The time-honored brands are fading away. When will the time-honored brands regain their splendor?

2006-12-06 06:23:18 Northeast News Network

When people mention "Chinese time-honored brands", they can't help but think of Beijing Quanjude's roast duck, Tongrentang's Chinese herbal medicine, Tianjin Goubuli's steamed buns and so on. However, the time-honored brands that once flourished in the business world are now facing severe survival challenges: authoritative statistics show that 70% of the country's time-honored brands are operating in "very difficult conditions", 20% are "barely maintaining", and only 10 are "flourishing". How time-honored brands, which have inherited thousands of years of Chinese culture and experienced the vicissitudes of social change, can get out of trouble and regain their glory has become a topic of common concern to government departments and all walks of life in recent years.

This year, the Ministry of Commerce began to implement the “Revitalization of Time-honored Brands Project” nationwide. According to the plan of the Ministry of Commerce, in the future, we will focus on cultivating "Chinese time-honored brands" with development potential, and take a variety of effective measures to give appropriate policy preferences to these "Chinese time-honored brands" to further enhance the independent innovation capabilities and capabilities of these enterprises and brands. international competitiveness.

Among the first batch of confirmed "Chinese time-honored brands", 9 companies from our province were among them.

According to analysis by industry insiders, the "Revitalization of Time-honored Brands Project" has provided new business opportunities for the development of time-honored enterprises. When inheriting the essence of the "Chinese Time-honored Brands" brand culture, time-honored enterprises must find a way out in innovation and build on historical brands. On the basis of giving new content to time-honored brands.

Nine companies in Liaoning Province have become “Chinese Time-honored Brands”

For nine time-honored companies in Liaoning Province, December 19, 2006 is a day worth looking forward to. Because on this day, the Ministry of Commerce will hold a "Chinese Time-honored Brand" awarding ceremony in Beijing, and nine companies in our province will officially become the first batch of "Chinese Time-honored Brands."

The nine companies are Shenyang Cuihua Gold and Silver Jewelry Products Industrial Co., Ltd., Shenyang Ganlu Dumpling House, Hongxingtai Fushun Food Culture Co., Ltd., Shenyang Laobian Dumpling House, and Dandong Laotianxiang Pharmacy, Huludao City Gaoqiao Aged Vinegar Factory, Shenyang City Shenhe District Ma Shaomai Restaurant, Shenyang City Baofayuan Famous Restaurant, Anshan City Shanghai Xinli Smoked Cured Shop.

In April this year, the Ministry of Commerce announced the launch of the "Revitalization of Time-honored Brands Project" nationwide. It plans to re-certify 1,000 "Chinese time-honored brands" in three years. This year, 200 will be recognized first, and based on the Ministry of Commerce's Plaques and certificates awarded in name. The selection and recognition of the first batch of "Chinese time-honored brands" began immediately.

On September 30, the Ministry of Commerce announced a list of 434 "Chinese Time-honored Brands" companies, and 9 companies from our province were on the list.

In this selection, the Ministry of Commerce not only redefined "Chinese Time-honored Brands", but also announced the "Chinese Time-honored Brands" Recognition Standards, establishing 7 selection criteria: trademark ownership or use Rights; the brand was founded before 1956 (inclusive); inherits unique products, skills or services; has a corporate culture that inherits the excellent traditions of the Chinese nation; has Chinese national characteristics and distinctive regional cultural characteristics, and has historical and cultural value; has It has a good reputation and has received wide social recognition and praise; domestic capital and capital from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan are relatively controlled, the business is in good condition, and it has strong sustainable development capabilities.

The reporter learned that in the 1990s, the then Ministry of Domestic Trade identified a group of "Chinese time-honored brands". With economic and social development, the external environment and internal management methods faced by time-honored brands have undergone many changes, and some time-honored brands can no longer adapt to the needs of modern social development. To this end, the Ministry of Commerce organized and formulated the "Code for the Recognition of "Chinese Time-honored Brands"" and carried out the recognition of "Chinese Time-honored Brands" accordingly. The Ministry of Commerce hopes that through this series of activities, the brand concept of "time-honored brands" will be recognized by more consumers. More importantly, through the joint participation and efforts of time-honored brand enterprises, industry associations, and expert teams, the brand concept of "time-honored brands" will be recognized by more consumers. "Time-honored brands" have accelerated the pace of independent innovation and developed a number of famous brands with independent intellectual property rights and international competitiveness.

According to the plan of the Ministry of Commerce, in the future, we will focus on cultivating "Chinese time-honored brands" with development potential, and take a variety of effective measures to give appropriate policy preferences to these "Chinese time-honored brands" to further enhance the competitiveness of these enterprises. and the brand’s independent innovation capabilities and international competitiveness.

Liu Tiemin, Director of the Service Industry Development Division of the Shenyang Municipal Commerce Bureau, explained that "Chinese time-honored brands" refer to products, techniques or services with a long history that have been passed down from generation to generation, and have a distinctive traditional cultural background of the Chinese nation and profound Cultural heritage, gaining widespread social recognition and forming a brand with good reputation. He believes that the purpose of the recognition of "Chinese Time-honored Brands" is to guide time-honored enterprises to inherit and develop traditional skills and culture, so that some time-honored enterprises with insufficient development potential can accelerate innovation through technological transformation and form new economic growth points.

Fading away from time-honored brands

"Wearing Sheng Xifu on the head, stepping on the old beauty on the feet, wearing modesty and auspiciousness", this is the description of the status and glory of the time-honored brands in the minds of old Beijing . In Shenyang, there are similar sayings, such as "First there is Guangshengtang, then there is Shenyang City", "The top of the head celebrates prosperity, and the feet step on the inner gold to grow" and so on.

However, these once glorious time-honored brands are facing survival crises and development difficulties in today's booming market economy.

Survey data from the China Brand Research Institute shows that in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China, there were approximately 16,000 "Chinese time-honored" companies across the country. However, due to poor management and frequent bankruptcies, this group has dropped sharply to more than 1,600, which is equivalent to 10 of the total number of time-honored brands in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China.

What worries people in the industry is that even these more than 1,600 "Chinese time-honored" companies are facing frequent business crises. According to statistics, currently, 70% of this group is operating in "very difficult circumstances", 20% are operating "barely maintaining", and only 10% are "flourishing".

"The '721 phenomenon' of time-honored brands well known to industry insiders shows that under the impact of modern business, many time-honored brands across the country are facing varying degrees of business crises." Liu Tiemin told reporters.

In the 1980s, Qi Shoucheng, a librarian at the Shenyang Literature and History Research Institute, conducted surveys and visits to Shenyang’s time-honored brands. In his book, 26 time-honored brands in the commercial and catering service industries in Shenyang are included. Now facing reporters, he had mixed feelings: "These 26 time-honored brands are all century-old stores. When I visited at the time, most of the 26 time-honored brands were in business. But today, due to various reasons, some of the time-honored brands have closed down and withdrawn from the market; Some are retreating to small alleys and faltering; others have lost their characteristics and lack vitality."

It is still difficult to find out how many "time-honored brands" there are in Shenyang. But what is certain is that most of them are concentrated in the traditional catering and service industries, and most of them face difficult competition with their peers.

According to statistics from relevant departments, it is understood that during this year’s Spring Festival, the retail sales of Shenyang’s catering industry reached 270 million yuan, and the total turnover of several Shenyang catering “time-honored brands” was around 30 million yuan. "Although many time-honored brands have a long history, their influence is limited to local areas and they have not gone global. They are still fighting alone." Liu Tiemin analyzed.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Commerce, time-honored enterprises are currently facing difficulties such as serious loss of outlets, difficulties in system transformation, and weak market development capabilities under the increasingly fierce competition in the market economy. Some time-honored brands are struggling to develop and are on the verge of life and death, and some are gradually being lost in the tide of market economy.

The time-honored brand has become a business symbol in urgent need of rescue.

Why did they fade out of the world?

Nowadays, most time-honored brands are facing huge survival challenges. The changes in the fate of time-honored brands have attracted attention from all walks of life. What caused these "century-old brands" to "Old store" has developed to such a situation?

Qi Shoucheng analyzed that the concept of "not paying attention to the promotion of one's own brand" has restricted the development of some time-honored brands.

He said that many time-honored companies still believe in the concept that "the aroma of wine is not afraid of the depth of the alley" and believe that quality is the best publicity. Their own publicity is not as good as customers' reputation. Time-honored brands are the best magic weapon to attract customers. However, under the conditions of market economy, people's word-of-mouth has lost its original effectiveness, and the reduction of people's interactions has also made word-of-mouth publicity unsustainable. Therefore, time-honored enterprises must also change their concepts and focus on promoting their own brands.

Some people in the industry believe that the products provided by time-honored companies are very fixed, and their unique skills have led to products that have remained unchanged for many years. In this era of pursuing fashion, being fixed means falling behind, which has led to some time-honored brands falling behind in the fierce market. At a competitive disadvantage.

Liu Tiemin told reporters that the advancement of science and technology, the popularization of mechanization, automation, and information-based production methods, the variety of products, and changes in consumer demand have caused some time-honored brands that rely on handcrafts to lose their advantages. It is difficult to display the characteristics of time-honored brands and their products are eclipsed; some time-honored brands do not have a strong sense of pioneering and innovation and lack modern marketing concepts. These factors make time-honored brands struggle.

Experts believe that time-honored brands are indeed golden brands with glorious connotations, but time-honored brands also have unavoidable weaknesses: rigid systems, inactive mechanisms, lagging products, backward equipment, outdated concepts, and most of them have inadequate personnel. The historical baggage of aging, loss-making liabilities. If you are limited to traditional systems and mechanisms, stick to the time-honored brands, and rely on a single traditional product to do business, then the golden brands will be eclipsed - this is the fundamental reason for the decline of most time-honored brands.

The vicissitudes of time-honored brands

In Qi Shoucheng’s view, time-honored brands are not just a name, but also part of the city’s precious cultural resources. He said: "Shenyang's time-honored brands have gone through hundreds of years of vicissitudes and are an indispensable part of this historical and cultural city. The process of the creation, development, prosperity, decline and transformation of these time-honored brands is not only a witness to history, but also a microcosm of the great changes in Shenyang's century-old history. "

When talking about the time-honored brands in Shenyang, many old Shenyang people will mention a long list of them: Neijinsheng, Guangshengtang, Nanxuan, Laojiuhua... Today, some time-honored brands are still in the business war. Continuing to write business myths, some time-honored brands still stand in the bustling streets of Shenyang City today, while others have become people's memories.

Qi Shoucheng took Zhongjie as an example and talked about the past of the time-honored brand.

Zhong Street was originally called "Siping Street" (which means peace in the four seasons). It was officially built after Huang Taiji, Emperor Taizong of the Qing Dynasty, changed the Cross Street in Shenyang City into Tingzi Street. On Zhong Street, there were 25 famous shops. The original architectural style was a Chinese-style building with a canopy. Among them, Tianheli Silk Room, Tianyitang Chinese Medicine Store, Jishun Silk Room, Cuihua Gold Store, Zhongshan Hefu Tea House and others were established earlier. Among these shops, Jishun Silk House was the most famous, and it was the leading shop in Shenyang Zhongjie in the late Qing Dynasty and the early Republic of China.

In the commercial history of Shenyang, there are five best stores in Zhongjie: the largest department store—Jishun Silk House; the largest watch and eyewear store—Hengdeli; the largest pharmacy— - Tianyitang; the most famous calligraphy shop - Li Zhanzhang; the smallest foreign goods shop - Tong Yicheng. Qi Shoucheng said that these time-honored brands are clearly visible in old photos.

"In 1914, a two-story building was built on the north side of Zhongjie Road in Shenyang. This was the first building in the entire commercial street and the new site of the time-honored brand 'Jishun Silk House'. It may be said that Some people don't believe that a small building back then was far more influential than a five-star skyscraper built today, and it actually caused a sensation in half of Shenyang City. "Whether you are near or far, you have to go and see it in person. If you haven't been to the Jishun Silk Room on the second floor, you are in vain and you are a city dweller." Writer Ma Qiufen is here. The "Jishun Silk Room" mentioned in the book "Old Shenyang" is where the second department store in Shenyang is today.

Before liberation, Shenyang’s time-honored brands were concentrated in the North Market area. Since the 1920s, merchants have gathered in the North Market.

There are countless gold shops, silk houses, theaters, restaurants, bathhouses, pawn shops, etc.; there are all kinds of storytellers, opera singers, wrestlers, and performers; at the same time, there are also many restaurants such as Laobian dumplings, Sanhesheng buns, and Shunfa Yuanguo. Dozens of local specialty snacks. Here, there are three religions, nine streams, five elements and eight works. As long as you have the ability to survive, you can take root in Bei Market. North Market, Beijing Tianqiao, Tianjin Quanyechang, Nanjing Confucius Temple, Shanghai City God Temple, etc., were also called the "Top Ten Miscellaneous Markets" in China at that time.

"'Sanchun Sixth Floor and Seventy-Two Stores' is a popular saying that proves the prosperity of Shenyang time-honored brands." Liu Tiemin said: "The tortuous development history of each time-honored brand can tell many stories. , time-honored brands contain the history and culture of a city. ”

The old trees are blooming in spring

Time-honored brands reflect the history of a city’s commercial development and are the prosperity and development of the city’s traditional commercial culture. symbol. However, with the acceleration of modern civilization, most time-honored brands have disappeared from people's sight. They are also time-honored brands, and the first batch of companies recognized as "Chinese Time-honored Brands" are also faced with the task of facing changes and accepting challenges from their peers. So, what is the secret to their invincibility in the business world?

"The secret of its enduring popularity may be contained in the words 'genuine goods at reasonable prices' and 'no deception' that continue to this day. This was the way of doing business that Shenyang time-honored brands generally followed at that time, and It is still used today," Qi Shoucheng thought. He said that over the past century, time-honored brands have grown from a staggering start to growth, and their business philosophy has never wavered, that is, they regard their brand and reputation as life; at the same time, the tireless entrepreneurial spirit and unique business culture are also the key to maintaining the business of time-honored brands. The secret to lasting success.

"In the long river of history, the essence of each period is contained in it, and the scenic spots at each stage are recorded. This is the uniqueness of time-honored brands. The essence of our development to this day is 'integrity' "Two words." A company in Shenyang City that is recognized as a "Chinese time-honored brand" believes that from the late Qing Dynasty to the present, they have developed steadily and innovated from small to large. Their unique features are nothing more than: internal unity and product innovation. Quality; products strive for fine workmanship, high quality, and new styles; fair sales and adherence to credibility; expand semicolons and have the courage to innovate.

In the 1990s, this company made full use of the century-old brand, continued reform and innovation, implemented brand strategy, developed chain operations, and promoted technological progress and product innovation through investment promotion, making the company a A manufacturer integrating product development, design, production, wholesale, retail and chain operation, it has formed a relatively complete marketing network and perfect sales system with hundreds of business customer units.

In 2003, this enterprise was transformed into a joint-stock company. It reopened under its name in September 2004, and its sales increased fourfold compared with the same period last year.

"Our development requires not only the restoration of old traditions, but also new creations. If our products want to have a place at home and abroad, we can only seriously understand the connotation of tradition and innovation." This company determined that, Brands and services are important means for them to survive in the market. A person from the company explained: "As a time-honored brand, if you want the brand to be attractive to target consumers, you have to make a big fuss about culture, constantly explore and summarize the cultural connotation of the time-honored brand, and input new elements into the brand; in terms of operation and management On the other hand, we also need to find a path that is consistent with both our own development and the objective development of the market. "If you want to develop, you must build a brand and innovate a brand, rather than clinging to the old and relying on the old. Since 2001, this company has gradually explored a marketing model that adapts to its own development - chain operation. It has used this model to continuously expand the market and improve its marketing network. Its chain network pattern has basically taken shape in our province, with more than 120 chain stores. Home. In the process of developing chain operations, we use this to convey products, services, and concepts to the society, so that consumers can understand and recognize the brand.

"The chain stores that are blooming everywhere have brought our brand into thousands of households, which not only increases the popularity, but the high-quality products also promote the operation of the chain stores." The person in charge of the company believes.

"Although the reputation of time-honored brands is great, if they want to continue, they must inherit the brands of time-honored brands and constantly add new elements on the basis of inheritance." Liu Tiemin told reporters.

During the revitalization operation

A time-honored brand with a long history is a "golden brand", and the huge brand value and cultural value accumulated cannot be underestimated. In August this year, the "First Top 100 Chinese Time-honored Brand Value List" released by the China Brand Research Institute showed that the total brand value of my country's top 100 time-honored brands was more than 46 billion yuan; at the same time, as a carrier of regional traditional culture, time-honored brands have experienced The vicissitudes of social change have created countless evocative historical glories. Therefore, the revival of a time-honored brand is of far-reaching significance. In order to inherit the essence of time-honored brands, the "famous brand among famous brands", governments, departments and all sectors of society at all levels are sparing no effort to act.

In April this year, the Ministry of Commerce announced the implementation of the "Revitalization of Time-honored Brands Project" and plans to re-certify 1,000 "Chinese time-honored brands" within three years. It is also considering formulating necessary support and protection policies to promote the revitalization of time-honored brands. develop.

In October this year, the Ministry of Commerce and the State Administration of Cultural Heritage jointly issued the "Notice on Strengthening the Protection of Time-honored Cultural Heritage." The "Notice" proposes to effectively improve the awareness of the protection of time-honored brands and focus on the historical research of time-honored brands and the protection of cultural relics buildings. The commerce and cultural relics authorities in various places should actively seek the support of local governments and other relevant departments and try to avoid damaging time-honored buildings. Blind demolition and relocation, try to retain the original location and original architectural form of the time-honored brand, and in particular, strengthen the original site protection of the origin store of the time-honored brand. The "Notice" requires that the census, planning and protection of time-honored cultural relics be carefully carried out. For "Chinese time-honored brands" recognized by the Ministry of Commerce, those that meet the conditions should be given priority to be included in the national key cultural relics protection units. On this basis, local commerce and cultural relics authorities should work together with relevant departments to formulate plans for the protection and development of time-honored cultural heritage as soon as possible, and strive to incorporate them into the local economic development plan and overall urban planning. For time-honored brands located in traditional commercial districts, attention should be paid to protecting the scale and historical features of the surrounding traditional streets, and the corresponding protection scope and construction control zones should be determined if necessary; for time-honored brands located in currently key commercial areas for reconstruction and prosperous commercial streets, Its specific requirements for the environment should be fully considered, and through urban design and planning, a good environment in which new commercial facilities and time-honored brands can coexist harmoniously should be formed.

Cities across the country are making various efforts to revive time-honored brands. For example, Beijing has issued relevant policies: Starting this year, the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce will set up special funds for the development of time-honored brands to support the revitalization of Beijing's time-honored brands. Some time-honored brand restoration projects are expected to receive up to 3 million yuan in project funding support and subsidized loans.

Relevant people believe that although the revitalization of time-honored brands will not happen overnight, government actions such as the "Revitalization of Time-honored Brands Project" are undoubtedly new opportunities for the development of time-honored brands.

“But to achieve real development and lay the foundation for development, time-honored enterprises still need to work hard on their internal skills: while maintaining and carrying forward their original fine traditions, they must innovate boldly and actively keep up with the times. The pace will allow the golden signboard of 'Chinese time-honored brand' to regain its glory and create greater glory," the relevant person emphasized.