Recently, Zuliz elderly shoes have introduced a cute “meow star” as their new spokesperson, breaking the traditional model of collaborating with stars like Zhang Kaili, Lang Ping, and Phoenix Legend. In the current trend of the consumer goods industry focusing on celebrity endorsements and anime IPs, this seemingly unconventional marketing move is actually a deep deconstruction of the consumption logic in China’s aging society. When the “silver economy” meets the “cat owner economy,” and when functional needs evolve into emotional companionship, Zuliz is reshaping the narrative value of elderly products with the “cat philosophy.”

  • Reconstructing Consumer Groups: The Dual Journey of Silver Hair Needs and Cat Owner Economy.

In Zuliz’s latest safety shoe promotional video, a group of cute cats make a fashionable appearance, walking in a model-like way, with their furry paw pads in perfect harmony with the non-slip shoe soles. This innovative attempt stems from the brand’s keen insight into consumer groups: as a professional elderly shoe brand, while Zuliz’s core users are aged 60 and above, 70% of young consumers have become the main gift-givers on online platforms. These “post-80s,” “post-90s,” and “post-00s” generations are not only the payers of the “silver economy” but also the main force in the “cat owner economy” – as shown in the “2025 China Pet Industry White Paper,” China’s pet market has exceeded 500 billion yuan, with young people leading the consumption trends in the pet economy.

Zuliz has captured the emotional projection of young people self-deprecatingly calling themselves “cat owners,” leveraging the cat’s “healing” and “social attributes” to resonate with the younger generation. Through emojis, short videos, and emotional bonds, the brand has successfully triggered shared sentiments among the youth. As one brand expert pointed out, this is a classic example of “breaking the circle marketing,” cleverly linking the functional needs of the elderly with the emotional needs of the younger generation through pet IPs.

Biomimetic Technology Decoded: From “Cat Paw Pads” to the Technical Implementation of the “Six-fold Anti-fall System”

In the research center of Zuliz, senior designer Lai Huifen leads her team to meticulously analyze the landing posture of cats, focusing on the study of feline dynamic balance mechanisms. With over a decade of experience in the field of elderly shoe development, this senior designer captures the subtle moments of cats landing with high-speed cameras. When a cat falls from a height, its spine flexibly twists like a spring, adjusting the angles of its limbs at millisecond speed, eventually landing in a stable triangular support posture. The designer team translates this dynamic balance mechanism into their product design language. Lai Huifen proudly states, “Drawing inspiration from the dynamic balance of cats, we ensure that technology truly serves the safety of the elderly, making it a truly fulfilling moment for our R&D team.”

The design team ultimately crafted the “Black Technology Safety Shoe” with a six-fold anti-fall system: the X Ultra-Stable Chip mimics the skeletal structure of a cat’s paw, maintaining dynamic balance based on walking posture; the stable foot platform draws inspiration from the paw pad texture of a cat, finding the optimal balance point between slip resistance and shock absorption… These technologies are not mere imitations of form but are built upon Zuliz’s foundation of 527 professional elderly shoe patents – from the development of specialized shoe lasts to the application of smart wearable technology, the brand has spent a decade constructing a comprehensive technological barrier.

Of particular note, Zuliz deeply integrates technological development with philanthropic actions. For every pair of “Black Technology Safety Shoes” sold, the brand donates 5 yuan to the China Aging Development Foundation, aiming to improve the quality of life for elderly people in rural areas. This “technology + philanthropy” model not only enhances the social value of the product but also strengthens the brand’s image of “business for good.”

Elevating Emotional Value: From Functional Products to Symbolic Reconstruction of Intergenerational Companionship

Since 2024, after Zuliz founder Zhang Jingkang proposed the dual-category strategy of “elderly shoes + gifts for elders,” the brand has been committed to turning its products into emotional connectors. The choice of a cat as a spokesperson in this instance aligns with this strategy – cats serve as emotional projections for young people as pets while meeting the companionship needs of the elderly, conveying the concept that “Zuliz is not just shoes but a companion in life.”

From “professional elderly shoes” to “respectful Zuliz for elders,” the brand is transitioning from a functional orientation to an emotional orientation, aligning with the upgrading of commercial logic: as the market matures, the competition core shifts from “functional value for money” to “emotional premium capacity.”

Zuliz’s “cute cat endorsement” is essentially a balancing act: finding a pivot point between functionality and emotion, the silver economy and young consumers, traditional manufacturing and technological innovation. This precise insight into consumer trends is redefining the value boundaries of elderly products with the “cat aesthetic,” offering a replicable innovative paradigm for the future development of the silver economy.