A still from the 2020 film ‘Wild grass’

Kilian, a brand known for 'Libertine Seduction', was facing challenges to make its international comms resonate with Chinese consumers. We were commisisioned to assess the cultural relevance of Kilian's core assets in China, with a focus on decoding seduction and sensuality in order to figure out where the brand needs to be adapted and nuanced to triumph in China.

Collaborating with London-based semiotician Joshua Jordan, we dived into main themes such as transgressive desire, eroticism and intoxication. Over 200 images and video clips related to 'seduction and sensuality' from movies, magazines, art, advertising and social media were collected and analyzed. Furthermore, we looked into the evolution of sensuality and taboo in China vs. the West and the cultutral drivers behind (not part of the objective but we did it anyway!) Of course, we've done the serious stuff - full semiotic assessemnt of Kilian's China-specific brand comms and activities.

Going beyond their expectations, we ended up giving clients a detailed list of what to avoid in portraying women and relationships as well as what to push forward to excite the Chinese. Why not take a look at Kilian on Xiaohongshu now?