Ceremony held at Peppa Pig World to celebrate retail partnership for Peppa Pig with Tmall in China
Paultons Park – home of Peppa Pig World and TripAdvisor’s best-rated family theme park, held a ceremony to celebrate Peppa Pig’s recognition as a ‘super brand’ by one of the world’s biggest B2C e-commerce platforms, Tmall, by having been chosen for the first “Super Brand Day” promotion of 2019, where Tmall offers top placement on its homepage and targeted marketing campaigns.
Alibaba’s B2C e-commerce platform Tmall caters to consumers looking for branded products and a premium shopping experience. According to Analysys, Tmall was the largest B2C platform in China in terms of gross merchandise value in 2017.
The world’s first and UK and Eire exclusive, Peppa Pig Pig World, based in the New Forest, Hampshire launched at Paultons Park in 2011 and is seen as the home of British brand, Peppa Pig. To mark the start of the new partnership, Tmall executives attended a ceremony held at Peppa Pig World on Monday, December 17, along with the platform’s mascot and representatives from Entertainment One (eOne). The ceremony included a tour of Peppa Pig World, speeches by key individuals, and the introduction of Peppa Pig to Tmall’s mascot.
Peppa Pig debuted in China on its national broadcaster CCTV in 2015, and on the back of its success now has a strong retail presence in the form of apparel, publishing and confectionery. In September this year, following the launch of eOne’s partnership with Merlin Entertainments, Merlin’s first Peppa Pig World of Play was launched in Shanghai, with an additional site in Beijing due to open in 2019.
eOne’s Ami Dieckman, SVP Global Licensing, Family & Brands said: “The recognition Peppa Pig has received from Tmall is a huge achievement for the brand, and one we’re very proud of. The brand continues to go from strength to strength, which has been aided by the launch of Peppa Pig World in the UK, as well as the launch of its counterparts in other countries.”
The ceremony was held not only to celebrate the partnership but also to inspire fans of Peppa Pig in China to visit the UK and Peppa Pig World. In the first half of 2018, the UK has seen a record number of visitors from Chinese tourists, which is up 19 per cent compared to the same period last year*, with theme parks highlighted as one of the most sought-out tourist attractions.
Mike Hu, President FMCG at Tmall said: “Since its launch three years ago in China, Peppa Pig has become a beloved brand for families. To celebrate naming Peppa Pig as one of our super brands, it seemed only fitting to travel to the home of Peppa Pig to commemorate the start of our partnership We are thrilled to give the more than 600 million annual active consumers on our China marketplaces the opportunity to enjoy special discounts and promotions on Peppa Pig merchandise.”
Patricia Yates, Director at VisitBritain said: “China is the world’s most valuable outbound market and we want the UK to be the destination of choice for Chinese travellers. The popularity and profile of an iconic British brand such as Peppa Pig in China gives us a great opportunity to connect with millions of potential visitors to the UK, as well as to promote associated visitor attractions, local destinations and experiences, inspiring more Chinese visitors to book a trip here right now and to explore more of our nations and regions.”
