’t have supportive company policies and flexible working arrangements. If you are offering a mediocre service, you will simply offer say - Free aftercare service for the first 3 months of signing up and 30% off if you sign up now for the next 3 months.
If you want to look at a more sustainable approach to avoid situations where a competitor offers say free aftercare for the first 4 months and 40% off if you sign up now, you will make an effort to find out more the other pain points associated with working parents and their children and try to bundle it into a more holistic “working parents aftercare services package” centered around - aftercare services, guided special out of school curriculum based on their children’s interests, customizable late afternoon snack option to cater for dietary preferences, access to resources for working parents and their children to adjust to such situations etc. Of these, some might be easily replicated but some like the out of school curriculum is not, as that’s unique to your company’s methodology and pedagogy.
It might take more effort and cost more but at least you won’t be caught in a pricing and promotional warfare with your competitors by tapping on your true strengths and unique capabilities. You might even be able to charge more or give less of a discount as you are selling the whole solution that addresses their pain points instead of a single, purely price/discount as-a-value based service/product that is more like a band aid that can be easily torn off and replaced.
The above is just a simple example of looking at why as marketers, we should pride ourselves as being valued business partners to bring the perspective of the customer to the table. Don’t be afraid to ask them hard questions, putting on the customer’s lens to ensure the outcome is a sustainable one, unless it’s part of the strategy to build something that is more seasonal or once-off to capitalize on a specific consumer trend.
About the Author
Mad About Marketing Consulting
Ally for CMOs, Heads of Marketing and C-Suites to work with you and your marketing teams to maximize your marketing potential with strategic transformation for better business and marketing outcomes.