In 2020, China went from a key luxury market to arguably the most important in the world, as brands had no choice but to tailor their marketing and sales strategies for a consumer base that went from globally minded to much more domestically focused virtually overnight. With Chinese consumers turning to digital trends like livestreaming and local platforms such as Douyin to discover and, increasingly, purchase luxury goods, brands now must make decisive moves to leverage popular culture and domestic trends in order to sell to the critical China market.
Contemporary artist Daniel Arsham, for one, knows firsthand just how popular culture has driven luxury consumption in China. His works, which see cultural icons from Pokémon to Porsches sculpted to resemble unearthed relics, have found an eager Chinese base, thanks in large part to his China-exclusive platform, Archive Editions. “[My work] wasn’t necessarily something easy to find there a couple of years ago,” he tells Jing Culture & Commerce. “You had to seek it out.” Arsham, though, has successfully tapped an audience that was “really paying attention to what was happening globally with the work; they knew about all the projects and in some cases, more than some of the fans [in the West].”
On Thursday, April 8, at 10am EST / 3pm GMT, the artist will participate in “How Popular Culture Has Redefined Luxury in China,” a webinar hosted by Jing Daily and Sotheby’s, to share further insight into how popular culture and luxury are intersecting in China. Moderated by Enrique Menendez, Editor-in-Chief of Jing Daily, the live webinar will also include editor Ted Gushue, and Yuki Terase, Head of Contemporary Art, Sotheby’s Asia.
For luxury brand decision-makers seeking an understanding of China’s cultural consumers and luxury industry (and what they mean for a successful marketing mix), this will be essential viewing. Covering a wide range of topics, including how popular art carries over into what we call popular culture, how the definition of luxury has changed over the years, and the specialities of the Chinese luxury market, the webinar will provide attendees with a clear perspective on the current state of the global auction, art, and luxury markets, with takeaways that will help refine a global and a China strategy for 2021 and beyond.
