If the rise of the “Crying Horse” revealed consumers’ pursuit of “emotional value,” another phenomenal event at the start of 2026—the “Daidi Pig Slaughter”—touched upon an even deeper, scarcer emotional nerve of our time: a sense of belonging and human connection. This nationwide pilgrimage, sparked by two pigs, not only made an ordinary rural girl an accidental celebrity but also taught us in B2B manufacturing, especially in the máy móc đóng gói industry, a mandatory lesson on authenticity.
How a Pig-Slaughtering Feast Became a National Quest for “Nostalgia”
The story unfolded in a typical rural village in inland China. As the Lunar New Year approached, the tradition of slaughtering pigs for the festivities—a ritual deeply embedded in the cultural DNA as the “flavor of the year”—was underway. A young woman named “Daidi,” the only child in her family, found that her aging parents couldn’t handle the large pigs. She posted a video online asking for help.
Her request was simple, unadorned, and endearingly naive:
- “I’m looking for people to help hold down the pigs. I’ll provide all the food you can eat.” — This reflects the purest spirit of rural hospitality and sharing.
- “I hope a lot of people come, with cars lining up from my door. More cars than at my wedding.” — This reveals a daughter’s simple wish to create a lively, proud moment for her parents.
She casually attached her home’s location. The next morning, the road from her house to the village entrance was already packed with cars from all over the country, with more people still on their way. A simple family request quickly snowballed into a public event, drawing over 3,000 people and more than 100,000 viewers on livestreams.
The number of pigs increased from two to eight. The local tourism bureau and police department worked overnight to maintain order and welcome guests. A rural tourism campaign that local governments had struggled to promote for years was effortlessly ignited by two pigs and the promise of “all you can eat.”
In this story, there was no elegant prose, no exquisite design, no complex marketing funnel. What defeated all tactics was, simply, authenticity.
Behind the Virality: What Are People Really Chasing?
Why did such a “provincial” event trigger such a massive emotional resonance? Beyond the few who came for livestream traffic, the deeper reasons are worth profound reflection from every one of us, especially marketers.
People weren’t flocking to Daidi’s feast; they were flocking to a childhood they can’t return to and a sense of “home” that is fading away.
In modern society, countless individuals live a monotonous two-point existence, leaving their hometowns for a livelihood in concrete jungles where they may not even know their neighbors. They bear immense pressure, while the “flavor of the year” back home—the lively scenes of slaughtering pigs and sheep, the curling smoke from kitchen chimneys, the house full of relatives and neighbors—is gradually disappearing with urbanization.
Daidi’s video, like a key, instantly unlocked a warm memory box of “home” in countless hearts. People drove hundreds of miles to a strange village not for a meal, but to re-experience that long-lost, unconditional, vibrant sense of community and belonging. They were searching for their lost childhoods, voting with their actions for a deep-seated longing for “home.”
Lessons for the Packaging Machinery Industry: We Sell Machines, but We Also Sell “Human Connection”
Is this story distant from our B2B industry? Not at all. Our customers—factory owners, production managers, procurement heads—are also members of this high-pressure society, facing multiple stresses from performance, cost, and efficiency. Can our marketing also break free from the cold recitation of technical parameters and inject a dose of “human connection”?
Lesson 1: Authenticity is the Ultimate Killer App
We are accustomed to packaging ourselves with grand, empty words like “industry-leading,” “technological breakthrough,” and “efficient empowerment.” But Daidi’s success shows that a simple “I’ll provide the food” can be more moving than a thousand invitations to “grace us with your presence.” What does authenticity mean in B2B marketing?
- No Empty Talk: Instead of saying our cân nhiều đầu is “extremely accurate,” show a video of it handling a customer’s most troublesome sticky material, displaying the out-of-tolerance rate and product loss data over 24 hours.
- Dare to Say “We Can’t”: When a customer’s needs exceed the capabilities of our current Máy VFFS, honestly telling them, “We can’t do that, but our competitor’s equipment might be a better fit,” will earn more long-term respect and trust than overpromising and under-delivering.
- Communicate Like a Friend: Can our sales and technical support act like old friends, genuinely caring about the customer’s production challenges, rather than just trying to sell a piece of thiết bị đóng gói?
Lesson 2: From Solving Functional Pain Points to Fulfilling Emotional Needs
Daidi’s video fulfilled an emotional need for “home.” Similarly, an excellent piece of máy móc đóng gói, beyond solving production efficiency (a functional pain point), can also fulfill a customer’s emotional needs.
- “Peace of Mind”: A stable automated packaging solution that never breaks down gives a production manager the emotional satisfaction of “finally getting a good night’s sleep.”
- “Sense of Control”: Equipment that is easy to operate and quick to change over gives an operator the confidence and sense of control of “I can easily master this.”
- “Sense of Accomplishment”: A packaging solution that helps a customer significantly reduce waste and increase profits gives a factory owner the immense satisfaction of “I made the right decision.”
Does our marketing content tell these stories about “people”? Do we show how our equipment makes our customers’ jobs “easier, more dignified, and more fulfilling”?
Lesson 3: Build a “Community,” Not Just a “Customer List”
Daidi unintentionally created a temporary, benevolent community. In the B2B world, we can also build a community around our brand.
- Organize Online Sharing Sessions: Invite our existing customers to share their experiences using our equipment to solve specific problems. Let customers teach customers.
- Create Technical Exchange Groups: Provide a platform for technicians who use our equipment to communicate, ask questions, and even “vent” at any time.
- Host Offline Events: Instead of cold trade shows, host events like the “pig-slaughtering feast.” Invite core customers to the factory, not to sell, but to make friends, talk about the industry, and discuss the future.
Conclusion: Be a “Warm” Brand in a Cold Business World
From the “Crying Horse” to the “Daidai Pig Slaughter,” the beginning of 2026 constantly reminds us: technology and products can be imitated, but authenticity and emotional connection cannot be copied. In a world increasingly dominated by algorithms and AI, the human craving for warmth, belonging, and sincerity will become the most powerful commercial trigger.
For us as máy móc đóng gói manufacturers, this means that in addition to constantly refining our products, we need to craft our brand’s “personality carefully.” Let’s strive to be a brand that is not only technologically advanced but also warmer, more understanding of its customers, and more human. Ultimately, people will always choose a partner who makes them feel better and more secure.
“Leave the machinery to us, and you focus on what matters. We don’t just solve technical problems—we understand your pressure, your expectations, and the responsibility behind every sleepless night.”