Post-Crisis High Exposure: How It Shapes Public Opinion and Commercial Value

This article is part of a series analyzing Ziyu’s crisis communication strategy. [Read the introduction here.]

Introduction

Ziyu, a Chinese actor and singer, rose to fame in June 2025 after starring in the web drama Revenged Love. Soon after, in July, he faced a wave of public controversy.

Normally, when celebrities encounter such crises, the common strategy is to reduce exposure—fade from the spotlight for a while, and return later when the situation cools down. Ziyu, however, took the opposite path. From June through August, instead of reducing his visibility, he maintained an unusually high frequency of exposure: stage performances, events, new music, short videos—new content was released at least every two or three days, and at times even several new appearances within a single day.

This was not just “riding the wave of attention.” It looked more like a deliberate rhythm of content distribution. The question is: what logic drives this high-exposure strategy? And what can brands learn from it?

I. The Role of Frequency: From “Event Memory” to “Presence Habit”

For public figures, the biggest risk after a crisis is being remembered only for the controversy.
Ziyu’s team countered this by layering high-density content, quickly covering the timeline so he remained continuously present.
Key aspects of this strategy include:

• Timing
  Instead of “going silent,” they added new content immediately after the crisis, shifting the narrative from “the incident” to “he’s still here.”
• Content variety
  Not just reactive statements, but a wide spread: stage shows, photoshoots, new songs, Vlogs—each reaching different audience groups.
• Multi-platform presence
  Exposure wasn’t limited to a single platform. From Rednote (Xiaohongshu) to Weibo to short-video apps, his content appeared across touchpoints.

The focus wasn’t on explaining the crisis, but on building a habit for users: he is still an active, present figure.

II. Why Accelerate Instead of Pull Back After a Crisis?

• Lowering resistance
  In a fast-shifting attention economy, stable visibility helps dilute controversy.
• Preventing empty space
  If you don’t fill the gap, second-hand rumors or negative narratives will.
• Maintaining commercial value
  Brands and partners need visible, active figures. High-frequency appearances signal reliability and continuity.

III. What Brands Can Learn

This isn’t just an entertainment industry tactic. For brands, the post-crisis question is also about how to use content distribution to manage public attention.

• Avoid long gaps
  Even if core campaigns pause, maintain a basic presence.
• Diversify formats
  Spread across formats to prevent focus on a single weak spot and reduce concentration of negativity.
• Multi-platform strategy
  Ensure your presence across channels so no single narrative dominates.

Conclusion

Ziyu’s case in the summer of 2025 shows that high exposure after a crisis isn’t necessarily a reckless move. It can be a deliberate form of content rhythm management.

For brands, the real question after a crisis isn’t whether to keep showing up, but how.
The ability to maintain a steady, diverse presence—diluting controversy and re-establishing habitual visibility—can determine whether value is restored or permanently diminished.

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