Culture in Red Packets
Hilton
In 2023, Hilton transformed traditional Chinese New Year red packets into interactive cultural experiences, crafted by ICH masters, creating unique, shareable stays that captivated and drew guests.
The Background_
In 2023 Hilton began bringing Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) experiences to its hotels, offering guests a more localized and unique "Stay" . As the Chinese New Year (CNY) of 2024 approached, Hilton wanted to attract more people to spend their holidays at Hilton and experience traditional culture. However, CNY is highly competitive period, how could we stand out?
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The Insight & Idea_
The most common tradition during CNY is the "Red Packet". People exchange Red Packets containing lucky money to share good wishes. We decided to use this as a special medium mixed in with some ICH magic - We turned the ordinary Red Packets into interactive gifts and "promoted our experiences through an experience". After all, who can resist a red packet during the Lunar New Year?
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We co-created the mind-blowing "Experiential ICH Red Packets" with three ICH inheritors (practitioners who inherited the craft from previous generations). One unfolds into a "Magic Paper Flower" with 72 shapes, another lets you try your hand at "Yangliuqing Woodcut" printing, and the third transforms into a "Chaoshan Oiled Paper Lantern" adorned with auspicious calligraphy. The inheritors also conducted work-shops at Hilton hotels, letting guests dive deeper into these cultural wonders. These red packets didn’t just attract people to Hilton; they generated UGC on social media.
One More Thing_
"Red Packet" in Mandarin can also be understood as "Red Baozi (a traditional Chinese food)." An amazing truth is that many Chinese cuisines are also ICH. Inspired by this wordplay, we collaborated with chefs from various Hilton hotels to create 11 ICH flavors of Red Baozi, serving them as CNY special treats in over 100 hotels nationwide. The response? Let's just say, they disappeared faster than you can say "Happy New Year" !
