The Spring Festival shopping season boosts the white wine market, with liquor companies leveraging the Spring Festival Gala to expand brand influence

Shandong Business Daily · Shanhai News Reporter Wu Shaobo and Bi Zhanhao

During the Spring Festival period, many regions across the country experienced continuous low temperatures combined with a strong atmosphere of family reunion, further fueling the demand for self-consumption and gift-giving of Baijiu, leading to a peak season for Baijiu consumption. At this juncture, CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala, as a core platform for brand exposure and capturing user attention, has become a crucial battleground for major Baijiu companies to increase marketing investments and compete for holiday traffic. Meanwhile, some distilleries are also focusing on local satellite TV stations to create differentiated communication strategies.

In early February this year, CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala officially announced its sponsorship lineup. Wuliangye, Yanghe Co., Gujinggong Liquor, and Langjiu successfully joined the list of official sponsors, securing key advertising resources during the Gala and becoming the “first tier” for brand exposure.

Yanghe Co. has dominated CCTV Spring Festival Gala advertising segments for seven consecutive years

Complementing the concentrated appearance of core advertising brands, some Baijiu brands have chosen more flexible soft marketing approaches to participate in the Gala’s exposure, achieving efficient brand communication. Jinjiu continued its tradition of appearing on the Gala stage for the fifth consecutive year, with hosts repeatedly broadcasting “Jinjiu, Maopu Herbal Liquor wishes all Chinese around the world a Happy New Year” for high-frequency exposure. Xifeng Liquor integrated into the New Year micro-movie “My Most Unforgettable Night,” starring Shen Teng and Ma Li, to convey brand image through content association. Although Moutai did not run hard ads or serve as a title sponsor, its e-commerce platform “iMoutai” featured the cartoon character “Xiao Mao,” who subtly appeared in the comedy short “You Must Like It,” achieving a low-key appearance.

The reporter noticed that some distilleries are shifting their communication focus to regional satellite TV stations, with increasingly regionalized strategies. For example, Shanxi Fenjiu sponsored the 2026 Beijing Radio and Television Spring Festival Gala; Jinjiu sponsored the Hubei Satellite TV Spring Festival Gala; Shede Liquor sponsored the Sichuan Satellite TV New Year themed concert; and Jinshiyuan coordinated with CCTV’s Overseas Chinese Gala, Shenzhen Spring Festival Gala, and Huai’an Spring Festival Gala for cross-regional promotion. Shandong Satellite TV’s Gala also saw deep participation from local companies Zhangyu and Qingdao Beer.

According to disclosed performance data, some companies are facing significant performance pressures: Yanghe Co.’s 2025 earnings forecast shows that its operating pressure intensified in the fourth quarter of last year, with revenue reaching 18.09 billion yuan in the first three quarters, down 34.26% year-on-year; net profit attributable to shareholders was 3.975 billion yuan, down 53.66%. Zhangyu A’s 2025 forecast indicates the company expects net profit attributable to shareholders between 55 million and 75 million yuan, a decline of 75.43% to 81.98% year-on-year; non-recurring net profit is estimated between 30 million and 40 million yuan, down 69.48% to 77.11%, showing clear performance pressure.

Additionally, Gujinggong Liquor, Shede Liquor, and Jinshiyuan have not yet disclosed their full-year 2025 results. However, based on the data for the first three quarters of 2025, all three show declining performance. In contrast, Jinjiu recently released its “2025 Social Responsibility Report” (publicly available for the 19th consecutive year), which projects revenue of 13.7 billion yuan in 2025, a 9.6% increase year-on-year, with core brand Jinjiu’s growth exceeding 20%, achieving countercyclical growth amid industry pressures.

Editor: Cui Nina

Proofreader: Qin Hongxia

Final Approval: Yin Xunzhen

Source: Shandong Business Daily · Shanhai News