How Taobao used Xiaohongshu to turn a hometown food moment into livestream bookings
Taobao used a Gansu-born actor’s hometown connection to Tianshui malatang to promote a 28 April livestream. A concentrated Xiaohongshu creator push sent users to one Taobao search-and-reserve action, with no discount or gift.
A hometown food story gave the livestream its reason to exist
From 25 to 29 April 2024, ahead of the May Day holiday, Taobao built its livestream promotion around online attention for Tianshui malatang. A Gansu-born actor appeared as a hometown representative, connecting a food-focused livestream with Gansu travel and local culture. Ten mid-tier creators published eleven posts, with video accounting for 91%. Entertainment and film-and-TV accounts led the mix, supported by lifestyle, relationships and comedy creators; vlogs and comic plots carried the livestream highlights and booking information.
The campaign spoke to young women following entertainment news, trending food and May Day travel, including Gen Z students and urban professionals. Its call to action was consistent: use the campaign’s search phrase on Taobao, reserve the livestream and watch at 13:00 on 28 April. There were no additional discounts or gifts, so the food story, hometown connection and travel inspiration carried the appeal.
- Objective
- Livestream Drive
- Occasion
- New Launch
- Funnel
- Awareness
- Messaging
- Love and Romance
- Scenes
- Couple Scenario
- Trends
- Emotional Value · Relaxed Vibe
- Trust
- Celebrity Endorsement
- Discount
- No Discount, Pure Brand Push
What set it apart
| Choice | Share of campaigns |
|---|---|
| Distinctive | |
| Celebrity Endorsement | 5.1%1 in 20 |
| Trending Event | 7.4%1 in 14 |
| Livestream Diversion | 7.5%1 in 13 |
| Celebrity Moment | 9.3%1 in 11 |
| Love and Romance | 19%1 in 5 |
| Typical | |
| Search-command Funnel | 64%6 in 10 |
Share of the 707 Xiaohongshu E-Commerce campaigns in the unrandom archive that made the same choice. Counted Nov 5, 2026.
An all-mid-tier, male-leaning ten-creator matrix led by entertainment accounts
31.7K–264K
10 creators with a public follower count
Mid-tier Matrix Only
Mid Dominant
Male Dominant
The first step to copy
- 1
Start with a credible hometown connection
For a regional food spike, choose an ambassador with a genuine link to the place. Frame the livestream as hometown promotion, then bring the food, local travel inspiration and booking details into one story.
- 2+
More steps in the full teardown
Mid-tier creator casting, soft video formats and one shared search command
The full teardown adds
- Reads and engagement for all 11 posts, ranked against similar creators
- Estimated spend and cost per read
- The breakout post, and why it led
- What 147 comments asked for most
- The rest of the playbook
- Casting risks and smart moves
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| How Zhuanzhuan built a 54-creator Douyin campaign for doorstep luxury resaleDouyin · E-Commerce | May 12, 2025 | 54 |
| How Ryo built an image-led Xiaohongshu seeding campaign for 北京云歇 (Beijing Cloud Rest)Xiaohongshu · Personal Care | Nov 8, 2025 | 47 |
A public campaign observed on Xiaohongshu. unrandom did not run it and is not affiliated with 淘宝. Analysis by unrandom from public posts, updated Nov 5, 2026. Your brand? Request a correction