Luckin Coffee Teams Up with Line Friends! Luckin's Reverse Valentine's Day Marketing Really Knows How to Capture Young People!

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Let's Be Honest: Luckin Really Knows How to Create Buzz

Nowadays, sweet and romantic Valentine's Day marketing is no longer popular. Since last year's Qixi Festival collaboration with the "Lonely Frog," Luckin has always taken special care of single people during these sweet holidays.

Last year, self-deprecating internet memes were all the rage, and during the Qixi Festival Luckin went against the grain by collaborating with the sad frog meme, making netizens exclaim, "So heartbreakingly relatable, but I love it."

This year's Valentine's Day was no exception. Not only did Luckin collaborate with the currently popular Line Friends character, but it also incorporated trending jokes from recent talk show programs, launching the "Thorny Rose Latte" and "Acacia Red Bean Latte" and turning Valentine's Day into something that feels like Singles' Day.

Once the collaboration was announced, netizens were immediately drawn to the limited edition bags and stickers. Who doesn't love cute things?

The Line puppy has become a beloved member of many girls' sticker collections. The white Maltese dog is like us in daily life, sometimes spacing out or feeling sad, hurt, or angry, but in front of a good friend or partner, such as the little golden retriever, it shifts into a state of enjoying closeness and going wild together.

A Clever Twist on Marketing

Although the theme is called "A Dog's Love Story," Luckin skillfully used reverse marketing. On one hand, the product names are genuinely sweet yet slightly off-kilter. On the other, the promotional campaign used the line "This Valentine's Day, Luckin has a 'dog'!"

"Thorny Rose" comes from He Guangzhi's self-deprecating joke on the fourth season of "Talk Show Conference": it seems the more beautiful something is, the crueler it is to the world, and every time he thinks about it he realizes he is truly a thorny rose. This product, however, specifically notes "This product contains no thorns," hoping everyone will be as gentle and lovable as a thornless rose.

"Acacia Red Bean" comes from Wang Weisi's "Acacia," symbolizing "I miss you." But the biggest difference between true acacia beans and red beans is that acacia beans are poisonous, so eating them could be described as being poisoned by love. This product, of course, uses red bean syrup.

Targeting Young Consumers

According to surveys, Luckin's customers are mainly concentrated in the 20-35 age group, with single young people accounting for over 60%. Most maintain an optimistic attitude toward being single while also hoping to receive attention and express themselves.

From the lonely frog to the thorny rose, it is clear that today's young people have a very high acceptance of their single status and greatly enjoy their time alone, which has gradually given rise to a trend of self-deprecating humor about being single online.

For brands wanting to attract more young consumers, following young people's preferences is the best approach. Appropriately incorporating trending jokes and resonating with young people will naturally yield good results.

Luckin's reverse marketing has perfectly captured the hearts of its main customer group. The originally sweet, romantic style was transformed into a satirical one, bringing a certain sense of incongruity without going too far.

This not only strengthens consumers' expectations for each theme and product but also increases their attention to the brand, while the product names give young people an opportunity to express themselves.

The popularity of talk shows stems from the fact that many of the views expressed represent the current situation of young people, though few actively voice them. Performers help this group vent about life through witty humor, and the same applies to these products: people buy them not really for the taste, but more for the chance they give young people to express themselves.

Image source: Internet.

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