Chinese milk tea chain HeyTea and Korean cosmetics brand 3CE Stylenanda have teamed up to launch a series of very pink drinks, merchandise, and pop-up spaces in three cities across China — Chengdu, Chongqing, Guangzhou — where they will remain until Wednesday, July 20, 2022.
The pop-ups are outfitted with performance stages, and practice rooms permit customers to bust out their best K-pop moves and imagine what it’d be like to be an idol for a day.
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The fun and youthful makeup brand 3CE Stylenanda was created by Korean entrepreneur Kim So Hee in 2004 and has become part of the L’Oréal Group since a massive acquisition in 2018.
Meanwhile, milk tea brand HeyTea claims to be the creator of the original ‘Cheezo Tea’ (milk tea with cheese foam). Hailing from Guangdong, the brand has spread to 61 cities across the globe.
The campaign’s ‘Pink Me’ catchphrase is a pun on a single titled ‘Pick Me’ from the Korean idol show Produce 101.
Comestibles that are part of the collab include a blended beverage, a cake, and a new flavor of ice cream, which are priced between 15-45 RMB (approximately 2-6 USD) each. (The brands seem to have dodged being singled out in China’s overpriced ice cream scandal this summer.)
Observant customers have pointed out that the new products take a page from 3CE’s ‘Energetic Summer’ drop, which encompasses pink-tinted lip glosses.
Other limited-edition goodies from the collab include reusable cups, earphone cases, gift boxes, and facial masks.
While the campaign is only days old, countless customers have already posted pictures of the seasonal drink and their pink #OOTD (outfit of the day) on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
The craze over the collab can be pinned to idol culture’s ubiquity in East Asia.
Even before the rise of recent K-pop groups like BTS and Blackpink and their massive fandoms across the globe, China has hosted a sometimes fanatical idol culture. The country boasts its own versions of idol survival shows — Idol Producer, Youth With You, and Produce Camp — inspired by Korean series. Some obsessive fans even go as far as illegally tracking their stars.
In September 2021, China’s entertainment watchdog made several propositions to combat toxic fandom in China and to keep the idol entertainment sector in check. Nevertheless, fandom culture is still strong in China, and brands continue to capitalize on the trend.
All images via Weibo
