---
title: "Moutai Sells Ice Cream, Opens Two Stores in a Row, 'Bowing' to Young People"
description: "Moutai, the Chinese baijiu giant, is making a strategic move to attract younger consumers by launching Moutai-flavored ice cream, opening stores in Guiyang and planning expansion to seven major cities. This cross-industry initiative aims to build brand affinity with the youth, who currently prefer low-alcohol drinks, and to secure future market share."
author: "联商网编辑部"
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published: "2022-05-31"
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# Moutai Sells Ice Cream, Opens Two Stores in a Row, 'Bowing' to Young People

> Moutai, the Chinese baijiu giant, is making a strategic move to attract younger consumers by launching Moutai-flavored ice cream, opening stores in Guiyang and planning expansion to seven major cities. This cross-industry initiative aims to build brand affinity with the youth, who currently prefer low-alcohol drinks, and to secure future market share.

In 2018, when Jack Ma was still in his prime, the then-chairman of Moutai sought his advice: "Young people don't like Moutai nowadays. What should Moutai do in the future?" Mr. Ma smiled and said, "When I was young, I also hated Moutai, but once I gained certain life experience, I began to like it."

When will young people start liking Moutai? Of course, it's when they achieve a certain level of financial freedom, and that age is at least 30 and above. So, for the younger generation, such as the post-2000s, to target them, Moutai needs to take action from now on. To occupy a place in the minds of young people and find a presence among the post-2000s, Moutai is going all out.

At the end of March this year, Moutai's online retail app "i Moutai" was launched. On the first day of the news, "i Moutai" topped the free app chart on Apple's App Store, becoming the most downloaded and hottest app. Many young people hoped to grab a bottle of Moutai at the "guidance retail price" on "i Moutai," but in reality, the chance of being selected from the queue was no better than winning a 5 million lottery. **The popularity of i Moutai proves that it's not that young people don't like Moutai, but that their financial capability doesn't allow it.**

**Moutai-flavored ice cream**

Following Moutai's official announcement of the opening of its first ice cream flagship store on May 19, the second Moutai ice cream store officially opened on May 29 in Guiyang MixC, which is also Moutai ice cream's first shopping mall store.

The three new flavors differ from previously launched products in packaging, price, and other aspects. The three pre-packaged flavors are Classic Original 75g (66 yuan/cup), Green Plum and Wine 78g (59 yuan/cup), and Vanilla 75g (66 yuan/cup). All three flavors are full-cream ice cream co-launched by Moutai and Mengniu, with Moutai liquor content ratios of 2%, 1.6%, and 2%, respectively. Moutai officially stated that launching ice cream is the company's first breakthrough in approaching young consumer groups.

How can these two seemingly completely unrelated categories be unified under one brand? If Li Ning sells coffee to improve the service quality of its stores, then what is the internal logic behind Moutai selling ice cream?

Moutai officially stated that after May 29, consumers can place orders on "i Moutai," and once cold-chain delivery is activated, consumers in other cities will also have the opportunity to taste Moutai ice cream. In the future, Moutai distributors can open franchise stores.

It is understood that besides Guiyang, Moutai ice cream will also appear in seven major central cities: Nanjing, Hangzhou, Changsha, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Wuhan, and Xi'an.

It is said that Moutai ice cream has a faint taste of Moutai liquor and is a product of strategic cooperation with Mengniu.

Moutai ice cream is made according to the ratio of 50g of 53-degree Feitian Moutai mixed into every 1kg of milk, and the actual measured alcohol content may vary. The ice cream sold can be consumed normally by minors and does not affect driving. It's fine to drink some water after eating or wait half an hour before driving.

Moutai officially reminds that because Moutai ice cream contains a certain alcohol concentration, minors, pregnant women, and those allergic to alcohol should not consume it, and drivers should consume it with caution.

Tianyancha shows that as early as April 26, Moutai Distillery had applied to register the trademark "MOUTAI ICE CREAM 茅台冰淇淋" with the international classification of convenience food, and the current trademark status is pending substantive examination.

In fact, this is not the first time Moutai ice cream has attracted attention. As early as 2019, Moutai ice cream opened its first store in Tianjin, offering not only Moutai ice cream but also six other wine-flavored ice creams, including Fengxiang, Qingxiang, Nongxiang, Cabernet Sauvignon, and sweet white wine.

**What is Moutai really worried about?**

Moutai can be described as a large and prosperous family.

In 2021, Moutai achieved total operating revenue of 109.464 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 11.71%, exceeding the annual target of 108.3 billion yuan; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 52.46 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12.34%.

In the first quarter of 2022, Kweichow Moutai achieved revenue of 32.296 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 18.43%; net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company was 17.245 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 23.58%.

Even under the shadow of the epidemic, when all industries are suffering, Moutai's performance remains stable and absolutely "king." As long as it's in the Chinese market, Moutai is always in short supply.

However, "one who has no long-term worries will have immediate concerns." Moutai, with its large family and business, is currently flourishing, but it must think deeply: can it still dominate in five years, ten years?

Today's young people seem not to particularly like high-alcohol, pungent, spicy white liquor. With the prevalence of night economy and tipsy economy, low-alcohol drinks are rapidly rising. Low-alcohol drinks usually refer to wines with an alcohol content between 0.5% and 20%, mainly sweet wines. Their rich taste, high-value design, and cost-effective prices all meet the social needs of the current young group and also win over many female users.

According to research data from securities firms, the growth rate of ready-to-drink alcohol, mainly liqueurs and premixed cocktails, is expected to reach 16% from 2020 to 2025. National Bureau of Statistics data shows that in 2021, baijiu production fell by 47.3% compared to the peak in 2016, nearly halving in five years.

Moutai has also been trying to get closer to young people. In 2019, Moutai launched Umeet·Blueberry Craft Beer, entering the low-alcohol track, and placed it in the TV drama "Ode to Joy," causing fans to frantically seek the same product.

Tianyancha shows that since this year, Moutai has also applied for trademarks for fitness equipment, convenience food, furniture, clothing, shoes, and hats, some of which are "trademark applications in progress" and some "awaiting substantive examination."

**Is cross-industry to please young people?**

In recent years, traditional brands "not doing their proper job" and engaging in cross-industry seems to have become a trend.

In the domestic market, the initiator may be the "Palace Museum."

In August 2015, during the 90th anniversary of the Palace Museum, the Yongzheng Emperor's cute "peace sign," the "Ru Qin Lin" (as if the emperor is present) suitcase, the "I am such a man" folding fan, and daily necessities and crafts with imperial colors charmed young people.

In 2016, the Palace Museum's cultural and creative product sales reached 1 billion yuan. From the end of 2018 to 2019, the Palace Museum's cultural and creative products successively launched six national treasure-colored lipsticks and "Palace Museum Beauty" masks, causing a market scramble.

Since 2015, the popular domestic product "White Rabbit" candy from the 1970s and 1980s began launching cross-industry products, including beauty and skincare, handbags, lip balms, perfumes, and more.

On September 20, 2018, White Rabbit candy lip balm was launched on e-commerce, with the first batch of 920 units at 78 yuan for two, sold out in half a second. Before Children's Day in 2019, White Rabbit launched a milk candy-scented perfume.

In January 2019, Tongrentang established "Zhima Coffee" to cross into coffee sales. In addition to coffee, the store also offers other drinks such as lung-moistening tea and traditional Chinese medicine nourishing soups.

Are traditional brands crossing industries just to "please young people"?

Moutai Group stated that Moutai ice cream is Moutai's first breakthrough in actively approaching young consumer groups, breaking the traditional stereotype consumers have of Moutai products, showing another side of Moutai to mass consumers through ice cream products, attracting more young people to pay attention to Moutai, and cultivating and mining potential customers for Moutai liquor.

The author believes that **Moutai selling ice cream is more importantly about laying groundwork and pre-embedding.**

First, **adding Moutai to ice cream is to let young people get used to it first** and gradually become obsessed with the Moutai flavor.

Second, **from a brand awareness perspective, Moutai ice cream must live up to Moutai's positioning—high-end.** When ice cream is crowned with the name "Moutai," it already represents the "aristocrat" of ice cream. When young consumers hold "Moutai ice cream," it clearly demonstrates a kind of "playful" noble identity and pursuit.

Third, in the eyes of young people, Moutai, a brand of the "father's generation," has a serious and lofty brand association. Suddenly bending down to hand young people an ice cream claimed to be made by itself creates a strong contrast, and this strong contrast creates a "comedy effect." **Moutai ice cream is ice cream with Moutai added, becoming a unique, nonsensical "dark cuisine."**

And young people are precisely the ones who love nonsensical styles and are eager to try various "dark cuisines." Moutai ice cream firmly grasps the "curiosity" psychology of young people.

The essence of cross-industry is actually to achieve a certain "comedy effect": a brand that was originally serious suddenly becomes unserious. For example, the Palace Museum's cultural and creative products launched the "I am such a man" series, full of exaggeration and black humor.

Whether it's the Palace Museum, Moutai, Tongrentang, or White Rabbit, they all want to change their established image, so they create a strong contrast, making seemingly incongruous "dark cuisines" from coffee to ice cream a surprise attack.

**Under the Internet context, the "mutation" of traditional models**

Facing young people, traditional business done "seriously" is no longer well received.

When traditional brands enter another younger, trendier category, from the perspective of brand association and awareness, it is about boldly transforming and reinterpreting their inherent cultural heritage within the new generation's internet discourse system. They have changed their discourse system, from the past seriousness to the "unseriousness" under the influence of internet culture.

Entering the 21st century, **a huge change for humanity comes from the tearing between traditional expression methods and the demands of the new generation.** Under a system called "internet context," new business directions need to engage in equal dialogue and value exchange with the post-90s and post-00s groups.

For example, the beauty of modern technology represented by Apple electronic products, and the internet influencer culture represented by many new consumer brands—whether it's "born for fever" or "spiritual shareholders," the stickiness of new consumption lies in "identification."

From the supply side, **enterprises need to identify with young people's "identification" and become the "empathy" group for young people.** In the content they output, it's not just the specific manifestation of the product, but more importantly, the spiritual and ideological propositions.

In "Forrest Gump," Forrest's mother says to her son a very common yet philosophical saying: "Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get." This is the charm of life, and also its fascination.

Any enterprise is a "box," representing a "black box." Outsiders don't know what chemical reactions are happening inside, and it's hard to predict what the enterprise and its existing brand will output.

**Moutai ice cream's cross-industry move is from internal self-examination of the brand to external user reconstruction**, all centered around "creating new value for users and delivering more new surprise experiences."

Source: Lianshang.com Information (ID: lingshouzixun) Author: Lao Dao, senior consultant group member of Lianshang

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