Brand Marketing Strategy: How does "flirting culture" win hearts and attract traffic?

In the Japanese drama "Quartet", which is known as the "King of Golden Lines", the sentence "Adults have to rely on flirting" is not groundless. At a time when emotional expression seems to be becoming more and more direct, more people have fallen in love with the tortuous way of expression called "flirting". From social topics to product design, this simple verb has gradually developed into a standard feature of content products.

Starting from one word, observe which social content and products the "flirting" culture has infiltrated.

1. You can’t live without teasing others: “Tease” to gain social attention

Nowadays, "撩" has a much broader meaning than the word.

The dictionary explains it as teasing and enticing, and it is a highly proactive verb. However, through word of mouth, the meaning of the word "撩" is now more inclined towards "orientation sniping". Everything that makes one's heart flutter and satisfies one's taste, regardless of its objective original intention, can be summed up by the word "撩".

The concept of "flirting", which has been gradually expanded in social communication, has brought heat to a series of topics with its rich connotations.

1. Bring up a topic

On Weibo, "flirting" has long become the trigger point for traffic aggregation and the original starting point for popularity. Bloggers such as @吃老虎的兔纸, @十元诗苑, and @kakakaoo are all famous for their love stories, and sharing their love stories on Weibo has become a daily routine for these bloggers. Flirting and being flirted with in life have become a source of discussion among the onlookers.

@吃老虎的兔纸 shares his love story, and his followers have increased from 140,000 to 1.37 million

On Zhihu, the popularity of "flirting" is more directly reflected. Under the topic "flirting", there are 480 related questions, including "How to flirt?", "Experiences of flirting and being flirted with". All topics related to love and even mood can be summarized by the word "flirting". Tens of thousands of comments and likes have brought together the popularity of the topic.

2. "Teasing" out the character

"Flirting" is not only a source of topic, but also a kind of personality setting for celebrities. In the Quanmeipai article "After the collapse of the large-scale personal image in September: Will labeling be the fate of every Internet user?" it was mentioned that no matter whether it is KOL or ordinary people, they cannot escape the mystery of personal image nowadays. The correct way to establish a personal image is to avoid being too monotonous and flat. Therefore, in addition to the clichéd "handsome" and "beautiful" personalities, "flirting", which has both appearance implications and emotional projection, has become another choice for celebrities to grab traffic. Actress Zhang Tianai, who shot to fame with the TV series “Go Princess Go”, has gained a large number of fans with her seductive and aggressive personality.

What is unexpected is that "撩", which used to be a verb, has now become a character and has won the hearts of a large number of fans. It seems that overnight, the words "I like it so much" and "I'm so moved" in the past have now been replaced by the itchy word "flirt". Compared with clearly directed praise, this word has an indescribable atmosphere - it carries half a "hand" that extends from the idol to the fans, and the fans seem to have a momentary intersection with the distant idol.

2. We are professional in teasing people: "teasing" into content products

If social topics are just small sparks that arouse people's enthusiasm, then their rapid development and even internalization into the spiritual core of a series of content products are worthy of great attention. From content creation to game design, from videos to apps, capital's keen sense of smell has long captured this fertile land.

1. Content trend, a red flag

In the short video trend of the content industry, "liao" has become a standing banner. The article "Behind the Popularity of Fei Qiming and Others: The Rise of Micro-Celebrities, the Post- Internet Celebrity Era Calls for Refined Fan-Trading" mentioned:

"If your ex-boyfriend and your current boyfriend fell into the water at the same time, would you be willing to let me be your boyfriend?"

Recently, a "little brother" named Fei Qiming became popular unexpectedly. A 15-second "flirting" short video recorded in a dormitory with a mobile phone received 1.121W likes on Douyin . This college boy, born in 1996 and 180cm tall, has more than 2.5 million fans on Douyin and more than 1.44 million fans on Weibo, and his fangirl circle is obsessed with him.

In the comment section, a reader mentioned with starry eyes: "When he said 'be my girlfriend', it felt like we were really in love", which is a typical symptom of being addicted to flirting, and the source of the popularity of this type of "flirting" videos.

#Video: A century showdown between ex-boyfriend and current boyfriend

If Fei Qiming and others represent the "real flirting faction", another type of "awkward flirting faction" short videos are equally popular. Taiwanese blogger @渤王PotterKing is accustomed to using all kinds of humorous ways to flirt with colleagues in the office. Although it is a dry talk pick-up technique, besides being funny, the audience is often struck by the subtle sparks in the air and smiles knowingly.

Video#PorterKing: The art of picking up girls with dry talk

A group of big Vs such as @开聊 @聊汉那些事 @聊心恋人 and others even use the name of "撩" to share their emotional journey in one sentence. Regardless of whether it is video or text, both have gained a visible number of fans.

2. APP market, unique scenery

The popular otome game " Love and Producer " simulates a love situation. In the game, four different types of men will flirt with you at the same time. Since its launch on December 20, its popularity has skyrocketed. According to feedback from industry insiders, the daily revenue of "Love and Producer" has exceeded 5 million. As the trend continues to grow on social media platforms, its first-month revenue is likely to exceed 100 million. "Flirting" here is not just about emotional satisfaction, it also has a powerful ability to monetize.

"Love and Producer" popularity, source: Micro Index

The seductive plot of "Love and Producer"

In addition to the virtual characters' great flirting skills, there are also audiences who enjoy the virtual connections with real people. The "Huaben" APP, which has mastered the art of "flirting", has emerged among a number of fresh reading applications. Opening the "storybook", novels with popular stars as the protagonists such as "Mr. Kai, Please Let Me Go" and "EXO's Twelve Members Throw Me Down" dominate the reading list. Various provocative plots, with the help of real people, make people blush and their hearts beat faster.

What’s even more amazing is that this app can also turn on the “protagonist reading mode”, allowing you to be personally seduced by Park Chanyeol, Oh Sehun, and Wang Junkai.

Image source: Pingwest

3. New concept of brand marketing

As one of the main channels for brand exposure, official Weibo has long since gotten rid of its serious image setting, and "flirting" with consumers has become a new marketing method. This year's Thanksgiving, Durex, a veteran in marketing, "tease" 13 brands at once and received many "feedback". In each other's routines, each brand achieved the best publicity effect through imagination and communication.

When an ordinary user @章渔大小姐 was worrying about which soymilk machine to choose, a Weibo post saying "All of them are pleasing to my eyes, I don't know which one to choose" attracted hundreds of official Weibo accounts to show off their ability to seduce consumers. Names such as "Dear" and "Baby" attempt to narrow the distance with consumers, while reducing the seriousness of the official blog and gaining a wave of brand favor.

The most straightforward concepts of "flirting with men" and "flirting with women" can also become an effective marketing tool by slightly packaging them. The Japanese ice cream advertisement "Thousand Layer Routine" tells the various ways that contemporary Japanese women seduce men. The advertising idea of ​​using the social networking method to attract men hit the pain points of young people, and the simple brainwashing advertising dance soon began to be imitated and danced by people.

#Japanese advertisement "Thousand-layer routine"

Guerlain cosmetics brand invited Yang Yang to become its "Kissable Male God", and the lipstick shade named "Yang Yang's color" was sold out; Shiseido spokesperson Huang Xuan, SKII spokesperson Huo Jianhua, etc., all used male spokespersons to attract female consumers.

3. Routines are learned, but flirting is genuine

Although it is said that "since ancient times, deep affection cannot be retained, and only routines can win people's hearts", but beyond the routines, what is "stirred" is always the deepest emotions in people's hearts.

1. Social interaction

The interaction between the audience and the virtual characters will form a "quasi-reality" and "quasi-social interaction" that simulates the ultimate reality, thus generating a quasi-social relationship. Whether they are game characters or idol stars, they only exist in the virtual world, but the word "flirt" can invest the emotions on the screen into them, creating a real connection with them on the screen.

Between "flirting" and "being flirted", the distance between the audience and the virtual object is infinitely shortened, and emotional needs are maximally satisfied.

The rolling eyes and a hint of smile vividly interpret the meaning of "flirting"

2. Subtle emotional care in the fragmented era

I don’t know where the love comes from, but it is hard to forget. The rise of "flirting" shows, on the one hand, the emotional state of modern people that is overflowing but has nowhere to go, and on the other hand, it reflects people's positive attitude of accepting their own emotions and actively seeking emotional sustenance.

Social media cuts and amplifies everyday fragments, and modern people are increasingly focusing their attention on individuals. Like "small happiness", "small sadness" and "control of details", "flirting" is also a very "small" verb. Unlike direct and strong emotional expression, it emphasizes the subtle inner fluctuations like the tips of hair. It was like a gust of wind blowing past me, and the hair gently brushed my face, and my heart inexplicably felt itchy.

The grand times often highlight the insignificance of individual emotions, but the heartstrings that are plucked again and again are the proof of existence and the key to fighting against the cruel reality. As Eileen Chang once wrote, "I've always wanted to see the moon through your window. It's clearer from this side of the room than from that side." These vagueness and concealment, in the step-by-step testing, become moments that ripple in your and my heart.

The author of this article @全传媒派 is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!

Product promotion services: APP promotion services Advertising platform Longyou Century