In the recent Xibei vs. Luo Yonghao incident, during the traffic frenzy, a large number of "old-timers" like me could only watch helplessly as traffic overwhelmed us. We could only console ourselves with "traffic wins the present, values win the future." Even Hua & Hua, usually behind the scenes, was dragged into the spotlight, and after apologizing, public opinion remained unsettled. The event has passed; let's not rush to judge right or wrong. But the phenomenon of traffic's dimensionality reduction attack and one-sided slaughter has only been seen since the invention of the Maxim gun. Some in the consulting industry ask: if Ye Maozhong were still around, how would he respond? This article can only be considered a helpless reflection from an "old-timer." Since I am an "old-timer," my reflection inevitably carries the flavor of an "old-timer." Before 2010, Ye Maozhong was the big shot in the marketing consulting industry; after that, it was Hua & Hua. In Ye Maozhong's era, he was praised and criticized universally. I was familiar with Old Ye and often praised him. To understand why someone becomes the "boss" of an era, you must analyze from the perspective of the times, because they adapted to that era. Since 1920, when KDKA in the United States became the world's first commercial radio station to obtain a business license, marketing entered the era of communication. The essence of marketing is to establish cognition in consumers' minds through media, and then transactions occur naturally. The single biggest variable affecting marketing is media. According to McLuhan in "Understanding Media," media is an extension of man. Ye Maozhong even summarized Schultz's "Integrated Marketing Communications" as: marketing = communication. Since marketing is communication, whoever masters the communication skills of the most important media of the era becomes the consulting guru of that era. This media can be radio, television, or the internet. The earliest local marketing guru was Ye Maozhong. The brand logic of the advertising era was: invest in the most influential media + spread a super slogan. The differences in brand theories, whether positioning, conflict, or USP, are all theories for creating super slogans. The difference between Ye Maozhong and the 4A agencies at the time was: 4A agencies' communication could only achieve the effect of "from 100 to 100+N," which was icing on the cake. But Ye Maozhong's communication could achieve the effect of "from 0 to 100," which was providing fuel in snowy weather. Both the praise and criticism of Ye Maozhong came from this. Because being able to achieve "from 0 to 100" met the expectations of local enterprises. At the same time, because the expression of his advertising works did not meet some people's expectations, there was much criticism. Ye's works often appeared on both "Top Ten Best Ads" and "Top Ten Worst Ads" lists. Around 2010, Hua & Hua took over from Ye Maozhong and became the big shot in the marketing consulting industry, serving even more enterprises than Ye Maozhong's peak. The era of Hua & Hua's rise was the early days of the internet's rise. Mass media had already declined, but the main battlefield of internet communication had not yet formed. Interestingly, the last three works Ye Maozhong created in 2018 were for Zhihu, Yiche, and Mafengwo, all internet-based companies. Why did these internet businesses invite Ye Maozhong to advertise on traditional media? It's worth pondering. Of course, besides the reach on mass media, Ye Maozhong's three ads also had significant reach on the internet. This might be an energy only Ye Maozhong possessed. My thought is: mass media had declined, but the main battlefield of internet communication had not yet formed, which is why internet companies invited Ye Maozhong for communication. Hua & Hua saw this gap. No matter how Hua & Hua packages its business philosophy and scope, without a breakthrough in communication, other business logic doesn't hold. Hua & Hua's communication logic is similar to Ye Maozhong's, but with three differences. Difference 1: The main battlefield of communication is different. Ye Maozhong's main battlefield was mass media; Hua & Hua's main battlefield is the terminal (packaging), with the terminal as media. Because of Hua & Hua's high service fees, the industry-leading enterprises they select have very high terminal coverage. When mass media is declining and the internet battlefield hasn't formed, for leading enterprises, this is a certain communication battlefield. Difference 2: The form of communication is different. Ye Maozhong used traditional brand super slogans; Hua & Hua uses super symbols (logos). Hua & Hua creatively turned slogans into logos. Of course, Hua & Hua's research on consumer behavior at the last meter of the terminal is very strong. Difference 3: Ye Maozhong's communication could go "from 0 to 100," while Hua & Hua can only achieve "from 100 to 100+N." The difference between providing fuel in snowy weather and icing on the cake. In summary, Hua & Hua and Ye Maozhong have similar logic, different media (mass media vs. terminal as media), and different forms (super slogans vs. super symbols). I don't know Hua Shan personally. Once at a dinner, I greeted him, and he responded politely, seemingly not knowing me. But that doesn't stop me from analyzing and praising Hua & Hua, and now re-examining it. Whether familiar or not, analyzing and praising industry gurus is actually analyzing the industry trend. Those who follow the trend thrive; those who go against it perish. From Hua & Hua's past performance, Hua Shan fears no criticism. However, this time he apologized. So, is Hua & Hua's opponent Luo Yonghao, or is there another reason? Times are changing. The biggest change is the change in media. This is the source of all changes. Ye Maozhong's success lay in his mastery of CCTV communication. When mass media declined, Old Ye had no solution. Hua & Hua, during the window when mass media was declining and the internet communication battlefield was forming, discovered the terminal as the main battlefield and invented the super symbol communication logic. This was a success in both strategy and tactics. Judging from the recent effectiveness of Hua & Hua's services and the outcome of Xibei vs. Luo Yonghao, an old era has ended, and a new era has begun. There are no successful enterprises, only enterprises of the era. This saying applies to both Ye Maozhong and Hua & Hua. What is this new era? Of course, the main battlefield of the internet has formed. Currently, it's Douyin and short videos. The following chart should illustrate this. As mentioned earlier, the single biggest variable affecting marketing is media. When the main communication media of the era changes, marketing consulting companies that haven't mastered new media communication skills, as well as enterprises that haven't, will face challenges. The Xibei vs. Luo Yonghao incident and the helplessness of many "old-timers" illustrate this. Why helpless? Why aggrieved? Because the public's perception differs from yours; what you did didn't make the public feel it. Today the target is Xibei; tomorrow it could be you. Hua & Hua's opponent is not Luo Yonghao, but the fact that communication has entered the true internet era. In the internet era, communication is a dimensionality reduction attack on all traditional communication. Conversely, if you master new media communication skills, you could be the consulting guru after Hua & Hua, the rising star of the industry. A friend said Luo Yonghao has "great internet sense." We've at least seen his destructive power. In fact, current internet celebrities all have excellent internet sense. I think the term "internet sense" is very precise. It seems like praise, but not really. However, when chatting with friends, I raised a question: Why has Luo Yonghao, who "kills Buddha when seeing Buddha" online, not succeeded in his own business? With so many brands he's promoted, why hasn't he brought out a well-known new brand? We often talk about Drucker's "marketing makes selling superfluous." Marketing solves cognition, while selling solves monetization (transaction). Applying this to traffic monetization, the principle is the same. No matter how much sales traffic generates, if it doesn't solve cognition, traffic will eventually go to zero. Ye Maozhong and Hua & Hua served so many enterprises not by relying on media sense or terminal sense, but by discovering a methodology. Some criticize Hua & Hua's "assembly-line creativity," which seems like a derogatory term but is actually praise. So many internet celebrities come and go, having only internet sense but no methodology. Internet celebrities rarely stay popular. Although they have traffic, it's like watching a monkey show. Without methodology, success is accidental. Without methodology, those who discover methodology might take over from Hua & Hua. Where does methodology come from? First, summarize successful cases, then use the methodology to deduce more diverse methods. Induction and deduction are the two most important logics. Let's analyze current successful cases. Category 1: Huawei, Pangdonglai Whether in WeChat Index or Douyin Index, they are consistently at high levels. These two companies are typical of value-based communication, with no trace of performance, or no visible trace of communication performance. Their communication logic fits the characteristics of public relations. How they achieve this is worth observing and summarizing. Category 2: Lei Jun, Zhou Hongyi Bosses as super IPs; they are typical. They drive the influence of the entire enterprise. I have attended Xiaomi's new product launches. Compared to traditional enterprises' launches, Xiaomi indeed has a strong ability to mobilize fans for communication. However, the boss-as-IP model is currently met with mixed reviews. At least it's not suitable for most bosses and is hard to elevate to a methodology level. Category 3: Jingjiu, Fenjiu, Jinxing Craft Beer These are typical UGC fission models. Is UGC fission accidental or inevitable? If it can be replicated, it's inevitable; if not, it's accidental. For new communication models based on the internet's main battlefield, there is currently no recognized methodology and no industry consulting guru. We see the power of accident and the power of destruction. Only when we see the power of methodology can we say we've found the optimal solution for a plan. After Ye Maozhong, Hua & Hua took over the consulting industry. After Hua & Hua, who will take over? In 2018, Ye Maozhong made his last stand on mass media, and it was brilliant; in 2025, Hua & Hua's apology to Luo Yonghao left many bewildered. I believe in the theory of stages. It's not that Ye Maozhong ran out of skills, nor that Hua & Hua was exposed, but that the times have changed. Everyone is a passerby of the era.