Move aims to attract Generation Z, get closer to public
Major Chinese State-owned enterprises (SOEs) recently teamed up with short video platforms that target Generation Z to tap into a lucrative market and promote projects in countries and regions along the routes of the Belt and Road (B&R) initiative.
SOEs such as Aviation Industry Corp of China, China National Petroleum Corp, China Petrochemical Corp (Sinopec Group) and China Railway Construction Corp (CRCC) launched official accounts on Douyin in recent days.
Douyin is a music video platform and social network run by Beijing-based news aggregator Jinri Toutiao.
The video platform, mainly targeted at young Chinese users, has also attracted the attention of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council (SASAC). The State assets regulator posted its first video on Douyin on Wednesday in which a spokesman was acting cute. The video was "liked" by nearly 160,000 netizens, with 3,000 comments attached.
In recent years, the rapid development of short form video has become a new way of sharing information. The SASAC, along with 25 SOEs, started to "test the waters" in this sector and signed a strategic partnership with Douyin, the agency said in a statement on its website.
In some videos, SOEs showcased B&R projects in overseas markets. For instance, China State Construction showed aerial drone video shots of its refining and chemical project in Brunei, which gained 109,100 likes. Some users applauded the video by saying that "China is amazing" and "I am so proud of the motherland."
On one hand, SOEs can use this platform to get closer to the public; on the other hand, short video platforms need to promote content that is in line with core socialist values, Li Yi, senior research fellow at the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences' Internet Research Center, told the Global Times.
"By promoting B&R projects on this popular platform, Toutiao will also have a better relationship with authorities, which will help its business grow," Li said.
Toutiao apologized in April for not screening out vulgar content, and it pledged to work in line with the government and undertake a broad rectification of its products, which should be "embedded with positive energy."
In a video posed by CRCC, a Chinese employee is accompanied by four security guards while he works in Afghanistan. "When we communicated with Douyin to post this video as part of the B&R promotion, the video platform was very supportive," said a PR representative.
Sinopec also invited local workers in Kenya to dance with Chinese workers, which is also a way of showcasing progress in a pipeline project in Africa.
"We've so far posted three videos about B&R projects, with total views of 160,000," a PR representative of Sinopec told the Global Times. "Douyin can help enhance recognition of our B&R projects overseas," he said.
In April, total monthly active users (MAUs) in China on short video platforms reached 360 million, Beijing-based big data research firm Trustdata said in a recent report. Douyin slightly lagged behind its major rival Kuaishou in terms of MAUs, but it saw double-digit month growth.
Its overseas version, Tik Tok, became the most downloaded non-game app in the first quarter worldwide, Quartz reported on May 8.
