Click 'Read the original' for details In a beer industry where five major brands monopolize over 85% of the market, the market is nearly saturated, and growth is sluggish, a once-lifeless fourth- and fifth-tier beer brand has risen against the trend in the past year or two, achieving explosive growth: selling 2.6 million bottles a day and over 1 billion bottles a year, and quickly going viral on short-video platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili, becoming a 'viral hit' in the current beer market. Who is this? It is Xinjiang's Wusu Beer, nicknamed 'Lethal Big Wusu'. Wusu Beer was born before 1986, with an initial production capacity of only 10,000 tons. For over 20 years thereafter, production and sales hovered around tens of thousands of tons. With capital support, it suddenly launched a national expansion in 2018, making breakthroughs in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong, Xi'an, and other places; in 2019, it achieved explosive growth in Anhui and Fujian markets, with sales exceeding one million cases. Based on the current trend, Wusu Beer's annual production and sales in 2020 may exceed 500,000 tons, reaching the scale of a mid-sized beer enterprise. In a period of sluggish industry growth, this is nothing short of a miracle, catching Snow and Tsingtao off guard! Wusu Beer's counterattack and popularity make one marvel at the power and magic of online marketing today, which can turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, transforming an unknown fourth- and fifth-tier 'little newbie' into a first-tier 'big star' at rocket speed. Previously, Wusu Beer was a niche brand, not even particularly famous in its birthplace of Xinjiang, let alone comparable to first-tier brands with advertisements everywhere. Industry insiders believed it was no easy feat for Wusu Beer to survive in such a fiercely competitive and rapidly consolidating era. For over 30 years, it relied on the efforts of just a few people to keep itself alive until it met its 'benefactor' and turned its fortunes around. So how did Wusu Beer achieve its counterattack? What is the secret to its success? -01- The Mindset Behind the Trend: Novelty-Seeking and the Unique Western Region Charm of 'Wusu' Analyzing from the customer mindset, people tend to reject sameness and embrace difference, which involves two contradictory psychological laws: (1) indifference to the same, acceptance of the different; (2) novelty-seeking: pursuing fashion and trends, tired of the old. Wusu is a small county town at the northern foot of the Tianshan Mountains. In the 1980s, under the policy of 'one city, one brewery,' this small town established its own brewery, named 'Wusu Beer.' Here, there are natural ingredients most suitable for brewing beer, namely hops, which balance the sweetness of malt. Most places are not suitable for hop cultivation, but Xinjiang is one of the world's three major production areas. The snowmelt from the Tianshan Mountains continuously nourishes the entire city of Wusu, which shares a similar latitude and sunlight with Munich, Germany, allowing hops to grow freely. Every autumn, hops hang heavily over the entire brewery, creating a unique landscape. 'Blue sky, blue sea, pass the cup down one by one.' From the customer mindset perspective, the more unique something is, the more easily it is accepted, and Wusu possesses such unique connotations, conditions, and distinctiveness. Therefore, under the overall publicity, Wusu Beer naturally exudes a completely different Western Region style and exotic flavor, which is enchanting and naturally stirs the hearts of beer lovers. For most people, there is a clear desire to explore Xinjiang. Upon hearing that it is beer from Xinjiang, there is naturally a sense of wanting to try something new, because for most Chinese, Xinjiang still carries a regional cultural perception that includes mystery, beauty, vastness, and more. When different psychological factors come into play, there is a strong desire to try. Over time, people outside Xinjiang gradually develop a special affection for Wusu Beer. Therefore, geographical location is also a very important mental resource. It is precisely because of the uniqueness of Xinjiang's geographical location and culture that Wusu Beer's distinctive regional characteristics are strengthened. Without the regional concept of 'Western Region' or 'Xinjiang,' Wusu Beer's success would be much harder. -02- Two Unique Brand Characteristics of Wusu Beer: High Alcohol Content and Large Capacity Capture Novelty Over 20 years ago, beers were mostly 12 or 11 degrees with high alcohol content, and 'light beer' was a niche, relatively rare and unique. After 2010, to cater to trends, light beer became mainstream, with 8- and 9-degree beers dominating the market, while high-alcohol beers became scarce and unique. Nowadays, domestic beers are mostly industrial beers. Some cater to the general palate, some to reduce costs, and the alcohol content is getting lower and lower, typically with alcohol content ≥3% vol and original wort concentration ≥8°P. Such beers have less foam, lighter aroma, a bland taste, and poor flavor. Some drinkers even call such beers 'beer water,' meaning they taste like plain water. In contrast, Wusu Beer has an alcohol content ≥4% vol and original wort concentration ≥11°P, with a rich and mellow taste, standing out from the crowd. As Guo Degang often says, 'It's all thanks to the contrast with others.' Secondly, Wusu Beer has a large capacity, holding more, with one bottle equivalent to two or even four bottles of others. High-end beers like Budweiser, Heineken, and Tsingtao are mostly in 155ml small bottles, with a starting price of 10 yuan. For heavy drinkers, one gulp and it's gone, like 'burning money.' In terms of capacity, Wusu Beer offers 'great value for money,' truly deserving the name 'Big Wusu.' A drinker who can normally handle seven or eight bottles of light beer may have to restrain themselves after two or three bottles of Wusu. Those with lower tolerance may feel dizzy after a few sips, and one or two bottles might make them feel 'floating,' with a strong aftereffect, truly 'lethal and soul-capturing.' However, the more this is the case, the more it provokes people to try and not admit defeat. Getting drunk easily was not previously considered a product advantage; the common perception was that quick sobriety was an advantage. But Wusu Beer, with its high drunkenness, has turned this difference into a distinctive feature. Therefore, Wusu Beer quickly captured consumers' novelty with its high alcohol content and large capacity, becoming a 'viral hit.' -03- Targeting the New Channel Power Behind the Brand: Seizing Channel Weak Points and Cleverly Offering High Profits Wusu Beer represents the high degree of generalization of Xinjiang's specialty beer category and high drunkenness, creating a new category in the customer's mind: a new category of Xinjiang beer. To make Wusu Beer travel far, it is essential to build differentiated channels. So Wusu Beer decided to use barbecue restaurants, which are difficult for the five major beer brands to cover, as a breakthrough. It covered 26,000 barbecue restaurants with associated cooperative relationships in 30 large and medium-sized cities outside Xinjiang, especially Northwest barbecue, forming a unique new channel force. Barbecue restaurants are typically consumer terminals that are difficult for the five major beer brands to cover and where their power is relatively weak, making it easier for Wusu Beer to succeed. Moreover, the pairing of barbecue and beer is a favorite among Chinese people and easy to promote. Furthermore, high channel profits provide stronger channel push. For distributors and terminal merchants, whoever offers greater profits gets more effort. According to research, Wusu Beer's distributor profits typically reach 10 yuan per case, and terminal profits are as high as 40 yuan per case; while mainstream beer distributor profits are typically 6 yuan per case, and terminal profits are 20 yuan per case. Overall, Wusu Beer's channel profits are even higher than Budweiser and Heineken. Therefore, Wusu Beer is more attractive, and channel push is stronger. Deploying new retail channels, achieving online-offline linkage through live streaming, e-commerce, and other models. On JD.com's liquor channel, one of its most classic red can versions has recently entered the top 10 bestsellers, ranking seventh, but in terms of the number of buyers, the figure of 530,000 jumps to fourth place, with the top three being Tsingtao, Harbin, and Eichbaum Wheat White Beer. It is not easy for an old brand to quickly become popular on online channels. In the next three years, Wusu Beer plans to increase its online share to 30%. -04- Interesting Positioning Slogan and Self-Generated Internet Topics: 'Lethal Big Wusu' and 'NSNM' Currently, on Bilibili, which understands young people best, the most-viewed video for the keyword 'Wusu' is from an up主 with over 8 million followers, titled 'I heard one bottle of Wusu Beer can get you drunk?' 'Legend has it that Wusu is stronger than the 'lost drink' (a cocktail that makes you lose control). No matter who you are, one bottle can knock you down. I have a high tolerance, so today I'm going to try it,' the up主 said defiantly. Then, a thick layer of bullet comments reading 'Death Big Wusu, Lethal Big Wusu' scrolled across the screen. The up主 quickly conceded. After drinking three-quarters of a bottle, he felt a bit dizzy and blurted out in Sichuan dialect, 'Now I feel a bit tipsy.' After two bottles of Wusu, his eyes began to wander, and his cheeks flushed. Finally, the up主 hastily ended the video, leaving with the words: 'I think I'm drunk. Lethal Big Wusu, truly lethal.' A positioning slogan is an effective way to build a brand and open the market by expressing brand positioning in a vivid, interesting, and memorable way. Some brand slogans are self-set by the company, while others come from customers' spontaneous recognition. 'Lethal Big Wusu' is a slogan that customers spontaneously set and recognized as a brand characteristic. Wusu Beer's own promotional slogan was 'Wusu Beer, clink glasses with good brothers,' but this slogan did not have the ability to spread itself. Later, because Wusu Beer had a strong kick and slow sobriety, many netizens gave it the nickname 'Lethal Big Wusu.' This phrase, with its vivid, exaggerated, and interesting expression of brand positioning, immediately became a memorable slogan passed from mouth to mouth. At the same time, with the help of platforms like Douyin and Kuaishou, it formed a 'viral effect' and spread rapidly through word-of-mouth marketing. It is worth mentioning that the font of Wusu Beer's 'WUSU' logo was 'played with' by netizens, who read it upside down as 'NSNM,' which sounds like 'nòng sǐ nǐ men' (meaning 'kill you all' or 'get you drunk to death'). The extended meaning is: drink you to death or kill you, let's see who's tougher. 'NSNM' implies 'drinking contest.' Drinking is really a competition. It turns out that Wusu not only gets you drunk but also can be lethal. Everyone laughs heartily, and this meme spreads wider and wider. This is similar to the ICBC logo being read as 'ài cún bù cún' (love to save or not) and Porsche's Latin name being read as 'pò èr shǒu chē' (broken second-hand car), all part of a kind of streetwise pinyin culture. At the same time, it echoes the folk nickname 'Lethal Big Wusu.' Such interpretation undoubtedly adds another topic, further resonating with netizens and accelerating its spread. In short, Wusu Beer, with the help of platforms like Douyin, Kuaishou, and Bilibili, has fully leveraged self-generated topic marketing, creating a buzz online, highlighting its biggest feature of 'easy to get drunk,' catering to young people's psychology of competing in drinking capacity, and shaping brand differentiation. Most importantly, young people who don't know much about beer but like to chug it, who like to try new things and enjoy the vibe but don't fully understand it, also contribute to this spontaneous promotional traffic. Jiangxiaobai also gained great attention by creating various online topics on Weibo, quickly becoming a trendy brand and leading consumption fashion. -05- Meeting the 'Benefactor' Carlsberg, Like a Fish in Water Wusu Beer was born in 1986 in Wusu City, Xinjiang, with an initial annual output of only 5,000 tons. Later, due to development needs, the headquarters moved to Urumqi, but Wusu City still has two production lines. Ten years later, in the Xinjiang market, besides Xinjiang Beer, Wusu Beer, and Luyunbao Beer, various prefectures and localities had their own brands, such as Shawan Beer and Changji Beer. By the end of 1998, there were 22 breweries in Xinjiang. In a long-term battle of big fish eating small fish, Wusu Beer was already pale and needed to find its own way to survive. In 2003, Wusu Beer signed a 50-year joint venture agreement with Sichuan Lanjian Group, after which Wusu Beer was entrusted to Lanjian Group for management. However, Wusu Beer did not shine under Lanjian Group but instead fell into losses. By 2005, Lanjian Group and Carlsberg, the world's third-largest brewer, jointly invested to establish Lanjian Jianiang, and Wusu Beer joined hands with Carlsberg, becoming its joint venture holding subsidiary. By May 2016, Carlsberg completed the acquisition of 100% of Wusu Beer's equity from Lanjian Group, making Wusu Beer a wholly-owned subsidiary of Carlsberg. Since then, Wusu Beer transformed from a pure 'Xinjiang lad' into a 'Nordic cold prince,' with sufficient financial resources and resources to promote nationwide, like a fish in water, ushering in leapfrog development and launching its national expansion in 2018. With Carlsberg's ample financial and resource support, Wusu Beer successively acquired well-known local Xinjiang brands such as Changji Beer, Kashgar Beer, Huocheng Beer, and Tianshan Beer. Now, it has once again galloped out of Xinjiang, establishing nearly ten production companies nationwide in the past two years, with product sales channels covering more than 30 provinces and cities, becoming one of the faster-growing regional beer brands in cross-regional marketing and quickly becoming a 'beer internet celebrity.' In April this year, Wusu Beer re-entered the Kazakhstani market after a three-year hiatus. It can be said that without Carlsberg's capital prowess and its shrewd international player status, Wusu Beer might still be lingering at the foot of the Tianshan Mountains and would hardly have become a phenomenal 'internet celebrity.' -06- Conclusion Now, with the labels of 'large capacity, strong kick, three bottles and you're down, Xinjiang characteristics,' coupled with Carlsberg's capital support, Wusu Beer is aggressively accelerating its expansion into markets outside Xinjiang. However, for Wusu Beer to truly become a new star and engine in the beer industry, there is still a long way to go, and it will face follow-up challenges from more domestic and foreign competitors. First, the siege of imported beers: heavy and large-capacity imported beers, mainly German dark beer, draft beer, and raw beer, have already deployed in force and will inevitably accelerate penetration in the future; Second, domestic giants like Tsingtao and Snow have been alerted and will accelerate their response, using more diverse and flavorful product layouts to prevent new competitors from disrupting the market; Third, as a new entrant and challenger, Wusu Beer must also be wary of the ebb and flow of the 'internet celebrity effect,' which can come and go quickly, and must constantly create topics to increase marketing vitality and maintain brand freshness and vitality. How long and how far the 'internet celebrity star' Wusu Beer can go remains to be seen.