Why has coriander become the “traffic king” in brand marketing?

Is coriander the favorite of brands in developing new products and marketing? Which brands have launched new products related to coriander, which has its own "black and red" traffic and gained attention? Why do coriander-flavored products always attract waves of public opinion and successfully enter the public's attention?

"We hate the Cilantro Party New Year!"

"Coriander instant noodles are amazing. I want to capture everyone who doesn't eat cilantro and plant it!"

February 24th is World Cilantro Hate Day. This strange niche festival stirs up a cilantro-related craze every year.

Many brands have taken advantage of the opportunity to launch new coriander-flavored products to satisfy the appetites of "cilantro fans."

White Elephant’s new super fragrant coriander noodles were sold out on the first day of its launch in May last year, with 200,000 coriander heads (40,000 boxes) sold.

Pizza Hut has successively launched coriander pig ear pizza and coriander preserved egg and beef pizza, shouting out the interesting slogan "Coriander bloodline, awakening again", attracting coriander lovers to experience it.

The delicious coriander new dish of McDonald’s “McMan” is mainly about large quantity and fullness, and the visual poster must have a lot of chopped coriander.

Coriander is one of the most controversial foods in the world. It has the same magical power as Houttuynia cordata and durian. Those who love it can never get enough of it, while those who hate it avoid it and even feel nauseous when they smell it.

Because of its own “black and red” traffic, coriander has become a favorite for brands in developing new products and marketing.

Which brands have launched new coriander products that have gained attention? Why do coriander-flavored products always attract waves of public opinion and successfully enter the public eye?

1. Coriander crosses borders

In the past two years, there are so many new coriander products that it is dizzying. Almost every few months, a big brand will launch a new coriander product.

Among fast food chains, McDonald's has launched a Cilantro Sundae. The "sweet and sour flavor" of the Cilantro Sundae is mainly composed of lime-flavored jam, and the "chopped cilantro" on top is actually chopped parsley, with "almost no cilantro flavor."

Image source: McDonald's official Weibo

Of course, some cilantro lovers will feel dissatisfied, so some people choose to bring their own fresh cilantro to add it and experience the authentic flavor of cilantro.

Coriander New World comes from McDonald’s “Creative Menu”, which is a special menu for members launched by McDonald’s China in early 2021. It uses creative and interesting ingredients to create limited new products, and launches limited-time free and discounted promotions for members.

In addition to the Coriander Sundae, the "Innovative Menu" also introduced Spicy Oil Sundae, Mapo Wagyu Burger and Pearl Milk Tea Pie. According to McDonald's official statement, the launch of the "Innovative Menu" is an attempt to bring freshness to the new generation of members. Young people of Generation Z have become the main consumer of McDonald's members. They are curious about new things, dare to try, and like surprises.

Image source: McDonald’s official WeChat public account

In fact, in addition to McDonald's launching coriander sundae and White Elephant launching coriander instant noodles, Pizza Hut has launched coriander pizza, Laiyifen has launched coriander lollipops, Shanghaojia has launched cool coriander-flavored potato chips, and Pretz also has coriander-flavored biscuits, coriander chocolate, and coriander instant noodles. In terms of beverages, there are Huiyuan coriander juice, Amul coriander yogurt, RIO coriander cocktail, Baoda coriander lemon tea, etc.

Image source: Pizza Hut official Weibo

In fact, most snacks and foods that claim to contain coriander do not have a strong coriander flavor.

The cilantro pizza of Pizza Hut was once criticized by cilantro fans: "Before putting the cilantro in it, this pizza has nothing to do with cilantro!" It was even angrily accused of "not being a real cilantro pizza." The pizza is an ordinary cheese and milk pizza, and you will need to sprinkle the complimentary cilantro on it when you take it out.

The same goes for coriander-flavored lemon tea. Concentrated coriander juice will not be added as a base in lemon tea. According to netizens, bitter melon, coriander, and celery lemon tea are all processed by chopping or dicing to increase the taste and flavor.

In addition, coriander has also been included in the collections of major luxury brands, which have launched coriander-flavored fragrances. Jo Malone, Loewe, and German Cologne 4711 have all launched coriander-flavored fragrances or fragrances with coriander elements. Loewe's coriander fragrance emphasizes the natural scent of plants, making people feel a simple and pure atmosphere.

Coriander is also commonly used in product development in the beauty and personal care industries.

Domestic cosmetics brand Jill Leen has launched coriander "Cheek Green", Canadian personal care brand Green Beaver has produced coriander-flavored toothpaste, and L'Oreal Group's high-end skincare brand Kiehl's and Australian skincare brand Aesop have both launched coriander shower gel.

Coriander has also been seamlessly integrated into the clothing industry. Anta once launched coriander shoes, with a coriander icon on the tongue, which was sold for a limited time on 520. Most of the time, new products with coriander elements can quickly attract attention and create a storm on social platforms.

Image source: Anta official Weibo

The #cilantro topic has been played more than 6.4 billion times on Douyin, and the #cilantro instant noodles topic alone has been played 270 million times. Before McDonald's launched the new cilantro sundae, it launched the interactive topic #cilantro with ice cream how addictive# which became a hot search with more than 110 million views.

Also because of its inherent "black and red" properties, coriander appears more and more frequently in new products of major food, personal care and cosmetics brands.

2. Coriander, the natural king of traffic

The popularity and traffic closure of Baixiang Coriander Noodles rely heavily on the topic fermentation on Douyin.

At the beginning, Baiyang created the topic of coriander vs. anti-coriander party on Douyin and organized influencers to promote it. Later, the topic of "Whose instant noodles come with a handful of coriander" attracted traffic to the product end. Baiyang's live broadcast room took on this wave of traffic very well. The brand's official live broadcast room attracted more than 8.62 million viewers, and the brand's own live broadcast account gained more than 200,000 followers. After the product was launched, it received a total of nearly 28 million GMV.

Image source: Tik Tok screenshot

After the White Elephant Coriander Noodles product was officially launched, traffic overflowed to various platforms and channels, and began to appear on various popular lists.

The public has always had a clear love-hate relationship with coriander, which is why the issue of coriander party vs. anti-coriander party caused heated discussion in the beginning.

The brand chose coriander as a new product element for this reason. Celebrities often publicly express their love for coriander, and the discussion about coriander on social platforms is also high at certain times.

In the entertainment industry, celebrities such as Wang Yibo, Guan Xiaotong, Chen Weiting, and Yue Yunpeng all love to eat coriander. They often "promote the product" when participating in lifestyle variety shows or live broadcasts, and often see celebrities holding a large pot of coriander hot pot or using a lot of coriander to make creative dishes.

According to incomplete statistics, from 2020 to 2021, there were at least five hot searches on Weibo related to celebrities eating coriander. The best one was #关晓彤同式让菜卷和葱菜# with more than 540 million readings.

Celebrities’ love for coriander not only creates topics and labels celebrities, but also adds a sense of down-to-earth life to the celebrities and brings fans closer to the celebrities.

Secondly, new products with niche and novel flavors can arouse consumers' curiosity.

After all, new tea drink companies and fast food companies launch numerous new products every year. Luckin Coffee launched 102 new products in 2023, and brands such as KFC, Pizza Hut, and Huang Jihuang operated by Yum China launched about 500 new products in 2023. How to quickly attract consumers' attention among the vast number of new products is a problem that brands must face.

Under this demand, launching IP co-branded products and novel flavors has become a must for brands. Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Lays, Oreo and other brands have chosen to "take a different approach" and launch products with novel flavors.

Recently, Starbucks' braised pork latte has been trending on the Internet since its launch, with nearly 45 million views. In 2020, HEMA launched the milk duck blood, which quickly became a hot topic on social media. It was not only the sales champion of the single product that year, but also the best-selling hot pot single product in 2021.

The picture is a screenshot of Weibo

In addition, the sociality and symbolism of coriander can help consumers express themselves, have fun experiences, and facilitate social marketing of products online.

Young consumers are keen on using the terms "coriander party" and "anti-coriander party" to identify themselves, and use social networks to find like-minded people. In the past two years, the debate between the "coriander party" and the "anti-coriander" groups has frequently been on the hot search list, and a special pop culture meme has even been created around coriander.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Do you like coriander or not? Do you eat sweet or salty rice dumplings? Is it called Yuanxiao or Tangyuan? Almost every Chinese New Year, debates about food culture and habits will arise on social media platforms, and the public never gets tired of it.

Among them, the consumption habits and consumption demands of Generation Z consumers are the most prominent. They are willing to try new things, attach importance to consumption experience, and have high requirements for social needs.

According to survey data, "having fun" is a factor that 83.75% of Generation Z consumers consider when consuming, and it ranks first among all consumption purposes. Whether it is coriander lemonade, sour bamboo shoots burgers or snail noodle soup base, there are consumers who are willing to actively try it.

Coriander, which brings its own traffic, can bring consumers a novel experience, which is why major brands always favor coriander.

3. Marketing to new and unusual niche tastes

In recent years, it seems that major brands have begun to come up with various unexpected new products that are similar to "dark dishes".

No one can accurately predict what flavor the next new product that will become a social media favorite will be, such as snail noodle soup base, American-style Zhe Er Gen, century egg coffee, and Gong Cai rolls. We have to admit that the success of White Elephant Coriander Noodles was due to some accidental factors.

Shark, head of retail at Baiyang's e-commerce group, said in an interview: "(The breakthrough of coriander noodles) is an accidental inevitability... Every marketing success cannot be replicated 100%." ​​Baiyang was already famous before coriander noodles and had its own traffic.

For ordinary brands, perhaps it is more important to establish a more sophisticated interactive connection with consumers, obtain market feedback in a timely manner, and understand consumers' preferences and trends than to find the next new product with a novel flavor in the vast ocean of food.

After all, most products with novel flavors can only be launched for a limited time, and both the data and the taste are difficult to remain in the minds of consumers for a long time. Creating a hit with a long-tail effect is more valuable than launching a new product that people have no memorable points.

Author: Laisheng; WeChat public account: TopKlout