Ouyang Nana’s first stop in “going to the sea” was scolded and became a hot search topic. On November 30, Ouyang Nana’s own brand became a hot search topic on Weibo due to its high price and low cost. Judging from the attention in the entertainment industry, although Ouyang Nana is not a big hit, she is still very popular, with tens of millions of Weibo fans. In recent years, many celebrities have relied on their accumulated fame to launch their own brands. For example, Joker Xue, Zheng Kai, Du Haitao, etc. have opened restaurants. Huang Minghao, Wilber Pan, etc. have launched their own trendy brands. However, they have also been exposed from time to time to food safety issues and trendy brands. Unreasonable pricing, etc., have caused celebrities’ own brands to frequently fall into controversy.
Industry insiders said that when high traffic becomes the key to monetization, it is not uncommon for celebrities to go to the sea to make money. In addition to attracting attention with high traffic, celebrity-created brands also need strong product support to be competitive, otherwise they will still be eliminated by the market.
High premium to “catch gold”
With the blessing of high traffic, celebrities all want to do business. Ouyang Nana, who already has multiple identities such as cellist, actor, and singer, has now added a new identity and launched her own brand "nabi", and officially launched the brand's first series "Yunduo Capsule" on November 22 series".
According to the "nabi" official mini program, as of press time of the Beijing Business Daily reporter, the six items in the "Yunduo Capsule Series" - eye masks, trousers, socks, scarves, sweatshirts and dolls - have all been sold. Out of stock, only bathrobes and pajama sets remain for sale.
However, while the products are selling well, controversies over "nabi" have also emerged one after another. Some people say that the prices of "nabi" products are too high. An eye mask is 148 yuan, two pairs of socks are 168 yuan, and the bathrobe and pajama set are both priced at 988 yuan, and they are not commensurate with the fabric material. Industry insiders revealed that the bathrobe The cost price of the robe is about 50 yuan/piece, which also makes the doubts about "cutting leeks" intensify.
According to the Tianyancha App, Shanghai Nabi Culture Technology Co., Ltd., an affiliated company of the nabi brand, was established in August 2022 with a registered capital of 5 million yuan. Its business scope includes literary and artistic creation; cosmetics wholesale; arts and crafts and Wholesale of collectibles; wholesale of shoes and hats; wholesale of jewelry; sales of knitted textiles and raw materials, etc., which is wholly owned by Newsleepco Limited. In addition, intellectual property information shows that Shanghai Xinshengda Entertainment Group Co., Ltd. has applied to register multiple "NABI", "NABI STUDIO" and "NABI" trademarks. The international categories include fabric bed sheets, clothing, shoes and hats, advertising sales, etc., among which many The trademark has been successfully registered. A reporter from Beijing Business Daily contacted "nabi" regarding the current consumption doubts, but as of press time, no response had been received.
The overturn is not an exception
It is not a new thing for celebrities to develop side businesses, and among many side businesses, launching their own brands based on their accumulated fame has become the choice of many celebrities.
Reporters from Beijing Business Daily noticed that among the celebrity-created brands, there are not a few who have entered the catering industry. Stars including Joker Xue, Zheng Kai, Du Haitao, Bao Beier, and Jia Nailiang have opened stores in many places across the country. Restaurants, especially hot pot restaurants, are gradually forming chain brands. At the same time, many celebrities have launched trendy brands. For example, Huang Minghao founded the trendy brand TWOEX2, and Wilber Pan and Li Chen collaborated to open a trendy brand store NPC.
While celebrities’ own brands have been launched one after another, doubts have never disappeared, and product problems have been exposed from time to time. Just in July this year, it was revealed that the hot pot brand franchise store founded by Du Haitao was ordered to close for rectification due to irregular settings in the food processing operation area and insufficient fly and insect control. Previously, consumers complained that flies were found in the brand's hot pot soup dishes. In response to consumer questions and penalties, the hot pot brand issued an apology statement and said it would prevent the same situation from happening again.
When celebrity restaurants are frequently criticized for food safety issues, celebrity fashion brands cannot escape either.
Take the fashion brand TWOEX2, which Huang Minghao opened in 2020, as an example. Many consumers believe that the products in the store are not cost-effective, and short-sleeved T-shirts are priced at more than 500 yuan, which has caused the fashion brand to be questioned many times. In January this year, the trendy brand announced the company's business adjustments and closed its Tmall, Taobao and Douyin stores.
Wu Daiqi, CEO of Shenzhen Siqisheng Company, said that any company or brand has its own independent pricing power, and celebrities’ own brands have certain advantages, such as fashion resources, fan groups, and popularity. Although product pricing power is an enterprise's autonomy, brands and pricing that can comply with the laws of market economy can survive. Otherwise, they may be gradually eliminated by the market. Celebrity-created brands are priced high, perhaps based on multiple considerations such as strong appeal to fans and building brand power. However, whether they can succeed requires an answer from the market.
“It is normal for celebrities to make money by relying on their traffic, and it is also in line with the objective laws of market development. Traffic stars use their own traffic to monetize their traffic, and high premiums are the process of rapid monetization, but there are also factors behind this There are certain problems," added Jiang Han, a senior researcher at Pangu Think Tank.
Quality is the last word
Suddenly, with the fermentation of public opinion, questions have been raised about how much the product itself can account for for star brands with high premiums.
In the opinion of the industry, the pricing of celebrities' own brands is too high, which is related to the celebrity's appearance rate and traffic. The higher the appearance rate and traffic, the higher the pricing. But relying on the fan effect to make money will not make a brand go far in the long run.
Ouyang Nana has 20 million Weibo fans, and her Weibo topic "Nana's vlog" has been read more than 2.5 billion times; on Xiaohongshu, Ouyang Nana has more than 8 million fans. Huang Minghao has more than 25 million fans on Weibo, and his trendy brand attracted the attention of 140,000 fans when he launched 9 products.
With tens of millions of attention, a top figure in the entertainment industry, the star power behind the product is as good as anyone’s. However, regardless of the high premium behind the high traffic, it is difficult to guarantee the product itself. .
Xiao Jiang, who has been in the clothing industry for many years, said that close-fitting clothing like bathrobes are mainly comfortable and skin-friendly. Good and expensive nightgowns should be made of 100% combed cotton, which is moisture-absorbent and skin-friendly. Five-star hotels generally use nightgowns made of this material, but the price rarely exceeds three digits. The bathrobes of Ouyang Nana's own brand are made of 86% polyester fiber, 13% viscose fiber, and 1% spandex, which is obviously not suitable for bathrobes. Polyester fiber is also called polyester. Its advantages are that it is strong and wrinkle-resistant. Its disadvantages are that it is stuffy, airtight, non-hygroscopic, prone to pilling, has poor dyeability, and is not suitable for close-fitting wear.