The archive · PR & Stunts · Marketing decision · 2020
DingTalk turned bad reviews into a guichu song, topping Bilibili
Students one-starred DingTalk; it released a guichu begging song, turning crisis into entertainment.
DingTalk (钉钉)
What it had to solve
In February 2020, the Ministry of Education (教育部) called for 'suspending classes but not learning' (停课不停学), and DingTalk was selected as a live-streaming class platform. Students who did not want online classes flooded app stores to give retaliatory one-star ratings; the rating fell from over 4 to 1.5, putting the company's reputation in crisis.
How it works
In Feb 2020, DingTalk became the main live-class platform. Students rate-bombed app stores with creative one-star reviews; rating fell to 1.5, reaching Weibo hot search.
DingTalk posted a self-pitying image on Weibo, then released the guichu song on Bilibili, calling itself a child and begging for five stars.
The video got 40k Weibo reposts, 1.5M Bilibili plays, then 5.535M plays and No.1 ranking; ratings recovered to 2.5.
The response changed meaning of bad reviews into spectatorship; DingTalk was downloaded while scolded, becoming a pandemic winner and starting a trend.
Why it lands
- Choosing Bilibili and the anime-style guichu format precisely hit the platform and language system where the students giving bad reviews were located.
- Proactively reposting videos in which netizens roasted the brand, turning negative content into brand self-deprecating communication material.
- The official Weibo accounts of Alibaba's full product suite collectively acted cute in support, using ecosystem linkage to amplify the reach of a single account.
- Throughout the process, there were no bureaucratic statements or litigation threats, avoiding a negative image of confronting minors.
What it did
Weibo reposts exceeded 40,000 (most earlier Weibo reposts were in single digits), Bilibili plays exceeded 1.5 million, and the official account's followers grew to 70,000; within one week, plays reached 5.535 million and comments reached 69,000, taking the No. 1 spot on Bilibili's site-wide ranking, and app-store ratings recovered to around 2.5.
What you can take
Crisis PR should change context, not defend; self-deprecation dissolves hostility better than statements.
Since then
DingTalk deepened Bilibili content with guichu and memes, gaining attention. It released 2.0 to beg workers. Bad reviews persisted, but downloads and goodwill grew; 'begging for mercy' became a PR textbook case.
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