--- title: "Even If Products Have Their Own Traffic, the Channel Battlefield Cannot Be Missed" description: "The article argues that despite the rise of internet marketing, traditional channel distribution remains crucial. Even products with strong online presence, like Jiangxiaobai, rely heavily on offline channels. The author advocates for a balanced 4P approach where channels also serve as communication platforms, emphasizing that while online traffic can be fleeting, channels provide stable and controllable communication." author: "刘春雄" publisher: "New Distribution" email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com" telephone: "+8615854817671" published: "2017-09-20" language: "en" canonical: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/even-if-products-have-their-own-traffic-the-channel-battlefield-cannot-b-55939f9d/" markdown: "https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/even-if-products-have-their-own-traffic-the-channel-battlefield-cannot-b-55939f9d.md" original_source: "https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/6JY7o3Aqj8inxvUsxWtMCg" translation: "https://xinjignxiao.com/zh/articles/%E5%8D%B3%E4%BE%BF%E4%BA%A7%E5%93%81%E8%87%AA%E5%B8%A6%E6%B5%81%E9%87%8F-%E4%BB%8D%E7%84%B6%E4%B8%8D%E8%83%BD%E7%BC%BA%E5%A4%B1%E6%B8%A0%E9%81%93%E6%88%98%E5%9C%BA-55939f9d.md" attribution: "New Distribution — https://xinjignxiao.com/en/articles/even-if-products-have-their-own-traffic-the-channel-battlefield-cannot-b-55939f9d/" usage_policy: "https://xinjignxiao.com/ai-policy.txt" --- # Even If Products Have Their Own Traffic, the Channel Battlefield Cannot Be Missed > The article argues that despite the rise of internet marketing, traditional channel distribution remains crucial. Even products with strong online presence, like Jiangxiaobai, rely heavily on offline channels. The author advocates for a balanced 4P approach where channels also serve as communication platforms, emphasizing that while online traffic can be fleeting, channels provide stable and controllable communication. **By Liu Chunxiong** / Liu Teacher Forum (ID: liuchunxiong1964) Nowadays, there is a lot of emphasis on internet marketing, so some people ask: Has deep distribution become outdated? Is the channel no longer important? Does affirming one necessarily mean denying the other? If a product has its own traffic, does that mean we don't need channels? Some people indeed think this way, and some act on it. In short, whether you think or act this way, you will definitely suffer losses. 01 This year, Jiangxiaobai is very popular, and everyone focuses on aspects with internet elements like expression bottles, UGC, and copywriting. From a communication perspective, this is correct. Because these are conducive to dissemination and have stories. But success is not only about communication. **Communication only spreads what is conducive to spreading; communication is not the whole truth of success.** Isn't that a bit tongue-twisting? In 2014, when I first met Jiangxiaobai's boss Tao Shiquan, I asked him a question: What exactly made Jiangxiaobai successful in the early days? Because at that time, internet communication was not yet very popular, far from being ignited. My conclusion was: Jiangxiaobai's traditional marketing skills are impressive; its channel distribution and promotion capabilities are better than anyone else's. Even without internet factors, Tao Shiquan would still be very successful. Internet communication just added icing on the cake for Jiangxiaobai's channel work. However, the public often sees only the flower, not the extensive behind-the-scenes work. Even now that it's so popular, Jiangxiaobai still puts significant effort into channels. For example, completing 70% distribution within a time limit, and 70% cash-on-delivery distribution. Just these two conditions are unacceptable to many distributors, who repeatedly bargain. For Jiangxiaobai, bargaining is not allowed. 02 The internet does have subversive elements in thinking compared to tradition, but in practice, there are certainly inherited elements. The final result is the "negation of negation." For example, Xiaomi became popular through online channels, and they thought they could continue to be popular online. In fact, the plot quickly reversed. OPPO and VIVO immediately became popular through offline channels. Don't think they only rely on offline; their online presence is equally strong. Two years ago, I predicted that the "integration of communication and channel" like Xiaomi's would have problems. All such integration means that as long as there is online communication, communication can definitely form channels (like e-commerce). But **when online traffic disappears, online channels also disappear**. Online traffic has two major sources: one is suddenly standing at the wind's mouth, with huge traffic. But no one can stand at the wind's mouth forever. Since the internet has media attributes, it will follow the laws of media. The law of media is aesthetic fatigue. Once a certain type of information is over-disseminated, the effect diminishes, and the media is no longer willing to hype it. For example, at a certain stage, any article about Huawei had good click-through rates. After a while, it won't be the same; the media will constantly shift battlefields. The other type of traffic is purchased traffic, and the cost of purchasing traffic may exceed offline costs. Therefore, anyone who bets everything on online will eventually see their online traffic dry up. If this statement was made when Xiaomi was at the wind's mouth, Lei Jun wouldn't believe it. By the time he believes it, the wind has already passed. 03 Since last year, I have been advocating the "4P All Communication" concept. **"4P All Communication" has two meanings: First, in the internet era, all 4Ps have communication attributes; they can be the source of communication and the source of traffic. Second, the 4Ps should be balanced. You can break through on a single point in communication, but you cannot rely on single-point communication for a long time.** Under the thinking of "4P All Communication," when we re-examine channels, our thinking is different. Channels are no longer just offline; they can also be online. Channels are no longer just "one-on-one" word-of-mouth and sales; channels can also serve as communication positions, and controllable ones at that. This year, when practicing the "New Marketing System" of Xiaoshile, although it also follows the concept of 4P All Communication, the initiation of communication is different. The initial investment attraction was purely new media communication. After entering market operations, it mainly relied on channel communication. To use channels as communication positions, channel operations must be better than traditional deep distribution. Not long ago, during the Xiaoshile review, we repeatedly criticized a tendency: picking up internet tools and discarding traditional methods. This tendency is still quite strong. In fact, because Chinese marketing has long been single-factor breakthroughs and constantly shifting factors, this tendency has formed. Every time, there is only one weapon in hand, never forming a system. **Breakthroughs can be single-point, but stability must be systematic.** 04 In China, in the past, there were companies that did well in communication (advertising), which I call brand-oriented marketing. There were also companies that did well in channels, which I call channel-oriented marketing. Where a company's marketing starts is determined by resources and advantages, and any approach can work. But if it cannot move toward balanced marketing, it will eventually become lame. If the brand is done well, it can be glorious for a while. If the channel is done well, it can be a hidden champion for a while. But those that truly become strong and big are the "4P balanced" companies. In the past few years, I have talked more about the internet, and some people think I have abandoned tradition. If you have such a view, that's just your view. I have not abandoned tradition, but my perspective on tradition is definitely different. **Under the perspective of "4P All Communication," there is no pure internet, nor pure communication, but an organic combination.** 05 Although it is "4P All Communication," the stability of communication varies. For online communication, finding the right tone is difficult. Even if you find the communication tone, you must know that online tone is constantly changing, and few companies have never stood at the wind's mouth in their communication. It can be said that online communication is a matter of luck. For example, Xiaomi once stood at the wind's mouth, and Lei Jun's casual remarks would ferment online. But now, it's hard for Lei Jun to do that. Once, at a Xiaomi launch event, I could feel that Lei Jun was no longer as calm as before, because his words were no longer a communication hotspot. Building channels is not simple, and making channels have communication functions is even harder. But **once channels have communication functions, they are controllable and stable communication.** Channels themselves carry traffic; giving channels communication attributes is like adding wings to a tiger. Therefore, even if products have their own traffic, even if online communication is thriving, the channel battlefield is still indispensable. Not only are channels indispensable, but we must also establish "new channels" that give channels communication attributes. **The 3rd (CFIC) China FMCG + Internet Conference** will be held in Chongqing in November 2017. The conference will closely focus on the theme "New Forces, New Ecology," inviting **1000+ distributors, 500+ brand owners, 200+ B2B platform founders, and 100+ investment and financing institutions** to jointly explore a new chapter of cross-border integration! **Core topics of this conference:** > * **How can the FMCG industry leverage B2B to achieve new growth opportunities** > > > > > > > * **How to build a new supply chain behind new retail** > > > > > > > * **How can intra-city logistics help B2B achieve leapfrog development** > **Highlights of this conference:** > * **The industry's first "2017 China FMCG B2B Industry Competitiveness White Paper"** > > > > > * **Case sharing of excellent transforming and upgrading distributors** > > > > > * **Conference + exhibition upgrade, Hall 6 Internet Technology Exhibition strengthens docking** > > > > > * **Alibaba Retail Link, ProLogis Finance, Eternal Asia Supply Chain, Best Store Plus, Yi Jiu Pi, Haiding, and other well-known enterprise leaders in various fields will give on-site speeches and express pioneering views.** > > **Registration is now open. Long press the QR code below or click "Read Original" to register.** Add friend and note "Conference Registration" Click the link below to review the grand occasions of the first and second FMCG + Internet conferences: [2016 "FMCG + Internet" High-Level Forum]() -END- --- ## Copyright and AI use This article is sourced from New Distribution. Search, quotation, summarization, and model training are permitted, but every use must credit New Distribution and retain the canonical source URL. Contact: zhaobo258@gmail.com · +86 158 5481 7671