Zhang Zheng Fu Yuwu Sun Jiashan Wan Qianqian
Editor's note: Recently, some domestic car companies' new car launches have frequently "out of the circle", and relevant leading figures and core products have also shown a "star effect", triggering attention and heated discussions on the Internet. At the Beijing Auto Show that just passed, many car company leaders personally came to the show to "bring goods" and became the "top players" on the Internet. Is the "car circle" turning into the "rice circle"? What can we learn from related "Internet celebrity marketing", and what aspects should be treated with caution? Are there any other issues in China’s automobile industry that require more public attention?
takes "entrepreneurial spirit" as the core of individual IPs
Zhang Zheng
With the rapid popularity of social media, entrepreneurs have used personal influence to attract the attention of "fans" and deeply bind individual IPs to the brand reputation of their companies. This in turn promotes the transformation of “fans” into consumers. We can understand this as the result of the deep mediaization of the business environment. Looking around the world, there are endless cases of converting public attention into social capital and then into corporate commercial capital. For example, Tesla CEO Musk has been responded to by hundreds of people on social media, "Apple fans" are pursuing Apple founder Steve Jobs and his products, and each auction of " Buffett Lunch" has received high media attention and lively participation from bidders. etc., can all be regarded as relevant cases.
It takes time to develop brand awareness and loyalty. For many "new power" car companies, the brand reputation accumulation period is short, and the current domestic market competition is fierce, with new car companies, new brands, and new products emerging one after another. It is difficult for companies to rely solely on conventional promotional marketing strategies to drive consumers to make purchasing decisions quickly. Under the above circumstances, using the popularity and influence of founders or investors to launch marketing targeted at "fans", or using services to provide emotional value to consumers, have become good ways to drive products out of the circle quickly.
We should encourage and tolerate the fancy marketing of emerging brands. With the high attention and sales boost brought by "traffic" to domestic new energy car companies, some traditional car companies cannot hide their disappointment. For these companies, catching up may be the best response strategy. The market and consumers are always happy to see normal and reasonable competition between enterprises, which will bring about improvements in product cost performance and service levels.
The author would like to remind that although the "Internet celebrity" of entrepreneurs and the corresponding marketing strategies are inevitable and reasonable, the risks behind them cannot be ignored. We should pay attention to the fact that the public opinion environment is driving consumer groups to continue to "polarize" their emotions and opinions. Consumers will most likely be divided into "brand loyalists" and "brand passers-by". Therefore, when brands seize loyal consumers and launch marketing offensives, "brand loyalists" may be transformed into "brainless fans", and "brand strangers" may also become "black fans". These two groups are mutually exclusive due to mutual incompatibility. Disputes arising from compatibility will inevitably damage the interests of the brand.
In addition, personal Internet celebrities, personal branding, and idolization of business entrepreneurs often lead to deep binding between individual brands and product brands. Under the "magnifying glass" of social media and the public's high attention, once a "celebrity entrepreneur" makes inappropriate remarks or behavioral flaws, it may be infinitely magnified by netizens, resulting in the risk of backlash to commercial brands caused by the "collapse" of individual IPs. . In this regard, entrepreneurs and brands should have plans, and they should consider entrepreneurship and innovation as the core of personal IP, and not be tempted by temporary traffic. (The author is the deputy dean of the School of Journalism and Communication at Tsinghua University. Interviewed and compiled by our reporter Cui Jinyue)
Guide the public to pay attention to higher-value topics
Pay to Wu
As a marketing tool in the new era of the automobile industry, companies make good use of Internet thinking Communicating with consumers will undoubtedly bring new trends to the industry and add a lot of vitality, which is a good thing worthy of recognition. However, from "checking technology, checking service" to "checking price, checking boss", the "hot and hot" marketing scenario reflects the fierce competition in the automobile industry, in which "cold thinking" is indispensable.
First of all, networked and personalized marketing methods should be based on the premise of maintaining market order. A healthy and orderly order needs to be maintained by all parties. We encourage the frequent use of quick words and hot memes at press conferences, but we also remind relevant marketing behaviors to avoid attacking “friends” as much as possible. If there are situations such as attacking opponents or disrupting market order, they should be opposed immediately.
Secondly, the “celebrity effect” can drive short-term traffic and attention, but long-term responsibilities such as technological progress and brand value improvement in the automotive industry cannot be ignored. Many representatives of car companies "bring their own traffic", coupled with the communication effect of the Internet, relevant remarks can quickly attract a huge amount of attention once they are released. However, more "valuable" topics such as industry development, technological progress, and design innovation have been ignored. We should remain clear-headed about this “shifted center of gravity” public opinion environment. Car companies and the public still need to stay awake. In recent years, the development of China's automobile industry has made great progress, but we still have to be in awe. Some "stuck" technical challenges in the development of China's automobile industry still exist. Only by continuous learning can we continue to make progress and maintain our advantages.
Third, behind the high popularity of marketing is actually the nature of fierce competition in the market. From a positive perspective, "volume" means competition. It is the law of the market to produce strong players through fierce competition. In the era of "product is king", it is understandable for car companies to strive for products, technologies, and a new ecology in transformation and development. But it is undeniable that the operating efficiency and overall benefits of the entire industry need to be improved urgently. Especially in the new energy vehicle industry, there are only a few profit makers, and many car companies are facing periodic losses. Under this current situation, if excessive competition is allowed to occur, it will cause harm to the entire industry.
At present, China's automobile industry has entered the development stage of "from big to strong". We must adhere to the fundamental principle of innovation-driven, revere science and technology, revere the laws of the market, revere the growth of innovative talent teams, and bring more rational thinking , collaborate with all walks of life to create a more brilliant future for the automotive industry. (The author is the honorary chairman of the Society of Automotive Engineers of China, compiled by our reporter Li Meng)
"Car circle" beware of backlash from traffic
Sun Jiashan Wan Qianqian
In recent years, the "car circle" has shown an increasingly "rice circle" trend , closely related to the current consumption environment. “New car-making forces” and relevant executives not only conduct near-real-time interactive communication with consumers online through social media and self-media platforms, but also pay more attention to direct communication with consumers offline. Specific measures include such activities as shopping malls. Set up an experience center or create a social place for car owners.
These online and offline closed-loop feedback brand community formations have given relevant consumers a real sense of actually participating in the car company's brand IP construction process, and have been repeatedly involved in activities related to maintaining the car company's brand IP image. It is metonymically incorporated into consumers' sense of identity. Therefore, an organizational and behavioral model similar to a "fan circle" has emerged among relevant car owners. They pursue relevant car company executives, treat their public appearances by participating in celebrity meetings, and even provide free advertising and advertising for them. It is not uncommon for employees to volunteer as salespeople.
As a business strategy, this is understandable. However, this kind of audience structure similar to the "fan circle" is indeed prone to extreme emotional catharsis. In many cases, the emotional catharsis of so-called loyal fans and fans has replaced the discussion of the performance and services of the car itself; the unconditional maintenance of the brand IP image of the car company has also kidnapped the reasonable expression of relevant normal demands and discussions. The above situation can easily lead to long-term antagonism between fans of different car companies and brands, creating an unhealthy car consumption culture.
The most critical thing is that the essential attribute of automobile products is bulk consumer goods, and the high topicality of hot online discussions may not necessarily translate into successful sales. Car companies themselves should also be fully alert to the risks and crises of traffic backlash.
Today, the competitive landscape of my country's new energy vehicle market is becoming increasingly diversified. As the idols of the new era, "new car-making forces" have repeatedly shown extreme sentiments of blind xenophobia in related discussions and topics.It is true that foreign automobile brands are not going smoothly in the transformation process of new energy, but it is not advisable to be subjectively and maliciously belittled in the domestic public opinion environment. Of course, we should fully affirm the great achievements made by my country's new energy vehicle industry in the past few years; but it is obviously not conducive to be overly blindly confident, ignore or even belittle the experience and strengths of overseas century-old car companies just because of a few years of relative leadership. The long-term development of my country’s automobile industry. my country's automobile industry needs a normal, benign and open consumption environment, and we also urgently need to shape and cultivate a rational, healthy and positive automobile consumption culture. (The author is an associate researcher at the Central Academy of Culture and Tourism Management and a graduate student at the China Film Archive) ▲
