Persist to the Wind, Achieve Success Blue Moon, a local daily chemical company that established itself in the fiercely competitive market with toilet cleaner and collar cleaner, was at a loss before the 21st century: these were niche categories, and holding them only meant one foot in the door of the broader daily chemical market. God did not guide them on the next steps. Luo Qiuping, founder of Blue Moon and a chemistry graduate from Wuhan University, had a unique vision for the market. Blue Moon boldly set its sights on hand sanitizer. The pioneers in China were Zusi and Kaimi, but consumers were accustomed to soap, which had the drawback of cross-contamination. After numerous promotions failed, Zusi and Kaimi gave up. Blue Moon persisted until the SARS outbreak in 2003. Panic over personal hygiene made consumers realize the importance of handwashing and the drawbacks of soap. Blue Moon seized this opportunity through social donations and offline handwashing campaigns, creating a new daily chemical category—hand sanitizer—and quickly becoming the leader. Zusi and Kaimi regretted their lack of persistence. Hand sanitizer was still a niche category, less than 1% of the billion-level daily chemical market. Blue Moon, an enterprising company, sought new growth after years as the hand sanitizer leader. This time, they chose laundry detergent. At that time, laundry detergent accounted for less than 1% of the 40 billion washing market, with only a few producers like Kaimi. God favored them again: in 2008, Blue Moon entered the laundry detergent market with high-profile advertising, in-store promotions, and aggressive sales tactics, quickly rising to become the market champion. However, marketing is not a 100-meter sprint; it is a brutal marathon where only those who persist to the end become winners. How Long Can Single-Product Leadership Last? In the domestic daily chemical industry, or more specifically, the washing industry, Blue Moon achieved dual championships in hand sanitizer and laundry detergent, but its scale remains a pain point. Revolution Kodak invented the digital camera but dared not revolutionize its film business, benefiting others. Nokia dared not revolutionize its feature phones, enabling others' smartphones. The market always proves that if you don't revolutionize yourself, others will. The laundry powder giants dared not revolutionize themselves, enabling Blue Moon's laundry detergent. They underestimated consumers' spending power, but more importantly, selling more laundry detergent meant selling less powder. Tide, Omo, Liby, and Diao Pai were unwilling to shift from one pocket to another. Blue Moon played a solo act of "no powder, light burden." But dreams end, and shows conclude. When the laundry powder giants woke up, Omo led the charge into the market at 30% lower prices, and the market turned from blue to red ocean. The solo act became a melee. How long can single-product leadership last against scale advantages? That is the question. The Flaws of the Three Axes As a Hubei native, Luo Qiuping studied Shule, another Hubei enterprise, thoroughly and adapted its terminal interception tactics into a more practical approach known as the "three axes": special prices, buy-one-get-one, and vocal sales pitches. During Blue Moon's rapid growth, these tactics were as effective as Viagra, achieving great success. For a long time, the promotion department was an independent entity above sales and marketing. With over 12,000 retail outlets and 16,000 promoters, the most extreme case was Carrefour Gubei store with 24 sales guides on three shifts. In the market introduction phase, high profit margins supported this approach. In the red ocean, with price wars and similar tactics from competitors, Blue Moon's three axes became less effective, leading to physical altercations between promoters and competitors, as reported in the news. Facing competitors' scale advantages, price wars became a nightmare. Tide, Omo, Liby, and Diao Pai continuously funneled profits from laundry powder into laundry detergent, while Blue Moon, without such support, struggled. Promotion departments were downsized, and media advertising disappeared for a time. Brand Extension Becomes a Liability The washing and chemical industry is a large category with subcategories like clothing washing, home cleaning, and personal care. Unilever has Omo for laundry detergent, Comfort for fabric softener, and Clear, Lux, Dove for personal care. Liby has Liby and Good Daddy for laundry detergent, and Weiwang for home cleaning. Rival Vilos has multiple brands for different segments. P&G has Tide and Ariel. Blue Moon, however, uses the Blue Moon brand for everything from laundry detergent to hand sanitizer, kitchen cleaning to toilet cleaning, floor cleaning to glass cleaner. In the 1990s, a unified brand was beneficial, but in today's highly segmented market, what mindshare does Blue Moon occupy? Does it represent laundry detergent or hand sanitizer? Toilet cleaner or kitchen cleaner? As the laundry detergent market grows, brand extension becomes a liability, blurring Blue Moon's positioning and hindering communication and mindshare. Frequent Organizational Changes Without last year's salary cuts and layoffs controversy, the outside world might never have known about Blue Moon's frequent personnel changes. On Baidu Tieba, employees complain, forcing Blue Moon to use paid posters to mitigate negative impact. In fact, organizational changes occur monthly, and personnel changes biweekly. Today it's a column, tomorrow a leaderboard... The current Blue Moon is not the fearless one of the past. The organization is bloated, and people are idle. Founding members either kowtow to the boss or leave. "No generals in Shu, Liao Hua as vanguard" is a reality, not a joke. Capable people have left, leaving fresh graduates to negotiate with Carrefour and Walmart buyers. What favorable contracts can these novices secure? Insiders say Blue Moon's in-store costs are often the highest in the industry. The supply suspensions at Carrefour and RT-Mart are the price paid for these newcomers' mistakes. In the washing and chemical industry, online transactions account for less than 10% of total sales; 90% still occur offline. Online sales are limited by shipping costs, which are not much cheaper than in-store fees. Currently, the main sales channel is offline physical stores, and with saturation in first- and second-tier cities, growth is mainly in third- and fourth-tier markets. In the foreseeable future, Omo is most promising in first- and second-tier cities due to strong relationships with international retailers. In third- and fourth-tier markets, Liby has the strongest voice in distribution channels. Blue Moon once seized the hand sanitizer and laundry detergent markets from Zusi and Kaimi with accurate timing. Now, Blue Moon faces others trying to seize its market. Blue Moon, How Long Can You Carry the Banner of Industry Leader? 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