How Cainiao built a back-to-school Xiaohongshu campaign around campus rituals

Cainiao positioned 菜鸟驿站 (Cainiao Post) as students' “快乐老家” (happy home) and a starting point for the new term. Under “新学期犒劳自己新姿势” (New Ways to Treat Yourself in the New Term) and “菜鸟驿站唤醒我的开学状态” (Cainiao Post Gets Me Ready for the New Term), creators used campus-life vlogs and scripted comedy to place the station in parcel collection and dormitory routines. Early classes and heavy timetables supplied the relatable hook, while self-reward, feeling refreshed and the “加油吧大学生” (Go for It, College Students) message carried the emotional story. A pop-up at Shanghai Jiao Tong University added an offline check-in moment.

The audience was Gen Z university students who value a relaxed campus routine, record daily life in vlogs and are open to charity participation. In the 菜鸟驿站APP (Cainiao Post app), users collected glowing fragments to support a football pitch for a rural primary school, extending the campaign from self-reward to public participation. There was no discount mechanism; the brief centred on brand awareness and affinity, with an initial burst followed by sustained posting.