Author | Chestnut (DoMarketing-marketing think tank special author), source | DoMarketing-marketing think tank (ID: Domarketing-001), unauthorized reproduction is prohibited.
In the past two days, H&M has resisted the series of public opinion storms caused by Xinjiang cotton, right?
H&M Group issued a statement on its official website stating that we do not cooperate with any garment manufacturing factories in Xinjiang, nor do we purchase products from this region. Raw materials.
screenshots of the statement
As usual, it is still given to people who don’t know the truth. Simply sort out the timeline of the event (you can search for details, as there have been many reports on the Internet).
As of noon yesterday when this article was written, H&M boycotted the Xinjiang cotton incident, roughly as shown below:
It is not difficult to find that the incident seemed to be a major brand public relations crisis for H&M, but it actually involved many parties. It can be said to be a layer of waves.
Yesterday’s hot searches on Weibo, except for advertisements, are basically the parties involved in this incident:
, and the reactions of each party are also particularly interesting. At this special node, it is worthwhile to analyze it separately.
The official media set the tone, and netizens angered and rationally resisted
H&M Group stated that the official media represented by CCTV News immediately set the tone of the matter-"H&M Group’s actions seem to be under the banner of safeguarding human rights. In fact, it is a serious violation of axiom and conscience, and the purpose is to destroy the development space of Chinese enterprises and laborers; claiming to follow the international market norms, in fact, eating Chinese food and smashing Chinese pots, face to face and back, no corporate social responsibility. China has The huge market and the more open attitude welcome all foreign companies to invest in China, but the bottom line is untouchable, and there is respect for trading.”
Compared with a serious and serious text reply, the official media has several stalked and informative. is a pun on the poster, which shows the country’s self-confidence and relaxation in the face of such incidents-precisely because we are strong, not only do we no longer have to pretend to be white rabbits, but we can defend ourselves legitimately and naturally. Legal rights, smile and tell the truth in a humorous and gentle way.
not only that, but the one-language pun poster language is also more suitable for the current network language expression environment. It sets the tone but does not limit the death. It can give the majority of netizens sufficient space for secondary creation, allowing the event to flow and spread among the people.
Compared with strictly banning foreign brands and supporting the hard intervention of domestic products, in brand events time and time again, the "bad thoughts" and "true positions" of foreign brands are gradually revealed, and the hard power of national brands is gradually displayed. Is an effective strategy.
Of course, this year's netizens are also very upbeat, showing a sober anger:
The first step is to make it clear that you have to draw a line with H&M. If you don't buy it, you are still arrogant.
The second step is to make a list, clarify all brands that have joined and support BCI (that is, a puppet organization that suspends Xinjiang cotton licensing standards and engages in affairs), and then boycotts them.
The third step is to continue to list, find alternative brands of domestic products with better quality and price, and complete the complete reshuffle of foreign brands in actual consumption. The effect is another way of saying, at least we have seen rational action.
Compared with the behavior of smashing goods to show resistance many years ago, this time can be described as an improvement visible to the naked eye.
The root of all this lies in the cultural self-confidence and consumer self-confidence brought about by the improvement of national strength and national self-confidence. Another important reason is the replacement of market consumers. Generation Z and post-00s are on the stage. Natural confidence in domestic products will become the best condition for the decline of foreign brands and the rise of domestic brands.
Whenever you use some Xinjiang cotton, it will not be such a bad H&M
. Let’s talk about H&M, which is deadly and may never get up again.
I believe that the first reaction of many people is "this is self-defeating? How can you make such a mindless operation, just want to withdraw from the Chinese market and just say it."
does not need to have much experience in market brand PR, but ordinary people who have lived on the land of China for a period of time will probably not do this.
But things happened so unexpectedly.
Here, we don't discuss the various reasons behind it too much. Talk about H&M's problems only from the logic of business, market, and brand.
Question 1. The quality of H&M products is really not good enough. Many clothes can't be worn after washing twice. It is commonplace to deform and pilling.
, as a resident guest of the 315 gala, from 2012 to 2015, a total of 30 H&M products were reported as unqualified. Due to quality problems, the number of apologies was flawless. To paraphrase the words of netizens in this incident, as long as you use some Xinjiang cotton, the quality will not be so bad. As we all know, in the classic marketing 4P theory, the product always ranks first, and value is the basis for the continued success of the transaction. Without good products as the foundation, channels, prices, and promotion will not bring the brand back to life, and will even accelerate its demise.
Question 2. Can’t embrace market changes and keep pace with the times. When
first entered the Chinese market in 2007, H&M, as a fast fashion brand, did meet the enthusiastic pursuit and fresh demand of white-collar workers in my country's first- and second-tier cities through the combination of multiple styles + fast + fashion + cheap. But the so-called essence of fashion is nothing more than plagiarism of big names, and then use the advantages of the supply chain to turn to the Chinese market to harvest early middle-class wallets.
Question 3. The most important point is that there is a problem with values.
discarded out-of-season stocks as garbage, and failed to assume the environmental responsibility that a large company should bear; selling Indian-style headdresses suspected of insulting the Indian ethnic group, openly racially discriminating; advertising promotes thinness is the way of fashion, causing body anxiety; daily Plagiarism, imitation and sweatshop... But on the other hand, they say one thing and do another, disregarding facts and discrediting others.
For contemporary consumers who have broken away from the basic functional value of products and pay more attention to brand spiritual consumption and self-symbolism, brand values are particularly important. The principle of starting from appearance, falling into talent, and being loyal to character is also applicable in the field of consumption. And character, that is, the values that have always been pursued in an attempt to build a personal brand. Brands that do not have the correct three views will die out in the market sooner or later.
, H&M, who was discovered and violently hammered, did not show a good student attitude of "make a mistake and be beaten obediently", but instead staged a drama of "refusing to admit mistakes" on the neck.
declares that he does not represent any political stance.
will not get any benefit in the Chinese market anyway, so he can break the pot and win some sympathy in the Western market.
The foreign brands that were picked up by the way have different attitudes
. Coincidentally, it is not the H&M family that resists Xinjiang cotton.
joined and supported the BCI brand in this session of witAfter the friends took a good look, we found a lot of familiar figures, from Adidas to Nike, to MUJI, and then to Uniqlo...
There is a real and sad paragraph about a person who advocates a minimalist life. The girl, from head to toe, to household items, was recruited. Comparing
with H&M, which was not very smart, the brand picked out in this incident is very interesting.
has MUJI products with a strong desire to survive. The product detail page and product label indicate that they use "Xinjiang cotton".
has been affected by the acquisition of foreign brands but immediately announced the withdrawal of BCI brands, such as Anta.
has been silent even if it is on the list, trying to make a natural transition from the storm, such as Adidas, Nike and Uniqlo that have not seen a statement as of press time.
Nike supports BCI's statement
to speak quickly or simply to be silent is an effective way for brands to respond to crises. But the brand also divides the time, and the environment also depends on the size of the incident. When you have strong materials and hard goods, you can clarify the facts and restore the brand reputation when the conclusion is not finalized; when you are really wrong, you will be silent and not add fuel to the fire, and the waiting time will be forgotten. the best way.
Every company has its own set of strategies for public relations, which is indeed not something outsiders can guess at will. In this era when everyone can speak freely, but not everyone can teach people how to do brand public relations.
But friends with ideas are still welcome to leave your opinion in the comment area. How can these brands turn the situation around?
The brand celebrity spokespersons implicated have terminated their contracts to avoid danger
Another interesting point is the celebrity spokespersons involved in the brand involved. On the one hand, some consumers did not correctly recognize the difference between brand behavior and spokesperson's behavior, but instead drew attention to the spokesperson, which can be described as a distraction; on the other hand, the reaction of the spokesperson is also worth exploring.
As far as the fuse is concerned, the celebrities Huang Xuan, Song Qian, and Yoko Lame, who have cooperated with H&M, have expressed their dissolution of cooperation with H&M. The removal of the anchor Wei Ya involves slandering the Xinjiang cotton brand. Politically correct is not enough, it's just the speed of the teams.
and other brands that failed to speak out, their spokespersons are much slower. It may be that there is a certain degree of fluke.
Under the urging and criticism of many netizens, on March 25, Lehua Entertainment announced that Wang Yibo would terminate all cooperation with the Nike brand, and solemnly stated: "Our company and Mr. Wang Yibo will firmly resist any comments that defile China. The dignity of the country cannot be violated, and the interests of the motherland are resolutely safeguarded."
Yesterday evening, Yi Yang Qianxi Studio issued a statement announcing that @TFBOYS-易烊千玺 and the studio would resolutely resist any stigmatization of China. , Terminate all cooperation with the Adidas brand.
Yang Mi, Di Lieba studio also issued a statement, announcing the termination of cooperation with Adidas.
ceased cooperation, then what?
Carefully inventory, we will find that when similar problems occur in foreign brands, many celebrity spokespersons will choose under the pressure of public opinion and self-restraintCut with the brand involved.
But strange things happened, the brand of iron hit, the spokesperson of flowing water. Yang Mi's termination of contract Versace , Wu Xuanyi's endorsement; Liu Wen's termination of Coach, Yang Zi's endorsement; Jiang Shuying's termination of Swarovski, Wang Yibo's endorsement, Yi Yang Qianxi's termination of Givenchy Cai Xukun endorsement...
Obviously, these wrong brands are not. He didn't really pay the price, but changed a group of celebrity spokespersons and continued to sell goods, as if everything had never happened before.
From last year's CK, Swarovski, Givenchy, Coach, Versace, and then to H&M and Uniqlo, which boycotted Xinjiang cotton this year, it is unclear whether it is the brand or the brand spokesperson who has suffered the loss.
In fact, between the brand and the spokesperson is a two-way selection and mutual influence process. Celebrities not only make money through commercial endorsements, but also increase their commercial influence by relying on some international brands or luxury brands; while brands use celebrity popularity to increase exposure and topicality, and win public attention and recognition.
is a game of mutual binding, no matter which party is involved in the scandal, the other party will be implicated. In the past, it was more to persuade the brand to choose a steadily rising star with a good reputation when choosing to replace the speaker, so as not to affect the brand image; now I am afraid One more thing to remind the spokesperson, beware of being affected by the brand that is not right in the three views and standing in the wrong team.
The channel party who immediately removes the product from the shelf has the right to sell the brand Say No
in the seller’s market where supply exceeds demand. Good brands are hard to find. Some channels will provide many advantages in order to allow some big brands with their own traffic to enter. Decoration, site fee reduction, etc.
Nowadays, in a buyer's market with oversupply and countless alternatives, the status quo of the market has turned to consumers, and the channels that own consumers also have the power to say No to the brand, even if you are a big brand.
So we saw the H&M boycott of Xinjiang cotton incident. The sensitive JD, Taobao , Pinduoduo and other platforms directly removed related brand products. However, Dewu, which has a strong dependence on fashion items, is still in a state of immobility. Today, the rumors that netizens are expecting to take measures to remove Nike have been dispelled.
also delisted H&M's major application platforms, Xiaomi App Store, Huawei App Store, vivo Mobile App Store, Tencent App Store and many other App Stores have dropped H&M Mall APP. Even Baidu Maps and Dianping have no way to search for information.
From a certain perspective, this is the lesser of the two evils of the channel platform. In today's market, consumers are the most important; in the Chinese market, it is most important to recognize the direction.
The national brands that have been sent to the forefront, try their luck and rely on their strength.
The various national brands that are usually low-key and can't be low-key, are like the selected koi, ushering in the first wave of luck in the new year. National brands such as Huili and Hailan Home have been on the list, becoming consumers' favorite choices for their next shopping.
Li Ning, who wrote "Using Xinjiang Cotton" on the label, even stepped on the national sentiment of the majority of netizens, and the stock price rose by nearly 4%.
opportunities are always reserved for brands that have prepared. It is indeed because of the arrogance and unwillingness of foreign brands that the national brands, which are already on the rise, are brought to the forefront of development.
However, it is not difficult for us to find that even if it is mentioned in a crisis, it needs a certain amount of strength. There is never a saying of luck, luck is also part of strength.
This H&M incident, Li Ning is just one of the microcosms of the national brand team that has benefited. As the country develops, there will be more "Li Nings" in the future. We have reason to believe that those domestic products that have not been mentioned for the time being will catch up and occupy consumers' daily lives. Above
. If you have any thoughts, please leave a message in the comment area.
