New Consumption Observation: The old brand shouzheng innovation "catch the tide" new era

Zhang Xiaoquan embraces the classic elements of Liangzhu culture and innovates product design.　Photo by Zhang Zhongqiang

Hangzhou, December 31 (Hu Yixin) Looking back at 2021, under the empowerment of new technologies, new consumption and new formats are emerging in an endless stream. Under the general trend of consumption upgrading, the rise of the "national tide" has activated traditional Chinese culture, and also provided an opportunity for the "rejuvenation" of long-established enterprises rooted in traditional culture.

Zhang Xiaoquan went public, Tongrentang sold Traditional Chinese medicine coffee, bee flowers "cry poor"... Looking at the upcoming 2021, many Chinese time-honored enterprises are "catching up with the tide" at the outlet. Under the empowerment of digitalization and e-commerce, Zhejiang's long-established enterprises have also combined tradition and modernity through consumer insights and new product innovation, accumulating new impetus for consumption upgrading.

The old brand "catches the tide" of the new national tide

"It feels like a lot of long-established brands that were never known before have 'poured out' for a while." In the past year, "post-90s" consumer Huang Yao accidentally familiarized himself with many long-established brands on Douyin, and was willing to stop to understand the brand's "past story", "Thinking of the same thing he used with people hundreds of years ago, he inexplicably had a sense of resonance." ”

According to the data, more than 200 Chinese time-honored brands have settled on the Douyin e-commerce platform. During the "Double 11" period in 2021, the sales of long-established brands such as Ma Yinglong, Haitian Flavor Industry and Zhangyu increased exponentially, reaching 656%, 452% and 121% month-on-month.

According to the relevant person in charge of Douyin e-commerce, long-established enterprises have reshaped their brand vitality by meeting the fashionable and personalized new consumer needs of young consumer groups, introduced new products in terms of quality, service, design, aesthetics, etc., and stepped out of a road where old brands lead the "new national tide" and obtained new market increments.

Zeng Fangrong, deputy secretary-general of the Zhejiang Provincial Long-established Enterprise Association, said that more and more long-established enterprises have participated in the "new national tide" and become one of them, and some innovative measures of the long-established enterprises have even led the "new national tide".

In 2018, in order to promote the "Chongyang Li Cake", the long-established Wufangzhai in China re-edited the 1989 documentary of Wufangzhai and the "nostalgia" that came to the face made the video play volume quickly reach the tens of millions. Tasting the sweetness, Wufangzhai launches magic, secondary two, cute or "unknown" advertisements every year, because of "strange" and "contrasting cute", to achieve "breaking the circle" in the young group.

"Wufangzhai's innovations are based on a deep excavation of traditional culture and a deep understanding of the company's strategy." Xu Wei, deputy general manager of Zhejiang Wufangzhai Industrial Co., Ltd., said that only by adhering to the core point of "traditional Chinese food culture" can Wufangzhai continue to innovate and output, "from 'net red' to 'Changhong', I think the key lies in the company's culture and strategic planning."

The "out of the circle" dilemma of long-established enterprises

The dilemma of "becoming new and failing in the new", the balance between "inheritance" and "innovation", the dilemma of "hot and cold is also fast"... For long-established enterprises, a momentary fire out of the circle is an opportunity and a challenge.

"The national tide is just a 'consumption wave' that gives opportunities to long-established enterprises." In the view of Xia Qianliang, managing director of Zhang Xiaoquan Co., Ltd., under the trend of national tide, consumers are willing to try time-honored products, which is an opportunity for time-honored enterprises, but the basis for consumers to stay and realize repurchase and word-of-mouth dissemination is the product itself.

Perhaps stemming from blindly "catching the tide", "rollover" of the old-fashioned marketing cases are not uncommon. The great white rabbit that plays the memory card and the love card to sell milk tea has been criticized by netizens as "the great white rabbit milk tea does not have the taste of the great white rabbit"; Tongrentang's traditional Chinese medicine caffeine "talking about efficacy aside from the dose" has also been questioned as a gimmick...

When the "opportunity" to go out of the circle is in front of us, how to judge also requires rational judgment.

Zeng Fangrong said that if the opportunity to "go out of the circle" is not "compatible" with the connotation of the long-established brand, it is easy to "heat up and cold quickly", so the old-fashioned enterprises should weigh their own strategies, strengths and input-output factors, "more important than the attention of a stage, it is more important to build a long-term business".

In Xu Wei's view, going out of the circle must be the result of accumulation, if the long-established brand wants to "go out of the circle", it must first do a good job of strategic planning for at least three years, and systematically allocate people and resources in order to create and seize the opportunity.

"Time-honored brands do not necessarily need subversive innovation, but can innovate the way of connecting while retaining the traditional memory, unique taste and spiritual outlook of time-honored brands to achieve reach more young people." Xu Wei said that in order to be clear about who the target group is and what it wants, use the communication method suitable for the target group to "communicate", rather than blindly innovating.

How can long-established enterprises "not go out of the circle"?

Behind the "rejuvenation" of long-established enterprises, it contains consumers' emotions and trust in traditional domestic brands. In the re-examination and comparison of the market, how can long-established enterprises not be eliminated from the "circle"?

"When the long-established enterprises use traditional culture to create secondary works in a modern aesthetic way, the ingenuity and inheritance contained in the works attract me to crazy 'chop hands'." In the shopping list of "post-90s" consumer Wang Wei, the old domestic products have gradually occupied a higher proportion.

In Wang Wei's view, consumers naturally have a good feeling for long-established brands, but there was a "generation gap" in the past. When long-established enterprises get rid of the historical "shackles" and approach consumers in a closer way to the present to meet consumer needs, consumers are willing to pay, "The current national tide is surging and does not express our enthusiasm and expectations for domestic products." ”

Zhang Xiaoquan, who is almost 400 years old, has created an image IP "Uncle Quan", not only "brushing" Weibo, "shooting" Vibrato, but also "writing" Xiaohongshu, reaching out to social media matrix channels with multi-dimensional tentacles, and these trendy gameplay also give Zhang Xiaoquan new vitality. In September 2021, Zhang Xiaoquan, the "first share of knife and scissors", was listed on the GemNext board.

"The reason why a long-established brand becomes an old-fashioned brand is because it is 'good' in itself, not 'old'." Xia Qianliang said that in the process of Zhang Xiaoquan's transformation, he will continue to refine what was once "good", and then use today's language to "code and translate" it. "If you advertise 'a pair of scissors can be used for 20 years' now, consumers will certainly not feel it, but if they use 'good steel to make' and 'empower a better life', then consumers will have more imagination."

Before an innovation and marketing plan landed, Xu Wei believes that long-established enterprises must think clearly about what this marketing or product can bring to the enterprise, whether it is consistent with the company's strategy, and whether it is a long-term effective innovation for the enterprise.

The relevant person in charge of Weipaitang believes that the rise of live e-commerce has reshaped and upgraded the transaction mode and transaction scene of the e-commerce market, under the new channel, the long-established enterprises can communicate the cultural story behind the brand with consumers, "a large number of long-established enterprises and non-genetic handicraft inheritors touch the network, with the help of new channels, to achieve 'brand IP, business characteristics, artistic life, cooperation cross-border', thereby opening up a new world." ”

When the integration of long-established brands and national tides has become one of the new highlights of Zhejiang's economy, Zeng Fangrong said that long-established enterprises should always regard consumer demand as the "top priority", "Only in this way, no matter what the general trend is, which stage of 'new consumption', long-established enterprises can move with the times, follow the trend, continue to innovate, always integrate into the trend, and become 'tidemakers'." ”

When the wind of the "national tide" blows, the long-established enterprises adhere to the brand while changing and innovating, composing a new century-old legend. (End)