Abstract
OBJECTIVE: Bubble tea is known to have adverse health impacts due to its high sugar content. However, the influence of digital marketing on its consumption, especially among young people, remains unclear. This study aimed to describe the digital marketing strategies of Chinese bubble tea brands. DESIGN: A content analysis of all marketing posts made by the top three Chinese bubble tea brands (by market share) - XIXUE, HEYTEA and NAYUKI - on Bilibili between 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023. SETTING: Bilibili, a popular social media platform among Chinese young people, in 2023. PARTICIPANTS: Not applicable. RESULTS: Branding is central to the digital marketing strategies of bubble team brands, with the majority of posts using brand logos (99 %), branded effects (80·1 %) and branded characters (63 %), including children's characters (19 %). Marketing strategies promoting user interaction were also common, reflected in the frequent use of hashtag campaigns (63 %), general engagement strategies (43 %) and competitions (10 %). Cultural elements that are integrated into the marketing message to resonate with the audience's cultural identity were present in 47 % of posts. CONCLUSIONS: Bubble tea brands are using a range of digital marketing strategies to engage consumers and build brand presence in the competitive bubble tea market in China. Measures to protect young consumers from the exposure of such marketing should be considered as a way of improving population diets and reducing excess weight gain.