“Maixue” went viral: a carefully planned marketing feast

Under the magnifying glass of social media, Mai Lin, a guest on an emotional variety show, unexpectedly became popular with her unique style of speech and behavior, triggering an online phenomenon called "Mai Xue". This article will take you to an in-depth understanding of the origin and characteristics of "Mai Xue" and how it became a hot topic on social media.

When I opened Weibo recently, the screen was full of messages about “Maixue”.

At first I thought it was a profound study of the impact of climate change on wheat cultivation, but it turned out not to be. My friend said it was a buzzword on the Internet, and I thought it was related to McDonald's "McGlenology", but I was wrong.

It was not until I saw a few trending searches that I suddenly realized: it turns out that "Maixue" refers to the words, deeds and expressions of Mai Lin, a guest in "Goodbye, Lover".

In fact, I don’t often watch entertainment programs. If it weren’t for the frequent appearance of “Maixue” on the screen, I probably wouldn’t know or care about “Goodbye Lover”. But I have to admire Mango TV’s marketing method. A “new knowledge” pushed an emotional variety show to the top of the hot search list.

After a deeper understanding of wheat studies, I found that this "knowledge" is not simple.

01 What is Maixue?

In the first few episodes of Goodbye, My Love, Mai Lin's abstract, sentimental, and confusing language style often confused the audience. In the "Smoked Chicken Incident", this behavior was fully reflected. With limited funds, Mai Lin not only insisted on buying smoked chicken, but also asked Ge Xi to buy her potato chips, coffee, and milk skin, resulting in very little funds left.

As the program aired, Mai Lin's behavior and remarks were analyzed and speculated word by word by netizens, forming "Mai Lin Studies".

Maixue, on the surface, is an art of roundabout and indirect expression, but in fact it is a philosophical exploration of "wanting to make the other party guess but refusing to be straightforward" in emotional relationships. This is a way of emotional performance that turns trivial matters into life confusion and gives cosmic meaning to daily trivialities.

The core of Maixue is that you can say things more directly, but I don't, because complexity is advanced. It uses an abstract and emotional language to express, making the listener feel profound and feel that he may never fully understand it.

This is the charm of Maixue: it is not just a language, but a performance art that makes emotions a puzzle. Its characteristics are as follows:

Abstraction: Little things in life become philosophical puzzles

The language used in Mai studies often complicates simple needs and hides content that could be clearly expressed in layers of rhetoric.

Classic quote: "Do I deserve a cup of coffee?"

Contradictory: Denying desire but implying need

Another characteristic of Maixue is that it denies openly but expects secretly, rejects verbally but desires emotionally. It uses complex and contradictory discourse to construct an emotional need that cannot be directly satisfied.

Classic quote: "A bag makes me feel proud... I don't really want that bag because I'm actually very frugal."

Emotions first: Logic is secondary, emotions are dominant

Mai Xue never tries to win a logical victory, but rather strives to defeat the opponent with emotions. The audience usually feels confused or even guilty when trying to interpret these words.

Classic quote: "Without Li Xingliang, the quality of my life will have a qualitative leap!"

Exaggeration: Ordinary life problems, dramatic presentation

Mai Xue’s language is full of drama, giving ordinary events a sense of tragedy, as if every small action determines fate.

Classic quote: "Giving gifts cannot satisfy my heart."

Contrast: Ordinary reality, brilliant hypothesis

Mai Xue often uses contrast to amplify emotions, using past glories or an imaginary perfect future to hint at current dissatisfaction. This "if only..." expression injects a strong sense of dramatic conflict into the language.

Classic quote: "When I was in my twenties, I was still pursued by many people, and the people who pursued me were very rich!"

02 Why is Maixue so popular?

1. Unique expression style, forming a strong personal label

The popularity of Mai Xue is inseparable from Mai Lin's unique language expression style. As mentioned earlier, in the program, she is accustomed to using abstract, emotional, and even sarcastic expressions, which makes her look very different from ordinary people. She chooses to beat around the bush when she can express her needs directly; she prefers to use emotional language to create opposition when she can communicate normally.

This unique way of expression may make people feel uncomfortable in ordinary social situations, but it is particularly eye-catching in the show.

In the Internet age, strong personal labels, whether positive or negative, will trigger widespread discussion. For this reason, Mai Lin, with her language style of "you may never understand what I say", has become the core topic of the show. Her "circumventing philosophy" has become an important material for discussing marriage relationships, emotional expression and communication skills, and has also laid the foundation for "Mai Studies".

Under the logic of "labeled communication", the more controversial the expression, the easier it is to attract attention, and Malin has thus become the focus of discussion on social networks. This strong personal label is bound to be widely amplified and cause heated discussions in the fragmented social media environment.

2. It is consistent with the Internet culture’s pursuit of “strange phenomena”

In the era of traditional media, the way of expression like Mai Lin, who speaks in a roundabout way and prioritizes emotions, may be classified as "abnormal speech and behavior" because it has no value and is likely to be ignored or suppressed. However, in the context of highly open social networks, strange phenomena have become the center of mass entertainment because of their "unusualness."

Internet users are keen to explore, analyze, and even imitate this "seemingly absurd" phenomenon. In the final analysis, this is still a form of entertainment. It not only satisfies the public's curiosity about strange behaviors, but also allows netizens to gain social fun by discussing and deconstructing this phenomenon. The more absurd the strange phenomenon is, the easier it is to arouse people's sense of participation.

3. Arouse widespread emotional resonance and controversy

I looked at Mylene's remarks and found that they mainly triggered two views.

One voice believes that although Meilin's emotional expression is somewhat roundabout, it reflects the neglected party's desire for attention and understanding. Some people believe that Li Xingliang, as a partner, is the first person responsible for Meilin's emotional words and deeds today, and should reflect whether he supports and cares about her enough. This position believes that Meilin's words and deeds are not only understandable, but even worthy of sympathy and resonance.

However, more viewers found Mai Lin's way of expression unbearable. "Not saying things properly" became a complaint for many people. Her abstract language, emotional attitude, and even her ironic "pointing fingers at others" on the show all made people feel that she lacked respect for her partner and her communication style was oppressive.

This divergent voice has sparked debates about emotional relationships and communication skills, especially in the context of marriage, where Maixue has become a core topic for public discussion of couple interaction and emotional equality. As a result, Maixue has also been given the significance of social discussion, forcing the audience to reflect on their own communication methods in intimate relationships while having heated discussions.

4. Mango and social media fuel the trend

It has to be said that Mango TV is a master at marketing. In the last hit program "Singer", the topic of Na Ying's battle against the "Eight-Nation Alliance" had set off a fire in social networks. This time, the topic of "Goodbye My Love" was fully explored.

At the beginning of Goodbye, Lover, Yangzi's fatherly taste was the most searched topic. But when the program team discovered the potential of Mai Lin, Mai Lin's role became more and more important. Through post-editing and narrative arrangement, Mango TV gradually increased her role in the program, making it a highlight of the program.

Secondary dissemination on social media has further amplified the popularity of Mai Xue. Clips about Mai Lin's "smoked chicken incident" and "coffee question" have been frequently edited into short videos and spread, while "Mai Xue quotations" have become a popular emoticon package.

These materials quickly spread through platforms such as Weibo and Tik Tok, making the discussion of Maixue no longer limited to the show's audience. Instead, it has become a mass phenomenon, pushing Maixue from a variety show phenomenon to a kind of online pop culture.

03 The commercial value of Maixuewai

The popularity of the "Maixue" phenomenon is not only an entertaining online carnival, but also creates real value at the commercial level.

1. The popularity of variety shows has increased, bringing direct revenue growth

The most direct beneficiary of the Maixue phenomenon is the variety show "Goodbye Love 4". Mai Lin frequently appeared on hot searches, which made the popularity of the show continue to rise. According to relevant data, "Goodbye Love 4" has been at the top of the popular variety show list since its launch, and the spread of Maixue-related topics has further increased the viewing volume and discussion of the show.

This popularity directly translates into advertising revenue and membership benefits. For example, Mango TV launched the "Accelerated Viewing Gift", which allows viewers to watch unreleased content in advance at a price of 3 yuan per episode. It is reported that the "First-to-Watch" service alone has brought the platform tens of millions of yuan in revenue.

2. Driving a surge in sales of related products

The "smoked chicken incident" in the program made Zhuozishan smoked chicken a hot topic among the audience, and other local specialties mentioned in the program, such as Inner Mongolian milk skin and Shen Dacheng green rice dumplings, also became popular due to the popularity of "Mai Xue". Relevant stores on e-commerce platforms even directly put up the slogan "Mai Mai Same Style", turning the entertainment effect into consumption motivation.

It was reported that the online sales of smoked chicken at a Zhuozishan smoked chicken flagship store surged to "1,000+" per day due to the influence of Maixue, more than ten times the previous day. Similar explosive sales were also seen in other local specialties mentioned above. Even the uncommon Inner Mongolian milk skin saw a significant increase in search volume and sales due to the popularity of Maixue.

3. Enhancement of guests’ personal commercial value

Mai Xue's sudden popularity not only made Mai Lin the center of hot topics, but also unexpectedly benefited other guests, especially Li Xingliang. Mai Lin's words and deeds triggered a lot of discussion about her marriage relationship, and Li Xingliang's "silent reaction" became another hot topic on social media. His song "Wish to Get One's Heart" was "occupied" by netizens in the comment area on NetEase Cloud Music, with most of the content being ridicule and "persuasion to leave", but it also attracted more traffic and a significant increase in the number of fans.

As his popularity increases, Li Xingliang's personal commercial value will inevitably rise as well.

4. Secondary creation and sale of peripheral derivative products

The spread of the Maixue phenomenon is not only reflected in the popularity of the program and product sales, but also has spawned a large number of secondary creations. From short videos to emoticons, from article analysis to funny imitations, Maixue has become a source of inspiration for creators. The spread of these contents has further magnified the influence of Maixue and also brought traffic to the creators themselves.

What is more noteworthy is that "Mai Xue peripherals" has become a commercial blue ocean. For example, on e-commerce platforms, derivative products such as Mai Lin emoticon stickers and quotation notebooks have begun to appear. Consumers buy these products with an entertaining attitude, and merchants quickly catch up with the popularity at a low cost and realize efficient monetization.

From Liuxue to Kexue, and then to today's Maixue, social networks, with their unparalleled amplification effect, have allowed some seemingly weird or even bizarre remarks to cross the boundaries of niche communication and become phenomenal national entertainment topics.

Behind this phenomenon is the full manifestation of the culture of entertainment to death on social media. People dissolve seriousness through debate, imitation and ridicule, and transform the unusual details of life into a game for collective participation. However, from another perspective, this online entertainment carnival has also created unexpected commercial value.

The popularity of Maixue is not accidental, it is just the latest example in this social network game. Phenomena like Maixue will definitely not be the last.