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What Can Brands Learn from Prada’s Recent Wet Market Campaign?

Oct 21, 2021 | Kejie Yi

One of the hottest places to go during this past National Holiday in Shanghai was Prada’s wet market, the combination of a luxury brand and an everyday scene. According to JingDaily, over 250 users posted about it on Red in the 12 hours since it opened to the public. Some users are saying “I can finally afford Prada now!” as those vegetables could be the cheapest Prada product people can buy!


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The idea of luxury brands’ employing everyday scene makes people curious


The campaign Feels Like Prada lasted from September 27 to October 10 to celebrate the launch of its Fall 2021 collection. It was held in a Chinese local market that sells fruits, vegetables, seafood and flowers. Walking around the block, you would catch people carrying its Prada-branded paper bags with signature patterns from the season, and easily spot the huge Prada logos that covered the market building.

What Makes This Campaign Different?

01. Format

Offline presence is always important for luxury brands.It serves as a window for people to “feel” the brand personally. Outside of boutiques, brands often hold offline events to connect with consumers in the formats of exhibitions and private salons at exhibition centers, cultural hubs or high-end shopping malls.


But this idea of a “luxury brand wet market” is exactly what makes Feel Like Prada different and attractive. Prada did not go for the aforementioned traditional styles of offline events, but executed a bold and new idea some might even call “avant-garde”. Prada brought their brand to the people. This time, visitors wouldn’t be taking an event brochure or product samples back home, but instead, they would get groceries wrapped nicely in Prada’s packaging. For the first time, a luxury brand became “down-to-earth”.


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02. Guests

Most of the time, participants for luxury events are celebrities, KOLs, and fashion industry leaders dressed in the season’s newest pieces. . But at Prada’s wet market, the line between fashion-lovers and those people who don’t pay much attention to luxury fashion has become blurry. Guests that Feel Like Prada covered contain more diversity.


Since the market had long been an “everyday market” prior to Prada’s campaign, the market was still visited by those who shopped there on the regular, and of course now with those interested in owning a piece of “affordable Prada”. . As a side note, the prices of its products during the campaign remained the same!


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Prada Has Been Working A Lot On Localization

This wet market campaign is not the first time Prada is attempting to localize itself to connect with Chinese consumers. In 2011, Prada rented the famous historical building Rong Zhai that was built a century ago in 1918 by Zongjing Rong, Chinese King of Flour. And although Prada will only have the place for 20 years, Prada spent nearly a quarter of the time (6 years) on its refurnishing, showing the brand’s ambition to localize itself, its faith in the Chinese market, and its respect for Chinese consumers.


“Notably, China — the country and how Europeans perceive it — has always been part of the brand’s imagery…the historic residence capable to properly embody our ongoing commitment to Chinese culture and Sino-European dialogue,” quoted by Miuccia Prada and Patrizio Bertelli.


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Source: pradagroup.com


Since the renovation, the house had its debut with Prada’s 2018 spring collection, and now serves as Prada’s event hub as it is located in the center of Shanghai. At the moment, Rong Zhai is only open to the public during events and exhibitions. During which, visitors need to book an appointment through its WeChat Mini Program in advance.


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Source: prada.com

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