73When it comes to“personal IP driving brand success,” many people think of the story of Dong Yuhui and Oriental Selection, but there is also such a figure in the Tuke field.
He is none other thanTony from LC SIGN, a young man in his twenties from Guangzhou.
He may be little known in China, but onTikTokhe is extremely popular, not only with millions of followers, but also leading a traditionalLED sign factory to achieve a Tuke turnaround.
Across all platforms, the brand has over8 million followers, individual posts get millions of likes, and single videos reach up to tens of millions of views—this isLC SIGN, the Tuke report card of a Chinese sign factory.(Data is roughly estimated, actual figures subject to official sources)
Image source:TikTok
01
Foreign Trade Turnaround: The Story from Zero to Millions of Followers
The story of the LC SIGN brand began in 2011, when it was just a traditional factory in Baiyun District, Guangzhou, making LED signs for overseas clients, mainly focusing on B2B customization, with products covering commercial signage and outdoor advertising.
However, as market competition intensified, around 2022, the company saw a decline in orders, and simply relying on the traditional e-commerce “waiting for customers” model was no longer effective.
In an interview with CCTV.com, the company’s manager admitted that customer acquisition costs were rising, but customer accuracy was dropping.
Image source: CCTV.com
It was this crisis that prompted the LCSIGN brand to turn to an innovative path.
At the beginning of 2023,the company supported employee Zhuyu (later known asTony) in forming a new media team, opening an account onTikTok. At first, they used the “clumsy method” of trial and error: shooting 30-50 videos daily, distributing them across multiple accounts to test user feedback, and then optimizing the content direction.
Gradually, the videos evolved from simple product introductions to hosts appearing on camera, incorporating various English accents and trending topics. The first viral video received over 4,000 likes, marking the brand’s first step in breaking out of its niche.
Image source: CCTV.com
02
TikTokThe Traffic Code of Abstract Marketing
To older generations in China, the LC SIGN brand and Tony’s abstractvideos might seem like“embarrassing antics taken abroad,” butthis seemingly simple content actually reflects a grasp of the traffic trends on new social media platforms.
OnTikTok,Tonyand his team’s content style is distinctive—each video opens with a few seconds of a controversial trending clip, thenTony appears with an exaggerated, dramatic reaction,instantly grabbing the audience’s attention.
Image source:TikTok
For example, in May this year, they released a promotional video with 22.1 million views, starting with a woman complaining that her husband doesn’t cook dinner, quickly cutting to Tony’s sharp commentary, and then a rapid pitch explaining the product’s selling points before viewers can react.
Image source:TikTok
The key to these videos breaking out is their timely and sensitive capture of consumers’ need for emotional release and the resonance of cultural symbols.
Of course,Tony’s team doesn’t just blindly follow trends; they have a unique selection mechanism for content topics.
According to online sources, their inspiration mainly comes from theTikTok Trending list, systematically filtering topics so that their content resonates with the platform’s most active cultural pulse.
Image source:TikTok
This video model has proven very effective.According to Echotik data, so farLC SIGN brandofficial account@lcsign_lightbox has gained nearly 2.3 million followers, with an average video view count of 32,000, showing steady growth.
Image source:Echotik
03
TikTokMatrix Strategy: From Single-Point Breakout to Systematic Traffic Coverage
After confirming the single-point breakout content direction,LC SIGN didn’t put all its hopes on one account, but quickly replicated the proven success model, building a TikTok account matrix with clear division of labor and collaborative operation.
The core of this strategy is the decentralized management of traffic and risk, as well as precise coverage of different niche markets.
Public information shows that its main accounts include “@lcsign_lightbox” with 2.3 million followers, “@lcsign_signfactory” with 1.5 million followers, and “@lcsign_led_signage” and “@factory_lcsign” with hundreds of thousands to over a million followers each.
Image source:TikTok
When launching new accounts,theyusually start by posting some ofTony’s viral videos to attract the first batch of followers and quickly gain attention. Once the account has a certain follower base, the corresponding operations staff step into the spotlight and begin shooting their own videos.
For example, the account @lcsign_ledsignfactory with 402,000 followers is run by Maisie, who shoots and promotes the videos. Some of the videos have exceeded 10,000 views, and overall traffic is relatively stable.
Image source:TikTok
04
Industry Trend: The New Narrative of Made in China
The success of the LC SIGN brand reflects the transformation of the image of Made in China in the global market.
In the past,“Made in China” was often equated with cheapness and OEM, but today, it is transforming into a new label of “flexible, fun, and understands me” through agile supply chains, personalized customization, and a keen sense of global pop culture.
Solid market data provides a broad stage for this transformation, onlinedatashows,in 2024 the global LED screen market size reached $7.516 billion, with a projected CAGR of 7% from 2023-2028, reaching $10.2 billion by 2028.
As China is a major LED manufacturing country, in 2023 LED lighting product exports reached $43.3 billion, accounting for 74% of total lighting exports, with North America accounting for 28%, making it the largest export destination.
In such a well-supplied track, the key to competition has long surpassed mere product specs and price. The real opportunity lies in finding differentiated ways to build deep connections with consumers amid homogenized competition.
Image source:trendforce
05
The Most Local is the Most Global
From Made in China to Chinese brands, this road is not easy, butLC SIGN has at least proved one thing: in the wave of globalization, the most local may well be the most global.
For many Chinese Tuke companies, overseas markets are neither unattainable shrines nor shortcuts to instant success. What is needed is a deep understanding of local culture, respect and investment in content creation, and the courage to tell old stories in new ways.
The success of LG SIGN has already pointed out a direction: today’s corporate Tuke can move from manufacturing Tuke and product Tuke to a new stage of brand Tuke.