1. Introduction

Modern society is entering a "video socialization era" with short video at its heart due to the medium's explosive growth and widespread integration into people's daily lives. In terms of cultural production and dissemination, short video platforms such as Kwai, TikTok, and others have also become more involved in the process of creatively producing and disseminating contemporary traditional culture [1]. As a result, they have significantly changed the narrative styles and distribution methods of the past. Numerous study areas are relevant to the cultural promotion of short videos in this setting. These studies have, for the most part, overcome the uniqueness of brand and cultural publicity, strengthened the bond between brand and culture, and offered fresh avenues for brand marketing development, providing the brand with a multifaceted point of reference. While experts have advocated a variety of marketing strategies, few have capitalized on the vibrancy and powerful influence of traditional culture to develop a more sophisticated, multifaceted, and three-dimensional communication system for the brand. Achieving unification through the short video cultural communication marketing road would enable the brand to further promote its own sustainable development while simultaneously boosting the promotion of traditional Chinese culture. In light of this, the main focus of this paper will be "the operation logic of short video communication empowering brand growth based on culture." The literature analysis method will be used to analyze in detail the marketing strategies and factors that contributed to the success of the "Cao County" and "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brands through in-depth case studies. This will help to summarize the fundamental communication path that is universal and will enable the synchronization of brand marketing and cultural propaganda, ultimately aiding in the long-term development of the brand and infusing it with energy and vigor.

2. Case Description of Local Cultural Brands

Local culture is a significant component of China's exceptional culture, and the emergence of the short video platform offers tremendous opportunities for the marketing development of local brands while also removing the limitations of communication technology and the reach of dissemination. As a result, the primary analytical cases for this article will be the "Cao County" and "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brands, and the primary route for short-video advertising will be reinstated based on regional culture.

2.1. The "Cao County" Brand

The popular short videos produced in Cao County have created a significant opportunity for the propagation of the local culture, allowing Cao County's Hanfu culture, wood carving craft, and red spirit to become more widely recognized to customers and netizens. Among them, there are two primary categories for the short films about Cao County that can be found on different media channels: official promotional videos, which are typically posted on official TikTok accounts like "Cao County Fusion Media Center" and are typically released without any commercial promotion with the primary goal of promoting and showcasing the county's culture; and independent publicity caused by self-media, which generates a lot of interest in Cao County and has a high volume of traffic [2]. Product sales are the primary goal of this type of video distribution, which also popularizes Cao County's cultural heritage, highlights the area's tourism attractions, and shows viewers how items are made [2]. The local governor, who poses as the anchor live with commodities, also uses the live broadcast platform, which the Cao County government uses to help reduce rural poverty and stimulate rural economic growth [2]. To sum up, the aforementioned pathway is multifaceted, aiming to enhance local culture's reach and advance Cao County's tourism industry while also improving residential service conditions, strengthening the bond between Cao County's brand and local culture, and integrating Cao County's cultural image to a great extent.

2.2. The "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" Brand

"Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" develops an all-media publicity matrix, builds the "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brand, and concentrates on local character through the sharing of documentary content by short-video makers. As a creator hired by the watermelon video platform,"Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" shares her everyday existence with the public through video content she produces on various media platforms that is focused on rural living [3]. Simultaneously, the warm hometown accent and first-person shooting viewpoint serve to strengthen the close bond with supporters while drawing in a large number of users [3]. Based on this, the communicator for "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" pays close attention to the development and expansion of the brand recognition system, unifies the brand image with consistent images, words, and logos, and simultaneously takes the lead in encouraging a large number of "new farmers" to participate in the creation of pertinent short video content, resulting in the creation of a context for short video communication that is family-style [3]. Motivated by the "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" account, the "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brand has achieved the unification of image and content, and the "Three Rural" short movies have been made and reinvented in order to extensively transmit the connotation of local culture in a popular and understandable fashion.

3. Reasons for Success

Both the "Cao County" and the "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brands have achieved marketing transitions with the help of multimedia platforms and cultural backgrounds. These brands have overcome the constraints of distributing only content and have contributed to the promotion and publicizing of local culture, as well as further empowering brand marketing. This essay will examine the factors that led to the success of culture-based short video marketing in light of the case's successful communication outcomes, keeping in mind the parallels between the two approaches to brand promotion.

3.1. Using Several Subjects to Generate Momentum in Communicating

In their publicity, the "Cao County" and "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brands have both made use of the influence of several actors. In the marketing process, the brand "Cao County" highlights the connections between self- and official-produced media. The "Cao County Fusion Media Center" has published over 5,893 video materials on the TikTok platform, with about 100 of them pertaining to culture and 32 to Hanfu, mostly showcasing Cao County and Hanfu culture. Apart from the official account, numerous self-produced videos have also been shot with the theme of "Hanfu culture" for distribution. In 2021 alone, 48,000 such videos with a play volume of up to 1.5 billion times could be found on the TikTok platform [2]. With "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" at its center and a plethora of "new farmers" like Xiaoerwa and Xiaomeier as supplements, the "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brand creates a communication scenario akin to a family [3]. Among them, "Countryside Chao Wa", a diffusion member, has 1,865 homepage video contents and up to 1.2 million admirers on Buzzvideo. By properly sharing videos on their official and personal media accounts, these two brands have built up greater communication momentum for brand promotion and laid the groundwork for higher brand recognition.

3.2. Construct a Media Matrix for 360-degree Traffic

Both kinds of brands use a variety of dissemination methods and other social media platforms in addition to short video platforms for their short video distribution. Before it gained popularity, the "Cao County" brand had already established itself as a model of e-commerce for reducing poverty by fully exploiting Taobao and other e-commerce platforms [2]. The short film from Cao County gained popularity, and the local governor used the live platform to promote the product [2]. Numerous official and self-media outlets also covered the video, which was uploaded to Weibo, Kwai, and other platforms for the wide distribution of content [2]. As a result, Cao County's profile skyrocketed. Although "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" began as a watermelon video, it now has 116,000, 5,638,000, and 1,135,000 fans on Bilibili, TikTok, and Weibo, respectively. In order to generate a lot of attention, it collaborates with its family account on social media and maintains its own official account on numerous other networks. The two brands have empowered the long-term development of brand marketing by creating official brand accounts on major social media platforms, opening a brand live broadcasting room, releasing daily promotional content, and interacting with recipients in real-time. They have also effectively realized the combined power of multiple platforms, established a large-scale communication matrix, drawn more attention to themselves, and created a panoramic traffic scene. All of these actions have contributed to the ultimate goal of helping the brand grow.

3.3. Using Cultural Heritage as a Base to Help Create a Cohesive Image

Currently, network brand publicity primarily concentrates on the immediate results of commodity marketing, failing to realize long-term advantages. The fundamental issue with these brands is that they do not have a cohesive cultural core or brand image, which makes it easy to skew consumers' perceptions of them when products are promoted. The brands "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" and "Cao County" have successfully integrated local Chinese culture while paying close attention to the harmony of brand culture, brand image, and communication content. Since Hanfu and wood carving are the brand's signature products, "Cao County" has become well-known. Numerous media outlets in the county have centered their publicity materials on traditional Hanfu culture and wood carving methods, solidifying the county's reputation as the "capital of wood art in China" and "the source of one-third of the nation's Hanfu" [2]. The "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" brand places a high value on the consistent application of brand symbols throughout the design process. The couple's wedding photo serves as the inspiration for the "Chuanxiang Xiaomeier" avatar on Weibo, TikTok, and other social media platforms [3]. The photo is also used as the brand emblem for products sold, and every video begins with a signature greeting, such as "Hello, I am Xiaomeier!" to aid in brand recall [3]. By promoting brief cultural videos, the two brands have reduced the psychological gap that separates them from their audiences. This has strengthened consumers' perceptions of the inherent connections that exist between brands and cultures through a consistent brand image, which in turn has increased their propensity to make purchases.

4. Suggestions

Thus, based on the examination and synopsis of the preceding section, it is evident that the core route of "creation of a dual matrix model + brand image unification+ cultural background empowerment" must be followed in order to effectively inspire brand growth. Details can be seen in figure 1.

Figure 1: Flowchart of the Marketing Path

4.1. Creation of a Dual Matrix Model

The term "dual matrix" describes the two components of the main body of communication and communication media. It is effective at using the communication media that is already available on the market and transforming it from its original state into mutual diversion in order to achieve interconnection between the media and to form a communication media matrix [4]. On the one hand, a single communication body, such as a brand enterprise number, is broken down into numerous personal accounts or studio accounts, and with the power of the key opinion leaders of the major platforms, to create a multi-communication body matrix [4].

To start building fan traffic, the brand should first create personal accounts on all major media platforms, post promotional content every day in the form of text, images, short videos, and more. They should also engage with fans in real time in the comment section, take their feedback to heart, and work to improve their own shortcomings. In order to maximize profit, the business should simultaneously concentrate on working with official, self-media, and other network celebrities at the lowest possible cost. In brand marketing, the two methods listed below are typically used: In commercial advertising, web celebrities either endorse things through their own accounts or work with merchants as product spokespersons; in social e-commerce, web celebrities use brief videos to drive traffic to their online businesses [5]. The brand's short-video content and cultural communication content can gain more publicity momentum with the help of these two marketing strategies and the influence of network celebrities on social media platforms. This will broaden the reach of brand marketing and raise brand awareness and recognition.

Furthermore, the brand must prioritize the significance of the live broadcast platform and select brand anchors who fully embody the brand's values. A community centered around the anchor should be formed during the live broadcast by the anchor strengthening communication with fans through various interactions, such as responding to pop-up comments, thanking fans for gifts, and so on [6]. The anchor should also carefully manage the relationship between the anchor and the consumer in order to increase the degree of participation from the fans and their viscosity, which will serve as the foundation for the consumer.

4.2. Brand Image Unification

Studies have indicated that improved website information quality and well-designed user interfaces can build consumer trust in the online shopping experience [7]. Even if there are dangers and uncertainties involved with online purchasing, a high degree of trust can successfully reduce the impression of risk while increasing consumers' propensity to make purchases [8]. Reaching out to other social media channels, the brand should focus on maintaining the consistency of its symbols in press releases, coordinating its communication language, image, content, and logo across all channels, presenting its core values and concepts to customers, and projecting a highly cohesive image of itself.

The one-way communication environment in the era of mass communication has been significantly altered by modern communication technology, encouraging consumers to become information producers and disseminators as opposed to just information recipients [9]. As a result, brand positioning is determined by negotiation with customers in a particular social relationship, not by the efficacy of one-way communication [9]. It is preferable to encourage greater consumer involvement in creative decision-making and to convey predetermined messages to customers so they can more easily see and identify the brand in order to preserve brand loyalty among consumers [10]. This raises customer involvement and results in designs for brands that live up to consumer expectations. It also allows for breakthroughs in brand innovation by sourcing a continuous flow of design inspiration.

4.3. Cultural Background Empowerment

The outstanding traditional Chinese culture has endured over the ages with great vitality, advancing progress and serving as a major source of inspiration for societal development. Short films have transformed the way that cultures communicate, and they may now be used to showcase traditional cultures. Short videos' "short, frequent, and fast" communication qualities combined with the powerful allure and influence of good traditional culture allow marketers to forge new connections while maintaining a high standard of quality in the content they choose to feature. In order to meet consumers' emotional needs and reflect the rich cultural connotations of their brand, brands should produce short, intuitive, interactive videos that adapt to the media qualities of short videos' fragmented narratives [11]. They should also integrate the essence of excellent culture and national values of the new era [11]. Different formats for presenting the content are available, such as a series of linked video compilations centered around a defined theme or a segmented narrative of an entire cultural story [11]. To achieve the dual efficacy of brand and cultural communication and promotion, the video material should be put into the relevant brand items or brand value after the communication form has been decided.

5. Conclusion

Based on the case study and analysis, the article ultimately combines the dispersed brand marketing communication techniques strengthened by brief video communication, provides a summary of a marketing strategy with a broader application, and highlights the publicity points that should be considered throughout the communication process. The development of a dual matrix communication model, the cohesive building of brand image, and the integration of traditional great culture comprise the three primary components of this marketing strategy. To get the most out of this marketing strategy, brands should concentrate on adaptably leveraging the communicative qualities of short films to identify the point at where their brand and traditional culture converge. The study's contribution to the field of "brand marketing empowered by cultural short video communication" is substantial, as it has substantially bolstered the premium, sustainable development of major brands. However, it is important to acknowledge that the research cases chosen are distinct in that both brands have strong cultural ties, something that many real-world brands still struggle with. As a result, future study should focus more on the variety of brand attributes and be dedicated to developing a more customized and varied communication system for various companies.