In recent years, the popularity of museum IP has continued to increase in China. By the end of 2018, there were over 5,400 museums nationwide, including nearly 200 new museums and art galleries, and the number of visitors exceeded 1 billion. At the same time, young consumers are more willing to visit museums, and also with enthusiasm for online engagement of the museum content: the products and experiences inspired from the museums have become the new favorite of younger generations. In addition to leading domestic museums such as the Forbidden City and the National Museum of China, a number of overseas museums such as the British Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, have also entered the Chinese market. The integration and collision of Chinese and Western civilizations has enriched the overall market, and engagement in the content and products has proven consumer demand.
Due to the distance of museums overseas, the localization, commercialization and experience of museum art in order to make museum art relatable and accessible into the daily lives of consumers became the top priority for operators of platforms, brands and museum IP. On October 21st, JD.com, the largest self-operated e-commerce platform in China, collaborated with Alfilo Brands, the exclusive master licensee of Global Culture and Art IP, and assembled four overseas museums: the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the V&A, the National Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and brought together more than 50 brands to co-sponsor the "JD Global Museum Day." This is the first IP festival in China where many overseas museums have participated and gathered together. The expertise of Alfilo Brands has brought deep development of the museum's IP resources into the commercial space, allowing collaborations with today’s leading brands to transform the museums’ objects into products consumers want. In partnership with JD, the platform gives opportunity to those brands and products to reach a large number of engaged consumers, supported by content to those consumers that have shown high engagement in art and culture. In addition, the media's deep involvement has boosted the promotion and the transformation of this collaboration in this growing space.
The four overseas museums participating in the festival are the world's leading and most comprehensive museums in the world. Combined, they have over 7.95 million art objects and attract more than 19.3 million global visitors every year and enjoy millions of global fans online. For the Chinese market and consumers, the museums also expressed their views on this festival:
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest and most important art museums in the world, with a collection of over 1.5 million objects that spans over five thousand years of art from around the world. It is the number one cultural attraction in New York City, welcoming over 7 million visitors each year.. The Met’s head of licensing and partnerships Lisa Silverman Meyers said “The Met’s unique products and educational content feature a global array of art from the Museum’s vast collection, which we hope will inspire, delight, and inform Chinese consumers. The Met is so pleased to collaborate with JD.com and Alfilo Brands on this first-ever JD Global Museums Day. .”
Founded in 1852 in London during the reign of Queen Victoria, the V&A is the world famous museum of art, design and performance. The museum’s 145 galleries display the finest examples of the decorative arts in multi-media, from textiles and ceramics to sculpture and photography.
Lauren Sizeland, Head of Licensing & Business Development said: “The V&A’s original mission was to make works of art available to all. Through this collaboration with JD.com we are extending our reach, enabling consumers throughout China to appreciate some of Britain’s glorious treasures and their historical relevance.”
Located in Trafalgar Square in the heart of the UK, the National Gallery is home to 2,300 world-famous paintings and is one of the top 10 most popular art museums in the world. The head of its Buying and Brand licensing department Judith Mather said we are delighted to be part of JD super Museum IP day as it showcase our collection of western European masterpieces to a new audience and also gives the opportu
The Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (MFA) is one of the most comprehensive art museums in the world. The MFA is home to one of the most important collections of Impressionist art in the United States and boasts one of the largest collections of the celebrated painter Claude Monet’s work outside of France. We are incredibly excited about JD Super IP Day—a collaboration that supports the MFA’s mission of bringing art and people together on many levels,” said Debra LaKind, Senior Director of Intellectual Property & Business Development at the MFA. “We believe in the power of art and are thrilled that JD.com and Alfilo Brands make it accessible in new and creative ways.
As one of the initiators of this festival, Alfilo Brands has been deeply involved in the field of world museums’ licensing and operation. It has the exclusive rights of licensing and operation of the world's cultural and artistic IP, and has carried out deep IP development through massive museum collections and film and television materials. The cultural and artistic IP theme brings a rich and diverse collection of stories and design materials to the partners, providing consumers with personalized, artistic and fashionable lifestyle products and consumer experiences. Ms. Zhang Lu, the co-founder of Alfilo Brands, said: “Alfilo Brands is a company specializing in the operation of overseas museum IP. It is committed to maximizing the resources of all parties in the cultural and intellectual IP licensing ecosystem and bringing more benefits to the partners. The "JD Global Museum Day", which was in partnership with JD.com, lasted for 12 months. The cooperation involved 3 continents, 4 top museums, the top e-commerce platform JD, the DISCOVERY documentary channel, about 50 leading consumer brands and more than 300 co-branded products –it’s definitely a pioneer in the field of IP licensing in China and all over the world."
According to a report released by the National Bureau of Statistics, China's annual per capita GDP in 2017 exceeded US$8,800, which marked the continuous upgrade of the middle class, indicating that China has entered the growth period of cultural and artistic consumption. The museum brings together the essence of human culture and art, and its rising demand is the feedback of the times and the market. How do we grasp this incredible market opportunity and respond to the demands of consumers? JD Global Museum Day provides opportunity and ideas: access to consumer reach, brands and media, a platform to showcase the depth of museum stories and content, give consumers consumer products and museum experiences, and let the museum art go beyond, out of the box, and into people’s modern, daily life. Our shared human history lives within museum walls; it’s an honor to be able to share them with the modern world, to inspire and educate on today’s terms.