3·15 Gala | "Medical Experts" Turned Out to Be Actors! "Private Domain Marketing" Exploits Seniors with 5x Profits

In late January 2026, a private-domain marketing industry internal exchange meeting held in a certain city in central China attracted over a hundred related companies. With the introduction of an insider in the industry, the reporter was able to enter the venue smoothly. At the exchange meeting, many company representatives took the stage to give speeches, looking for cooperation partners.

At the scene of the internal exchange meeting, the reporter learned that the so-called “online video production party” that gives stage presentations is a key link in the private-domain marketing industry. These “online video production parties” select and purchase products from pharmaceutical companies or health product companies. After that, they produce a series of videos such as health lectures based on the purchased medicines or health products—starting with as few as four or five episodes, and as many as several hundred. After the program production is completed, the “online video production party” packages the products and the programs to sell to private-domain marketing companies. Private-domain marketing companies then attract customers and generate leads through various methods, guiding consumers to watch courses in the private-domain scenarios on social platforms for product marketing.

As for the medicines and health products that the online video production party selects and purchases, their incoming costs are very low, but their external selling prices are extremely high.

Attendee: Mr. Jin: “When you add up this bottle, it’s less than 20 yuan. I directly adjusted the price to 1,198 yuan. After I put up the link, someone bought it right away.”

In the past year, the State Administration for Market Regulation launched a serious crackdown on the phenomena of cheating and deceiving the elderly in the private-domain space. To understand the latest situation in the private-domain marketing field right now, at this conference the reporter came into contact with an online video production party called “Great Red International,” which currently promotes a video in the private-domain space called “Life Code.” In the marketing materials sent by Liu, the manager of Great Red International, the reporter could clearly see that the product video’s first round of 20 episodes had already been completed; it had currently been updated to the 15th episode of the second round. The promoted product is an OTC medicine called “Huoyuantai Ganlutan Polysaccharide Peptide Oral Solution,” priced at 298 yuan per box, with a specification of 90 milliliters.

The materials introduce that “Life Code” is a course based on “the 21st century’s first therapy—cell regeneration therapy.” The materials state that by taking “Huoyuantai Ganlutan Polysaccharide Peptide Oral Solution,” patients suffering from multiple intractable illnesses can recover.

Cataracts, high blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack, cerebral infarction… these difficult and complicated conditions that modern medicine still finds hard to tackle—according to the expert in the “Life Code” video, patients only need to take “Huoyuantai,” and these intractable illnesses can be solved. Does this medicine really have such miraculous effects? The reporter searched on internet platforms and found the indications information for “Huoyuantai Ganlutan Polysaccharide Peptide Oral Solution,” which left people stunned.

Indications: For adjunctive treatment of immune function deficiency, recurrent respiratory tract infections, leukopenia and aplastic anemia, as well as tumors. Alleviate adverse reactions of radiation and chemotherapy on the hematopoietic system and gastrointestinal reactions.

The indications information for “Huoyuantai Ganlutan Polysaccharide Peptide Oral Solution” seriously does not match the efficacy that is extensively advertised in the “Life Code” video. What exactly is the value of this product? The reporter conducted further searches, but did not find any market quotation for the 90-milliliter specification of “Huoyuantai Ganlutan Polysaccharide Peptide Oral Solution.” However, another product manufactured by a different manufacturer, with the approved document number and drug national data code completely matching the 90-milliliter specification of “Huoyuantai Ganlutan Polysaccharide Peptide Oral Solution,” is “Ganlutan Polysaccharide Peptide Oral Solution (Anjia’an),” available in a 100-milliliter pack. Its market price is only 68 yuan.

A fairly ordinary adjunctive treatment drug was exaggerated, even tampered with in its basic effect, and then sold at a price nearly five times the market price. To find out the secret behind it, the reporter went to the office location of Great Red International, where Liu, the manager, was the one who received the reporter. Right at the start of the conversation, what Manager Liu brought up first was actually the “3·15” TV special.

Producer of the “Life Code” video, Liu, the manager of Great Red International: “If you’re going to do this, just wait until after the New Year—talk after the ‘3·15’ TV special. As for what kind of commotion or situation there will be with this year’s ‘3·15’ TV special, we don’t know. Our business—this ‘medicine circle’—the ‘3·15’ TV special is a trend indicator. Our private-domain channels belong to a gray area.”

Manager Liu emphasized to the reporter that, as a business that produces fake course lectures and sells medicines at inflated prices to cheat the elderly, during this period they should act discreetly—mainly to avoid attracting attention from the “3·15” TV special.

Producer of the “Life Code” video, Liu, the manager of Great Red International: “Recently everyone’s worried that after this year’s ‘3·15’ TV special, it might be exposed in private-domain group chats (private-domain). Actually, our industry can’t stand being investigated.”

In light of the soon-to-come “3·15” TV special, Manager Liu specifically explained her operating strategy. She did not recommend that the reporter launch online videos now. Besides the “3·15” TV special period, the Spring Festival is also not suitable for private-domain marketing.

Producer of the “Life Code” video, Liu, the manager of Great Red International: “If you’re going to move, just wait until after the ‘3·15’ TV special—because you still need to hit the timing. During the Chinese New Year, the kids are all at home. All the kids are not allowed to let their elders spend so much money buying these kinds of things.”

On a rack beside the office desk, various health products and medicines were displayed. Manager Liu explained that these are all products that their company previously promoted as the main focus in their online videos. To sell these ordinary products as “miracle medicines,” they really put in a lot of effort.

Manager Liu explained that behind every online video that deceives elderly consumers, there are professional planning companies that help the online video production party tailor “conning scripts” to order. To fully expose the complete scam scheme of private-domain marketing, through introductions from insiders, the reporter found Shengwei Culture & Media Co., Ltd. located in a certain city in Northeast China. The company’s负责人, Mr. Zhang, introduced to the reporter how to plan a “standard process” for a private-domain video online.

Mr. Zhong from Shengwei told the reporter that the most critical factor in whether a so-called online video can actually sell products is the “medical experts” in the video who talk at length and confidently.

Zhong, Shengwei Culture & Media Co., Ltd.: “Set up the teacher (an authoritative image). Once ordinary people trust the teacher, basically, whatever the teacher sells, ordinary people will follow and buy.”

Since experts are so crucial, then what kind of person can become the main lecturing teacher for these online videos?

Zhong, Shengwei Culture & Media Co., Ltd.: “In our eyes, the two most important words for the teacher are ‘actor.’ We write whatever ‘teacher’ you want, and the teacher just speaks it. This professionalism is given by the script. The teacher just needs to deliver it passionately and fluently. The teacher doesn’t need professional expertise—just be able to perform.”

Can identity be assigned however you want? Don’t look for doctors—look for actors? Don’t understand medicine—just read the script? Are those so-called experts in the video who carry titles like “national medicine disciple” and “Chinese medicine master” all actors specialized in acting?

Zhong, Shengwei Culture & Media Co., Ltd.: “It’s not like that anymore. Now the government regulates strictly, so it’s necessary for the teacher to have the identity of a doctor.”

Mr. Zhong from Shengwei admitted that in the past, most of the “experts” used in their videos were fakes. Now, with tighter supervision over the private-domain industry, for safety’s sake they began to look for medical personnel who hold practitioner doctor certificates and licensed pharmacist certificates to record programs. But those titles that sound impressive, according to the company, are still designed and packaged by the company.

Mr. Zhong told the reporter that these flashy titles—such as “national medicine disciple,” “association president,” and “expert committee member”—are almost all packaged props that can be bought with money. To verify the truth, the reporter visited multiple other online video production parties and planning companies, and the answers received were astonishingly consistent.

Liu, Aoying Culture & Media Co., Ltd.: “What the customer wants is the teacher’s authoritative identity. Can a truly authoritative teacher come do this? It’s all fake, it’s all骗人的.”

If online video production parties and planning companies are packaging fake “experts” so brazenly, are the medical personnel pushed to the front stage aware of this whole forgery scheme? The reporter asked to experience the process of recording online videos, so as to meet the lecturers and find out. But the other party said that because it’s close to the “3·15” TV special, recording work would only continue after the TV special.

Qin, Shua’ba Culture Communication Co., Ltd.: “Especially these days, it’s generally large customers. They control the direction and understand everything in all aspects. After the ‘3·15’ TV special, then you go plan and then go shoot.”

The reporter also, using the identity of an online video production party, managed to contact several so-called expert lecturers who record online videos. However, they were extremely cautious and refused the reporter’s request to meet in the near term.

Although all sides are strictly on guard against “3·15” reporters, “3·15” reporters did not give up. Through repeated efforts, they finally gained the trust of one “expert lecturer”—Ding Yuqiu—and the other party agreed to meet with the reporter.

Although in the online video, the ophthalmology expert Ding Yuqiu lectures convincingly, the reporter checked and found that Ding Yuqiu indeed holds a doctor’s practitioner license, but the certificate shows the scope of practice is in internal medicine, not ophthalmology. Then, how could an internal medicine doctor transform into an “ophthalmology authoritative expert” on the internet?

Online video lecturer Ding Yuqiu: “First, you need to have a doctor’s certificate. Second, you need to speak well. Don’t look at the ‘title.’ The ‘title’ can be solved by paying money. Find a place to pay an annual fee, join an association, and get me a vice-chairman position—then it’s that simple.”

The reporter later checked and verified on the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ “China Social Organizations Government Service Platform,” and did not find any registration or filing information for the “Chinese Physicians Association.” If consumers don’t go online and carefully check, they would never know that the “Chinese Physicians Association” that Ding Yuqiu mentioned is an institution that doesn’t exist.

(Editor: Wenjing)

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