Short Video Marketing, The Best Tool for Branding in China

Short videos are an industry in China. They are an industry that has grown rapidly thanks to the popularity of smartphones and improved communication networks. Yixia Technology, owner of Miaopai and Xiaokaxiu, which are popular video applications popular in China, has already spent $2 billion to encourage video content creators and producers by creating several video creation databases and providing professional studios.

Short video marketing power in China

Short videos are perfect for young people and technology professionals who take their phones everywhere and use them to access social media or to take short breaks in the day between other activities. But what short video applications are the most popular in China? Who are the viewers of these short videos?

 🎥 Top 5 Short Video Apps in China

1. Douyin (抖音)
   China’s TikTok — the undisputed king of short video + livestream e-commerce. ✅ Best for trend creation, KOL collabs, and direct conversion.
2. Kuaishou (快手)
   Popular in lower-tier cities with massive loyal followings and strong community feel. ✅ Great for grassroots storytelling and blue-collar authenticity.
3. Bilibili (哔哩哔哩)
   Youth culture hub with long-form meets short-form content. ✅ Best for Gen Z, anime, gaming, and niche fashion or lifestyle.
4. Xiaohongshu (RED / 小红书)
   Social + commerce + content. Short video is now booming here. ✅ Ideal for product discovery and fashion/lifestyle niches.
5. WeChat Channels (视频号)
   Tencent’s short video feature inside WeChat — integrates seamlessly with Mini Programs and CRM. ✅ Perfect for funneling video traffic into private traffic ecosystems.

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📈 7 Short Video Trends in China (2024–2025)

1. Livestream + Short Video = Power Combo
   Livestreams remain key for sales, but pre-event short videos now drive traffic and conversions.
2. Narrative & Mini-Vlogs Dominate
   Audiences want stories, not just visuals — “a day in my life,” “before and after,” or “how I discovered this.”
3. Vertical Commerce Is Normalized
   Consumers discover, trust, and buy entirely within the short video loop — no need to exit the app.
4. KOCs (Key Opinion Consumers) Rise
   Micro-creators with real talk and niche appeal are increasingly outperforming traditional KOLs in trust and ROI.
5. AI-Enhanced Editing & Avatars
   Smart editing tools and virtual influencers are exploding, making content production faster and more futuristic.
6. Offline to Online Syncing
   Offline events (pop-ups, store visits) are reimagined into cinematic short videos for online amplification.
7. Hashtag Challenges Still Drive Virality
   Branded challenges (especially on Douyin) remain a top tactic for exposure + user-generated content.

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💫 KOLs That Rock the Chinese Short Video Space

1. Li Jiaqi (Austin Li – 李佳琦)
   The “Lipstick King” of livestreaming — also dominates in short-form beauty/fashion videos on Douyin and RED.
2. Viya (薇娅)
   Though quieter lately, she’s a legend of livestream + short video combo, especially for female-led consumer brands.
3. Doudou Xiong (豆豆熊)
   Known for lifestyle mini-vlogs and aesthetic home/fashion content — perfect for emotional product storytelling.
4. Papi酱 (Papi Jiang)
   Witty, female-centric content with high engagement. Best for lifestyle, wellness, and satire-driven campaigns.
5. Crazy Xiaoyangge (疯狂小杨哥)
   One of Douyin’s biggest entertainers — slapstick, relatable content + serious product sales numbers.

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🛍️ How Brands Can Use Short Video Marketing to Sell in China

✅ Collaborate Smart with KOLs
Partner with influencers whose audience matches your niche. Give them creative freedom — the goal is authenticity, not ads.

✅ Create Native Content, Not Ads
Content must feel organic. Instead of “why this is great,” show “how this fits into my life.”

✅ Leverage Hashtag Campaigns
Run a branded hashtag challenge on Douyin or Kuaishou. Offer prizes, repost UGC, and let your audience sell for you.

✅ Tie to E-commerce Seamlessly
Use Douyin’s native store or Mini Program links in WeChat. Let users buy within 3 taps from video view.

✅ Build a Creator Squad (KOCs + KOLs)
Mix big names with micro-creators to flood platforms with authentic voices and build trust fast.

✅ Educate + Entertain
Tutorials, before/after, mini-vlogs, and user reviews work especially well. Try “style it 3 ways” or “why I switched to this brand.”

✅ Repurpose & Retarget
Cut one long video into 5 shorts. Use different intros. Target by city, age, interest on Douyin Ads to stretch reach.

How can brands be marketed through videos?

As with small video platforms such as Viddy, Vine, and Instagram, there are many short video platforms and applications in China where users can record short video clips in real-time and share them with friends.

As for the users, 153 million regularly watched the Chinese short videos in 2019. CIWEEK, an Internet content magazine, showed the top 10 short video applications in China in the first half of 2016 as the most-watched. Kuaishou, Miaopai and Meipai were the most popular.

There are two types of short video platforms in China

• Full Platforms (Professional Short Video Platforms)

These platforms, such as Meipai, Miaopai, Douyin, and Xiaokaxiu, offer a unique user experience. Users can use different shooting tools, effects settings, and formats to use when shooting or editing a video. Short videos uploaded to these platforms can also be shared with friends on WeChat, WeChat Moments, and Weibo.

• Content recommendations (topical applications)

These platforms, such as Toutiao, NetEase, Tencent News, and Yidian Zixun, focus on the suggestion of short popular or professional videos. These platforms are based on the new and focused on mass communication. They have millions of viewers and the short videos recommended on these platforms can generate huge traffics.

Who are short video marketing users?

• The main users of China’s short video applications are young. Most of them belong to the generation of the 90s.
  According to a report published in March 2017 by JIGUANG, a large data provider, users aged 16 to 25 years account for 39.7% of the total, while users aged 26 to 35 years are 33.3%.
• More than half of the users are women, accounting for 69.4% of the total number of users.
• In terms of regions, 66.9% of the total comes from third-tier cities and below third-tier cities in China.
  The top 3 provinces for users are Guangdong, Henan, and Shandong.

How do brands use short videos in China?

The short video becomes a new favorite for brands for several reasons. With interesting and meaningful content, short videos can transmit brand-specific messages to a target audience while avoiding the disturbance that longer videos can cause. The production cycle of short videos is fast with great flexibility, which works well with brand marketing plans and budgets.

Through public interactions with short videos, brands can better understand their preferences, improve their user experience quickly, and quickly develop effective marketing plans. Embedded campaigns launched on short video platforms can be creative.

Brands’ short video marketing case studies in China

Short video marketing of L’Oréal

Given that the majority of Chinese users are female, the content for women gets a lot of attention and increases the exposure of the brand. In October 2016, L’Oréal conducted a Halloween campaign on Meipai. L’Oréal encouraged users to download and share their Halloween makeup videos for the chance to receive a free L’Oréal gift. 11 393 users have uploaded videos and campaign videos have gained over 60 million views.

Short video marketing of Shanghai Disneyland 

For most brands, promoting offline traffic and sales is their main task. Shanghai Disneyland is a good example. The park officially opened in June 2016. Their biggest challenge was to attract new visitors. Last October, they launched a small video campaign on Meipai.

Users were encouraged to download short videos of happy moments in the park using the hashtag #The most beautiful moment of Disney Shanghai. Then they randomly selected the participants and sent them free gifts and tickets. This campaign attracted a lot of attention from families and youth increased the number of park visitors and promoted sales.

The United Nations video court

The United Nations has recorded an official account on Meipai and has more than one million members. They display official content, such as information about conferences, forums, and others, in order to increase interaction with young users.

For example, the United Nations published a short video of Ban Ki-moon playing basketball and missing his shot. Another short video showed that UN personnel were dancing to popular songs. These videos have received thousands of views.

How to use a short video platform for marketing in China?

When a brand plans to open an official account on a short video platform in China and launches marketing campaigns, it is better to consider the following elements. Short videos (most users are young) are more suited to brands in certain sectors.

In which sectors is short video marketing the most efficient in China?

• Fast food products
• The fashion sector
• The cosmetics sector
• Information technologies

Which platform should brands choose for short video marketing in China?

Before launching campaigns via short video platforms, brands must first choose the best. Miaopai, Kuaishou, Douyin, and Meipai are recommended based on their enormous user base and popularity. Douyin and Kuaishou are now the most trendy platforms for short videos in 2020.

Users appreciate creative content. The quality of content is the key to the effectiveness of a campaign. Celebrities and KOLs now produce the most popular content. Campaigns that cooperate with celebrities and KOLs can certainly achieve better results.

Short video platforms can also be used by brands to:

• Refresh their image
• Publish promotional information
• Manage customer relations
• Conduct market research
• Managing crisis relations

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