# retention

Tencent Sprays RMB1bn in Red Packets to Force an AI Door — Can Yuanbao Repeat WeChat’s Coup?

Tencent’s Yuanbao launched a RMB1 billion red‑packet promotion that briefly flooded social networks and propelled the app to the top of China’s app charts. The campaign aims to replicate WeChat’s 2014 red‑packet playbook to seed Yuanbao as a mainstream AI assistant, but faces steeper challenges: lower natural frequency of AI usage, stronger competition, model quality concerns and the well‑documented difficulty of turning paid acquisition into long‑term retention.