Red packets galore! What inspired these designs?

Chinese New Year is fast approaching, and brands are bringing their A-game to leverage the chatter surrounding the festivities. Some brands such as Johnnie Walker Blue Label, Shiseido and GODIVA took to redesigning their labels and packaging to usher in the Year of the Tiger, while luxury brands Burberry and Bottega went down the path less travelled with their unique campaigns.

For example, in China, Burberry partnered with local artists in China to create beautiful Chinese chess art pieces by local artists, while Bottega made a splash at the Marina Bay Sands canal with its iconic green branding. It also took over a part of the Great Wall in China by painting it green. That said, a Chinese New Year celebration would not be complete without red packets.

If you are feeling spoilt for choice when it comes to branded red packets, MARKETING-INTERACTIVE has got you covered. Here are a list of them coupled with brand insights behind the creative of the designs. 

Cetaphil

According to Cetaphil, a skincare brand owned by pharmaceutical company Galderma, its red packets come in powder pink and fuchsia - a type of flower - to channel the vitality of blooming peach blossoms, which illustrates the insides of the envelopes in a vivid display of colours. The face of the envelope is also marked with the Chinese character “fu” (福) to symbolise good fortune bestowed upon those who receive it.

Geneco

In partnership with Garden City Fund, a registered charity established by the National Parks Board, Geneco spotlights four of Singapore’s native flowers on its red packet designs to showcase their exquisite features. Each red packet is illustrated in intricate detail and accompanied with a simple write-up to share lesser-known facts about the green spaces where each flower can be found, with the aim of encouraging Singaporeans to explore the abundance of nature spaces in Singapore. Alex Chan, head of marketing, Geneco said, "These blossoms were specially selected to showcase the diversity of floras right here in Singapore and the importance of conserving our natural heritage for our future generations as we build our City in Nature."

ION Orchard

ION Orchard's red packets take inspiration from the mall's giant floral motifs, which are synonymous with prosperity, good luck and wealth. The red packets are adorned with modern blooms on bright backgrounds, giving traditional red packets a fresh, cheerful new look. Yeo Mui Hong, CEO of Orchard Turn Developments, said the  floral blooms are an ode to Orchard Road’s history as home to fruit orchards and nutmeg plantations.

KrisShop

Raelene Johnson, CCO, KrisShop said that its red packets this year, printed on eco-friendly weighted card stock, take on the signature Singapore Airlines batik motif, which is inspired by flowers native to Singapore. "Each pack of eight comes in two shades of red, with the batik motif printed in raised gloss to create a tone-on-tone look that exudes understated elegance. The classic design further embellished with "fu" (福) also makes the red packets not just suitable for heralding in the Chinese New Year, but also fitting for other auspicious occasions like weddings," she added.

Manulife

The design for Manulife's red packets this year is that of a phoenix. Designed together with creative agency Bread Butter Bacon, the motif signifies rebirth after the struggles faced during the pandemic and represents the good wishes and hope for better times in the year ahead. 

MSIG

Themed “Celebrating Biodiversity”, MSIG's red packets are a shoutout to nature as part of the brand’s commitment towards protecting biodiversity for a sustainable future. According to MSIG, the red packets design draws inspiration from the wonders and beauty of biodiversity, blending elements and shapes of nature with a bold, vibrant mix of the brand’s corporate hues – red and blue – and a touch of Japanese accents in line with the brand’s Japanese lineage. 

"These red packets add to the insurance company’s collection of biodiversity-themed sustainable collaterals since 2018. In the production process, the company selected only FSC paper, and conscientiously omitted plastic lamination and the use of plastic packaging to reduce wastage. Instead, the red packets, which comes in dual designs per pack, are wrapped using paper bands," MSIG added.

Ninja Van

Daungporn Naowabutra, regional head of branding and product marketing, said that while its mascot Ryo was given a refreshed look last year, with a lion costume and holding an ingot representing prosperity, this year's design features Ninja Van's logo and well wishes embellished in a gold foil. Ryo is also embossed to create an additional texture to enhance him as a key focal point. "Modern, cheerful and auspicious, this design hopes to deliver happiness to all, much like how Ninja Van aims to provide a delightful experience to all parcel recipients," she added.

Raffles City - Be@rbrick

According to Raffles City, its Spring in the City Chinese New Year campaign is an extension of its Christmas campaign, where it partnered with Medicom Japan and ActionCity to launch the world's tallest Be@rbrick last year. Hence, this year sees the Be@rbrick design adorned on the mall's red packets and tote bags. "Working with Be@rbrick also gives the mall more opportunities to collaborate with other artists to showcase more artworks to its shoppers," Raffles City said. 

Royal Caribbean 

Royal Caribbean’s red packets are inspired by two ships sailing in Singapore this year. The red packet design on the right features Felicia, the iconic bear figurine on Quantum of the Seas, one of the first ships in the world to resume cruising in 2020. Meanwhile, the design on the left looks ahead, and prospectively highlights the panda symbolic of Spectrum of the Seas, which will be coming to Singapore this year. We’re excited to introduce Asia’s largest and most innovative ship to our guests very soon!

Shopee

Shopee's sought inspiration from its in-app Shopee Shake Game. The red packets are designed to mimic smartphones, whereby users can physically shake the red packets to see Shopee coins moving. "We are always finding new ways to delight and engage our users, especially during key festive periods," Shopee's spokesperson said. Furthermore, shoppers can scan the QR code inside the red packets to play the game, where they stand a chance to win 888,888 Shopee coins and prizes worth over SG$168,000.

Skechers 

Eileen Tan, senior regional marketing manager, Skechers Southeast Asia, said that its red packets design this year was inspired from the auspicious activity of lion dancing, which is synonymous with bringing good fortune and blessings during the Chinese New Year celebration. "Every year, Skechers takes pride in conceptualising creative and fun designs for our red packets as a way to convey our well-wishes to our supportive and loyal customers who observe the Lunar New Year. Our red packet design features an animated majestic lion head that opens up to an adorable winking tiger dressed in Skechers’ blue hoodie – all ready to celebrate and share the prosperity with everyone," she added.

Saw other brands with interesting red packet designs that did not make the list? Let us know at deepas@marketing-interactive.com.

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Burberry unveils beautiful Chinese chess art pieces in a nod to tradition and culture
#ExplainIt: What do these branded red packet designs mean? [Video]