Between June and August 2022, SPRG Brand Pulse tracked 1,482,725 posts about healthy diets, with 5,745,498 interactions. The top 10 buzzwords included body, health, nutrition, snacks and deliciousness. The purpose of this study was to explore how health-conscious individuals engage with the concept of healthy eating through social media platforms.

Key words cloud for healthy eating on social media platforms from June to August 2022 (Chinese only)

Weibo 01 | The battleground for healthy eating brands

Due to its large number of posts related to healthy eating, Weibo has become a platform on which brands must compete for marketing opportunities. In August, Caltrate collaborated with renowned sports blogger Black Cat's Black to launch the new QQ Cow's Milk Calcium Gummies, which garnered a very impressive 100,000+ interactions. Recently, there has been a growing interest among the younger generation in functional gummies. This new, easy-to-use calcium supplement satisfies the desire for "fun" snacking, while retaining the "deliciousness" that people find difficult to give up when trying to eat healthily . 

WeChat 02 | Healthy eating guidelines for children

During the summer holidays, the WeChat articles that mention healthy eating the most are notices from schools. Children have always been viewed as the future of the country and a source of hope for the family. According to school recommendations, a healthy diet should include plenty of fresh vegetables, fruits, soybeans, dairy, and cereals, rather than foods that are high in oil, salt, or sugar. The importance of drinking enough water and avoiding sugary drinks is also repeatedly emphasised. Consequently, it's no surprise that many beverage brands label their products as "0 calories and 0 sugar".

RED 03 | Appetising weight loss meals with balanced nutrition

The daily fat-loss meal on RED is one of the most intuitive ways to find inspiration for a healthy diet. Nowadays, fat-loss meals are no longer simply low-calorie boiled dishes but are balanced based on nutritional components. Oats, buckwheat, and quinoa are the most common staple foods. Chicken breast, shrimp, and salmon are among the best sources of protein. In terms of vitamins and fibre, the main choices are fruits, vegetables, and fermented milk. When people talk about healthy fats, they usually mention almonds, nuts, and chickpeas.

June - August 2022 RED Word Cloud (Chinese only)

With 200 million monthly active users, 70% of whom are female, keywords such as “goals”, “0 calories”, “diet”, “weight”, and “habit” dominate the RED word cloud. These findings confirm the traits of its core users - Generation Z - who value personal appearance and are keen to keep track of their daily activity.

Daily fat-loss meal

Bilibili 04 | Effective fitness classes combined with Mukbang

Fitness bloggers promote sustainable, healthy lifestyles today, where people exercise and still eat plenty. Bloggers sell fitness training programmes and work with nutritionists to change people's views on diet. With over three million followers, Ouyang Chunxiao Aurora hosts online fitness classes with interactive lucky draws, attracting nearly 30,000 participants.

After a period of healthy eating, people naturally fall into the mindset of "cause and effect/you are what you eat". Audiences also enjoy Mukbang videos in the healthy eating category. A video of fried chicken with cheese sauce, uploaded by Russian food vlogger Sergey, has also received 100,000+ interactions, proving that cheat meals can be part of a healthy diet.

Douyin 05 | Healthy diets recommended by nutritionists and doctors

A science popularisation platform for nutritionists and doctors, Douyin's healthy diet content includes popular science videos created by doctors, as well as the usual community cooking shows. For example, Dr Wang, a cardiovascular doctor with eight million followers, has gained a lot of popularity on Douyin. With more than 100,000 video interactions and more than 80 live streams this year, Dr Wang has established himself as a leader in the field of nutritional science. This new type of media physician is more skilled in traffic generation than the average person and is supported by the Chinese Medical Association and CCTV. In addition to learning how to eat healthily in a systematic way, people can also use the platform to gain scientific information.

Users from different age groups and genders have slightly different concerns about healthy eating across these five social media platforms. For consumers, Weibo is the first step in developing an interest in healthy eating products. Therefore, Weibo is typically used by brands to showcase their brand voice. Based primarily on a social network of acquaintances, WeChat connects with the whole family. RED's young users demonstrate an obsession with appearance, reflecting the extensive market for healthy diet-related products. By using Bilibili's Professional User Generated Content (PUGC), users can gain a deeper understanding of certain products. KOLs on Douyin with a large following continue to use live streaming and short videos to retain users.

Of course, different people may prefer different social media platforms. However, their enthusiasm for health is just as strong. No one wants to pay the cost of bad decisions during an economic downturn. Selecting the right distribution platform for healthy diet products can increase brand premiums, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. Understanding the characteristics of different distribution platforms can help to accomplish these goals.  A key step in influencing consumers' purchasing decisions is communicating with them before selling on major e-commerce platforms.