As beloved Chinese sitcom My Own Swordsman (武林外传) turns 20, Molly Tea (茉莉奶白) has found a way to insert itself into the viral discussion. Moli’s viral moment is a great example of reactive marketing. To understand it, we first need to know something about the sitcom they’ve riffed off.
My Own Swordsman is set around an inn in Ming Dynasty China. It’s part martial-arts parody, part straight comedy, and has run up a massive following that’s lasted decades after the show’s three-month run. In the show, a character named Guo Furong owes shopkeeper Tong Zhanggui 48 taels of silver and is forced to work for her for 20 years to repay the debt.
Now that the fictional 20-year term has finally ended, actress Yao Chen (姚晨), who played Guo Furong, took it upon herself to celebrate her character’s freedom. She revisited a series of iconic Beijing locations, while fellow cast members also posted tributes online.
Netizens joined in. Before long, discussion was sweeping Chinese social media. And here’s where Molly Milk Tea comes in. In a smooth bit of micro-marketing they began printing receipts with the title My Own Swordsman topping the paper. Some receipts were also printed with the header Episode 82 as an invitation to carry on the story (so far, the show has filmed 81 episodes).
It’s a smart bit of micro-marketing – a trend that’s hitting well with Chinese consumers. And it isn’t the first time Molly Tea has had success in this department. The brand previously sparked a follow-the-plot craze by printing melodramatic CEO-style fiction on its receipts, effectively transforming a cup of milk tea into a serialised narrative.
With that activation, they created a cultural moment. This time they followed one. But on both occasions, they’ve displayed a deft hand at reaching consumers in the small moments when branding hits deepest.
