The 12th Taipei International Cartoon and Animation Festival concluded today, marking a significant milestone in its history. Over the course of five days, the event attracted an astonishing 480,000 visitors, surpassing all expectations. With a total turnover exceeding NT$250 million, this year’s festival has set a new record, far exceeding the initial estimates of NT$200 million. One of the key factors contributing to this success was the substantial impact of cultural coins, as observed by stall traders.
Hosted by the Chinese Animation and Animation Publishing Industry Association, this year’s festival witnessed an impressive turnout. Secretary-General Gao Shichun, in an interview with a reporter from Central News Agency, credited the record-high lineup of exhibition booths for the event’s success. Notably, the local VTuber meeting in Taiwan garnered full attendance, underscoring the rising popularity of virtual idols among attendees.
Unlike previous editions that coincided with winter holidays, targeting teenagers after the Lunar New Year for business opportunities related to red envelopes, this year’s festival took place before the Lunar New Year and achieved unprecedented success in terms of turnover. Gao Shichun expressed the surprise of many industry players at this outcome, emphasizing that booth content and lineup were key factors in attracting crowds. The Ministry of Culture’s promotion of cultural currency also played a vital role, with various booths embracing its use following encouragement from the organizers.
Zhang Yinci from Kapok Media Planning provided insights into the festival’s impact on consumer behavior, particularly among teenagers over 16 years old, who align with cultural currency users. Many students received cultural coins, akin to early red envelopes, allowing them to indulge in their preferred cultural content. Kapok actively encouraged online fans to utilize cultural coins on-site, facilitating seamless transactions through QR code scanning equipment.
In terms of sales, Kapok saw significant increases, particularly for popular works like “Fulillian Buried,” “Attack on Titan,” and “SPYxFAMILY.” Notably, “Attack on Titan” lucky bags sold out within two days, demonstrating the fervent enthusiasm of attendees. Moreover, tickets for the theatrical version of SPY x FAMILY CODE: White and the advance screening of “‘Demon Slayer: Kizuna no Miracle: Towards the Pillar Training’ were in high demand and sold out during the exhibition.
Taiwan Kadokawa also experienced a notable performance boost at this year’s festival, held before the Lunar New Year. Consumer interest in cultural coins surpassed expectations, with a 15% growth compared to the previous year. The festival predominantly attracted elementary and high school students, with an average spending of approximately 2,500 yuan per customer.
In a departure from previous years’ focus on lucky bags and discounted products, this year saw attention shift to interactive experiences, such as the mobile game “Love and Deep Space” targeting women. Services like sticker machines and VR experiences proved to be immensely popular, particularly among female attendees. Gao Shichun highlighted the festival’s balanced gender ratio, with a 5:5 male-to-female split among visitors. The sustained interest in “Love and Deep Space” until late afternoon underscored the untapped potential of the female consumer market within the animation industry.
(All Photos from Bénédicte Lin)
