Cao Ruian: From Blue Moon's "Defeat" to a 4-billion-dollar domestic giant, he brought in Beckham with a letter

Ask AI · How did Cao Ruian’s email impress Beckham to pay attention to children’s oral health?

Source: Zhenghe Island (ID: zhenghedao)

Hello friends, today I would like to introduce a Guangdong entrepreneur—Cao Ruian, co-founder and CEO of Weimeizi, who has been in Zhenghe Island for 10 years.

Many people may not have heard of his name, but they must have used his company’s products—Shuke toothpaste.

To have Beckham endorse the brand is a testament to this Guangdong man’s tenacity.

Before starting his business, Cao Ruian worked at Blue Moon for 6 years, eventually becoming the sales director. In 1998, a product he led did not meet expectations, and “felt very guilty, had no choice but to leave the company.” After that, he started two businesses, both of which failed.

In 2006, he teamed up with partners and entered the oral care market with over 500,000 yuan. At that time, Colgate, Crest, and Black were dominating the market. Cao Ruian was determined to position Shuke as “professional high-end oral care.”

The wildest move was hiring Beckham as the spokesperson. In 2011, Shuke’s annual sales had just surpassed 100 million, and the team made a “fantastical” decision. The advertising agency struggled for three months and concluded that international superstars would never endorse a small Chinese brand.

Cao Ruian was undeterred and personally wrote an email: “There are still 60 million children in China who do not brush their teeth, and I hope your kindness can help them.” The next day, he received a reply: we can talk. This was Beckham’s first endorsement of a Chinese brand.

The money spent was worth it.

Today, Weimeizi has grown into a 4 billion yuan enterprise, leading the national market in children’s oral care.

In the past two years, he has turned his attention to AI.

Cao Ruian recognized early on that the consumer base is becoming younger and industry competition is evolving; relying solely on product functionality is no longer sufficient. His judgment is that the key to future oral care will be to truly integrate “medicine + daily care + consumer insights.”

Starting in 2023, Weimeizi has fully embraced AI: using AI to capture user needs and using AI customer service to streamline feedback channels.

By 2025, the Shuke G5 Pro smart electric toothbrush was recognized as a “digital innovation product,” and the company was rated as an “advanced unit in industry digital construction.” Cao Ruian’s logic is straightforward: if a toothbrush can connect to the internet and sense, then brushing teeth can truly improve.

Cao Ruian often says that Weimeizi’s mission is “to take the improvement of the oral health of the Chinese population as its own responsibility.” From “retreating” from Blue Moon to becoming a 4 billion yuan domestic giant, he has taken twenty years to prove one thing: those who do not give up will eventually win.

Have you used Shuke? Let’s discuss in the comments.