Phenomenon-level exposure! Labubu broke through the tariff pressure and sold out
Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, just visited China. He recently stated publicly that the Chinese are not afraid of the US tariff pressure and that it is unrealistic to expect China to bow down to the US.China can hold its head high because more and more Chinese companies are able to produce "Made in China" products that American consumers like.Recently, a doll called Labubu from China has become a world-famous doll. Labubu was initially considered ugly by some people, but has now become a global hit. Even with the substantial increase in tariffs in the United States, Labubu is still hard to find in Europe and the United States. Even if the price is doubled, fans around the world are still flocking to it.Labubu's success is inseparable from its designer. Labubu's designer Long Jiasheng has lived in Europe for a long time. His design language is very international, which laid the foundation for Labubu's global popularity. Zhang Shule, an industry commentator, analyzed that Labubu is cute but a little weird in terms of image, and adds some Nordic elements, forming a dark style of cuteness, but without clear cultural boundaries, which suddenly makes consumers feel refreshed.Of course, celebrities’ endorsements have brought phenomenal exposure to Labubu. The Princess of Thailand appeared at the Fashion Week carrying a Hermès platinum bag with a Labubu pendant, the European and American pop queen Rihanna posted a photo of a Labubu pendant, and the soccer star Beckham also posted a photo of a Labubu doll given to him by his daughter, Harper, hanging on his backpack on social media.The Thai princess appeared at Paris Fashion Week carrying a Hermès Birkin bag with LabubuPink lab coat hanging from Rihanna bagFootball star David Beckham shares a gift from his little daughter Harper on social mediaLabubu’s path to globalization is different from traditional “cultural exports”. It does not rely on oriental symbols such as pandas, nor does it impose grand narratives. Instead, it penetrates into the global market with a “de-labeling” attitude. The Singapore limited edition Merlion Labubu was well received locally as soon as it was launched, and the Thailand limited edition Labubu wore special gold-thread clothing. The “cultural grafting” strategy has made Labubu a super carrier of cross-cultural resonance."Labubu's marketing started from overseas and then had a reverse impact on the domestic market. The pictures and texts on Instagram by overseas celebrity bloggers made Labubu popular. From a marketing logic perspective, multiple factors such as out-of-stock, scarcity, celebrity value and second-hand transaction value made Labubu a top-tier product. The success of trendy toys requires not only excellent design and product quality, but also the provision of emotional value that meets the needs of young consumers, consumers' resonance with the connotation of toys and the trading heat in the secondary market, and Labubu meets all of these requirements very well," Jiang Xiaoxiao, managing director of CIC China Insights Consulting, told the first financial reporter.All the above designs, brand effects and emotional values reflect the transformation of Made in China to Smart Made in China. In the past, most IPs originated from overseas, and Chinese factories were responsible for manufacturing. However, the global popularity of Labubu has proved to the world the international creativity of Chinese designers. The original design and cultural identity give Labubu a high product premium. This is why Labubu is still popular in the international market under high tariffs and channel price increases, because of China's smart manufacturing capabilities, not just manufacturing.A careful observation reveals that in addition to Labubu's global popularity, the movie "Nezha 2" has entered the top five global box office, which is also a history. Previously, almost no Asian movies have entered the top 40; the emergence of DEEPSEEK and Yushu Technology has allowed the world to see the rapid development of Chinese technology. In the field of AI, Chinese technology companies have delivered a brilliant report card. China's smart manufacturing is increasingly making the world shine in the fields of culture, technology, etc.Going further, when "reciprocal tariffs" and other measures are imposed, products that are only manufactured but not intelligently manufactured will easily be replaced or will not be able to afford high costs and high prices. However, high-value products with Chinese intelligent manufacturing, such as Labubu, Nezha 2, and DEEPSEEK's AI technology, will not be affected in sales after gaining cultural and technological recognition even if they encounter tariffs or other cost increases. This is the significance of the transformation from Made in China to Chinese Intelligent Manufacturing.Of course, Labubu's popularity is also a "double-edged sword". The emergence of a large number of imitations has also had a negative impact on Labubu's own image. Jiang Xiaoxiao believes that from the consumer's side, genuine Labubu products are worth pursuing, which has also spawned various platform transactions and authentication services. For Pop Mart, the supply chain control and authenticity verification methods must be continuously strengthened to ensure the continued popularity and sustainable development of the product. In terms of law, it is also necessary to severely punish infringements, counterfeiting and other acts, protect the legitimate rights and interests of designers and brands, and allow China's smart manufacturing to develop in the long term.
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