The marketing strategy of "Haier"

"Haier" is undoubtedly a dazzling star in my country's corporate world today. Its success is caused by many factors, but its correct and An advanced marketing strategy plays a decisive role. From its inception to today, Haier's marketing strategy has undergone fundamental changes in three aspects, and these changes represent the development direction of corporate marketing strategies as the market economy matures. 1. The marketing object changes from “tangible specific products” to “intangible overall corporate image”

Haier people’s initial understanding of marketing objects is very natural and simple, that is, each item is transformed according to the needs of consumers. Make products well and meet consumers’ requirements for high-quality products. This is because although Haier was the last nationally designated enterprise in the refrigerator industry, refrigerators were both luxury goods and in-demand commodities at that time. As long as the products were marketable and of good quality, they had no worries about being unsold. In this objective socio-economic environment, Haier people naturally regard the marketing concept with "market orientation" as the core content as their operating and management guiding ideology. Therefore, a series of policies aimed at improving Haier's Product quality management standards and measures. There are two aspects that are more prominent: First, the establishment of strict quality standards. At that time, their regulations on various technical indicators of refrigerators were higher than national standards, and the measured values ??of seven important indicators were better than those of developed countries. In order to meet the special needs of users for high-end home appliances at that time, they also made special requirements for appearance, noise and other indicators. For example, on the appearance of a refrigerator, the national standard requires that no scratches can be seen within 1.5 meters, while their requirement is that no scratches can be seen within 0.5 meters; the national standard for noise is 52dB, and Haier's internal control standard is 50dB. The second is to take strict measures against a small number of substandard products. For example, in 1985, 76 refrigerators were found to be substandard. Instead of simply selling them at a reduced price, they grabbed a sledgehammer and smashed them to show the determination and confidence of Haier people in producing first-class products. It is precisely because of these strict product quality management standards and measures that Haier achieved a series of quality advantages and reputation in the late 1980s, and also had the capital and foundation for Haier to base itself on the market, expand the market, and strengthen the enterprise.

However, in the 1990s, with the expansion of enterprise scale, increasingly diversified products, and changes in consumer demand, especially as oversupply gradually became the main theme of the supply and demand relationship in my country's home appliance industry, this simple Relying on technical means to manage and control and improve product quality has become increasingly incompatible with market demand. Haier people have gradually come to realize that “only if an enterprise takes the lead in its business concepts (the guiding ideology of business management) can it lead in the market competition, that is, Without ideas, there is no way out." Haier people's understanding of products and product quality issues has undergone qualitative changes. They began to take measures from the concept, system, awareness of all employees and the entire production process, striving to make breakthroughs in business concepts, mainly focusing on solving product problems from three aspects:

First, based on their own The experience accumulated in product management over the past few years has been summarized and refined into the "Nissin Nippon Management Concept (OEC)". The so-called OEC concept is that everything is managed every day by someone, so that no items are missed in the control. All people have management and control content, and they implement the matters they control according to work standards according to the prescribed plan, and report the implementation results every day. Compare, summarize, and correct deviations with planned indicators to achieve the purpose of controlling the development process of things day by day and everything, and ensure development towards the predetermined goals. Specifically, it can be summarized into three basic frameworks: target system, daily control system and effective incentive system. Nissin Nissin's high management philosophy includes the following aspects: a high starting point, establishing a famous brand strategy; denying oneself and creating a market; users are the parents of food and clothing; management leverage theory; enterprises are like balls on a slope, and if they do not advance, they will retreat.

Second, it was the first to introduce the most advanced international total quality management standards ISO9001 series of standard management methods, and was the first to pass international certification in my country's refrigerator industry in 1992, and the first to pass ISO9001-94E in 1994. The latest version of international certification, European CE, German GS and other international quality certifications have brought the product management and control of the entire process from design, manufacturing to use into a standardized track, providing institutional guarantee for product quality management.

Third, as the living environment faced by mankind worsens day by day, and the understanding of corporate social responsibility further deepens, Haier assumes the responsibilities of a large state-owned enterprise and took the lead in passing the ISO14000 series in 1996. Certification.

In addition, in order to give the brand a richer connotation and shape Haier's overall corporate image, they have also adopted a series of strategies and measures: In terms of service, they launched a one-stop six-in-one star-rated service based on the original good service Services: telephone consultation for door-to-door design, free delivery, no material fees, 24-hour service, user follow-up visits, "You only need to make a call, we will do the rest", and then launched a "red carpet" service, That is to say, we take full responsibility for the inconvenience that may be caused to modern family rooms due to transportation and installation; in terms of publicity, under the overall image of Haier, combined with Haier's internationalization trend in recent years, the "International Edition" of Haier advertising was launched, with the slogan "Haier, China" "Made" is a slogan that instills national aspirations and establishes an international image of the brand, thus making the corporate brand image that carries the overall image of Haier a fuller and richer connotation; in terms of product extension, it is continuously launched according to market demand to satisfy consumers at different levels. New products are needed that are more personalized. For example, based on a letter from Mr. Wu in Chongqing, they asked whether they could design a remote control that can be controlled at an ultra-long distance for families with young children and elderly people. After day and night research, It only took 6 months to develop, design and produce. It has the first large arc shape in China, a super three-stage evaporator with world-class standards, an all-plastic outdoor casing that never rusts, and a "human-computer dialogue function" The "Little Superman" inverter air conditioner came out; in terms of diversification and asset reorganization, they used the overall corporate image represented by the Haier brand image as the core, and entered the black home appliance market by activating the "Shock Fish" method. In less than a year Haier TV has become unique and invincible in the fiercely competitive color TV market.

In 1997, Haier people clearly put forward the slogan of "selling reputation, not selling products". So, the "reputation" here refers to the "intangible overall corporate image", which is the simplest and most concise overall corporate image. Intuitive and most popular summary and expression. Haier people have finally realized the fundamental transformation of marketing objects from "tangible specific products" to "intangible overall corporate image". 2. Brand strategy has shifted from "famous brand product strategy" to "famous brand enterprise strategy"

Although Haier people have regarded the implementation of famous brand strategy as their foothold and important strategy in market competition from the beginning, today we The well-known Haier corporate brand that we know, are familiar with, recognize and trust is actually the negation of the painful self-denial of Haier people for more than ten years. After continuous improvement, it has gradually evolved from a "famous brand product strategy" to a "famous enterprise". "Strategy" and gradually formed a famous corporate brand, and eventually became the material carrier and symbol of Haier's overall corporate image.

The predecessor of Haier Group was the "Qingdao Refrigerator Factory" established in 1984 by the merger of two small factories of the group that were on the verge of bankruptcy. In 1985, the company introduced advanced technology and equipment from the German "Liebherr" company to produce Asia's first generation "four-star" refrigerator. At that time, in order to reflect that this was the result of cooperation between the two parties, and also dominated by the "marketing concept", the product was named "Qindao-Liebherr", and the product logo was modified and drawn based on the German logo. At that time, considering the decoration of the refrigerator, we successfully designed a children's mascot symbolizing Sino-German cooperation. These visual identification marks and names constitute the first generation of identification marks for Haier Group's products. Their good use in advertising has played a positive role in promoting the development of the enterprise and opening up the market.

However, with the expansion of the company's scale, the diversification of its products, and the sales of its products, especially as Haier gradually moves into the international market, the original logo and name based on the product brand are similar to those of the German side. It has seriously affected the development of international markets. Moreover, the name and logo of the product brand are not consistent with the corporate name of "Qingdao Refrigerator Factory", and its disadvantages are increasingly exposed. After several changes, in 1991 Haier people simplified the corporate name to "Qingdao Qindao Haier Group Company", and the product brand name was also simplified to "Qindao Haier" brand, initially realizing the unification of corporate brand name and product brand name.

At the same time, the company began to consciously establish its own overall corporate image identification system, launching a new logo with "the rising sun on the sea" as the corporate philosophy, and using "Haier Blue" as the corporate standard color, etc., which gradually Formed the second generation of Haier Group’s identifying name and logo. This self-denial process represents a leap in brand strategy for Haier people. They began to realize the importance and role of establishing a corporate brand and establishing product brands under the corporate brand.

It should be said that after improvements, Haier’s brand strategy has become clearer. However, technically speaking, these signs and names also have weaknesses such as not being concise enough, not having a strong overall sense, and not having obvious technical features. With the rapid development of enterprises, diversification and international operations have been identified and further implemented as key strategies for enterprise development, but they have shown obvious unsuitability. Enterprises need a more advanced material carrier for the overall image of the enterprise. To this end, in May 1993, after in-depth research and analysis, Haier people decided to fundamentally transform the corporate brand identification system, the material carrier of the overall corporate image: first, simplifying the corporate name to "Haier Group"; second, , use the English "Haier" as the main identification text mark of the corporate brand; third, unify the product brand trademark logo with the corporate brand abbreviation and logo. After this transformation, the following goals have been achieved: First, the corporate brand and product brand names and logos have been unified, achieving the purpose of optimization and simplification, making it easier for people to understand, remember, and be familiar with the corporate brand, and finally move toward understanding and memory. ; Second, because the brand design is simple, steady, generous, and the information is more condensed, it is also easier for the public to understand and remember; third, it has established its own independent corporate brand and finally got rid of the shadow of the original "introduction"; Fourth, The material carrier of the overall corporate image is clearer. Now, after two denials, Haier's corporate brand has become a symbol of Haier Group, a symbol of Haier product quality, a symbol of Haier culture, and a symbol of Haier's credibility. At this point, Haier has finally moved from a product brand to a corporate brand, and its famous brand strategy has also transitioned from a famous brand product strategy to a famous brand enterprise strategy.

In the process of transition from "famous product strategy" to "famous enterprise strategy", Haier has gradually developed into refrigerators, air conditioners, microwave ovens, washing machines, display cabinets, and small household appliances based on refrigerators. It has seven major categories of products, 65 series, and more than 2,000 varieties, and now it has entered the field of black home appliances, thus gradually forming a large group company, with sales revenue exceeding 10 billion yuan in half a year. For such a huge product family, in order to give different products their own unique personality and avoid giving people a boring feeling, and to make full use of the golden signboard of the "Haier" corporate brand, Haier is in the process of implementing the famous brand enterprise strategy. In the process, the following measures were taken: taking the corporate brand as the general symbol of all the company's products, and then determining the category names and sales identification names (called sub-brands) of specific products based on different product characteristics, forming a three-level main brand strategy structure. This not only maximizes the influence of the "Haier" corporate brand, but also makes use of the coherent and consistent corporate brand image of "Haier" in promotional publicity, greatly reduces the cost of information dissemination, improves the efficiency of information dissemination, and maintains and Improving the overall image of the company represented by the corporate brand lays the foundation for the company's integrated information dissemination. It can also highlight the individual characteristics of different categories and different specifications of products, make the two complement each other, and strengthen the carrier function and role of the corporate brand.

Based on the above three-level main brand strategic structure, Haier Group’s TV advertisements have successively completed specific images such as “Service Chapter”, “Technology Chapter” and “International Chapter” under the Haier Group’s General Image Chapter. The publicity interprets and enriches the connotation of Haier Group's overall image - "sincerity forever" from different angles and levels, avoiding the hollowing out of the content. In addition, Haier Group always grasps the publicity style from the perspective of the overall corporate image in its three-level overall publicity and promotion, forming a unified overall personality.

Under the guidance of this general idea, when a new product is launched, Haier Group does not promote the quality and characteristics of the new product in isolation, but gives consumers (audiences) a trustworthy basis. Therefore, in terms of operation, they use the overall group image of "Haier - High Quality" formed over many years as a guide and support, so that new products have a familiar and credible background for consumers, influencing and guiding consumers' purchasing decision-making behavior.

The strong sales of "Qingkong" air conditioners, "Debei" freezers, and "Qindao-Sharp" washing machines after being classified as the "Haier" master brand after quality certification are enough to prove this point.

Today, "Haier" has become a symbol, a flag, and a veritable material carrier of Haier's overall corporate image.

3. Marketing object “from target market” to “target public”

Initially, like many companies, Haier, under the guidance of the “marketing concept”, focused on specific products. Marketing object: The marketing object is mainly positioned at the consumers in the target market. However, with the in-depth development of the overall corporate image and the implementation of famous brand corporate strategies due to changes in Haier's business concepts, the marketing objects have become invisible. Starting from the 1990s, Haier began to expand the choice of marketing objects from consumers in the target market to The target public is to spread, maintain and improve the target corporate image among a wide range of target publics that may have an impact on the company's business objectives. This is the inevitable result of Haier's change in business concepts. Here we pick two of the wonderful clips.

Since August 1996, Qingdao Haier Refrigerator Co., Ltd. has invested nearly 10 million yuan to provide more than 10,000 movie screenings to farmers in 139 counties. According to reports, the 23 exciting movie premieres welcomed more than 50,000 farmer brothers, and the largest one was packed with more than 5,000 spectators. Haier Refrigerator Screening Team always plays a feature film before each movie screening. This special topic not only promotes "Haier" and its products, but also focuses on promoting the development path of China's national home appliance industry and its position in international market competition, so as to educate farmers to support the development of national industry and win glory for the country. At the same time, "Haier" also made full use of this excellent and rare opportunity to spread, maintain and improve the good corporate image of "Haier" in the minds of farmer brothers. At the movie theater, they presented the specially designed and beautifully printed "Rural Handbook" to the farmer brothers. The manual contains a lot of knowledge that is familiar and unfamiliar to farmers and is necessary for farmers in the new era.

From June 16 to July 16, 1997, Haier Freezer Corporation held the "Haier Freezer Summer Camp Welcomes You" event in Nanjing. This activity is also being carried out in other parts of the country at the same time. Through this activity, 100 young people were selected to participate in the "Haier Freezer Summer Camp" held in Qingdao in mid-July. At a time when the whole country is celebrating the return of Hong Kong to the motherland, we carry out patriotism-themed tourism activities for the youth enrolled in the camp to enrich their summer life and activate their patriotic enthusiasm.

In recent years, as the refrigerator war, air conditioner war, and color TV war in the domestic market have intensified, many manufacturers have adopted price reduction sales, "buy one get one free", clearance sales, special sales and other promotional methods to gain market share. . These promotional methods have a unique characteristic, that is, they only focus on the target consumers of a specific product, hoping to increase the sales and market share of the product within a specific period through these promotional activities, thereby achieving an increase. Profit purpose. To a large extent, these behaviors still remain in the "marketing concept" stage centered on the target market. On the contrary, every publicity and promotion activity carried out by the three major companies under the Haier Group is no longer targeted at a specific product, and is not solely aimed at increasing the sales and market share of a specific product in the short term. Instead, we focus on a common goal - to spread, maintain and improve the good corporate image of "Haier" among the target public of "Haier", build the "Haier" brand, and more importantly, integrate marketing Objects expand to a wider scope.