It is reported that during this year’s Spring Festival, a short drama titled “I Was a Stepmother in the 1980s” has become extremely popular. As of now, the drama has accumulated nearly 800 million topic views on Douyin. The production company behind this short drama, “Ting Hua Dao,” has been reported by multiple media outlets as being created by the team of Mi Meng.
Mi Meng, formerly known as a famous self-media influencer who claimed to be the “Emotional Guru,” gained widespread popularity on the internet. She was particularly skilled at accurately capturing the emotions of her audience.
It’s worth noting that the beauty brand KANS previously collaborated with a talent under the Mi Meng team named “Jiangshiqi” for a series of short drama marketing campaigns, which yielded excellent results. Considering Mi Meng’s recent surge in popularity, is it still worthwhile for beauty brands to invest in her? How long can the dividends from short drama marketing continue?
Mi Meng’s Short Drama, Previously Declining, Is Now Surging in Popularity
According to public information, the short drama “I Was a Stepmother in the 1980s” is starring Su Juanhe and Teng Zewen. It is a time-traveling drama produced by Ting Hua Dao. It was officially released on February 12th (the third day of the lunar calendar). According to a report by Chui Mei Entertainment Capital Forum, on the day of its release, the drama quickly climbed to the second spot on the DataEye Short Drama Hot List and generated over 20 million yuan in revenue in a single day. As of now, the drama has reached a topic view count of 790 million on Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok).
It is worth mentioning that last year, several short dramas produced by Silver Earth, an associated company of Mi Meng, such as “The Black Lotus Ascends Handbook,” violated regulations due to their promotion of extreme revenge, violence, and questionable values, as well as objectification of women and themes that violated public morals. These dramas were either taken down or banned. Therefore, the current success of “I Was a Stepmother in the 1980s” is seen by the industry as a comeback for Mi Meng after her decline.
It is understood that “I Was a Stepmother in the 1980s” is adapted from an online novel by Tomato Novel and already has a certain IP (Intellectual Property) and audience base. Currently, the drama is being promoted on Douyin, WeChat, and various short drama apps. Multiple media outlets, including Financial News, reported that the production team behind the drama is associated with Mi Meng. On February 23rd, the hashtag #MiMengProductionsIWasAStepmotherInThe1980s# appeared on the Weibo trending list, reaching the 8th spot at its peak.
In fact, it’s not just Mi Meng’s short dramas that have gained popularity. In recent years, the short drama industry has experienced explosive growth. Particularly since the second half of 2020 when the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television included online micro-dramas in its filing system, the short drama industry has gradually entered a stage of standardized development.
According to data released by the State Administration of Radio, Film, and Television, there were 398 filings for micro-dramas in 2021, and the number increased to nearly 2,800 in 2022, representing a 600% year-on-year growth. According to the “2023-2024 China Micro-Drama Market Research Report,” the market size of China’s online micro-drama industry in 2023 was 37.39 billion yuan, with a year-on-year growth of 267.65%.
However, it is important to note that with the surge in popularity of short dramas, there are also numerous new entrants in the industry. To stand out among the many short dramas, innovative storylines, unique visual effects, and captivating characters are essential. Mi Meng’s ability to make a comeback demonstrates her capabilities. For example, recently, the Weibo trending list featured the hashtag #MiMengEarnedOver100MillionFromTwoShortDramasDuringWinterBreak#. Although the authenticity of this news is yet to be verified, it is clear that Mi Meng’s influence in the field of short dramas is remarkable.
Some beauty brands have already ventured into short drama marketing.
Short dramas, also known as micro-dramas, are a type of episodic content with a duration of less than 10 minutes. They are primarily disseminated through mobile screens and are a new form of film and television production with relatively low production costs, often involving online influencers.
Currently, the short drama industry has entered a phase of rapid growth. Key micro-drama platforms such as Douyin (Chinese version of TikTok), Kuaishou, Tomato Short Drama, and Heima Theater are all making efforts. Film and television companies, online literature platforms, and others are actively developing short drama content. With the continuous popularity of the short drama market, short drama marketing has gradually become a new focus for brands.
According to a report released by Kuaishou this year, the ecosystem of micro-dramas on Douyin achieved rapid development in 2023, with an average viewing time per user increasing by 79% compared to the same period in 2022. More and more users have developed a habit of watching dramas on the platform. The “2023 H1 Micro-Drama Market Report” shows that a total of 481 new micro-dramas were released in the first half of 2023, surpassing the 454 released throughout 2022. Over half of the billions of short video users have watched micro-dramas and short comedic videos within three minutes in the past six months, with the proportion of users under 19 years old exceeding 50%.
The tremendous flow of users has led many brands to use micro-dramas for marketing and product sales. In the beauty industry, KANS is the most typical example. Last year, KANS collaborated with Douyin influencer “Jiang Seventeen” on a series of short dramas. According to the Times Weekly, Jiang Seventeen’s MCN company is affiliated with Mi Meng.
Taking “Dressing Up with Growth” as an example, this short drama was exclusively named and customized by KANS and produced by Silver Earth. It stars Jiang Seventeen (real name Jiang Xu) and Wang Daotie, telling the story of Jiang Seventeen being abandoned by her ex-boyfriend but accidentally helping the company executive Li Dong win a major client. She goes on to become the brand manager for KANS and falls in love with Li Dong. It premiered on Douyin on February 28, 2023, and has already surpassed 600 million views. Since then, KANS has also sponsored several other micro-dramas, including “A Bundle of Sunshine, a Bundle of Love,” all of which have gained popularity.
Through the seeding of short dramas, KANS has also achieved remarkable performance on the Douyin platform. According to Qingyan Intelligence data, with a total GMV of 3.34 billion yuan, KANS ranked first in beauty on Douyin, achieving a year-on-year growth of 374.38%, surpassing the second-place brand, L’Oréal, by nearly 1 billion yuan and establishing a significant lead. Undoubtedly, the outstanding performance is attributed to KANS’s strong brand power and excellent products accumulated over 20 years. However, it is undeniable that their accurate grasp of the short drama dividend on Douyin played a crucial role.
In fact, it’s not just KANS that has thrived in short drama marketing. Last year, short dramas became the most eye-catching and talked-about content format, and many top beauty brands also tried their hand at short drama marketing. In addition to KANS, when Vineona launched its “Day and Night Whitening Set,” they collaborated with Douyin to create customized short video content featuring influential individuals, such as “I Have My Own Light, the World is Flawless,” significantly increasing product exposure. By guiding keyword searches, they achieved continuous conversion of new products and stores, resulting in over 42 million yuan in transactions for new store products. Additionally, Proya’s “Resistance/Counterattack” series of micro-dramas also caused a significant stir in the market.
Has the short drama marketing dividend passed?
So, in the case of KANS as a typical success and the participation of multiple leading beauty brands, will beauty brands follow Mi Meng or engage in short drama marketing?
Micro-dramas are also a way for brands to tell stories. Brands tell their own stories to make users aware of them and tell users’ stories to make users identify with them. By capturing users’ strong emotions in a down-to-earth manner, allowing users to “feel good” by watching micro-dramas, and triggering emotional resonance, brands can gain emotional value. A brand operator with nearly 20 years of experience believes, “From this perspective, it’s worth investing in Mi Meng’s short dramas.”
The head of a well-known domestic brand analyzed the entire aspect of short drama marketing and said, “Purely from the perspective of exposure, the exposure effect of short dramas is currently quite good. According to the platform’s rules, it can help brands quickly accumulate 5A audiences.” He believes, “From a marketing standpoint, more exposure and reaching out is a good thing in itself because the foundation of selling products is having enough exposure.”
However, the brand representative also stated that some brands have given up on short drama marketing after a period of time, which is deeply related to the brand’s subsequent follow-up and brand strength. “Therefore, it’s difficult to make a blanket statement about whether to invest or not. If the brand’s penetration rate is high enough, the brand strength is relatively strong, and the budget is sufficient, then it’s worth trying.”
Another emerging brand representative believes that currently, short dramas are just an embellishment in brand marketing, and the core lies in brand strength and product quality. “Therefore, with our brand’s current scale, we will not participate in short drama marketing for now. And personally, I think the short drama marketing model will have a hard time generating dividends in the future. Other brands that invest later may not achieve the same effective results as KANS.”
Overall, the above-mentioned interviewees all believe that short drama marketing has a certain degree of assistance for brands, but it is not suitable for all brands. Therefore, some industry insiders have also suggested that although short dramas have now entered the stage of customized, refined, and standardized production and operation, in the future, short drama marketing may need to be combined with other marketing methods to achieve better investment ratios for brands.
