Marketing-industry term coined as a foil to KOL ('Key Opinion Leader' = celebrity influencer). A KOC is an ordinary consumer — small follower count, but trusted within a peer group — whose Xiaohongshu posts or Douyin reviews drive grassroots conversion. Brands run
投放 campaigns mixing big KOLs (reach) and many KOCs (credibility). The concept exploded in Chinese marketing around 2019 with the rise of
小红书 种草.
