Taikoo Li Brands Capitalize on Olympic Fervor With Silly Gimmicks and Pricey "Experiences"
The Olympics are in full swing here in the 'Jing, and everyone and their brother is buzzing about the Games. And when something is trending, you can bet businesses looking to cash in aren't far behind. To see all this in action, look no further than Sanlitun's Taikoo Li – from themed "experience" centers, to art installations, to "newly added" clothing lines, it's all here, and people are lining up left and right to get suckered into buying things they don't need.
Fancy a "free" pin that's basically a Samsung advert?
The first place you'll feel the Olympic-themed consumerist spirit is at Samsung's Olympics pop-up store ... where they're giving away free Olympic pins that are more or less advertisements for their foldable phones.
Once inside the shop (after having waited in line for an eternity) you'll be able to participate in a number of interactivie activities featuring Samsung products for points. Get 500 points and you can get a pin.
This isn't the first time Samsung has done merchandising for the Olympics in China, with the tech giant having rolled out special edition phones for the Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics. But this year, they've expanded on that first experience by utilizing AR tech – which you can only use with in-shop products like a laptop on which you can draw Olympics paintings – to really get their products to stick.
This initiative has proven to be quite successful. "There weren't that many people waiting outside yesterday, but the store has quickly drawn in a lot of people who are eager to win the pins," one staff member told me.
Spend over RMB 900 for Adidas-branded snowboarding "lessons"
Popular sportswear brand Adidas is also cashing in on the Olympics craze.
Their Taikoo Li branch showcases an entire section of Winter Olympics-themed skiing suits. Go to the second floor and walk to the right side of the shop and you'll find a variety of ski jackets to choose from.
Adidas is also utilizing influencer marketing to sell these new products. As I was walking around their ski jacket selection, a staff member greeted me warmly and, pointing to one particular jacket, told me that it was the same jacket that a famous British skier wears.
Adidas even has a snowboard experience center outside their shop, complete with an art installation featuring snowboarders and skiers in action.
Inside, you will be able to see a simulated skiing area available to try for people who are new to skiing. “Once you stand on the board, the belt will automatically move itself for rookies to adjust to the speed,” the staff said.
But as cool as this is, you can only enter the experience center once you've spent RMB 999 or up in the Taikoo Li shop.
That's hefty price to pay for a few minutes trying your hand at snowboarding, especially when you can pay a little over RMB 200 to hop over to Nanshan, get a board and equipment, and learn on actual slopes.
To add insult to injury, once you've tried your hand at snowboarding in the experience center, Adidas will try to sell you on their branded snowboarding lessons.
We'll just stick to watching the actual Olympics instead of spending time waiting in line for pins or paying an arm and a leg for an "experience," but that's just us.
Read: Talking Olympics and Winter Sports with China Sports Insider Founder Mark Dreyer
Images: Irene Li, Dianping
