Official slogan changes often signal not only a branding change aimed at consumers but also how the brand views itself. For the past few years, Rednote has been referred to as a lifestyle platform, but more recently, it has been calling itself “your lifestyle guide” (你的生活指南) as it is where people seek guidance and help for issues ranging from beauty and cosmetics, fashion and styling, all the way to everyday tips and tricks. It was also described as a replacement for search engines, as people have started using it to seek answers. But now, Rednote has rebadged itself as “your lifestyle interest community” with its new slogan.
Of course, the community has been a crucial element in Rednote’s success, as all the guides and answers are directed precisely to the right audiences through its algorithm, originally shaped by users. By adding “interest” to the more general “lifestyle”, Rednote is specifying which sphere of lifestyle it excels at. The platform used to be the origin of trends such as citywalk, the camping boom and the “20 minutes in a park” effect. Now it has delved deeper into interests and hobbies, from birdwatching and trading card unboxing, to “cotton dolls” and “pain gold” (the “pain” version of gold accessories), and has been the centre of new interests and hobbies.
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From “erciyuan” (二次元 or ACGN, anime, comics, games and light novels) to more “abstract” interests like keeping toothpaste or mango seeds as pets, and even “pain” graduation gowns, Rednote is home to all sorts of passions, from mainstream to niche. This is due to its long-standing support for UGC, its algorithm that matches content to the right audience, no matter how niche, and the way the platform spreads from core influencers and central interests to related niche ones.
The platform is reportedly valued at 26 billion USD, and there are also reports of an IPO in the works. With the new slogan, he latest rebrand of Rednote will likely capture more of young people’s interests as the consumer sentiment in China shifts towards “self-pleasing” and “emotional value”.
Meanwhile, eagle-eyed netizens spotted the similarity between the new slogan and Douyin’s “interest e-commerce”. With Rednote’s ambition in e-commerce in recent years, it might mean it will soon have to take on Douyin directly in the interest arena.