This is a fast-paced era, which constantly creates and amplifies everyone’s anxiety. Therefore, in 2021, there is a hot Internet term called "lie flat". On the one hand, it means being powerless in the face of anxiety, on the other hand, it means letting go and letting go, and respecting the Taoist rule of inaction.

People are anxious, and companies are even more anxious. In the face of increasingly fierce business competition, where are the paths and channels for growth? How to continuously expand the circle of consumers? How to increase product repurchases... Some companies don't know how to figure it out, so they have to choose to "lay down".

Some companies are unwilling to do nothing, working hard every day and staging inspiring struggles.

Not willing to swim in a small pond with the same surname

Wong Lo Kat wants to surf in the ocean with the surname Wanjia

Wong Lao Kat has registered the trademark of the surname Baijia again .

Entering 2022, Wong Lo Kat submitted 125 surname trademarks in one go on January 27, covering "Yu Lao Kat", "Zhan Lao Kat", "Luo Lao Kat", "Zheng Lao Kat" and "Ling Lao Kat" "Zuolaoji", "Lenglaoji", etc., these trademarks are registered in Class 32 - Beer Beverage.

Last year, Wong Lao Kat submitted 115 trademarks for Baijia surnamed Laoji in one day, and actually launched 115 cans of Baijia surnamed Laoji herbal tea with one surname and one totem, which once became a trend on Weibo. search.

After the product was sold out, Wong Lo Kat’s official Weibo proudly stated that “it was very sudden when it was sold out.”

Obviously, Wanglaoji, who has tasted the sweetness, wants to play with the surname culture to the end, constantly registering surname trademarks, and constantly launching cans of Laoji herbal tea with one surname and one totem.

How many surnames are there in China? The "Dictionary of Chinese Surnames" co-edited by Yuan Yida, an expert on surname research at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Qiu Jiaru, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Culture Promotion Association, contains 23,813 surnames, including 6,931 single surnames, 9,012 double-character surnames, and three-character surnames. There are 4,850 surnames, 2,276 four-character surnames, 541 five-character surnames, 142 six-character surnames, 39 seven-character surnames, 14 eight-character surnames, 7 nine-character surnames, and one cross-character surname.

In other words, Wong Lo Kat can launch 23,813 cans with surnames, and the sales circle covers every Chinese.

Looking at it this way, Wanglaoji not only defeated its opponents in terms of creativity, but also gave every Chinese a can of unique herbal tea. In this way, when every Chinese wants to drink herbal tea, they will proudly say, I want to drink my own herbal tea.

Wong Lo Kat has given every Chinese a reason to buy surname jars through the creativity of the surname cultural jars.

Philip Kotler, "the father of modern marketing", has a very concise definition of marketing in "Marketing Management": profitably satisfying needs.

Through the cultural pot of surnames, Wong Lo Kat is tied to everyone with a Chinese surname by satisfying the need to drink Wong Lao Kat for fear of getting angry and the reason why I want to drink my own herbal tea.

Is this really the case?

According to Philip Kotler's theory, for enterprises, the key to winning competition is to meet the needs of customers. As long as you meet the needs of customers, you can achieve success. This is a key element.

But this theory was proposed in 1960, more than half a century has passed now. At that time, goods were relatively scarce, so as long as they could meet customer needs, there was no need to worry about selling them.

Today’s business environment is completely different. The products are so dazzling that it is difficult for customers to choose, and the varieties are so rich that brands need to simplify their characteristics into one word so that customers can remember you.

Like Wong Lao Kat, the so-called surname cultural pot creativity is used to kidnap consumers' choices. After the freshness is over, in addition to making consumers feel immoral, what else can it bring to the brand?

Everyone knows that consumers buy a can of herbal tea to quench their thirst or relieve internal heat. In theory, any can of herbal tea can satisfy consumers' needs. For example, Jiaduobao, Heqizheng, etc.

But many people still choose Wanglaoji.

Why? Because in consumers’ perception, Wong Lo Kat is the originator, leading brand of herbal tea and the most authentic.

When Wanglaoji launches Wanjiaxing Laoji herbal tea, can it still represent authentic herbal tea? If Wang Zebang finds out, will he regret following Guangzhou Pharmaceutical?

Afraid of getting angry and getting drunk

Wong Lo Kat waved his left and right hands

Constantly changing the boundaries of cognition

Afraid of getting angry, drinking too much Year old cow.

This sentence sounds familiar.

Yes, this is the advertising slogan of Wonglaoji Sui Sui Niu liquor launched last year.

The brand value of Wong Lo Kat is due to the slogan "If you are afraid of getting angry, drink Wong Lao Kat", which is a household name in my country and has been widely recognized and recognized.

This sentence constantly reminds consumers that Wong Lo Kat is the originator, category representative and authentic herbal tea of ??herbal tea. This is the brand value of Wong Lo Kat.

Former Coca-Cola President Woodruff said: "If Coca-Cola's factory was reduced to ashes overnight, I can still create another Coca-Cola in a short period of time." The confidence he said came from Coca-Cola's brand value.

It is precisely because of the value of brands in market competition that we can see that world-renowned brands, which account for no more than 3% of the total number of global brands, occupy more than 40% of the global market share, half of the global market share. of sales.

Apple, Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Samsung, Coca-Cola, Toyota, Mercedes-Benz, McDonald's, Disney, Nike, Chanel...these are the world's top 100 companies, and their brands are not only the most active factors in market transactions , profoundly affecting consumers’ purchasing decisions and behaviors.

That’s why so many companies want to turn trademarks into brands, and are not afraid of hardships to launch attacks on nationally famous brands and world-famous brands over and over again, even if they never succeed in their lifetime.

An important characteristic of a successful brand is that it represents the category. For example, Coca-Cola represents the cola category, Red Bull represents the functional beverage category, Starbucks represents the high-end coffee shop category, Baidu represents the online search category, Apple represents the Zhineng mobile phone category, etc.

Why is category representation the primary task of brand building? Because from the nature of consumption, people buy categories rather than brands. The reason why consumers choose a certain brand is because a certain brand is in a leading position in the category and represents the category. People are most likely to think of it when they need it.

For example, if you want to eat Maodu hot pot, you will first think of Banu, the representative of the category.

Once a brand becomes a representative of a category, it must make the products that represent the category clear. It cannot be both this and that, which can easily confuse consumers.

Any great brand refers to a clear, single product. Coca-Cola is a well-defined product, Red Bull is a well-defined product. The clarity of these products strengthens consumer perceptions and increases the power of the brand.

The fifth season is a beverage launched by Jianlibao, covering four series of water drinks, carbonated drinks, tea drinks, and fruit juice drinks, 15 flavors, five packages, and 21 specifications. Which consumer wants to understand and recite a short essay in order to drink a can of beverage?

To become a representative of a category, you must be simple and simple.

When Robust launched Pulse in 2003, it represented a new category - vitamin water. Subsequently, Wahaha launched Activation, claiming to add "Amazon Rainforest Youth Vitality Fruit Guarana"; Master Kong launched Jinpao X, saying that it can supplement vitamins, glycogen and amino acids at the same time.

For consumers, only vitamin water is simple, easy to remember and understand. So they will classify both Activate and PowerX as the same kind of pulsation, namely vitamin water. Pulse has naturally become the representative of the category. When consumers want to drink vitamin water, the first thing they think of is Pulse.

Excellent brands are the success of the times. Great brands are the success of human nature.

The place to gain insight into human nature is the mind. The ultimate battlefield for brand competition lies in the minds of consumers.

Mental capacity is limited. Once a brand's positioning in consumers' minds is slightly blurred, it may be squeezed out.

Wong Lao Kat’s current strategic tasks

Running back to the correct positioning

Looking at the world, we can see that great companies start with products and arrive at It's the brand.

Wong Lo Kat’s current marketing operations are exactly strengthening the product and damaging the brand.

The Sanlu tainted milk powder incident in 2008 not only completely destroyed Sanlu, but also affected the brand reputation of the entire industry. It took my country's milk powder brands nearly 10 years to establish their brand image and return to the minds of consumers.

As for Wong Lo Kat, the most important strategic task at present is to return to the correct positioning and protect its brand value from being damaged.

Create a higher level of trust to ensure category leadership.

The history and formula of herbal tea, a traditional functional drink, are the core advantages of the brand.

Wong Lao Kat has established its identity as the "ancestor of herbal tea" with the help of its nearly 200-year history. The CCTV TV series "Lingnan Medicine Hero" has promoted Wong Lao Kat's brand story to the whole country and shaped the brand formula. Tradition and mystery convey its authentic status to consumers.

Wanglaoji joined 17 other herbal tea brands in Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau to apply together. In 2006, herbal tea was recognized as one of the first batch of "national intangible cultural heritage" and protected by the "World Cultural Heritage Protection Convention" 》and permanent protection under relevant national laws. This is a high-level certificate of trust, but it is not unique to Wong Lo Kat. It is a certificate of trust in the herbal tea category.

Geographical indication products are also a high-level certificate of trust. Geographical indication products refer to products produced in a specific region, whose quality, reputation or other characteristics essentially depend on the natural and human factors of the place of origin, and are named with geographical names after review and approval by relevant national departments.

Wang Lao Kat has a long history and is the ancestor of herbal tea. Coupled with the special natural and humanistic factors of Lingnan, it is possible to apply for a national geographical indication product. If successful, this will be Wong Lao Kat’s unique high-level certificate of trust, which will strongly differentiate it from other herbal teas in consumers’ perception.

On March 1, 2021, the "Agreement on the Protection and Cooperation of Geographical Indications between the Government of the People's Republic of China and the European Union" officially came into effect, marking the mutual protection and mutual recognition of geographical indication products between my country and the European Union. If Wong Lao Kat obtains geographical indication certification, it will gain a greater competitive advantage in the EU and the world, which will ensure Wong Lao Kat's leading position in herbal tea.

Protect the core identity assets of the brand from being diluted. Coca-Cola introduced the 6.5-ounce curved bottle called Hobble-Skirt in 1916. A 1949 survey showed that more than 99% of Americans could identify Coca-Cola by the appearance of the packaging alone.

One year later, in 1950, the Coca-Cola curved bottle appeared on the cover of Time Magazine, becoming the first commercial product to appear on the cover of the magazine. The curved bottle has become a super symbol to communicate between the brand and consumers, representing the status of authentic Coke.

In 1955, Coca-Cola launched new packaging, but still printed the curved bottle on other packaging, emphasizing the status of authentic Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola’s curved bottle is an important asset to its brand.

At the beginning, Wanglaoji fought hard with Jiaduobao for the Wonglaoji brand name, red can packaging and the slogan "Drink Wonglaoji if you are afraid of getting angry".

The first is to ensure the status of the originator of herbal tea, the second is to compete for cognitive resources in the minds of consumers, and the third is to compete for the brand's image assets.

However, now that Jiaduobao also has a red can and people say, “If you are afraid of getting angry, drink Jiaduobao.” Why do you want to change it to Wan Xing herbal tea? “If you are afraid of getting angry, drink Jiaduobao.” What about "Wanjia Herbal Tea"?

Be wary of brand upgrades to grocery stores. After a category leader has established its status as the representative of the category, it is easy to inflate and think that there is nothing that cannot be done with my brand name.

Moutai launched Moutai beer, but was it successful? In the end, it was handed over to Snowflake Trusteeship.

After the success of Mengniu, the Mengniu brand has expanded into various colors of normal temperature milk, low-temperature milk, as well as various flavors of milk drinks, milk powder, ice cream, high-end milk, yogurt and other products. Although it has also launched New names such as Deluxe and Guanyi Ru were introduced, but they were all branded with the Mengniu trademark.

All of this reminds consumers that Mengniu is no longer a representative brand in a certain category. In the eyes of consumers, Mengniu has become a grocery store.

For a brand with strong competitors standing beside it, if the direction is right, the harder it strives, the more results it will achieve; if the direction is wrong, the harder it strives, the closer it will be to its demise.

Wong Lo Kat covers many products under one brand, coupled with the marketing of Wanjia Lao Kat, it will soon lose the representativeness of the category.

Is Wanglaoji ready to give way to Jiaduobao’s authentic herbal tea?

(Zhou Dao)