Jan 16, 2015 | DFNI Frontier |

Specialist marketer and distributor of Chinese consumer brands China International Duty Free (CIDF) is to launch a Red Envelope (Hong Bao) promotion in 12 airport and downtown duty-free stores in Asia and the Middle East.

The campaign runs from February 1-28 during the Chinese New Year and Golden Week holidays.

The promotion will take place in DFS outlets in Abu Dhabi, Jakarta and Bali (downtown); Dufry shops in Bali, Siem Reap and Phnom Penh; Dubai Duty Free stores in Dubai International airport, Lotte Duty Free and Plaza Bali outlets in Jakarta; Flemingo International stores in Sri Lanka; Maldives Airport Company Ltd stores in Male Ibrahim Nasir International airport and Qatar Duty Free (QDF) shops at Hamad International airport (HIA), where it ties in with the retailer’s specially designed Chinese New Year shop-in-shop.

Discounts of 10% are available on any combination of certain tobacco products depending on the location for the duration of the promotion. Ashima Gold, Yuxi Harmony KS, Yuxi Harmony International, YunYan Impression, Furongwang Blue and Yuxi JingJie, for example, are part of the CIDF promotion at HIA. Its Tianzhilan and M3 liquor products are also included across the campaign.

Traditional red Hong Bao envelopes, consisting of small leaflets written in English and Chinese, detailing which CIDF brands are included in the promotion will be distributed by brand ambassadors or collected from baskets. QR codes are included on leaflets in all locations giving customers the opportunity to complete a short survey. On completing the survey and providing their QQ number they are automatically entered into a draw for an iPad mini, which takes place in March.

CIDF key account manager Middle East Sophie McGirr told DFNI: “The survey will ask consumers whether they were able to find everything they were looking for in the shop that day and to kindly list what they couldn’t find, but would like to see. We are hoping this will provide excellent insights into what the Chinese consumer is missing in the duty-free channel at present.”