Embrace the Chinese New Year of the Horse: When the Evil Wizard Meets ‘Sacred Things’ – Wordplay Tips for Brands

In the world of digital marketing, “Context” is everything, but sometimes fate presents brands with unexpected context with little or no advertising effort. Just like the recent case that happened in China, when the characters Draco Malfoy (Draco Malfoy) from the famous wizard franchise Harry Potter has officially become a “mascot” or good luck charm for the Chinese New Year Festival, Year of the Horse (Year of the Horse), in the eyes of netizens in Dragonland.

This phenomenon is not a coincidence caused by algorithms alone. But it is a combination of Language Localization, Nostalgia Marketing and the power of E-commerce Ecosystem It is in China that has driven this trend further than anyone could have imagined.

The Power of Wordplay, From “Malfoy” to “Wealth Comes”

The key to this viral incident lies in the Chinese pronunciation of Malfoy's name. “Ma-er-fu” (Ma-er-fu) If we try to break down the components of this name in terms of Chinese auspicious symbols. Amazing meanings will be found:

• Ma (Ma): It means horse, which corresponds to the upcoming zodiac year.
• Fu (Fu): It means good fortune or happiness.

When combined together, “Ma Er Fu” was reinterpreted in the form of a meme. “The horse that brings good fortune” This is the beginning of the transformation from Harry Potter's rival character into an auspicious symbol that everyone wants to have at home.

“Fuzi” strategy and access to local culture

in the Chinese New Year tradition Placing the characters “fu” (福) upside down is a long-standing tradition. to convey the word “Fortune has arrived” (because the word upside down in Chinese is the same as the word for arrival)

Chinese netizens aren't stopping at name puns. But they also brought pictures of his childhood face. Tom Felton Owner of the role of Malfoy with a unique smile on his lips. to be printed on red paper and “Stuck upside down” On the door of the house along with auspicious poems (Chunlian)

This is an interesting case study for marketers. In the matter of taking Global IP (Intellectual Property) and localizing it to suit local beliefs until it became a new product category on the e-commerce platform like Taobao, where smart merchants are producing stickers and refrigerator magnets. “Lucky Malfoy” quickly went on sale.

Harry Potter in China, strong fan base over 2 decades

Why Malfoy? The answer is that Chinese fans' brand loyalty towards Harry Potter is very high, with hundreds of millions of books sold. and success from leading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone It was re-released in 2020, grossing more than 90 million yuan in 3 days, proving that this is an IP that will never die.

When this large fan base met with social media channels like Weibo and Xiaohongshu, the power of word of mouth became more powerful than ordinary ads. Users began sharing pictures of Malfoy with captions. “Share this picture to bring good fortune” or a reference to a magic potion. “Felix Felicis” (lucky potion) in the comments, which brings together elements from the story to create seamless engagement with the festival.

When “The One” Plays, Closing the Viral Loop

The perfection of this organic campaign comes when Tom Felton Get a feel for the trend and share pictures of yourself that are. “Chinese New Year Symbol” on personal Instagram

From a marketer's perspective, this is Earned Media that has enormous value The fact that Hollywood stars come down to play with the memes of local fans It further enhances the image of Brand Humanization and causes this trend to be raised from being just a joke on the internet to being a historical moment for fans. until the hashtag was born “The real Malfoy, 100% funny” which has huge views.

The future of Wizarding World in the land of dragons

This Malfoy Fever phenomenon It is not only beneficial to the people selling stickers on Taobao, but it also paves the strategic path for Warner Bros. Discovery There are big plans to launch a studio tour. Making of Harry Potter in Shanghai in 2027

This trend reminds us that good content will always work on its own. If it can infiltrate people's “way of life” even if it's about bringing good fortune on New Year's Day.

Source:

BBC

CNN