The Impact of ‘Grassroots Seeding’ Marketing on Brand Word-of-Mouth Communication: An Exploratory Study Based on Cases and Descriptive Data from Xiaohongshu

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_17How to use a DOI?

Keywords

User-generated Content; Grassroots Seeding; Word-of-mouth Communication; Process Tracing; Xiaohongshu

Abstract

Within the context of User-generated Content (UGC), grassroots seeding by consumers has emerged as a major influencer for brand Word-of-mouth (WOM) communication. As a marketing practice marked by authenticity and relatability, grassroots seeding differs substantially from more traditional influencer marketing, particularly in terms of its reliance on non-professional consumers for authenticity and influence. Yet, very little is currently understood about the process through which grassroots seeding occurs, and most literature treats the process itself like a ‘black box’ rather than examining the process through which influence occurs. Within the context of addressing these gaps in current literature and understanding, the present research will examine the process through which grassroots seeding occurs through an in-depth examination of the Xiaohongshu platform and through a mixed-methods research design focusing on comparative case studies and quantitative data collection and analysis. Through a systematic application of the process-tracing methodology to the success stories of Florasis, a cosmetic brand, and Wang Bao Bao, a food brand, the present research will illustrate the dynamic process through which grassroots seeding occurs and how it leads to the diffusion and spread of WOM communication. Through a survey conducted on 203 active users on the Xiaohongshu platform, the present research will also illustrate a better understanding of the context and process through which grassroots seeding occurs and how it is understood by consumers. Through a nuanced process-tracing methodology, a coherent three-stage process through which grassroots seeding occurs will also be illustrated.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Shien Tu
AU  - Yirui Wang
AU  - Jiahui Zhou
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/04
TI  - The Impact of ‘Grassroots Seeding’ Marketing on Brand Word-of-Mouth Communication: An Exploratory Study Based on Cases and Descriptive Data from Xiaohongshu
BT  - Proceedings of the 2026 3rd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2026)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 149
EP  - 160
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_17
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-609-3_17
ID  - Tu2026
ER  -