Exploration on Marketing Strategy of Cultural Creative Products:

Taking POP MART Blind Box as an Example

Muhan Li

College of International Education, Shandong Agricultural University, Taian, China

Keywords: Cultural and Creative Products, Marketing Strategies, Brand Management, Brand Building.

Abstract: As the IP industry grows, the cultural and creative industry, represented by the ‘blind box’, has ushered in a

boom. This paper mainly takes POP MART Blind Box as an example to discuss the marketing strategies of

related aspects. This paper focuses on the development and marketing of Bubble Mart by virtue of the PEST

model and SWOT model. The market situation of POP MART and the related information of the product

itself are elaborated in detail. And with this analysis as a background and through the 4P marketing theory,

the exploration of Bubble Mart's specific marketing strategy is launched. On the basis of the relevant

marketing strategy, further suggestions on the optimization of the strategy are put forward. The conclusion is

that Bubble Mart can move to a larger world stage through a combination of marketing strategies in a strong

development context.

1 INTRODUCTION

With the rise of Wenchuang IP industry, the trend toy

market has entered a state of high growth and high

benefit, and has greatly activated the cultural market

(Zhang, & Wang, 2021). Trendy toys and creative

industries, represented by the ‘blind box’, have also

reached a climax and are becoming an important way

for young people to socialise (Zhang, & Wang, 2021).

As a result, many capitals and listed companies have

rushed to the blind box market. In such a situation,

trendy toy brands like Bubble Mart are getting huge

market chances. POP MART which committed to

providing diversified and creative toy brands and

services is a famous trend toy brand in China. Bubble

Mart has successfully attracted a huge number of

consumers by giving them a sense of randomness and

surprise in the consumption process through the

innovative marketing model of blind boxes, which

greatly enhances their purchase expectations.

Beijing POP MART Cultural and Creative Co.,

Ltd. that has a long history of development and was

officially established on 11th 2010 is a leading trend

cultural and entertainment company in China. In

addition, Bubble Mart embarks on five areas: global

artist excavation, IP incubation and operation,

consumer reach, hip play culture promotion, and

innovative business incubation and investment. A

platform covering the whole industrial chain of trendy

toys was built, which made up the blank of domestic

trendy play industry.

As of 31 December 2021, Bubble Mart had 295

directly operated offline shops and 1,611 robot shops

in mainland China. These cover a total of 103 urban

areas across the country, and have been globally

deployed since 2018. Up to now, Bubble Mart has

formed a brand advantage with designers, retail

channels and industrial chain as the fulcrum, and

cooperated with world-famous brands to create

consumers' favourite trendy products, and has always

been adhering to the development concept of

“creating trends and delivering beauty”, so that

consumers can better communicate with the brand's

philosophy in-depth (Zhang, & Wang, 2021).

Through literature review and data analysis, this

paper studies the marketing strategy of innovative

products under the background of blind box in POP

MART. In view of the intense market competition,

Bubble Mart still has the potential to improve its

market position in a number of aspects, such as

enhancing brand awareness and reputation, as well as

strengthening user stickiness. Therefore, exploring

the marketing strategy of POP MART Blind Box can

further develop the market of trendy toys and cultural

and creative brands, provide new marketing ideas for

other cultural and creative products, and have far-

Li, M.

Exploration on Marketing Strategy of Cultural Creative Products: Taking POP MART Blind Box as an Example.

DOI: 10.5220/0013987000004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 119-123

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

119

reaching significance for enhancing the market

competition and brand influence of cultural and

creative products.

2 PEST MODEL TO ANALYSE

BUBBLE MART'S MARKET

SITUATION

PEST model is analyzed at a macro level from four

aspects: political environment, economic

environment, social environment and technical

environment. In terms of policy environment, China

has enacted more and more policies to support the

development of cultural and creative industries. For

example, relevant authorities have provided financial

support as well as a market regulatory system (Li,

2024). Under the market economy system of

Socialism with Chinese characteristics in the new era,

the domestic economy continues to grow, which also

gives POP MART great potential for expansion. In

terms of the economic environment, Bubble Mart's

internationalisation strategy plays an important role

as the global economy continues to grow and

consumers' disposable incomes increase. By

expanding overseas markets, POP MART can also

reach a wider range of consumer groups. That has

also increased Bubble Mart's sales and market share.

With regard to social environment, China has a large

population and a huge potential market. According to

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs Theory, China's pursuit

of spiritual abundance is growing more and more on

the basis of achieving comprehensive well-being. In

this case, commodities and cultural carriers with

distinctive features like blind boxes are particularly

popular in the consumer market. And the general

pursuit of psychological stimulation after 95 began to

become the main force of young consumers, further

promoting the Bubble Mart company blind box sales

growth (Zhang, & Wang, 2021). In terms of technical

environment, as of today, POP MART has not only

improved the equipment of offline stores. With the

development and support of Internet technology and

AI technology, online sales and robot shops also

appeared, which greatly reduced some sales costs.

These technological developments have also cut

down on the time and materials needed to produce

blind boxes, which has been a great benefit to Bubble

Mart's blind box product design and quality control.

3 SWOT MODEL ANALYSIS OF

POP MART

3.1 The Advantages of POP MART

As a leading company in the blind box industry,

Bubble Mart has high brand awareness and influence,

attracting a large number of young consumers

through its unique brand image and marketing

strategy. POP MART uses the membership system

with Chaowan community to open up multi-channel

user data. It provides consumers with a membership

benefits experience, helping itself to further increase

consumer stickiness and repeat purchase rates. POP

MART also has a huge IP library, which has high

popularity and fan base, and provides great support

for the design and sales of blind box products (Evans,

& Wurster, 1997). Bubble Mart has a variety of online

and offline sales channels, providing consumers with

a convenient way to buy, which in turn increases the

market coverage of the product. Besides, POP MART

Blind Box has a unique design, and each product has

a unique design concept. This makes for a distinctive

look, shape and colour palette. It is worth mentioning

that POP MART also pays special attention to the

inheritance and innovation of traditional culture, and

combines China's traditional culture with modern

trends to create blind box products with unique

charm.

3.2 The Disadvantage of POP MART

However, there are also weaknesses in Bubble Mart.

The relatively high price of Bubble Mart's blind box

products is a barrier to purchase for some consumers,

which can limit market penetration and sales growth

rates. And Bubble Mart blind boxes are very

dependent on IP popularity, which can be detrimental

to the entire line if an IP loses its appeal or is subject

to negative public opinion. POP MART takes the

blind box as its core product. Although this model is

popular with young consumers at present, relying

solely on the blind box may lead to the bottleneck of

future growth.

3.3 The Opportunities of POP MART

Of course, market demand continues to grow as

consumer acceptance of trendy toys and blind box

culture increases. This suggests that there are still

many opportunities for Bubble Mart to grow. POP

MART actively deployed overseas markets, and

pushed its products and services to many countries

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

120

and regions around the world by setting up overseas

stores and cross-border e-commerce platforms. This

globalisation strategy has not only expanded Bubble

Mart's market size, but has also opened up more

growth opportunities. Plus, with the improvement of

living standards and the change of consumption

concepts, more and more consumers begin to pay

attention to spiritual consumption and personalized

consumption. Bubble Mart's launch of hip play

products caters to this trend and meets consumer

demand for personalisation, emotional resonance and

cultural identity. Moreover, Bubble Mart has

successfully attracted the cooperation of many

internationally renowned designers and brands

(Wang, 2021). All these have provided more

development opportunities for POP MART.

3.4 The Threat of POP MART

But Bubble Mart also faces the same threat, with

more and more companies entering the field as the

blind box market grows rapidly. These competitors

compete fiercely with POP MART by launching

products similar to blind boxes and rich IP resources.

The increasingly fierce market competition will

threaten POP MART's market share and profitability.

Competitors constantly innovate in product design,

marketing strategy and channel layout, which poses a

threat to POP MART's market share and brand image.

At the same time, the government will also strengthen

the regulation of the market in this area, which will

also bring challenges to the development of Bubble

Mart's business.

4 4P MARKETING THEORY

ANALYSES THE CURRENT

SITUATION OF BUBBLE MART

MART MARKETING

Under the above-mentioned market background and

the development status of POP MART, POP MART

Blind Box has a lot of room for further development.

Therefore, exploring its marketing strategy is of far-

reaching significance for its better development.

Moreover, with the increasing popularity of POP

MART in the market, the detailed analysis of its

marketing strategy is also representative for the

strategic exploration of Wenchuang. This section

mainly focuses on the use of 4P marketing theory to

further derive a marketing strategy that belongs to

Bubble Mart itself. In particular, the 4P marketing

theory analyses the current marketing situation of

Bubble Mart from four aspects: product, price,

channel and promotion.

4.1 Product Strategy

Bubble Mart is constantly releasing new blind boxes,

each collection includes a different design and each

blind box contains a randomised image. POP MART

blind box is divided into ordinary and hidden models.

Many consumers are also keen to draw the hidden

model, which stimulates the desire to buy. And the

Blind Box collection is all in one set, and each

product is a unique style. So, many consumers are

keen to collect a whole set of blind box products. That

also greatly contributes to the consumer's desire to

buy. At the same time, by buying out the copyright

and output of popular IP, it will further attract

consumers to buy. The above strategy not only

disperses consumers' focused attention on popular

IPs, but also reduces operational risks. Bubble Mart

has a unique brand character (Meng, 2020).

Compared with other toy brands, POP MART focuses

on unique fashion toys, and pays attention to creative

design and personalized expression. This is in line

with the target consumer's need to be fashionable. By

cooperating with well-known designers at home and

abroad, the company has continuously introduced

novel and unique trendy products, which can also

meet the needs of different consumers. Bubble Mart

has a wide range of product lines covering different

prices, design styles and trendy toys for the general

public. This also greatly meets the needs of

consumers. And it has triggered consumers'

enthusiasm for collecting and bidding through its

limited edition and hidden model product settings.

This further enhances the value and brand influence

of products (Liu, 2023).

4.2 Price Strategy

Compared with the traditional tide play, POP MART

has differences in differential pricing. Bubble Mart

has adopted a flexible and versatile pricing strategy.

This can satisfy consumers with different purchasing

power, so that they can realize their needs within their

power. That said, this has led to more consumers

choosing to buy Bubble Mart blind boxes. Moreover,

POP MART has the same pricing for hidden money

and fixed money, and this pricing strategy takes

advantage of consumers' pursuit of the unknown.

Drawing on the enthusiasm from consumers to bid is

also better for consumption. For products with high

added value, such as limited edition and customized

edition, POP MART will adopt a higher pricing

Exploration on Marketing Strategy of Cultural Creative Products: Taking POP MART Blind Box as an Example

121

strategy to obtain higher profits. This helps to

enhance brand image and satisfy consumers' quest for

scarce and unique products (Xie, 2022).

4.3 Distribution Strategy

Bubble Mart has its own sales channels both online

and offline. Online sales are made using mainstream

platforms such as Taobao, Tmall and Jingdong. These

online channels provide consumers with a convenient

way to shop, while also expanding the brand's market

reach (Xu, 2017). It is worth emphasizing that

WeChat applet, as an important platform for private

domain traffic in POP MART, has further enhanced

the brand stickiness of consumers through accurate

push and personalized service. These places not only

display merchandise and increase the realism of the

customer experience, but also serve as important

platforms for brands to interact and build

relationships with consumers. Moreover, POP

MART also cooperated with major shopping centers

to open Lightning, which enhanced the brand

exposure and made more consumers know about POP

MART's products. To some extent, it also promotes

consumption (Liu, 2023).

4.4 Publicity Strategy

Bubble Mart promotes its products through social

media marketing, cross-border cooperation and fan

economy. POP MART made full use of social

platforms such as Weibo, TikTok and Xiaohongshu

to publish new product announcements, interactive

lottery and fan welfare. By establishing a strong

connection with young consumers in this way, it

effectively boosts brand exposure and user

engagement. Bubble Mart attracts a large number of

fans' attention through channels such as cooperating

with famous KOLs in the fields of fashion, beauty,

and anime in social media marketing as well as

organising online lucky draws. In addition, Bubble

Mart collaborates with major IPs to launch co-

branded products. This cooperation not only enriches

the cultural connotation and added value of products,

but also expands the popularity and influence of

products. Bubble Mart organises trendy exhibitions

and participates in trendy cultural events offline. This

not only allows consumers to experience the charm of

Chaowan personally, but also enhances brand

awareness and goodwill, and also enriches the

cultural connotation of the brand. Plus, Bubble Mart

also pays great attention to the cultivation and

maintenance of fans, and enhances their participation

and loyalty by organising offline fan activities and

other means. POP MART has also launched limited

edition and co-branded products, creating a sense of

scarcity and topicality. This stimulates consumers'

desire to buy, while enhancing brand image and

value. In addition, POP MART has also established a

perfect membership system, and through measures

such as bonus points and exclusive discounts for

members, it has enhanced users' stickiness and

promoted repurchase behavior (Ji, 2019).

To sum up, through its precise market position,

diversified product strategy, comprehensive channel

layout and innovative marketing activities, Bubble

Mart has occupied an important position in China and

even in the global trendy game market. In the future,

with the constant change of consumer demand and the

intensification of market competition, POP MART

needs to continuously optimize and improve its

marketing strategy to maintain its market

competitiveness.

5 SUGGESTED MARKETING

STRATEGIES FOR BUBBLE

MART BLIND BOXES

In order to further promote the development of blind

box in POP MART and enhance its market

competitiveness, the following strategies are worthy

of reference. Firstly, Bubble Mart should continue to

strengthen the brand image of trendy, fashionable and

personalised as well as the target consumers of its

own products. In addition, POP MART can

continuously expand its product line to meet the

needs of more users (Lin, 2024). For example, in

addition to blind boxes, Bubble Mart can also develop

derivative products and co-branded products, as well

as continue to enrich its IP resources through both

self-development and co-operation. On the one hand,

the company explores and cultivates more potential

artists and IP by increasing internal incubation. On

the other hand, the Company is actively cooperating

with famous IP providers at home and abroad to

obtain more high-quality IP resources. And, Bubble

Mart needs to strengthen online and offline

integration and omni-channel marketing. In addition

to independent online and offline sales methods, POP

MART companies should strengthen the

interoperability of online and offline consumption

scenarios to provide consumers with a seamless

shopping experience.

At the same time, Bubble Mart needs to focus on

social and virtualised marketing. POP MART can use

social media platforms such as Weibo and WeChat to

PRMC 2025 - International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication

122

publish interactive activities, product cases and

preferential information, so as to enhance interaction

and stickiness with consumers. The company can also

explore the application of new technologies such as

virtual reality and augmented reality in marketing.

Bubble Mart also needs to carry out cross-border co-

branding and customised marketing, and engage in

cross-border co-branding with famous brands at

home and abroad to promote the hipster culture and

enhance brand influence. In addition, POP MART

should provide customized products and services

according to the needs and preferences of different

consumer groups.

In conclusion, the above suggestions of this paper

for the marketing strategy of the Bubble Mart blind

box are combined with the adaptive marketing

strategy for the specific market context as mentioned

in the previous section. A number of favorable factors

provide more impetus for the future development of

blind boxes in POP MART. And the company can

promote the brand better to the world stage through

the development of reasonable marketing strategy.

6 CONCLUSION

Starting with the introduction of POP MART

Company, we cut into the product analysis of the

company's brand. The Bubble Mart market has been

analysed through the PESST model and the Bubble

Mart has been analysed through the SWOT model.

Based on the background of the analysis of these two

models, and using the 4P marketing theory, this paper

expounds POP MART's specific marketing strategy

in detail. Ultimately this paper draws the significant

conclusion that Bubble Mart, with such growth, can

move to a bigger stage through further strategic

refinement. And through research, we can find that

POP MART market still has great development

potential. The company needs to further strengthen

and improve its marketing strategy and target relevant

aspects. This provides a great advantage for POP

MART to move towards a bigger stage of cultural and

creative market.

The deficiency of this paper is that there are few

research materials on subdividing consumer groups,

and it is impossible to make more detailed strategic

analysis according to the subdivision needs of

different groups. Future research could start more

from the investigation of consumers' refined needs.

REFERENCES

Evans, P., & Wurster, T. 1997. Strategy and the new

economics of information. Harvard Business Review

75(5): 71–82.

Ji, X. 2019. Research on online marketing strategy of

creative products of Z Culture Company. Ningbo

University.

Li, Z.Q. 2024. A study on fiscal policies to promote the

development of cultural and creative products in

cultural institutions. Financial Supervision (08): 81-87.

Lin, H.T. 2024. Optimisation of marketing strategies for

blind box products in bubble mart. East China Normal

University.

Liu, J.M. 2023. A case study of Bubble Mart IP+blind box

marketing model. South China University of

Technology.

Meng, L. 2020. Analysis of marketing strategy of brand

importing cultural creative product design. Modern

Marketing (Lower Decade) (06): 68-69.

Wang, Y. 2021. Changes and strengthening of brand

positioning in Pop Mart. Marketing Circles 2021(11):

139–141.

Xie, J. 2022. Research on marketing strategy of Bubble

Mart tide play company. Southwest Jiaotong

University.

Xu, Y.J. 2017. Marketing channel construction strategy of

cultural and creative products. Mall Modernisation

(01): 63-64.

Zhang, Y., & Wang, X. 2021. Why Wang Ning? And why

Pop Mart? China Economic Review 2021(10): 80–84.

Exploration on Marketing Strategy of Cultural Creative Products: Taking POP MART Blind Box as an Example

123