The archive · Content & Film · Product decision · 2018
Tencent × Dunhuang Academy 2018: DIY Scarves, 150k Works in 2 Days
Break Dunhuang murals into modular materials; users design scarves in Mini Program, order physical products, 150k works in 2 days.
Tencent (腾讯) · Dunhuang Academy (敦煌研究院)
What it had to solve
In 2017, Dunhuang Academy and Tencent reached a strategic partnership and launched the 'Dunhuang Digital Donors' (敦煌数字供养人) plan; on its 1st anniversary, the two sides wanted to create a digital cultural-creative gift that the public could personally participate in, not just watch.
How it works
On December 27, 2018, Tencent and Dunhuang Academy launched 'Dunhuang Poetry Scarf' (敦煌诗巾) on the 1st anniversary of their strategic partnership: users, inspired by Dunhuang cave caisson ceilings, choose 1 main image from 8 mural theme elements (Three Hares Sharing Ears (三兔共耳), Nine-Colored Deer (九色鹿), Reverse Pipa (反弹琵琶), Phoenix Bird (凤鸟), etc.) in a Mini Program, then freely combine more than 200 mural detail elements and background colors to design their own exclusive scarf; the works are collected in a digital exhibition hall.
The creative idea came from the Tencent Group Marketing and Public Relations Department (腾讯集团市场与公关部), and was produced by Guan'er Creative (关尔创意). The team began collecting Dunhuang materials in September (9) and broke each pattern element into independently interactive small parts; to make online designs really become physical products, they also specifically wrote a set of programs that parsed users' DIY data into high-resolution large print images, so factories could download and produce them by entering a number, and then they were delivered to users via JD.com (京东) logistics.
In communications, this was the 1st anniversary gift for the 'Dunhuang Digital Donors' (敦煌数字供养人) plan—previously the plan had called on the public to participate in the protection and inheritance of Dunhuang culture through digital creative forms such as games, music, animation, and cultural-creative products. A SocialBeta interview confirmed that the Mini Program generated 150,000+ (15 万+) user DIY works within 2 days of launch, and physical scarves and designer editions limited to 2019 pieces opened presales simultaneously.
Why it lands
- Users move from 'viewing cultural relics' to 'designing relic derivatives'; participation itself becomes communication material.
- The combination space of 8 major themes plus more than 200 elements is large enough that everyone can produce a 'unique' result and is willing to share it.
- Design can become a physical product with 1 click, giving virtual participation a real ownership loop.
- Using a Mini Program, which users can use instantly and leave easily, lowers the threshold for encountering Dunhuang culture and also fits the scenario of New Year gift-giving.
What it did
Launched on December 27, 2018, it generated 150,000+ (15 万+) user DIY works in 2 days; at the same time, it opened physical scarf customization and presales of 2 designer editions (limited to 2019 pieces), becoming a landmark project of the 'Dunhuang Digital Donors' (敦煌数字供养人) plan.
What you can take
Turn cultural relics into participatory materials; users create and own results, making participation more memorable than one-way communication.
Since then
'Dunhuang Poetry Scarf' (敦煌诗巾) became a representative project of Tencent's New Cultural Creativity (新文创) 'Digital Donors' (数字供养人) plan; Tencent and Dunhuang Academy subsequently continued to advance Dunhuang digitization around the plan through forms such as games, music, and animation; the user co-creation + physical custom scarf gameplay also provided a replicable model for cultural and museum institutions doing digital cultural-creative products.
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