As the visionary partner that placed a savvy stake, Mengniu Dairy, a subsidiary of COFCO, became a focal point of public attention, hailed by netizens as the "biggest winner" for its deep connection with this Chinese animated IP.
This synergy was no incidental stroke of luck but a testament to Chinese brands’ cultural conviction in redefining commercial value for a shared future of brands and culture.
Foresighted Strategy: Charting the Course in Chinese Animation
As a dairy industry leader, Mengniu has consistently prioritized long-term ecosystem development of the industry, leveraging its resource integration capabilities to empower Chinese animation.
In 2019, Mengniu forged a strategic partnership with Ne Zha: Birth of the Demon Child, marking its debut collaboration with a Chinese animated IP and contributing to the film’s box office championship in the year of release. In 2020, the brand doubled down on its collaboration with Jiang Ziya: Legend of Deification, weaving its brand ethos into the IP’s narrative fabric through synergistic integration. In subsequent collaborations, Mengniu drove content and technological innovation by letting brand demands steer production, delivering fresh experiences for audiences.
For Ne Zha 2, Mengniu shifted from mere "IP integration" to "cultural co-creation." Collaborating with the film’s original production team, the brand produced three cinematic-quality short videos to celebrate the Chinese New Year, offering audiences an immersive prelude to the theatrical release. The three short videos, meticulously aligned with the film's main plot, left audiences thirsting for more — sparking a digital encore as viewers flocked online for spin-offs.
The organic buzz generated by fans propelled Mengniu to dominate social media trends, smashing engagement records across platforms and igniting both brand visibility and product sales.
Resonance Beyond Logos: A Partnership of Shared Ambition
Unlike conventional co-branding collaborations featuring logo exposure and product placement, Mengniu’s seamless synergy with Ne Zha 2 stemmed from a shared ethos: The film’s rebellious spirit of "My life depends on myself, not on fate" mirrored the brand’s "Born to Excel" philosophy.
Ne Zha 2, crafted through five years of meticulous production to claim a top spot on global box office charts, and Mengniu’s rise from China’s grasslands to rank among the world’s top 10 dairy giants, both exemplify China’s ambition and unyielding perseverance.
This resonance made collaborations transcend conventional marketing tactics. From online Chinese New Year greeting videos starring film characters to the "Striving for Excellence" digital red envelope designs, and limited-edition milk gift boxes, the "Ne Zha" IP dominated social and consumption scenarios during the Spring Festival of the Year of the Snake, achieving pervasive yet subtle brand penetration.
The results spoke volumes: during the 2025 Spring Festival period, Mengniu’s product categories sold out. Sales of Ne Zha 2-themed offerings far exceeded projections, with limited-edition items sparking a collector frenzy. This unprecedented fusion of culture and brands charts a new course for commercializing Chinese animated IPs.
Industry as the Bedrock: Building Culturally-Empowered Futures
The booming Chinese animation industry resonates with China’s cultural renaissance. As a steadfast follower of national strategies, COFCO continues to integrate cultural innovation with industrial growth.
COFCO Fortune partnered with Year Hare Affair, reviving nostalgic festival traditions through whimsical storytelling. COFCO Jiugui Liquor curated a nationwide journey for audiences, guiding them through China’s intangible cultural heritage guardianship odyssey. COFCO China Tea blended Liubao tea craftsmanship with industrial tourism to drive growth in the cultural and tourism industries.
Guided by the mission to "better tell China’s stories," COFCO has built an ecosystem where agricultural and food industries converge with cultural innovation, injecting new vitality into the Chinese culture.
The future of culture demands visionary global commitment. Beyond spawning new consumption models and business formats, culture will act as a strategic anchor enabling high-quality growth across industries. Amidst the exponential growth of Chinese cultural IPs like animation characters, COFCO is leveraging industry as its canvas and culture as its brush, drawing inspiration from fine Chinese culture to reinterpret traditions through creativity and transform Chinese narratives into globally resonant stories.
