What on earth is a Labubu Doll?
The eponymous dolls are causing quite the stir in our offices!
We try not to fall for trends here at the Ubiquitous office. However, there’s one trend that caught our eye recently because it was described as Ubiquitous! With celebrity fans including K-pop superstars and influencers alike, Labubu Dolls have taken the world by storm.
What can Labubu Dolls teach us about the power of virality and trends?
What on earth is a Labubu, and why are we talking about it?
Labubu is originally the name of a character from “The Monsters”, a series created by Hong Kong-born artist Kasing Lung. Labubu’s fame started in China, however, a post-pandemic resurgence on the Chinese internet saw the trend spread from neighbouring Southeast Asia to the world.
Some pundits believe the affordable dolls (they retail on average for £14) represent an emotional escape for many. It’s an approachable fashion accessory with fans including celebrities, influencers, and regular people.
What’s behind the Labubu obsession?
Relatability & an engaging format
In their “OOH is more than Billboards Study”, our friends at BillUps suggested that brands can connect with audiences by “incorporating relatable themes and playful elements”. The Labubu doll and its cuddly exterior encourages audiences to share among friends – how can you resist?
Research suggests that younger audiences are increasingly craving real-world experiences. It’s a similar story post-pandemic that Labubu could have benefitted from.
Entertainment
The Ubiquitous team were reminded of one of the original viral trends, The Cabbage Patch Kids. The story behind The Cabbage Patch Kids (it relied on an old Southern wives’ tale that babies come from cabbage patches) and their quirky appearance created obvious entertainment value, building authentic engagement with audiences.
Peter Field and Les Binet’s groundbreaking research, ‘The Long & The Short of It’, highlights entertainment as an important driver of engagement. The urge to collect these dolls (one is never enough, is it?), and the narrative driven by its celebrity fans who attach them to their Louis Vuitton handbags creates a story that audiences want to be a part of.
The Taxi Connection
How can we connect a cartoon doll and virality to Taxi Advertising? Ultimately, we think it’s about entertainment.
Taxis entertain and delight because they’re a unique offering. Much like The Labubu Doll, their quirky shape and unique exterior (aided by a Taxi Advertisement on the side) plays into a phenomenon known as ‘The Von Restorff Effect’, where something sticks out because of its distinctiveness.
Taxis entertain because they’re natural storytellers. Convoys, branded events, or an IKEA sofa on the top. Taxis have a natural way of creating a narrative that answers the ‘why’ behind a campaign.
Taxis entertain because they exist in our world. Taxis are a tangible offering that audiences can reach out and grab. You might not be able to cuddle it like a Labubu Doll, but you can hail it, catch it, or simply enjoy it driving by.
The Ubiquitous team knows that we’re a media owner first and foremost. However, the delight that we see on audiences faces reminds us that we’re definitely in the entertainment business too. Virality and trends may come and go, but there’s no harm in using a clever tool like a Taxi to make the most of it.
Sources: BillUps Research, Posterscope and Appinio research, Peter Field & Les Binet, ‘The Long & The Short of It’, and Clear Channel and Talon Research