Article by Shengchu Consulting Guo Hui Niulanshan Erguotou (hereinafter referred to as Niuer) has grown for years, expected to exceed 20 million cases again in 2015, nearly 300 million bottles; mainstream transaction price 13 yuan. With no advertising and its main marketing strategy being density distribution, Niuer leaves many marketers speechless and, for now, remains invincible. However, recently an Erguotou called "Yidanliang" has emerged in the market, attracting huge attention upon launch and strongly impacting Niuer in regional markets such as Hebei and Henan. Take Shijiazhuang, Hebei, for example: it is said that a single distributor of this bare-bottle liquor can sell tens of millions of yuan. In typical prefecture-level markets, under the cautious environment for distributors, it is common for distributors to invest 3 to 5 million yuan to represent this product. Why did Yidanliang immediately gain huge market attention upon launch? Why, in my view, among many bare-bottle liquors, only Yidanliang can effectively challenge Niuer? What exceptional qualities does Yidanliang possess to achieve brand breakthrough in a short time? Today, I will reveal the marketing secrets of Yidanliang from multiple dimensions. I. The Return of a Legend, Rallying Support Li Hongjun—everyone would agree he is one of the myths of the liquor industry. During the industry's golden decade, he successfully created the "Black Land" myth. Li Hongjun, who had "not been the boss for many years," announced his return in 2014 with his Yidanliang Erguotou. However, he had been preparing for this day for nearly four years. During these four years, Li Hongjun and his team completed the brand gene introduction, liquor body development, differentiated packaging design, and channel launch model design. The reason this article must mention Li Hongjun is that Yidanliang's current achievements are inseparable from the Black Land myth he created. According to industry insiders, one key reason for Yidanliang's success is that the team behind the brand is the same team and distributors who followed Li Hongjun to create the Black Land myth. "Currently, most of Yidanliang's distributors are those who made money with Black Land before. This group has a characteristic: after operating Black Land, most tried other brands but rarely succeeded. They have a sense of admiration for Li Hongjun. So when Li Hongjun appeared with the differentiated Yidanliang, it immediately rallied support, leading to the phenomenon where distributors in a prefecture-level market pay millions without hesitation. This phenomenon is rarely seen with other brands," an insider told me. With steadfast followers, Yidanliang showed an extraordinary momentum upon launch. II. Brand Positioning Focuses on Two Highlights In interviews, the manufacturer provided many endorsements for Yidanliang's brand positioning. But in my view, the brand appeal of Yidanliang has two major highlights: First, the brand name and image: "Yidanliang"—note it's a dan of "grain" not a dan of "alcohol"! This naming gives consumers two intuitive impressions: first, grain liquor; second, it probably takes a dan of grain to brew the liquor. The brand image features a simple old man carrying a dan of grain, further suggesting it is grain liquor. Combined, these elements subtly establish the product's quality image in consumers' minds. Who says low-end liquor can't emphasize quality? Yidanliang offers a different answer. Second, the introduction of brand genes: Its slogan is: "Yidanliang, Erguotou, pure Beijing, absolutely gentle." Whether it's gentle or not aside, the slogan contains two keywords: first, Erguotou; second, Beijing.
We all know Erguotou is a category with broad consumer recognition and reputation. Therefore, calling it Erguotou means its category attributes need no further explanation; it is naturally accepted by consumers.
Consumers also have strong brand recognition of "Beijing Erguotou," knowing that Beijing Erguotou is the most authentic (though most may not know Beijing Erguotou is actually an independent brand), further strengthening Yidanliang's brand attributes as an Erguotou category.
Thus, upon launch, Yidanliang is already good liquor and a famous brand. As a new product, it effectively solves consumers' brand and quality recognition issues from the start. III. Simple Yet Not Simple Packaging Design The simpler things are, the harder they are to do well, and bare-bottle liquor packaging is no exception. Limited by price positioning and cost control, these products are already simply packaged, making further cost reduction difficult; and innovating design on a low budget is even harder. However, Yidanliang shows that low cost can still achieve differentiation, class, high quality, and high price.
In terms of bottle shape: With only 480ml capacity, Yidanliang's bottle has a large belly and long neck, making it look taller than other bare-bottle products, and the shape is distinctive.
In terms of color: The brown color gives the packaging a heavier feel and clearly differentiates it from the transparent bottles on the market.
In terms of materials: Whether the plastic cap, paper label, or the bottle itself, the material costs are very low.
Not to mention details like the brand name printed on the cap, front and back labels highlighting brand and craftsmanship, and the embossed brand logo on the bottle. While controlling low costs, it creates a bottle shape with class and differentiation; the saved costs are used for the liquor body to enhance consumer experience, and the price is pushed to 15 yuan per bottle, surpassing Niuer's 12-13 yuan. IV. Low-Cost Leading Precision Channel Marketing Based on current information, Li Hongjun does not strictly require distributors to follow his predetermined strategy for Yidanliang's market operations. But from the actual operations of current Yidanliang distributors and Li Hongjun's past experience with Black Land, the channel operations mainly have the following points:
High margin: As mentioned, Yidanliang achieves significant cost savings in product development, meaning ample investment space for both the company and distributors. As one distributor put it: "With such a large operating margin, I can play however I want."
Defined channels: In terms of channel launch strategy, Yidanliang first focuses on two channels: catering and circulation. In terms of channel rhythm:
In the early stage, Yidanliang focuses on cultivating the catering channel, through terminal atmosphere building, aggressive displays, and consumer tastings, quickly starting consumption rather than focusing on loading inventory; while appropriately supplementing with circulation channel layout to create multi-channel resonance.
In the mid-term, it further increases investment, expands the number of outlets, and begins to build brand atmosphere and channel density distribution.
Emphasis on communication: Its communication has three characteristics:
First, diverse forms: From in-store posters, concave-convex stickers, displays, price stickers, to outdoor bus ads and billboards, the material forms are diverse.
Second, surface coverage: From in-store to outdoor, diverse materials correspond to diverse media.
Third, focus on efficiency: We notice that Yidanliang's materials basically do not include storefront signs. The reason might be that compared to outdoor ads and bus ads, storefront signs have poor coverage and mobility; compared to posters and price stickers, they are less intuitive and have higher maintenance costs.
In summary, we can see that Yidanliang's communication investment may not be the highest, but compared to other bare-bottle liquors, its efficiency is definitely higher. It even puts many big brands to shame. Looking further, we find that under the guidance of low cost, Yidanliang has designed its push and pull marketing with maximum efficiency, and its marketing system is very clear. Additionally, some distributors told me that in terms of market operations, Yidanliang continues the distribution and prize-bearing marketing methods used by Black Land. Although competitors also do these, their execution capability is far inferior to Yidanliang's. "I know a prefecture-level agent with over 80 salespeople and more than 30 vehicles solely for selling Yidanliang. Can you imagine other brands doing that? That's Yidanliang's execution capability. How can it not be strong?" Wei Jiu Comments
- Looking at Yidanliang's product line, there are several other products in the series. Although they haven't shown their power yet, it's certain that each product has a clear positioning and is based on long-term considerations. The breakthrough of a single product is definitely not the end of its brand development. Li Hongjun must have bigger dreams; what we see now is only the first step on its brand path.
- Although Yidanliang is aggressive, its most obvious success is in Hebei, but markets in Henan, Shandong, Anhui, Jiangsu, Beijing-Tianjin, and Liaoning are showing clear momentum. However, it should be noted that these markets were also the former glory markets of Northeastern liquors represented by Black Land. Relying on the old batch of distributors, Yidanliang can break through quickly, but how to break the "curse" of Northeastern liquors still tests Li Hongjun.
- From Li Hongjun's current strategy, his way to break the regional "curse" is "tradition + fashion." It is hoped that Yidanliang, besides offline traditional channels, will use the internet and fashion to spread its wings. It is also understood that some companies have intervened to help it gain momentum online. However, so far, this area is not obvious, and the combination of tradition, fashion, and the internet is not well integrated. Reply with the following keywords to categorize and read related professional articles: Sales Supervisor, Second-Tier Management, Regional Manager, Distributor Management, New Channels, City Manager, Competition, 2015, Manufacturer-Dealer Game, Product Slow Sales, Terminal Visit Management, Route Management, Deep Distribution, Internal Management, Sales Skills, Profit Improvement, Recruitment, Distribution, Daily Management, Team Motivation, Trade Promotion, Sales Misconceptions, New Product Launch, Township Market, New Product Pricing, Sales Target Achievement, Closing Deals, Market Visit Inspection, Baijiu, Beer, Sales Increase, Agency Product, Channel Crossing, KA, Terminal Merchandising, New Market, Market Operation, Learning, Book Recommendations, Inventory Management, New Salespeople, Consumer Promotion, Execution, Old Products, Expired Product Handling, Model Market, Investment Attraction, New Media, Distributor Development, Performance Appraisal, Assessment, Annual Planning, Shopping Guide, Morning Meeting, Display, Transformation, Inventory Pressure, Holidays, Distributor Cost Control, Channel Operation, Marketing Theory and Laws, Brand Truth, Order Meeting, Team Management, Training, Debriefing, Debriefing Report. Reply with number 1 to enter the library category browsing;