Enlightenment of Yili's Micro Short Drama Marketing on Brand Innovation of Dairy Enterprises

The micro short drama ‘Reborn 90’ produced by Yili Group showcases the 20+ years of development history of China’s dairy industry through a time-travel plot, cleverly integrating industry technological progress and quality control system improvements (raw milk indicators like protein, fat, total colony count, and somatic cell count have exceeded EU standards) into the narrative, promoting the formation of ‘national milk confidence’. This marketing practice provides important enlightenment for brand marketing model innovation and consumer trust reconstruction in the dairy industry.

Micro short dramas convert complex industry technical indicators, quality control, and other professional information into

through plot-based narrative methods, allowing consumers to accept brand information through emotional resonance. Compared to the one-way announcement of traditional advertisements, narrative communication can more effectively enter consumers’ cognitive systems [1].

The use of time-travel themes allows audiences to intuitively feel the

of China’s dairy industry from 1999 to the present through ‘past-life comparison’, and this presentation of historical depth enhances persuasion and credibility.

Technical terms in the dairy industry (such as protein content, somatic cell count, etc.) are obscure to ordinary consumers. Micro short dramas convert these professional indicators into perceptible life scenarios for audiences through

expression methods, reducing cognitive load [2].

This ‘cognitive translation’ is crucial—it converts complex technical language into intuitive experiences that consumers can understand and trust.

The micro short drama format fits the

of current young audiences, especially on short video platforms. Data from 2025 shows that the user growth of the dairy industry on social media platforms is significant, reflecting young consumers’ preference for brand content [3].

By showcasing the development achievements of China’s dairy industry, micro short dramas also cleverly trigger

and , and this emotional bond can establish deeper connections than simple product function appeals.

Traditional dairy enterprise marketing often focuses on product function claims (such as ‘high calcium’, ‘organic’, etc.), but the success of Yili’s micro short drama shows that

is more capable of moving consumers.

• Convert hard-core information such as enterprise development history, technological breakthroughs, and quality control into plot elements
• Connect brand information through emotional clues such as character fate and era changes
• Avoid rigid implantation and let brand value flow naturally in the story

A good brand story is not ‘made up’ but based on real enterprise practices (such as the dairy industry technological progress shown by Yili is a fact), and its appeal is amplified through artistic presentation.

Practices of brands like JinDian show that contemporary consumers need not only beautiful promises but also

[4]. Yili’s micro short drama, by showcasing the development history of the dairy industry, is essentially an attempt at ‘industry transparency’.

• Proactively open the production chain to let consumers ‘see’ quality assurance
• Invite third parties (such as the ‘Dad Inspection’ team) to conduct independent testing and fully disclose the inspection process
• Transfer the evaluation right to consumers through blind testing, user tasting, etc.
• Establish a
  full traceability system
  from pasture to table

The premise of transparency is —only quality that can stand the test dares to accept public scrutiny. The raw milk indicators shown by Yili in the drama exceeding EU standards are the embodiment of this confidence [5].

Yili Group’s ‘All-Scenario Health Marketing’ strategy shows that dairy enterprises need to break the single cognition of ‘Yili = pure milk’ and accurately reach the pain points of different groups through

[6].

• Infant feeding scenario:
  Focus on scientific feeding, breast milk substitution, and complementary food matching
• Workplace vitality scenario:
  Target breakfast supply, afternoon tea续航, overtime nutrition supplement
• Fitness and shaping scenario:
  Focus on protein supplement and meal replacement during fat loss
• Family daily scenario:
  Create the concept of ‘family nutrition table’

Scenario-based marketing requires —deliver different value propositions in different scenarios to avoid content homogenization.

The establishment of consumer trust in dairy products requires both

endorsement and verification [7].

• Cooperate with authoritative institutions and experts to establish professional credibility
• Interpret technical processes through factory visits, popular science animations, etc.
• Organize large-scale user blind tests and tasting activities to support publicity with real experiences
• Encourage UGC (user-generated content) to let real users become trust communicators

Professional knowledge needs to complete —convert technical terms into ‘human language’ that consumers can understand, rather than staying at the conceptual level.

Shifting from one-way announcement to

is an important evolution direction of brand communication [8].

• Launch topic discussions on social platforms to guide user participation
• Invite users to become ‘tasters’ and participate in product improvement
• Encourage users to share their milk drinking scenes and experiences
• Form a
  trust network
  through UGC content diffusion

The essence of user co-creation is —brands no longer monopolize narratives but co-construct value with consumers.

Traditional trust establishment relies on brand ‘informing’ (‘our products are good’), but contemporary consumers are more inclined to

(‘I want to see it with my own eyes’). Yili’s micro short drama, by showcasing the development history of the industry, is essentially a ‘evidence-based communication’—it provides traceable historical evidence rather than empty promises [9].

In the era of information transparency, .

Consumers’ trust in brands has three levels:

• Functional trust:
  Whether the product is safe and effective
• Emotional trust:
  Whether the brand is sincere and reliable
• Value trust:
  Whether the brand is consistent with my values

The cleverness of Yili’s micro short drama lies in touching all three levels at the same time: establishing functional trust through technical indicators, emotional trust through historical narratives, and value trust through ‘national milk confidence’ [10].

Deep brand trust requires rather than a single breakthrough.

Single brand promotion is easy to be questioned, but

can form a trust network:

• Third-party testing:
  Authoritative institution endorsement
• User testimony:
  Real experience sharing
• Industry data:
  Verifiable factual basis
• Media supervision:
  Independent report presentation

Yili’s micro short drama, by showcasing the overall progress of the industry rather than just self-promotion, is essentially a

strategy [11].

The establishment of trust requires a rather than a single-dimensional promotion.

Trust is not a one-time effort but needs

. JinDian’s practice shows that transparency should not be a short-term marketing activity but a [12].

From the perspective of long-termism, , not tactics.

1. Content authenticity first:
   Any story expression must be based on facts, and avoid fiction or exaggeration
2. Technical verifiability:
   All technical indicators and quality claims should provide verifiable basis
3. Platform differentiation:
   Customize differentiated content for different platforms (Douyin, Xiaohongshu, Bilibili, etc.)
4. Data-driven:
   Use data analysis to optimize content strategies instead of relying on feelings
5. Long-termism:
   Trust establishment is a long-term project that requires continuous investment rather than short-term hype

1. Content homogenization trap:
   Avoid following trends and leading to a decline in brand recognition
2. Over-marketing backlash:
   Excessive marketing may cause consumer resentment
3. Compliance risk:
   Strictly abide by advertising laws when involving efficacy promotion
4. Cultural adaptation risk:
   Pay attention to local value differences in cross-cultural communication
5. ROI pressure:
   Content marketing needs to balance brand building and sales conversion

Through the brand communication practice of the micro short drama ‘Reborn 90’, Yili provides

for dairy enterprise marketing innovation:

In the aspect of

, the core is to shift from ‘product announcement’ to ‘storytelling’, from ‘one-way communication’ to ‘interactive co-creation’, from ‘functional appeal’ to ‘scene penetration’, and from ‘brand self-proof’ to ‘multi-party co-proof’.

In the aspect of

, the key is to shift from ‘informing’ to ‘verifying’, from ‘functional trust’ to ‘value trust’, and from ‘one-time commitment’ to ‘continuous transparency’.

The essence of this innovation is

, and letting consumers establish trust in participation through real, transparent, and verifiable content. This is not only an upgrade of marketing techniques but also an .

For the dairy industry, the key to rebuilding consumer trust is not louder voice or more beautiful advertisements, but

and . The success of Yili’s micro short drama is a vivid embodiment of this principle.

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[1] Jinling API Data
[2] Tencent News - ‘Inventory of the Top 10 Marketing Out-of-Circle Events in 24 Years, It Turns Out That Out-of-Circle Marketing Has Common Characteristics!’ (https://news.qq.com/rain/a/20250103A05G9N00)
[3] Bilibili - ‘2025 Social Media Marketing and E-commerce Integration Trend Report’ (http://www.bilibili.com/read/cv43024629/)
[4] TopMarketing - ‘Proactive Inspection, Open Blind Testing! Why Does JinDian Pure Milk Dare to Prove ‘Freshness’ by Itself?’ (https://www.itopmarketing.com/info21589)
[5] Zhejiang Finance Network - ‘Yili Group: Breaking the Situation with ‘All-Scenario Health Marketing’ to Activate the Global Growth of the National Dairy Leading Enterprise’ (https://www.zjlyb.com/index.php?c=show&id=414)
[6] Same as above
[7] Same as [4]
[8] Same as [4]
[9] Same as [4]
[10] Same as [2]
[11] Same as [2]
[12] Same as [4]