Liu Chunxiong: The representative of the super slogan is Ye Maozhong, while the representative of the super symbol (super logo) is Hua & Hua. Ten years ago, the success of a brand creative was mainly judged by whether it had a "super slogan." Now, brand success is judged by whether it has a "super meme" (a sign of IP success, but that's not covered here) and a "super symbol" (super logo). The change in brand creative demands reflects changes in the marketing media environment. Let me briefly explain the three communication logics used in this article: F2C, B2C, and C2C. F2C is the path where the brand manufacturer (F-end) communicates directly to consumers (C-end). B2C is the path where the brand manufacturer uses the terminal (B-end) to communicate to consumers (C-end). C2C is the path where consumers (C-end) communicate to other consumers (C-end).
The Shift in Importance between Slogan and Logo
Brand design ultimately delivers two answers: the Slogan (advertising phrase, tagline) and the Logo (visual identity). All research and creativity converge into these two elements. The Slogan is for video and oral communication, while the Logo is a visual recognition symbol. They complement each other. Before 2010, the success of brand consulting mainly depended on creating a super slogan. Although consulting firms also designed logos, their importance was far less than that of the slogan. A good slogan is worth ten thousand words. I've excerpted some super slogans from Mr. Kong Shou's book "Vivid Copywriting": Nike's "Just do it," Apple's "Think different," Google's "Do no evil." These are from multinational brands. Then there are domestic ones: Nongfu Spring's "Nature's porter," Red Bull's "Tired and sleepy? Drink Red Bull," Brain Gold's "This year, no gifts; if you give, give Brain Gold," HLA's "Visit HLA twice a year," and Wanglaoji's "Fear of getting heaty? Drink Wanglaoji." During the era of super slogans, Ye Maozhong stood at the forefront of marketing consulting. Although Ye's slogans were popular but not critically acclaimed, earning both praise and criticism, he was a typical advertising consulting firm.
Now, Hua & Hua is the undisputed leader among Chinese marketing consulting firms, and their label is the super symbol (super logo). In the current FMCG industry, few top brands have not cooperated with Hua & Hua. Once on a flight, I took a photo of a Hua & Hua partner brand from the in-flight magazine. This shift in the brand battlefield is very interesting.
Building Brands through Communication
The concept of brand is not ancient; it is a product of industrial society. In agricultural society, there was only word-of-mouth, not brands. The fastest-spreading content was not advertising but classic poetry by literati, hence the saying "Luoyang paper is expensive." The spread of literati poetry is similar to today's IP communication: spontaneous and viral, now called C2C communication. Some brands were written into poems and thus have been passed down for millennia, like Xinghuacun and Dukang, which still benefit today. Modern brand theory originated from the invention of radio 100 years ago, creating the F2C centralized communication model. Procter & Gamble's Ivory soap advertising even gave birth to the term "soap opera." After radio, four major media formed for brand communication. Mass media have two characteristics: first, wide coverage, enabling communication to a massive audience; second, an oligopolistic state. Mass media resources are scarce, and the cost of seizing media resources is very high, so only a few companies can afford it. Therefore, corresponding to the media oligopoly, most industrial sectors also show oligopoly. With wide-coverage media resources, all you need is to "shout through a loudspeaker" (as Teacher Shi Wei puts it), repeating, repeating, and repeating. Spend enough money, broadcast enough times, and according to memory curve laws, brand memory is created. However, audiences receive information in certain patterns, so various brand theories emerged. These theories all use mass media as the communication carrier, differing only in the psychological basis for creating slogans. Positioning theory, conflict theory, and USP theory all discuss the psychological basis for audiences to efficiently receive information. On mass media, which is more important, Slogan or Logo? Of course, Slogan is more important. A Logo can only be visually recognized, while a Slogan can be orally transmitted. A super slogan must be catchy and suitable for oral communication. Not understanding the media logic behind brand creation and infinitely exaggerating the spiritual and cultural value of brands is an alienation of brand logic. Now, brand consulting firms relying on mass media have mostly disappeared. The reason is simple: mass media have lost their power; without the skin, where can the hair attach? However, brand theories based on mass media still have a market and are occasionally brought up. War theories correspond to the main weapon systems of the era. When weapons disappear, the theories matching them also lose power.
Building Brands through Channels
Unlike the F2C centralized communication of super slogans, Hua & Hua's super symbol (super logo) follows a distributed B2C communication logic. The channel terminal has cognitive functions, which is an important feature of Chinese-style marketing. Generally, Chinese marketing is a dual-drive model of brand and channel. In 2004, Teacher Chen Chunhua wrote an article "Channel Drive Takes Precedence over Brand Drive," which greatly influenced me. It is generally believed that brands are much more important than channels. But those who understand Chinese channels truly know that Chinese channels themselves have the ability to create consumer awareness. That is, channels can also build brands. Let me repeat: channels can also build brands. Based on this logic, I successively wrote "Not Famous but Selling Well," "Brands Cannot Be Eaten," and "Building Brands with Sales Volume, Supporting Brands with Sales Volume." Building brands through channels is exactly the brand logic of Hua & Hua's super symbols today. Channels are places of transaction; how can they build brands? This is a point I mainly wanted to convey in "Chinese-Style Marketing" with Teacher Jin Huanmin, but it wasn't explicitly stated. In Western countries, FMCG channels are typically operated by third parties. But in China, due to deep distribution, manufacturers go through distributors to reach terminals, even conducting user operations at the terminal (i.e., BC integrated operations). At this point, manufacturers can do two things through deep distribution: First, bring the super symbol (super logo) deep into terminals, making it a B2C communication model where terminals are the carriers. This is a distributed communication model. It solves two problems: one is the integration of cognition and transaction at the terminal, with seamless conversion; the other is that as long as coverage is high, it can achieve high-coverage communication effects. Second, through channel relationships, transmit brand awareness information to the C-end, which is terminal-based promotional activities. These two things form the brand awareness of channels and users. This is the logic of building brands through channels. Hua & Hua's super symbols have extremely successfully utilized this logic. Another crucial detail of Hua & Hua's super symbols is designing the Slogan as a Logo. This is a genius creative move with significant meaning. Look at the photos I took of Hua & Hua's creations earlier—aren't the Slogans designed as Logos?
The End of Super Symbols
There are no successful enterprises, only enterprises of the era. Those successful enterprises must have utilized the most powerful tools and forces of the era, that is, following the trend. Ye Maozhong's success followed the trend of mass media; Hua & Hua's success followed the era when deep distribution channels had cognitive functions. So, if the times change, will super symbols still be effective? I have made several predictions recently: first, the disappearance of sales guides; second, the disappearance of manufacturers' centralized displays in supermarkets; third, the weakening of terminal customer relationships. The validity of super symbols and the B2C cognitive model depends on the alliance and resource buyout relationship between manufacturers and terminals. What if this relationship weakens or disappears? Look at Pangdonglai and Pangdonglai-style stores, as well as manufacturer sales guides and centralized displays. Pangdonglai is a benchmark for Chinese supermarkets, and other supermarkets will follow suit. Look at China's leisure retail discount stores—can manufacturers go deep into terminals to build brand awareness? Terminals don't give manufacturers this opportunity. Look at China's B2b ordering platforms, which are replacing channel-based customer relationship orders. This centralized ordering and distribution model will weaken manufacturers' terminal customer relationships. In short, Chinese channels will gradually become third-party operated, and the deep distribution model may gradually disappear.
The Shift in Communication Models
You can do without advertising, but you cannot do without communication. You can do without terminal super symbols, but you cannot do without communication. Any cognitive model may fail, but communication is eternal. Communication in the mass media era was a centralized F2C model. Hua & Hua's super symbols are a distributed B2C model. The future mainstream communication model is neither F2C nor B2C, but C2C. The C2C communication model is the IP-based brand communication model. Teacher Fang Gang and I have mapped out a path of cognitive communication changes, as shown in the figure below.