Another batch of brands have been blocked by Xiaohongshu

Recently, Xiaohongshu issued a public notice on violations, including some well-known brands. In this article, we will explore how brands responded to this rectification and other ways for brands to survive in the new marketing environment.

Have you all read the Xiaohongshu notes released by Shuguanjia on August 4?

Recently, Xiaohongshu issued a public announcement on violations, including some well-known brands. I believe it will also be a huge impact on the brands on the list. This announcement is a sober reminder for all brands, but it also sounded the alarm for all brands.

People who are engaged in brand marketing should also think deeply. We need to understand and adapt to this new marketing environment more deeply, so as to provide brands with real, effective and compliant marketing strategies. Only in this way can we truly win the trust and love of consumers.

In this article, we’ll explore how brands are responding to this regulation and what other brands are doing to survive in the new marketing environment.

1. Xiaohongshu’s Crackdown and the Reasons Behind It

On August 4, Xiaohongshu issued a public notice, disclosing a list of some illegal brands and taking measures to ban or restrict their traffic. Behind this action is Xiaohongshu's severe crackdown on false and improper marketing practices in order to protect the rights and interests of users, maintain a fair competition environment and enhance user trust.

The brands that were banned in this rectification are: Yuanni Power, Bibibao, Duomaomao, Steve, YESOUL, Shiweili, Particle Forest, Su Qingzi, and Ibeshi.

The brands that have been restricted in this rectification are: FAW Toyota, COLORKEY, Baojun, Miju, Bayer, Dickies, Yashi Dental, Guliangjiji, Kalendar, Offcn Education, ROBAM, Listerine, AVOVA, The Face Shop, Daphne, Floating Sparkling Wine, Xue Ji Roasted Nuts, and Pinmai.

Xiaohongshu’s rectification actions cover multiple industries and numerous brands. Both large and small brands are on the list of bans and traffic restrictions.

Recently, the most common feedback from many friends to me is the problem of account flow restriction. There are no signs and no violations are shown. In fact, the flow restriction starts from the warning stage. As long as a warning appears in your background, your account has actually been monitored by the system.

Judging from the penalties imposed on Xiaohongshu for several violations, the impact of Xiaohongshu’s ban on brands is mainly reflected in the following aspects:

1. Damage to brand image

Brands that are banned by Xiaohongshu will immediately be questioned and criticized by the public, and their image and reputation may be seriously damaged. This is very detrimental to the long-term development of the brand.

When using Xiaohongshu's platform for promotion, brands often pursue short-term interests too much, ignore community rules and user rights, engage in false marketing or malicious order manipulation, and seriously damage Xiaohongshu's user experience and market environment.

It not only harms the rights and interests of consumers, but also destroys the fair competition environment in the market and has a huge negative impact on Xiaohongshu's brand image.

Xiaohongshu severely punishes these violating brands and publicly punishes them through bans or traffic restrictions, sending a clear message to all users and brands: Xiaohongshu resolutely cracks down on any violations and maintains a fair and just market environment.

2. Existing users are lost

Xiaohongshu has a wide influence in China, especially among young users. After being banned, brands will not be able to display and promote on Xiaohongshu, which may lead to a large number of user losses.

3. Sales decline

Xiaohongshu is an important e-commerce platform, and many brands sell their products through it. After being banned, the brand's sales channels on Xiaohongshu will be cut off, which may lead to a significant drop in sales.

4. Strategy Adjustment

Xiaohongshu’s existing strategy is about to be extinguished. If the previous traffic does not bring much conversion, it also means that the invested money has been wasted.

Brands that have been banned need to re-examine and adjust their marketing strategies. Brands need to learn from their mistakes, abide by Xiaohongshu’s community rules, and win consumers’ trust in a real and fair way.

5. The platform is becoming more and more strict

Xiaohongshu’s ban may draw the attention of other social and e-commerce platforms, causing them to also strengthen their supervision of brands, which will put brands under more pressure and challenges.

Although the unconventional approach can save you some costs and may bring short-term benefits, such as rapid market share and a surge in sales in a short period of time, in the long run, it may damage the brand's reputation and the brand risk will be higher. No brand leader would want to see such a result.

What they would like to see is a robust, continuous and compliant marketing strategy.

2. How should brands respond to Xiaohongshu’s regulation?

This is undoubtedly a serious warning for brands that have been banned or restricted.

They need to re-examine their marketing strategies and win the trust of consumers in a real and fair way. As for other brands, they should also actively abide by the rules and treat every consumer with a sincere and responsible attitude.

In response to Xiaohongshu’s crackdown, brands need to be flexible, while also abiding by the platform’s regulations, providing valuable content, and using diversified marketing strategies.

1. Strengthen internal supervision

Strengthen internal management and supervision to ensure that all marketing activities comply with Xiaohongshu's rules and requirements. In addition, they also need to train employees to make them understand the importance of abiding by the rules.

2. Improve service and product quality

By providing high-quality products and services, they can win the recognition and trust of consumers. They should use practical actions to prove that they are not just following the rules, but also truly care about the needs and experience of consumers.

3. Build a long-term brand image

In the long run, they need to establish a positive and stable brand image and show that they are a responsible and trustworthy brand that will not violate regulations for short-term benefits.

4. Actively communicate with Xiaohongshu

For brands that have been banned or restricted, they should actively communicate with Xiaohongshu to understand how to resume normal marketing activities. They should also provide Xiaohongshu with the corrective measures they have taken to show that they have recognized their mistakes and have made changes.

5. Don’t always think about “tap water”

Payment, traffic allocation and reporting are the three actions that must be done.

The "tap water" thinking mode will make us passive and unable to take the initiative to grasp the development of things. In brand marketing strategy, this means that we can't just deal with problems when they arise, but we must foresee possible problems in advance and develop corresponding response strategies.

Report and increase traffic, share truthfully, mobilize real buyers to create content on their own, and use official tools such as Xinya and Gongchuang to plant seeds.

6. Learn to "irrigate"

Continuous investment and maintenance of the brand, whether in a booming market or a slow sales period. A brand is like a tree, which needs constant watering and pruning to thrive and eventually bear sweet fruits.

It is not the effect that is achieved entirely by spending money, but rather by integrating product and effect and leveraging the platform's gameplay to create a style that suits the brand.

7. Actively prevent

Instead of waiting until a problem occurs before “treating” it, we need to conduct in-depth market research and, through data analysis, foresee possible problems in advance, so that we can prepare response strategies before the problem occurs.

The brands that are at risk now have no sense of crisis, and only start to take action when they are banned. At this time, it is undoubtedly a waste of time. No matter whether you are a small brand or a big brand, you still need to have a sense of risk.

8. “Take the initiative”

Don’t wait for consumers to find you, but take the initiative to find them. Through various online and offline marketing activities, take the initiative to contact consumers, understand their needs and expectations, and provide products and services that better meet their needs.

We can understand consumers through industry monthly reports and surveys. If the people around you are consumers of your products, then they are the opening for you to gain a deeper understanding of consumers.

9. Continuous Improvement

Whether it is products, services, or marketing strategies, we need to continuously improve and optimize. Only by continuous improvement and iterative optimization can we keep up with the pace of the market and meet the ever-changing needs of consumers.

If I were a snack brand, and current consumers are pursuing health, then we could research a product with zero additives and zero fat to penetrate the consumer group.

10. Keep pace with the times

Market changes are like the flow of rivers. We cannot stick to where we are and hold on to what we already have. Instead, we should change with the changes in the market, explore and iterate new products to adapt to the new market environment.

Only with a sense of risk can we gain advantages in the fierce competition and achieve long-term development of the brand.

Be prepared for risk control and respond to any changes with the same attitude.

3. Survival strategies of other brands

In the new marketing environment, brands need to understand and adapt to market changes more deeply and provide themselves with real, effective and compliant marketing strategies.

This requires brands to adhere to truthful and fair marketing methods, treat every consumer sincerely, as consumer behavior and needs may change rapidly, and use data analysis and market research methods to deeply understand consumer needs and behaviors.

Content can deliver practical value and emotional value. Brands need to create content that can arouse consumers' interest or solve consumers' problems in order to enhance brand awareness and influence.

In an increasingly competitive market environment, brands need to maintain innovative thinking, constantly try new marketing strategies and methods, and maintain a continuous output of brand content.

The impact of the rectification campaign goes far beyond the brand itself. It has sounded the alarm for the entire market and caused many merchants on Xiaohongshu to think: How to thrive on Xiaohongshu?

Regarding this issue, I can summarize it in 14 words: new fission, new population, new power, and new way of playing. We are communicating about this in the communication group.

Final summary

Every time Xiaohongshu is rectified, it is not only a punishment for the brands that violate the rules, but also a warning to all brands. Any attempt to gain market share through false or unfair means will be severely cracked down. Therefore, brands should adhere to real and fair marketing methods and treat consumers with a more responsible attitude.

Regardless of whether your brand is on the list announced this time, you should learn a lesson from it, abide by Xiaohongshu’s community rules, and treat every consumer with sincerity and responsibility.

Brands that are not on the list also need to correct their marketing methods. Xiaohongshu has been rectified countless times.

Let’s talk about what happened in the circle of friends of the banned brands in the comment section.

Author: Zhuang Jun, public account: Zhuang Jun