上春晚，豆包迎来微信红包时刻

Core Viewpoint - ByteDance's Doubao has secured its position as the exclusive AI cloud partner for the 2026 Spring Festival Gala, indicating its growing influence in the AI application market and its strategic importance in engaging users through interactive AI features [2]. Group 1: Historical Context of AI Applications in Spring Festival Gala - In 2015, WeChat introduced the "Shake to Grab Red Packets" feature during the Spring Festival Gala, resulting in 10.1 billion total red packets sent and received, and adding 100 million new bank card users overnight [3]. - In 2016, Alibaba's Alipay launched the "Collect Five Blessings" campaign, spending 269 million yuan to enhance its market share and establish a new tradition of collecting blessings during the New Year [3]. - The year 2017 saw a pause in the red packet competition, with no new internet interactive partnerships, marking a period of adjustment for major players [3]. - In 2018, Taobao re-ignited the competition by distributing over 1 billion yuan in cash red packets and integrating shopping with the Spring Festival Gala, significantly boosting its user base [4]. - In 2019, Baidu spent 900 million yuan on red packets, aiming to promote its payment services, although its impact was limited compared to other platforms [5]. - In 2020, Kuaishou became the first non-BAT partner, distributing 1 billion yuan in red packets and introducing a video-like feature, marking its entry into mainstream visibility [5]. - In 2021, Douyin issued 2 billion yuan in red packets, achieving 703 billion interactions and solidifying its position in the short video market [6]. - In 2022, JD.com returned as a partner, offering 1.5 billion yuan in red packets and emphasizing its low-price strategy amid fierce competition [6]. - By 2023, the trend of cash red packets diminished, with major platforms focusing on refined operations rather than large-scale giveaways [6]. Group 2: Doubao's Competitive Landscape and Strategy - In 2025, Doubao faced significant competition from DeepSeek, which achieved 40 million downloads in less than a month, while Doubao only gained 5.7 million downloads during the same period [9]. - ByteDance responded by enhancing Doubao's capabilities, launching version 1.6, which surpassed DeepSeek in technical assessments, achieving a score of 68.04 compared to DeepSeek's 66.15 [10]. - Doubao's cost efficiency improved significantly, reducing the comprehensive cost of its deep thinking capabilities by 63%, making it more attractive to developers [10]. - The marketing strategy shifted towards community engagement, targeting the college demographic and capturing approximately 48 million students through campus initiatives [11]. - By November 2025, Doubao's monthly active users reached 172 million, while DeepSeek's declined to 144 million, marking a decisive shift in market leadership [13].