So today while I was doing some research on my dissertation proposal, I just accidentally bumped into this Chinese New Year's video by Topshop. After watching it and reading several 'rude-yet-true' comments, I think a bit of (my personal) interpretation would come handy one day in terms of dissertation research.
Overall the video, it seems to be pretty dark and grey. The yellow lighting from the surrounding and the lanterns make it look so much 'Christmassy'. And then there is girl, standing on her own, looking up the sky/the lanterns wearing earthy color clothes. I have to say, she looks like the fancier version of the little march girl.
Ok, next they probably think it's a good idea to at least put an Asian girl in the video since this aims to attract potential Chinese customers. This might be due to the fact that Topshop is expanding into Asia's market recently (a new store in Hongkong?). It is always good to aim directly at a particular group of customers and show them that you understand them/providing them what they want. However, the problem here is that Topshop or their market research for this video alone obviously know nothing about Chinese New Year. At least, go to Chinatown and you'll soon realize that red is the big/lucky color! This whole leather/studs/dark color urban girls don't suit the theme if you want to wish them a Happy Chinese New Year. And again, looking at this young lady walking around the empty city alone makes me think that she's having the most depressing New Year Eve's on her own. Well, or that could be true, she could be a abroad student like me, who couldn't afford to pay for the flight ticket to go home?
The lanterns? I'm not sure 100% if that's what symbolizes the Chinese New Year though. At least, I'm from Vietnam where we also celebrate Lunar New Year and I barely see this happening. And yes, excuse me, it should be called Lunar New Year by the way, because there are more countries in the world/in Asia celebrate this New Year according to the Lunar Calendar, not just Chinese (do your research, please!).
Last but not least, the fading effect of the type at the end of the video combine with the 'whispering' music creates such a ghostly atmosphere. It feels like a cheery trailer of the new Twilight? It also reminds me of make-up tutorials by Michelle Phan. By saying that, I mean those videos that she had done two years ago. Her stuff is so much better now, if we have to compare it to this poorly made video from Topshop.
That's it for now. I'm not trying to be an old lady who criticizes everything on Earth but this is just a bit weird and disappointing at the same time. For such a brand and as they are expanding into Asia's market, I think it's worth to invest in some proper research about culture, lifestyle and interest of their potential customers. I hope you enjoy the review. I might continue doing this type of review if people are interested in hearing some more.
