Research on Brand Marketing Effectiveness from the Perspective of Consumer Perception: A Case Study of Pierre Cardin’s Marketing Strategy ()
1. Introduction
Against the backdrop of accelerating transformation in the global fashion industry, the consumption upgrade in the mid-to-high-end women’s apparel market has shifted from product competition to value-driven brand identity. The Bain & Company’s “2024 Global Luxury Industry Research Report” (Bain & Company, 2024) indicates that female consumers dominate over 60% of luxury purchasing decisions, with younger demographics exhibiting exponential growth in their focus on brand values. This trend is irreversibly reshaping the market landscape, forcing traditional luxury brands to confront the existential challenge of intergenerational cognitive reconstruction.
As an international luxury brand that once defined industry aesthetics, Pierre Cardin’s avant-garde legacy in women’s apparel faces severe challenges. A systemic disconnect exists between its historical assets and the value perceptions of younger consumers. The vague cultural recognition and stereotypical “parental symbol” image among younger demographics have led to continuous market share erosion. The current crisis reflects the transformation dilemma of traditional luxury brands in the era of value-driven consumption—historical heritage, if not translated into perceptible modern value symbols, risks fatal intergenerational consumption fractures.
This study adopts consumer perception as the core entry point, constructing a dynamic “cultural perception-value identity-behavioral conversion” model to deconstruct the fracture mechanisms of brand value transmission. Through a quantitative strategy calibration system, it provides practical pathways for intergenerational cognitive repair in traditional luxury brands, revealing transformation paradigms in the wave of value-driven consumption.
Recent research has emphasized the centrality of perceived value and brand authenticity in shaping luxury consumption behaviors, especially among younger, digitally-native consumers. Elgebali and Zaazou (2023) argue that evolving value perception—not merely functional or aesthetic factors—is the key determinant of luxury brand engagement in emerging markets. Furthermore, Das, Jebarajakirthy, and Sivapalan (2022) highlight how consumption values and brand authenticity jointly influence fashion ‘masstige’ purchasing, underlining the necessity for heritage brands to align their identity narratives with contemporary values and ethical transparency.
2. Literature Review
In recent years, the role of heritage branding has become increasingly complex, particularly as consumer perception evolves toward value alignment, digital interactivity, and ethical awareness. Scholars have highlighted the importance of narrative relevance in maintaining emotional connectivity across generations (Smith, 2021). When brand storytelling fails to adapt to generational shifts, consumers often experience a loss of symbolic identification, leading to disengagement and brand fatigue (Elgebali & Zaazou, 2023). This is especially evident in legacy brands that maintain a static image rooted in historical prestige, rather than actively reinterpreting heritage through contemporary cultural frameworks.
Digital innovation further intensifies this disconnect when used merely as a superficial showcase. Janssen, Vanhamme, and Leblanc (2021) assert that immersive digital environments, such as virtual fashion shows and user-generated content platforms, enhance engagement only when they allow for identity projection and interactive participation. Pierre Cardin’s case reveals that outdated digital interfaces and passive campaign structures fail to resonate with Gen Z consumers, who prioritize co-creation and technological personalization (Lee, 2019).
Meanwhile, sustainability has emerged as a central concern in the consumer-brand relationship. According to Jones (2020), transparency and third-party certification are critical to establishing trust in a brand’s environmental claims. However, unverified initiatives are frequently perceived as greenwashing, which significantly undermines brand credibility (Parguel, Benoît-Moreau, & Larceneux, 2011). Das et al. (2022) further emphasize that authenticity—defined by value congruence between brand message and consumer expectations—has become a key determinant of brand preference in fashion masstige markets.
In addition, channel governance and pricing coherence are indispensable for preserving luxury brand equity. Kapferer (2012) stresses that luxury positioning relies on exclusivity, controlled distribution, and consistent pricing. The proliferation of counterfeit products and inconsistent pricing strategies, as observed in Pierre Cardin’s licensing system, creates consumer confusion and weakens perceived legitimacy. As Keller (2009) notes, when brand delivery touchpoints are fragmented or misaligned, the overall brand meaning deteriorates, impairing emotional resonance and long-term loyalty.
3. Current Status of Pierre Cardin’s Brand Marketing
The global fashion industry is undergoing profound changes, with consumer demand shifting from product functionality and aesthetic value to comprehensive considerations of brand values, sustainability, and digital experiences. Against this backdrop, Pierre Cardin has actively pursued brand revitalization, systematically exploring cultural marketing, sustainable development, digitalization, youth market expansion, product value strategies, and consumer emotional engagement.
3.1. Brand Cultural Marketing: Modern Alienation under
Historical Glory
Consumer perceptions of cultural value exhibit significant intergenerational differences. Middle-aged and elderly groups widely recognize the brand’s classic heritage, viewing “space aesthetics” as a carrier of collective memory. However, younger consumers dismiss it as a “parental symbol,” criticizing its inability to decode cultural metaphors behind runway shows. Despite efforts to convey inclusivity through mixed-age modeling (e.g., elderly and child models), younger audiences deem such expressions superficial: “The model lineup is visually novel, but the brand fails to engage in deeper dialogues on gender equality or multiculturalism.” While collaborations with young designers at Chinese Taipei Fashion Week garnered industry attention, they failed to resonate with mainstream consumers, dismissed as “designers’ self-indulgence, irrelevant to ordinary people.”
3.2. Sustainability Narrative: Disconnect between Commitment
and Experience
Consumers strongly question the brand’s environmental practices. Despite official claims of eco-material adoption, issues like the coarse texture and poor color fastness of recycled fabrics lead consumers to label sustainability as “a marketing gimmick.” Younger groups are particularly critical: “The so-called ocean-themed series merely dyes clothes blue, lacking technological innovation or storytelling about environmental action.” Others mock the “material bank” concept: “It sounds like a financial product, unrelated to our real needs.” This cognitive gap has plunged the brand into a “talk more, do less” trust crisis.
3.3. Digital Exploration: Superficial Technology,
Hollow Experience
The brand’s digital initiatives face consumer indifference. Its AR windows are ridiculed as “last-century tech”—scanning QR codes only triggers one-way videos, with no virtual try-ons or social content generation. In contrast, competitors attract young users through interactive metaverse experiences and UGC co-creation. The brand’s 3D body measurement technology is criticized for complexity: “Manually inputting dozens of data points is more time-consuming than offline fittings.” This “technology for technology’s sake” approach leads consumers to view digital services as “flashy gimmicks.”
3.4. Product Value: Positioning Chaos and Trust Collapse
Consumer perceptions of product value are contradictory. While loyal customers praise classic designs as “timeless,” younger groups criticize “neon color blocks and geometric cuts as overly theatrical, detached from daily wear.” Worse, inconsistent quality among authorized agents and chaotic pricing (e.g., a shirt priced at ¥388 sells for ¥120 in wholesale markets) have shattered value consensus. Negative experiences like “paying premium prices for counterfeits” cement the stereotype that “high prices don’t guarantee authenticity.”
3.5. Emotional Bonding: Nostalgia Misaligned with Contemporary
Needs
The brand’s reliance on historical nostalgia is losing efficacy. While older consumers reminisce about “saving up for Pierre Cardin suits in the 1980s,” younger generations reject emotional appeals: “Parents’ nostalgia has nothing to do with us.” Even repeat buyers of footwear admit, “We buy for sizing accuracy, not brand value.” This transactional mindset exposes superficial emotional bonding—attempts to evoke resonance through historical symbols fail to offer value anchors aligned with modern ethos.
4. Evaluation of Pierre Cardin’s Marketing Effectiveness
There are multiple methods to evaluate brand marketing effectiveness. This study adopts a consumer perception perspective, utilizing questionnaire surveys to assess Pierre Cardin’s performance in cultural marketing, sustainable development, digitalization and youth market expansion, product value strategies, and consumer emotional bonding. As shown in Figure 1, the study outlines five key marketing dimensions.
Figure 1. Research focus classification.
This section presents findings from a mixed-methods study centered on a consumer perception survey conducted via the “Wenjuanxing” WeChat mini-program, enabling efficient dissemination to the general public. A total of 512 valid responses were collected from participants aged 18 to 45, with 80% between 18 and 25. The survey focused on five key dimensions: cultural marketing, sustainability, digital engagement, product value, and emotional bonding. To enhance analytical depth, the results are supplemented by third-party quality inspection reports and qualitative data from social media platforms such as Weibo, Douyin, and rednote. Data visualizations are used to support the analysis that follows.
4.1. Cultural Marketing
The brand’s historical halo is fading, with a fractured modern narrative and overconsumption of its heritage leading to value hollowing. Once synonymous with “luxury” among Chinese consumers during the early reform era, Pierre Cardin’s 1979 Beijing fashion show is hailed as a landmark event in China’s fashion awakening. However, excessive licensing has severely diluted its image. For instance, 24 Chinese agents cover over 800 product categories, resulting in inconsistent design and quality, alongside counterfeit brands like “French Pierre Cardin” causing market confusion.
In a Gen Z survey, only 12% of respondents could accurately recount the brand’s history, while over 60% labeled it a “domestic low-end brand.” (As shown in Figure 2, most Gen Z respondents lack cultural recognition of the brand.)
Interviews with students revealed: “The brand’s cultural output on social media is limited to historical retrospectives, lacking relevance to contemporary youth values like gender equality or cultural confidence.”
Figure 2. Cultural marketing perception results.
Furthermore, recent campaigns like “The Power of Elegance” have been criticized as hollow, failing to integrate modern values (e.g., feminism, multiculturalism). Compared to domestic brands like Li-Ning, which build emotional connections through cultural IP collaborations (e.g., Dunhuang, intangible heritage), Pierre Cardin’s marketing remains a one-way historical narrative, lacking interactivity and community engagement. Social media analysis shows that its 2024 Paris Fashion Week “Deconstructing the Future” series generated merely 12,000 Weibo interactions, while Li-Ning’s “Dunhuang Collaboration” campaign reached 280,000, highlighting a stark gap. In contrast, Li-Ning’s collaboration with the Dunhuang Museum sparked widespread engagement on Chinese social media, successfully transforming traditional culture into participatory branded content through modern visual storytelling, which resonated strongly with younger audiences (Li-Ning Company, 2024). As shown in Figure 3, Li-Ning significantly outperformed Pierre Cardin in topic discussion volume, with 28 vs. 1.2 ten-thousand mentions.
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Figure 3. Brand topic volume comparison during the 2024 Paris Fashion Week.
These findings support Smith’s (2021) concept of brand narrative misalignment, which occurs when historical branding fails to translate into culturally resonant values for newer generations.
4.2. Sustainable Development
Pierre Cardin exhibits a disconnect between commitments and execution. First, insufficient supply chain transparency: the brand claims 45% eco-material usage (targeting 60%), but its “Material Bank” platform lacks operational disclosure, and eco-data lacks third-party certification. For example, while it promotes coffee-ground antibacterial fabric, no technical details or partnerships are publicly reported. In a campus survey on eco-consumption, 75% of respondents “distrust unilateral brand claims,” demanding third-party verification. Lab tests by a student team found that 30% of Pierre Cardin’s recycled polyester garments contained less recycled material than labeled. Second, licensing models hinder sustainability. Agent-led production leads to lax quality control, with frequent issues like falsified fiber content and excessive shrinkage. Inspections by the Guangdong Provincial Administration for Industry and Commerce (2016) repeatedly flagged substandard underwear and cashmere sweaters, rooted in agents prioritizing cost-cutting over eco-standards. As shown in Figure 4, a significant gap exists between perceived sustainability and inspection results, highlighting a trust crisis.
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Figure 4. Discrepancy between consumer trust in eco claims and actual product compliance.
This confirms Jones’ (2020) theory that sustainability must be backed by transparency and third-party validation to generate trust among value-driven youth.
4.3. Digitalization and Youth Market Expansion
The brand prioritizes form over substance. First, metaverse and AR applications remain superficial. While concepts like metaverse fashion shows and blockchain digital collectibles are promoted, few are fully realized. For example, the “Future Women’s Wardrobe” virtual exhibition on Decentraland lacked sustained impact and deep interaction (e.g., virtual try-ons, social sharing), paling against Gucci’s Roblox store. Data scraping from Douyin and rednote reveals that UGC content related to Pierre Cardin accounts for less than 5%, dominated by nostalgic posts from older users, with minimal Gen Z engagement. As shown in Figure 5, over 95% of Pierre Cardin’s UGC comes from middle-aged users, far below the industry’s youth engagement average.
Second, youth market penetration is critically low. Most Gen Z individuals learn of the brand through parents, even misidentifying it as a “domestic low-end brand.” Despite customization services like the “You Tailor” O2O platform, outdated designs (e.g., stagnant “space aesthetics”) and unverified social media metrics (e.g., 230 million exposures) undermine credibility. Interviews with Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology students describe the brand as “old-fashioned, suited for parents” and criticize its “complex online customization, inferior to SHEIN’s AI try-on.” As shown in Figure 6, Pierre Cardin scores significantly lower than SHEIN in both design trendiness and product functionality.
Results align with Janssen et al. (2021), emphasizing that effective digital strategies require two-way, immersive user engagement rather than superficial virtual presence.
Figure 5. Age distribution of UGC content related to Pierre Cardin.
Figure 6. Comparison of design and function evaluations: Pierre Cardin vs. SHEIN.
4.4. Product Value Strategy
The brand faces authorization chaos and rampant counterfeiting. A collapsed price system and blurred market positioning plague its strategy. For example, a shirt priced at ¥388 in high-end malls sells for ¥120 in wholesale markets, eroding premium perception. The disconnect between Chengdu’s Jinhehua Market discounts and Paris Fashion Week’s luxury image confuses consumers. Counterfeits further erode brand equity: fake sales triple legitimate volumes, as seen in Luo Yonghao’s 2020 livestream incident (affecting 20,000 consumers), exposing channel control failures. In lower-tier cities, counterfeit stores outnumber official outlets, cementing a “cheap” label through low-quality imitations.
The perceived pricing inconsistency and confusion among consumers reflect Kapferer’s (2012) model, which argues that weak price integrity erodes perceived luxury value.
Additionally, third-party testing previously revealed that some Pierre Cardin leather jackets failed to meet national standards for tear strength, raising concerns about product quality. Such negative records remain searchable online, further undermining consumer trust (Testing Center of China National Textile and Apparel Council, 2013).
4.5. Consumer Emotional Bonding
The brand struggles with intergenerational divides and trust crises. First, nostalgic appeals fail to resonate with modern identities. While older consumers recall “saving up for Pierre Cardin suits in the 1980s,” younger generations reject such narratives: “My parents’ nostalgia has nothing to do with me.” Documentaries like *Pierre Cardin: Obsessed with the Future* lack reach, and retro logo campaigns are dismissed as superficial, ignoring Gen Z subcultures (e.g., guochao, anime). Second, trust erosion exacerbates emotional detachment. Frequent quality issues (e.g., subpar cashmere content, leather tear resistance failures) and counterfeit scandals (e.g., fake wool sweaters) trigger distrust. On the Black Cat complaint platform, most complaints were about false advert. As shown in Figure 7, only 8% of consumers are willing to recommend the brand, revealing a major emotional disconnect.
Figure 7. Consumer recommendation intention for Pierre Cardin.
This echoes Dion and Arnould (2011), who highlight that emotional attachment in luxury consumption depends not just on nostalgia, but also on present-day cultural relevance and personal resonance.
4.6. Summary of Marketing Effectiveness Evaluation
4.6.1. Cultural Marketing: Historical Narrative Failure and
Intergenerational Divide
The brand is trapped between “historical baggage” and “modern irrelevance.” Only 12% of Gen Z accurately recognize its history, while 60% categorize it as “low-end.” Although the brand attempts to convey inclusivity through senior models and youth designer competitions, its unidirectional “The Power of Elegance” campaign has been criticized as hollow, failing to align with contemporary values such as gender equality and cultural confidence. Li-Ning’s 280,000 Dunhuang interactions dwarf Pierre Cardin’s 12,000, exposing cultural translation deficits.
4.6.2. Sustainability: Trust Collapse and Greenwashing
The brand’s sustainability narrative has devolved into a “green bubble” due to poor implementation. While claiming a 45% eco-material usage rate, 30% of products fail to meet recycled material content standards. Consumers bluntly call its “Material Bank” a “financial jargon game.” Lax quality control among authorized agents leads to frequent issues like excessive cashmere sweater shrinkage, with 75% of surveyed respondents demanding third-party certification. Broken environmental promises have transformed the brand from an industry pioneer to a suspected “greenwasher.”
4.6.3. Digitalization: Superficial Tech and Youth Disconnect
The brand’s digital investments expose its “superficiality” shortcomings. Metaverse exhibitions lack interactivity (e.g., low engagement on Decentraland), and AR windows are criticized as “outdated technology.” The 3D body measurement technology has been abandoned due to operational complexity, showing significant efficiency gaps compared to SHEIN’s AI-powered virtual try-on. User-generated content (UGC) accounts for less than 5% of social media activity, dominated by nostalgic posts from middle-aged and elderly users. A lack of Gen Z recognition results in youth market penetration below 8%.
4.6.4. Product Value: Authorization Chaos and Trust Collapse
The licensing model triggers systemic value crises. Price disparities for identical products reach 224% (e.g., a shirt priced at ¥388 sells for ¥120), and chaotic distribution channels cement consumer stereotypes that “high price equals counterfeit.” Counterfeit sales triple legitimate volumes, exemplified by Luo Yonghao’s livestream scandal (affecting 20,000 consumers). In lower-tier cities, counterfeit stores outnumber official outlets several times, eroding the brand premium entirely.
4.6.5. Emotional Bonding: Nostalgia’s Irrelevance and Transactional
Consumption
Historical nostalgia fails to bridge intergenerational divides. The documentary Pierre Cardin: Obsessed with the Future lacks reach, and young audiences dismiss retro logo campaigns as irrelevant: “My parents’ nostalgia has nothing to do with me.” Even for high-repurchase footwear, consumers only value “accurate sizing” (utilitarian benefit), not emotional brand value. On the Heimao Complaint Platform, 72% of grievances target quality and after-sales issues, with merely 8% willing to recommend the brand.
5. Strategic Recommendations for Pierre Cardin
Based on consumer perception survey results, we propose the following quantified optimization strategies.
5.1. Brand Cultural Marketing
5.1.1. Cultural IP Collaborations and Narrative Enhancement
Partner with national cultural institutions (e.g., the Palace Museum, Dunhuang Research Academy) to launch a “Cultural Heritage Revival Initiative,” integrating the brand’s iconic geometric silhouettes with traditional cultural symbols. For example, release a “Dunhuang Flying Apsaras” capsule collection, incorporating flowing ribbon motifs from murals into tailored suits, with limited-edition sales paired with digital art collectibles. Co-host “East-West Aesthetic Dialogues” forums with cultural institutions, inviting designers, scholars, and consumer representatives. Launch the hashtag campaign #WhenSpaceAestheticsMeetDunhuang on Weibo and Douyin, targeting a reach of 20 - 30 million exposures across platforms. Projections anticipate co-branded collections contributing approximately 8% - 10% of first-year revenue, with a 60% rise in social media engagement within two fiscal quarters—benchmarked against campaigns by comparable heritage brands.
5.1.2. Brand Historical Archives and Digital Communication Matrix
Curate historical visuals and design sketches from the brand’s entry into China in 1979 to create an online 3D virtual museum (embedded in a WeChat Mini Program), featuring three sections: “Classic Reissues,” “Designer Stories,” and “Witnesses of the Era.” Collaborate with CCTV’s documentary team to produce “Pierre Cardin: A Fashion Revolution Across Time and Space”, streaming simultaneously on Tencent Video and BiliBili. Invite early consumers (e.g., 1980s expatriate executives) for live-streamed interviews to strengthen emotional resonance.
5.1.3. University-Enterprise Collaborative IP Development
Partner with university design schools and the brand’s historical archives to launch a “Classic Revival Project,” opening access to the brand’s 1970s-1990s design archives with production support. Student teams from institutions like Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology and Tsinghua Academy of Arts will reinterpret space-age aesthetics with youth-oriented expressions (e.g., guochao, metaverse). Launch a “University Co-Branded Capsule Series,” selecting three winning designs per season for production, with 5% of sales revenue funding campus design initiatives.
5.2. Sustainable Development
5.2.1. Traceable Eco-Material System
Implement blockchain technology to track fabric data from recycling to finished garments. Consumers can scan QR codes to view “Material Passports” (including recycling origins, factories, and carbon footprints). Partner with Alibaba Digital Agriculture to convert agricultural waste (e.g., coffee grounds, tea residues) into functional fabric materials.
5.2.2. University Labs Empowering Material Innovation
Establish a “Recycled Materials Joint Lab” with Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology’s Material Engineering School, Donghua University, and Zhejiang Sci-Tech University’s Textile College. The brand will provide annual R&D funding to commercialize university patents (e.g., coffee-ground antibacterial fabric). University teams will conduct material testing and data modeling, with research outcomes industrialized via the brand’s “Material Bank” platform. Target 2 university patents commercialized within three years.
5.2.3. Campus Sustainable Consumption Education Program
Set up “Sustainable Fashion Experience Centers” at 20 key universities. Provide eco-fabric sample libraries, used clothing recycling stations, and AR carbon footprint calculators. Student clubs will organize “Upcycling Workshops” and “Eco-Fashion Competitions,” with winning designs showcased at brand pop-up stores. Train 100 “Sustainable Fashion Ambassadors” annually to enhance ESG branding.
5.3. Digitalization and Youth Market
5.3.1. Metaverse Ecosystem Development
Build branded virtual spaces on localized metaverse platforms (e.g., Baidu Xirang, Douyin Volcano Engine) with three zones: Digital Runway: Monthly virtual fashion launches with AR try-ons for debut styles; Interactive Games: Users complete “Space Aesthetics Puzzle” tasks to redeem limited-edition digital collectibles; Social Plaza: Enable UGC outfit uploads and voting rankings. Collaborate with tech firms to develop lightweight 3D modeling tools for user-friendly creation. Partner with virtual idols (e.g., AYAYI) as metaverse ambassadors. Set an initial target of 300,000 - 500,000 annual metaverse participants and ¥3 - 5 million in digital collectible sales. Performance should be benchmarked against similar heritage brand initiatives such as Gucci’s NFT drops and virtual exhibitions on Roblox.
5.3.2. Data-Driven Precision Marketing
Leverage Tmall TMIC Innovation Center data to analyze Gen Z preferences (e.g., colors, materials, price sensitivity). Launch a “Youth Evolution” product line: For women: Dopamine-color commuter suits (¥800 - ¥1200); For men: Modular smart suits with hidden power bank pockets.
5.3.3. Joint Research on Youth Consumption Behavior
Share anonymized consumer data with partner universities to co-develop the “Gen Z Luxury Perception Shift” study. Use cluster analysis to identify youth demand for heritage brands, with findings publishable in economics journals. Optimize product lines based on insights, e.g., launch a “Light Luxury Campus Style” series (¥800 - ¥1500).
5.4. Product Value Strategy
5.4.1. Three-Tier Price Control System
Premium Line (¥5000+): Exclusive to flagship stores and official websites, focusing on haute couture and collaborations.
Core Line (¥1500 - ¥3000): Available in mall boutiques, emphasizing tech features and classic designs.
Basic Line (¥300 - ¥800): Sold via Yanxuan and Pinduoduo, prioritizing affordability and essentials.
Implement a flexible compliance mechanism that scores distribution partners based on discount violations. Repeated offenses trigger tiered consequences, such as margin adjustment or temporary supply suspension, rather than fixed revenue penalties.
5.4.2. Blockchain Anti-Counterfeiting and Rights Protection
Embed NFC chips in products for consumers to verify production batches, logistics, and quality reports. Collaborate with market regulators to launch a “Clean Network Campaign,” initiating bulk lawsuits against counterfeit product links on platforms like Pinduoduo and 1688. Partner with AntChain to build a product traceability platform and establish a ¥1 million counterfeit reporting reward fund, offering 5% of seized counterfeit sales as incentives.
5.4.3. University Designs Fueling Product Iteration
Create a “Design-Production-Sales” university-enterprise collaboration loop. Each quarter, the brand submits design briefs (e.g., “Smart Suits for Asian Body Types”), universities respond with proposals, and student designs (guided by brand designers) undergo small-batch trial production. Test market viability via the Poizon App.
5.4.4. Campus Channel Governance Pilot
Establish “Authenticity Guarantee Zones” near universities. Equip campus stores with blockchain traceability systems and offer student-exclusive discounts. Recruit “Campus Authenticity Ambassadors” to conduct counterfeit investigations and optimize anti-fake technologies.
5.5. Consumer Emotional Bonding
5.5.1. Nostalgic IP Commercialization
Transform historical symbols into consumable content. Examples: Reissue 1980s classic suits with vintage photo albums and digital commemorative cards; Launch “Time-Travel Dinners” at Beijing’s Maxim’s Restaurant, offering discounts to patrons wearing retro-branded attire. Publish “Pierre Cardin and Chinese Fashion: 40 Years” with SDX Joint Publishing. Launch the Douyin campaign #ParentalWardrobeArchaeology, encouraging youth to share vintage Pierre Cardin items.
5.5.2. Transparent Service System
Set a phased improvement goal to reduce average cashmere shrinkage from 15% to below 10% within 12 months. Ensure transparent monthly reporting through a Quality White Paper system to build consumer confidence.
5.5.3. University-Brand Memory Bank
Partner with sociology departments to research “Oral Histories of Chinese Fashion.” Share anonymized 1980s-1990s consumer data for academic analysis. Publish “Pierre Cardin and Chinese Social Change” and develop an interactive H5 showcasing brand history.
5.6. University-Enterprise Collaboration Mechanism
5.6.1. Organizational Structure
Form a “University-Enterprise Collaborative Committee” comprising brand executives, professors, and student representatives, with quarterly meetings to allocate resources.
5.6.2. Resource Exchange
The brand provides internships and R&D funding; universities contribute research, creative content, and talent pipelines.
5.6.3. Intellectual Property Allocation
Adopt an “Enterprise Priority Use + University Attribution” model for joint R&D outcomes, balancing academic and commercial value.
Acknowledgements
2025 Beijing Municipal College Students’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Training Program Project S2025306001.