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June 25, 2019

Mr Bags Teams Up With Burberry

In January 2017, Scottish leather handbag brand, Strathberry, partnered with top Chinese fashion blogger, Mr. Bags, by launching a Chinese New Year themed range. The series was released globally. As reported by ifeng.com, all 400 limited edition bags sold out within the first three hours, with the most popular bags, MC NANP, selling out within the first minute. The month after, Mr. Bags worked with Givenchy to promote their 2016 handbag line ‘Horizon’ which featured 80 limited edition bags, costing RMB14,9000 (USD 2164) each. The exclusive range were snapped up within 12 minutes of being released online.

At the start of May, Burberry invited Mr. Bags for an exclusive launch of their limited color handbag DK88 on WeChat. The bag was also released in the US the same day. The limited color handbag selected by Mr. Bags is called ‘Bright Toffee’. There are four other colors available on Burberry’s official WeChat store.

As Mr. Bags mentioned in his WeChat article: “The two words that can truly make handbag aficionados, or ‘stans’, truly excited are new releases and limited edition.”  A WeChat article titled “What Is the Mr. Bags X Burberry limited color” received almost 70,000 unique views. Although the actual sales results are not revealed, the limited color edition handbags (RMB18.500 or USD 2687) were sold out a long time ago.  

In April, Mr Bags started the warm up promotion by introducing Burberry’s D88 handbag on his Weibo account.

As part of the WeChat promotion campaign, Burberry also designed a WeChat game that uses the shake function of smartphones. The game, with each shake, reveals a new bag color along with a description on the character of the person that is doing the shaking. For example, those who pick pink are ‘passionate’ and ‘optimistic,’ while blue lovers are ‘gentle, delicate, elegant, and quiet.’

After selecting the color and clicking on the key icon underneath, users can make the online payment by using Alipay, WeChat payment and UnionPay to purchase the goods on Burberry’s WeChat store.  

To increase its influence, Mr Bags also invited fans to share the campaign article and send a print screen to him for a lucky draw.

Who is Mr. Bags 

Mr. Bags’s name is Liang Tao. He has a master’s degree from Columbia University and is one of the most influential fashion blogger/KOL in China,  with more than 2.89 million fans on Weibo and over 1.09m active followers on WeChat (according to Newrank search). Two articles posted (from a total of five) have achieved over 100,000 unique views over seven days (May 2nd to May 9th) and a WeChat post usually reaches on average of 83.462.3 unique views.

Source: Newsrank search

During the interview with Business of Fashion, Mr. Bags said the purpose of his blog is to share useful information with his friends. Starting in 2011, he created his first Mr. Bags social media account on Renren.com, and become very popular quickly. His first article reached over 1,000 shares and was titled “Those beautiful but affordable bags“ and discussed luxury handbags priced below RMB10,000.

In 2016, Mr. Bags was the first Asian blogger to be invited to the Victoria’s Secret show in Paris. In January 2017, Exane BNP Paribas’ released a report called “The Shopping Guide: Bloggers in China “ and Mr. Bags ranked number three after two other fashion bloggers, Gogoboi and Dipsy.

The top 10 fashion bloggers ranked by Exane BNP Paribas based on their number of Weibo followers. (Source: Luxury society.com)

According to an ifeng.com report , Mr Bags promoted Longchamp and collectively sold over 1,000 LE PLIAGE® CUIR handbags, achieving RMB 4 million sales. This is close to half a year’s sales made by the Longchamp Shanghai flagship store.

In 2016, Dior promoted the Lady Dior bags on WeChat to commemorate the upcoming Qixi Festival, the Chinese equivalent to Valentine’s Day. The pink-colored bag would have been available online until Thursday at a price of 28,000 yuan ($ 4,217), however all 200 handbags were sold out within few hours on the first day of the marketing campaign. Over a 12 hour period, Mr, Bags’s fans bought 110 of them. Based on RewardStyle’s data, during peak time, Mr. Bags is able to achieve over USD 1 million sales for e-commerce sites.

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The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has published anti-greenwashing guidelines for businesses making environmental and sustainability claims. Despite these efforts, media coverage of greenwashing, particularly focusing on senate inquiries and regulatory court cases against major offenders, continues to expose brands and industries stretching the truth in their sustainability messaging. This exposure is causing a growing disconnect between consumers and corporations, as audiences increasingly call out misleading practices and question the authenticity of corporate sustainability claims.Isentia’s sister brand, Pulsar conducted recent research exploring media and public discourse around sustainability. Part of this report examines how greenwashing is covered in the news and on social media, particularly in relation to the broader sustainability discourse. Let’s investigate those themes in more depth here.

Social media data is decreasing while online news activity re-engages, indicating incident-led conversations. Regulatory bodies like the ACCC, and state and federal governments are tackling greenwashing by identifying major corporate offenders and their misleading actions, such as 'recyclable' packaging, carbon credit misuse, lack of transparency in fossil fuel investments, and exploitation of government climate programs. Audience conversations often align with news coverage on these matters.
The term in Australia particularly gained traction among social audiences around November 2022 when the UN called out the Australian government for allowing the use of carbon offsets in corporate emissions reduction strategies. News of the apparent collusion between the government and large corporations has caused public faith and trust in both to dwindle. As these stories emerge, Australia's positive sustainability impact on the international stage is significantly undermined.

https://twitter.com/janegarcia/status/1591662729664004099

When we look at which sectors are most discussed within the greenwashing topic, energy, finance, and food take the lead.

Much of the discussion regarding the energy and finance sectors emphasises their interconnectedness, particularly the investment by financial institutions, including super funds, in environmentally harmful industries. Despite some super funds claiming to offer options that avoid unsustainable investments, reports have revealed that they collectively hold millions of shares in the fossil fuel industry. 

Many industries are being criticised for using carbon credits, such as REDD+ offsets, to appear more sustainable. Advertising, marketing, and public relations also play a significant role in promoting misleading sustainability initiatives, thereby contributing to greenwashing. However, stakeholders are aware that the advertising and communications industries have a huge impact on the profitability and success of an industry or product. The European Union’s Product Environmental Footprint classification system, for example, has been criticised by Australia’s wool industry for being unfair to wool products and for greenwashing. This, they argue, not only undermines the pursuit of a green transition within fashion but also damages a vital industry.

Mercer stands out as a most mentioned brand within the topic of greenwashing. This is due to ASIC pursuing a civic penalty case against them which alleged they misled members about its sustainability investments. This is groundbreaking for audiences to witness as it would be the first time the consumer watchdog has taken a company to court for alleged greenwashing.

https://twitter.com/BillHareClimate/status/1630404986130808833

Much of the conversation focuses on misinformation and lack of transparency in communication and marketing. Certifications like Fair Trade are being questioned, particularly for products like chocolate, and eco-certification for farmed salmon. It particularly muddies the waters for political figures when they get entangled with brands coming under scrutiny for such greenwashing.

https://twitter.com/JosieMcskimming/status/1750987402691362858

Furthermore, some companies feature in the media conversation due to their involvement in a senate enquiry initiated in March 2023, with a report expected by June 28th this year. 

Analysis of the ANZ reveals a shift in mindset, with consumers emphasising individual actions for solutions like composting or guerilla campaigns on mislabelled environmentally friendly salmon products. Grassroots and individual activism leading to actions like divestment from conflicting companies. Community groups like uni student clubs showcase how groups with shared values and experiences can make noise and incite change with how universities invest. However, there are ongoing debates as to whether it’s the role of sectors like higher education or Super Funds to prioritise the environmental implications of their decisions.

The rise in curiosity around greenwashing highlights the growing consumer demand for transparency and genuine sustainability from brands. As regulatory scrutiny and public awareness increase, brands must ensure their sustainability claims are genuine or face reputation damage.

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Blog
The Eco-Spin Cycle: how brand’s sustainability claims come out in the wash

Regulators are cracking down on corporate greenwashing, but what does media discussion reveal about its impact on brand-consumer relations?

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As the spotlight on sustainability intensifies year by year, it has become a focal point for legislators, media entities, and audiences worldwide.

This dynamic environment demands that brands and institutions elevate their standards in messaging and actions, holding them accountable like never before. For professionals in the PR & Comms realm, it is imperative to grasp not only how sustainability is being discussed but also the potential pitfalls, such as greenwashing, and gain a profound understanding of the diverse audiences receiving these messages.

Explore over 20 beautifully crafted pages of data visualisation that illuminate audience insights sourced from social media, news outlets, and search engines. Gain valuable perspectives on how one of the defining issues of our time is being discussed and understood.

Our exploration of this crucial topic delves deep into uncovering insights that are indispensable for crafting effective strategies, both tactical and long-term:

-Unraveling trends in the sustainability conversation

-Assessing brand & industry reputations

-Navigating greenwashing & misinformation

-Understanding the diverse audiences of sustainability

To access these insights, simply fill in the form

Download now

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Blog
Sustainability: Mapping the Media & Public Conversations

From accusations of greenwashing to the role of misinformation, we explore the comms landscape around sustainability.

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