iQIYI Further Taps Youth Pop-culture Market With Release of New Season of ‘FOURTRY’

BEIJING, Dec. 11, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — iQIYI Inc. (NASDAQ: IQ) (“iQIYI” or the “Company”), an innovative market-leading online entertainment service in China, has launched the new season of its original trendy reality show FOURTRY.

The Show will follow the daily operations of a trends collection store in Chengdu named “FOURTRY SPACE” that’s run by celebrities including William Chan, the host, and his partners — Nana Ouyang, Adam Fan, THE9’s Xin Liu, and influencer Grace Chow. 

On November 18, iQIYI held a launch event titled “FOURTRY FAMILY PARTY” in Chengdu for FOURTRY, which has retained Vivo as its exclusive sponsor for. Guests at the event included Wang Xiaohui, iQIYI’s Chief Content Officer (CCO) and President of Professional Content Business Group (PCG), Executive Producer of FOURTRY; Che Che, Vice President of iQIYI and Chief Producer of FOURTRY; Zhai Minghui, Chief Director of FOURTRY; as well as celebrities, who at the event shared some fashion stories connected with the show.

Since iQIYI set off on a new path for the trendy pop culture market last year with the first season of the reality show, the brand FOURTRY has become a pop culture icon and a favorite among young, trendy people. During the show’s run, all FOURTRY merchandise available at the FOURTRY pop-up stores such as T-shirts with FOURTRY logo sold out within an hour of its release and the FOURTRY Christmas and New Year limited edition items sparked a craze on the internet.

This year, FOURTRY will further enhance FOURTRY’s brand value and create more opportunities for pop-culture consumption through the collaboration between the Company’s multiple platforms.  From select themed products in the lifestyle experience store FOURTRY SPACE to online sales channels, offline pop-up stores and other initiatives, iQIYI’s marketing efforts will enrich FOURTRY’s brand connotation and strengthen its emotional connection with consumers. Besides, iQIYI has collaborated with Daniel Arsham, contemporary American visual artist whose work exists in between art, architecture and performance, to create artistic works for the new season of FOURTRY, including mahjong edition Bronze Fa, mahjong playing set Eroded Mahjong, hanging rug, and other items.

Commenting on the new season, Wang Xiaohui said: “iQIYI has always been committed to pop-culture-based content production, with variety shows playing the role of pioneers and explorers of youth culture. FOURTRY will realize the continued expansion from a content brand to a lifestyle consumption brand, from a single brand to a multi-matrix, multi-channel brand.”

In terms of the Show’s marketing plan, FOURTRY will further build a complete closed-loop marketing cycle covering “content to consumption”, according to Che Che, Vice President of iQIYI and Chief Producer of FOURTRY.

“We have combined the operations of a trendy brand with the reality show FOURTRY, completing a closed-loop marketing model that connects the show to the FOURTRY brand and the physical FOURTRY SPACE,” Che added. “This build upon the development model we have been exploring for our variety shows in which we use the shows to achieve brand influence.”

iQIYI has already commenced a number of marketing initiatives to support the new season. On October 22, the Company launched the show’s official WeApp (lightweight app or applet), also named FOURTRY, which is run by the brand manager and partners who are personally involved in the product selection, photography and other aspects of its operations. Through WeApp, customers can pre-order or purchase FOURTRY products and trendy items worn by the brand manager in the show or other merchandise. In addition to the FOURTRY SPACE in Chengdu, FOURTRY will also launch a pop-up store. Via these stores, the FOURTRY brand will extend its content consumption experience to a greater number of scenarios in the lives of young consumers.