Operating CIMCs: Building an ecosystem for digital publicity and platform governance at the grassroots level in China

China’s grassroots organizations have established an ecosystem of digital publicity and platform governance by operating county-level integrated media centers (CIMCs). Content marketing and “soft news” production methods have been integrated with commercial digital platforms. This enhances the visual appeal of products by using more suitable discourse expressions for younger generations. At the same time, efforts to “speak out” and “occupy” the Internet on digital platforms are regarded as a national power of platform governance. By highlighting local news, regional characteristics, and the production and life experiences of local people, and cooperating with public service departments, CIMCs integrate publicity, governance, and services. This study employed the fsQCA research method to analyze factors affecting the effectiveness of the grassroots publicity and governance ecosystem and their “interactive” relationship. The findings identify four driving modes of multiple governance actors, and content, platform, expression, and resource combinations, which are proposed to replace the persuasive publicity methods, mandatory review methods, and abstract dogmatic expressions of traditional media environments. This study expands the relevant theories of online platform content production methods, digital publicity, and digital platform governance.