Li Ziqi's Intangible Cultural Heritage IP Relaunch and Brand Collaboration Monetization

📌 Background

After a three-year hiatus, Li Ziqi made a comeback at the end of 2024, garnering over 14 million views within an hour of her video release. She subsequently reclaimed multiple trademarks and returned to the top tier of influencers. However, media reports generally point out that her commercialization path remains underdeveloped, with balancing content and commerce being the core challenge. By 2026, the 'Guochao' (China-chic) and intangible cultural heritage consumption trends continue to heat up, making collaborations between traditional cultural IPs and brands a key direction for individual creator monetization.

👤 Target Customers

Target customers include traditional culture enthusiasts, Li Ziqi fans, and companies looking to enhance their brand image through cultural IPs; actual payers are the collaborating brands and consumers purchasing co-branded products and merchandise.

💰 Revenue Streams

1) Brand collaboration licensing fees and sales revenue sharing; 2) Online sales of private-label food and cultural/creative products; 3) Platform content playback revenue sharing and advertising placement income.

🧮 Cost Structure

Content production costs (team personnel, equipment, location), IP operation and legal protection costs, supply chain and OEM manufacturing costs, and e-commerce channel and customer service costs.

🛡️ Moat

Cultural barriers and aesthetic recognition derived from deep intangible cultural heritage content creation, the scarcity of the personal IP and long-term accumulated global fan trust, and control over independent trademarks and brand assets.

🔑 Keys to Success

• Maintain high-quality content update frequency to avoid diluting IP value through over-commercialization
• Select collaborating brands with compatible tonality and strengthen supply chain quality management
• Improve trademark and copyright layout to prevent intellectual property disputes

⚠️ Risks

• Over-commercialization triggering fan backlash and negative public opinion
• Quality issues with OEM products tarnishing the reputation of the personal IP
• Historical issues such as trademark disputes and equity conflicts potentially interfering with operations again

🏢 Cases

• After her comeback, Li Ziqi reclaimed her trademarks and resumed content updates, quickly returning to the top of the internet traffic charts.
• Following the settlement of equity disputes with her former partner Weinian, Li Ziqi regained control of her IP, though restarting commercialization still faces challenges.

📊 SWOT Analysis