When I look back at the cities that have been on fire this year, I deeply feel that the world is a giant boomerang.
Three years ago, Li Xueqin became completely popular on "Talk Show Conference" because of the sentence "The end of the universe is Tieling".
At that time, everyone's mentality was to watch funny jokes, and onlookers Li Xueqin described herself as a talented woman from Peking University who was getting ahead outside, but in fact, she was particularly attached to her hometown Tieling, a sixth-tier small city
I'm out of love, my mother said go back to Tieling. The work is yellow, 'let's go back to Tieling'. Weibo has lost fans, 'Let's go back to Tieling'. ”
Now the boomerang flies back to 2023 and hits everyoneEveryone found out that "Li Xueqin", who was obsessed with the small town, was actually myself.
This year, many cities have been hailed as "spiritual hometowns of young people", and most of them are small cities such as Zibo and Mangshi, ......In Li Xueqin's words, "my dream Zibo can come true, I want wok cakes, mung bean cakes, small cakes and barbecue." Or some big cities at the level of volume, but what is out of the circle is the small life full of human feelings, such as the Northeast Morning Market, Tianjin Diving Uncle, and Qingdao "Chocolate Old Man".
In 2023, a year of recuperation, young people seem to have a special need for "hometown". Both physically and mentally, there is a special need for a place where fatigue can be stored, away from complex rules, and there is"Hometown gas".place.
In 2023, all those who can be popular are "small towns".The biggest difference from the past is that many of the popular trends that can become popular this year are de-refined and de-urbanized.
The "city" here does not refer to a specific big city in reality, but a kind of collective urban imagination of people. In the past few years, the "imagination of urban life" promoted on the Internet is that people aspire to become elite white-collar workers shuttling through high-rise office buildings, the business district is chasing new trends every month, and neighbors do not interfere with each other, which is a way of life that is constantly updated and non-acquaintances. This way of life may still be the urban template that countless people yearn for in the long run. But at least this year, when people were longing for solace and rest, it briefly lost to the "small town" style of life and the simple human touch.
This year, the small city represented by Zibo is closely related to people. According to the huge arithmetic index, Zibo's earliest appearance on the short ** platform originated from the "college students organized a group to eat barbecue in Zibo" in early March, and the local people's service enthusiasm gradually spread through social **. At the beginning of April, the anti-fake blogger Mrs. B went to Zibo to thoroughly evaluate 10 barbecue stalls and found that none of the shops were short of catties.
The boss who was evaluated in person was not only not angry, but also gave him sauces and secret recipes with a smile.
Mrs. B rated the atmosphere of the city as "coming here to consume is very comfortable, there is no psychological pressure, and there is no need to think about intrigue", which is the second time that Zibo has become popular.
After that, the well-known Zibo Cultural Tourism exchanged sincerity for sincerity, and it exploded on a large scale for the third time.
Before the May Day holiday this year, many small city cultural tourism and ordinary netizens worked together to attract tourists, and tried their best to invite tourists to their hometowns, one of which is a typical representative is Bengbu. At that time, it was just in time for the launch of the TV series "Long Moon Embers", and the people of Bengbu found that many of the settings in the play could find corresponding elements in their hometowns.
For example, the male protagonist is set to be a dragon, and the sculpture of the north-south boundary in Bengbu is exactly the shape of a dragon;The heroine is set to be a clam demon, and there happens to be a pearl statue in Bengbu.
At the beginning, the surfing speed of Bengbu Cultural Tourism was not fast, and it was still regularly releasing scenery promotional videos, and the anxious locals directly occupied the comment area and urged it. In the end, Bengbu Cultural Tourism urgently began to carry out relevant planningAt one o'clock in the morning, the linkage propaganda was released, and it was all cut overnight.
Netizens said that local delicacies can intuitively attract people's attention, so they cut crayfish and nail powder**. Locals say that showing more tourism facilities and benefits can attract tourists, and they quickly cut out the relevant content and post. 
What's even more touching is that there is a hint of emotion in the bloodThe citizens of Bengbu even took the initiative to launch a proposal for this purposeSpontaneously call for the regulation of the tourism market, lead by example, and refuse to rip off customers. Online cultural tourism and residents' spontaneous promotion of popularity, combined with various food tourism activities held offline in Bengbu and strict market supervision. The harvest brought by enthusiasm is that the tourism income of Bengbu City's "May Day" holiday is as high as 149.4 billion yuan, compared with 319 in 201966%。
In contrast to the explosion of small cities,This year, big cities are also popular because of their simple human touch. For example, Tianjin, as a municipality directly under the central government of China, has also become popular twice, once as a diving uncle and once as a pantou aunt.
The grandfathers shouted "survive for one minute, be happy for sixty seconds", and showed their diving skills one after another from the Haihe River Bridge in the wind.
Some uncles didn't plan to dive that week, but after hearing that the explosion attracted a large number of tourists**, they put on their swimming trunks and went out: "You can't let people come in vain." ”
After Pantou became popular, young girls experienced the treatment of female stars in the small storefronts in the streets and alleys of Tianjin. The aunt in charge of curling your hair will not count how much your hair is and how soft and hard your hair is like the hairdressers, but will only tell you that everything is okay in Sister Jié.
The customers and aunts waiting for the head of the plate next to them, just like the children who praised themselves for growing up, were full of praise for "the little girl is so good-looking". 
It's not the attractions that people are obsessed with.
It's "hometown gas".Whether it is a small city working together to attract tourists, or a big city finding another way to be on the hot search, they seem to be a tourism phenomenon, but behind it points to a common complex-This year, people seem to be particularly obsessed with a simple life that is simple and full of human touch, without barriers and requirements. A solace that is exclusive to one's hometown and that seems to always provide emotional value and a safe place to stay.
In every small city on fire, the essence of fire is not just a certain scenic spot or a certain food, but a way of life that can soothe people's hearts. Just like the Zibo travel tide, what touches people is not only the good quality and low price of the local barbecue itself, but also the simple, sincere, and seemingly peaceful life without wind and waves represented behind the barbecue.
There is a section filmed on the streets of Zibo and later spread widely, it is a scene where tourists from all over the world clink glasses with each other at the barbecue restaurant, the atmosphere is warm and harmonious, and finally cheers and begins to sing "Big Flower Sedan Chair" together. It doesn't look like a tour, but it looks like they're going home, back to the downstairs of the neighborhood where they come and go.
In the second half of the year, tourism in the Northeast exploded, and some bloggers shouted the slogan: "I will come to the Northeast every year in the future."Tohoku is my second home
Originally, this "second hometown" referred to the physical level, and the low prices in the Northeast made people want to stay. Here, the morning market sells steamed buns for 8 cents a piece, and you can eat it for 10 yuan, there are no bean sprouts in the meat dishes, and there is no ice under the mutton shabu.
Although the villagers in the Northeast hastened to explain that although the local prices are generally cheap, they are not so exaggerated. It still can't stop young people from seeing the Northeast as the place where their ultimate dream can be realized - even if the monthly salary is not high, they can live well.
Later, with the discussion of the concept of parenting in the Northeast, the Northeast became people's second hometown spiritually
It has the temperament to accommodate all the children who have returned home. Many parents in the Northeast often say a truth: "When a child goes out, he is promising, and staying in his hometown is filial piety." ”
Just like in "The World", Zhou Bingkun played by Lei Jiayin is the youngest child in the family with the weakest and most honest personality, and his brothers and sisters each have a sense of dedication to work hard outside and become the pride of the family, Zhou Bingkun is an exception, he has become the one who takes the most care for his family and takes care of his parents the most. In the Northeast, children seem to be fine, regardless of whether they have a chance to go home, the most down-to-earth cauldron and sauerkraut can soothe the anxiety of all homecoming wanderers.
Photo source: Pepsi 2024 "Bring Joy Home, Happiness in the World is Hometown" series of short films.
2023 is a year of rebirth and recovery, and people are preparing for the unknown future, and at the same time, they can't help but feel a little empty in the face of the unknown. In the longing for someone behind you to support the bottom and longing for a place to return to, everyone will naturally subconsciously look for and need a support like "hometown", and praise "hometown" as a hidden hot word of the year. Now that the end of the year is approaching, going home for the Spring Festival will have to be put on the agenda after a while, and many young people on social platforms no longer need to be "spiritual hometown" as a meal replacement, but put their emotions on their real hometown. I am ready to rely on the idea that I will be able to go home in a while to survive this busy year-end and New Year turn.
After experiencing this new year, people have become more and more aware of the simple truth that they have been talking about since childhoodThe best happiness in the world is hometown.
Hometown, that's where Pepsi isPeople who have a hometown to return to are like a kite with a string, no matter how far and high they fly, no matter how panicked, there will always be a place to rest in the end. When people think of their hometown, what comes to mind is often not a simple place name, but there are many specific scenes, which are like the teleportation point in the game, and as long as it is triggered, people will gain a sense of peace of mind in their hometown. For many, the trigger item for this peace of mind waypoint may be Pepsi that has been with you since childhood, always at the family reunion table, or in celebration scenes. At the juncture of 2023 and 2024, PepsiCo has prepared a gift full of memories and warmth for people who are particularly nostalgic for their hometown this year. Combining online interaction with offline activities, the theme of the launch is:The best happiness in the world is hometown. The Spring Festival is specially planned, focusing on the fun of the New Year in different regions, telling the story of the hometown, and sharing the comfort drawn from the hometown with the public. Relying on the theme of "Happiness in the World is Hometown", PepsiCo recently launched the "Bring Music Home" New Year trilogy, shooting hometown short films in Jingzhou, Jinhua and Jilin.
Photo source: Pepsi 2024 "Bring Music Home, Happiness in the World is Hometown" series of short filmsPepsi specially selected three warm images that can make people realize "going home" as soon as they appear - the local sounds spread all over the streets and alleys, the unique customs of the hometown, and the home-cooked food on the stove at home, building an emotional bridge for people to express their homesickness.
Seeing the neighbors who had known each other since childhood, greeting them in a local accent, he held up Pepsi, which he loved to drink since childhood, and comforted, "Drink Pepsi, it's okay."
At that moment, the pressure and anxiety from the outside world on my shoulders seemed to be instantly dispelled by the sense of peace and tranquility of my hometown.
Photo source Pepsi 2024 "Bring Music Home, Happiness in the World is Hometown" series of short films passed through the hometown streets that were not much different from those in memory, and at the end of the road, the father with a serious expression showed a relaxed smile the moment he saw the returning child, and took out the Pepsi can hidden behind him.
The moment when he put his hand on his father's shoulder truly represents "home".
Photo source: Pepsi 2024 "Bring Music Home, Happiness in the World is Hometown" series of short filmsYoung people have tasted many delicacies from the mountains and seas outside, and what they miss most at the end of the year will always be the bite that stands by the stove at home. Picking up a piece of meat from a dish that has not yet come out of the pot to taste it is a preference.
Photo source: Pepsi 2024 "Bring Music Home, Happiness in the World is Hometown" series of short films, these three scenes selected not only have the regional characteristics of Jingzhou, Jinhua, and Jilin, but also have the general warmth of hometown. Who doesn't remember a familiar grocery store or newsstand, and no road that ends at home?In addition to the online short films, Pepsi also focuses on the two cities of Foshan in Guangdong and Datong in Shanxi Province to create an immersive online experience space. Foshan and Datong are both cities with strong regional folk culture, PepsiCo adapts measures to local conditions, closely combines brand elements with regional traditional culture, and interprets the true meaning of "the best happiness in the world is hometown" while conveying the joy of their hometown culture, adding a festive and warm atmosphere and sense of ritual to the New Year.
Share and co-create this irreplaceable regional culture and hometown culture with local residents.
In November this year, Gatorade, a global leading sports drink brand under PepsiCo Group, held a folk basketball tournament at Gatorade's "Dream Chasing Home" in Shizhai County, Wangmo County, Guizhou Province, and at the same time performed the intangible cultural heritage culture of "eight-tone sitting and singing" full of local ethnic customs. While continuing the IP of "Gatorade Dream Stadium" and promoting national sports, it also empowers the dissemination and development of local culture. Pepsi has witnessed the customs and customs of different regions along the way, and felt the love for their hometowns with tens of millions of ordinary people, so they cherish the power of "hometown" even more.
At the beginning of next year, PepsiCo will also renovate the check-in space in Xi'an Datang Sleepless City, adding a touch of color to the brightly lit Datang Sleepless City, bringing people the experience of coexistence of tradition and novelty.
At the same time, PepsiCo will also launch a brand-themed creative lantern show in Chongqing Hongya Cave, integrating the new national tide atmosphere of Hongya Cave with elements such as Rui Beast and New Year's greetings, which can be described as a good place to gather and check in during the Spring Festival.
At present, the Pepsi Spring Festival Rui Beast Jar has also been launched, and the "Bring the Joy Home" New Year activity has been launched at the same time, adding a joyful and warm atmosphere to people and conveying the first good luck and joy of the New Year.
Once again, I wish you all Pepsi a new year. Bring the joy home, and hope that everyone can harvest the self-consistency and peace of mind they want in the new year.