Source: Liang Jiangjun (ID: liangjiangjunisme)
Many brands, when facing growth stagnation, instinctively expand product categories.
For example, if you are a pure milk brand, to achieve growth, you start producing low-fat milk and milk beverages. But consumers who buy pure milk generally do not buy low-fat milk and milk beverages at the same time.
Expanding categories may bring short-term growth, but in the long run, the categories do not form a synergy; instead, they disperse the company's marketing resources. A bloated product line eventually becomes a burden on growth.
This is the most common "growth ceiling." How to break through this ceiling? I believe the key is:
Don't think about growth in terms of "categories," but in terms of "scenarios."
Replace categories with scenarios to break the growth ceiling
Let's return to the milk brand's growth challenge and try to rethink it by replacing categories with scenarios.
Milk is a household consumer product, mainly purchased by mothers aged 25-45.
At breakfast time, mothers prepare "breakfast milk." Using milk as breakfast is to supplement the day's nutrition and energy.
So, "breakfast milk" generally has two R&D approaches: one is to add grains to the milk to provide satiety, which is about supplementing energy; the other is to increase the protein content and add nutrients like calcium and zinc, which is about supplementing nutrition.
When mothers take their children to school, they might pack some snacks. Among dairy products, cheese sticks are a good choice—easy to carry, sweet, and healthy.
By the afternoon, mothers have been working for half a day and feel a bit hungry and tired. So, they like to buy some afternoon tea at a convenience store near the office between 3 and 4 PM. At this time, yogurt gets added to the shopping cart.
At the end of the day, some people habitually drink a glass of warm milk to help them sleep. Milk contains tryptophan, which can cause the brain to secrete neurotransmitters that induce drowsiness. Some foreign companies have already started developing milk specifically for sleep aid.
Breakfast milk, cheese sticks, yogurt, and sleep-aid milk... In different scenarios, mothers buy different dairy products. Although it seems like four new product lines have been added, they still target the same group of consumers.
This is the difference between product extension and scenario extension:
Product extension is about using different product lines to meet the needs of different consumers; scenario extension is about using different product lines to meet the different needs of the same group of consumers.
Category is a product-centric growth logic; scenario is a people-centric growth logic.
The problem with product extension is that new product lines disperse the company's marketing resources. Because different product lines have to face different types of needs from different consumers, this is a typical approach of trading quantity for growth.
The benefit of scenario extension is that even if the product lines increase and production resources are dispersed, the marketing firepower remains focused. Different scenarios serve the same group of consumers together, which means making the business deeper.
So, product extension broadens the business, while scenario extension deepens it.
When we make the business broader, we only meet the surface needs of consumers. The company's moat may seem wider, but the river is very shallow, and the ability to resist competition is very poor.
When we make the business deeper, we are constantly tapping into the deep needs of consumers. The company's moat may seem narrow, but it is bottomless, and it is difficult for any competitor to easily take away our business.
Therefore, we must replace product extension with scenario extension. Only then can we shatter the growth ceiling.
Scenario is the "concretization" of demand
What is a "scenario"? This concept was first proposed by Mr. Wu Sheng, and in recent years, it has been overused in the marketing world. But those who shout "scenario marketing" the loudest may not necessarily know what a "scenario" really is.
Yes, what is a "scenario"? Let me explain with an example.
"Gift-giving" is a scenario. When we mention "gift-giving," it's easy to conjure up this image: during the Spring Festival, your doorbell rings, and relatives arrive carrying boxes of beer and beverages, smiling as they wish your family a happy New Year...
In this image, time, place, people, and events are all present, like a short story slice.
A "scenario" is something that happens to someone at a certain time and place.
A scenario includes not only consumers, products, and consumption behaviors, but also the two coordinate axes of time and space.
So, when we use scenarios to think about business issues, we "concretize" originally vague and abstract concepts. This "concretization" helps us more easily discover users' potential needs.
1. Scenario = Discovering Needs
Suppose you are a bedroom furniture brand. When you want to achieve growth, how should you use scenarios to think about the problem?
First, don't think of yourself as a seller. The user scenario for bedroom furniture products is only one: "sleep." You should focus on the sleep scenario to uncover customers' potential needs.
Think about what you do before and after sleep.
You usually don't fall asleep immediately; instead, you lean against the headboard and play with your phone or read a book. At this time, you might put a backrest or pillow between the headboard and your back. If you have a cat like Liang Jiangjun, your furry master will jump onto the corner of the bed...
In the scenario I described, there are actually three pain points for users:
First, even if you use a backrest to support your back before sleep, it's still not very comfortable. I often adjust my sitting posture. So, you can improve the backrest design or make the bed screen more ergonomic for better comfort.
Second, are you like me? You drain your phone battery before sleep, so you charge your phone while playing with it?
But the distance between the headboard and the wall socket is always awkward—either too far or blocked by the headboard. If two USB charging ports were installed on the headboard, wouldn't it be more user-friendly?
Third, pets on the bed always shed fur, and their claws can scratch the sheets. If you could develop sheets and duvet covers that are resistant to fur and scratches, cat owners would be much happier.
If you think in terms of categories, you originally only sold adult beds; to increase growth, you add children's beds. Previously, you sold pure cotton bedding sets; now you start selling silk bedding sets...
Thinking about growth in terms of categories, we only spin in "stock thinking" and can never innovate products. Only through innovation and leading the industry can we achieve excess profits.
But in specific scenarios, you enter "incremental thinking." By discovering hidden user needs, you can improve products or develop new ones, thereby achieving performance growth.
2. Scenario = Creating Needs
One day, I skipped breakfast and had two consecutive meetings in the morning. By the time I finished, it was 12:30 PM, and I was starving. I opened the food delivery app and immediately ordered McDonald's.
Usually, when ordering lunch, I would browse back and forth and hesitate for a long time before choosing a restaurant, but that day I was unusually decisive.
Afterwards, I thought: Why did I decide on McDonald's so quickly? You might think it's because McDonald's delivery is fast enough, but that's not it.
Because 12:30 PM is the peak time for food delivery, and at that time, delivery time cannot be guaranteed. But McDonald's has a rule that delivery must be within 30 minutes. So, I chose McDonald's because of its "certainty"—I could know exactly when I would eat.
One day, I had to work late on a project, and a dozen team members were working at the office. As the "leader," I voluntarily ordered overtime meals for everyone. I also ordered McDonald's. Why? Because everyone was busy, and I didn't want to ask each person's preference. With McDonald's, it's generally acceptable to everyone.
In this scenario, my reason for choosing McDonald's was that it's convenient to eat and the taste is "universal." Everyone can eat quickly and get back to work.
Occasionally, I miss my middle school days. As a child from a county-level city, McDonald's and KFC were not fast food but luxury items. If a child could go to McDonald's with their parents on the weekend, they would show off to other kids for a long time.
At that time, McDonald's represented a longing for big-city life for a county kid.
In the three scenarios above, I was the consumer of McDonald's, but in different scenarios, my purchase motivations were completely different. Different scenarios shaped different "selves" and triggered different needs.
In the past, we believed that people's needs were relatively fixed. We collected age, region, occupation, gender, income, and interests, and thought we knew the needs of such people.
But we overlooked that people have many facets; in different times, spaces, and situations, people's needs change.**
So-called user needs are always needs in a specific scenario. When the scenario changes, the needs change.
Your product selling points and brand positioning cannot cover all scenarios or meet all needs. So, when you discover and communicate a new consumption scenario, you create a new consumption need.
For example, Xiaotiancai (Little Genius) watch created a new need. Do children ask their parents to buy a Xiaotiancai watch to tell time? No. The Xiaotiancai watch is a social need among children, just like Ferrari owners in the adult world communicate in a circle.
Is the watch category important? No. Xiaotiancai's "bracelet" can also meet children's social needs.
Growth is about using scenarios to release more consumer identities. From this perspective, scenarios create unlimited growth space.
3. Scenario = Awakening Needs
Traditional marketing theory holds that consumers think in terms of "categories." For example, if you want to buy a toothbrush, you first think of the toothbrush category, then which brand to buy.
So, the common shopping psychology is "category first, brand second," and category is the traffic entrance for brands.
Business operations also habitually follow this mindset. When a company seeks growth, it first looks at which categories are blank in the market.
But now, things have changed a bit.
Recently, the girls in the office bought some interesting green plants. The biggest feature of these plants is that they have interesting copy on them that makes you feel good after reading.
The brand is called Super Plant Company. They bought these plants not because they wanted to buy plants and then chose Super Plant Company. Rather, they were feeling a bit down recently and wanted to add some ritual to bring life some vitality.
Why is category logic no longer working? Because category is a physical concept, and now when we buy things, it's often not because of the product's physical function, but the spiritual pleasure it brings us.
For example, many liquor companies from Maotai Town claim their products are as good as Maotai. But sorry, Maotai doesn't sell a product; Maotai sells a brand. People drink Maotai not for its taste, but for the social status and the sense of honor it brings to guests.
Currently, countless netizens rush into Hongxing Erke's live stream to engage in "wild consumption," buying up all the inventory. What they buy is not Hongxing Erke's products, but a passionate patriotic heart.
Today's China is evolving from product consumption to spiritual consumption. Consumers' purchase motivations naturally change. The buying logic of "category first, brand second" is gradually being dismantled. We need to think one step further and ponder what the underlying needs of consumers really are.
Category is the traffic entrance for brands, demand is the traffic entrance for categories, and scenario is the most direct way to awaken demand. Generally, ads that focus on scenarios are the most effective at driving sales.
· Afraid of getting heaty? Drink Wanglaoji · This year, no gifts for the holidays; if you give gifts, only give Naobaijin · Love cleanliness? Stay at Hanting · Have a problem? Go to Zhihu
These ads all recreate the consumer's purchase environment, trying to occupy the first entrance of mind-share traffic.
When we try to think in terms of scenarios, we concretize user needs, making it easier to discover, create, and awaken needs.
How to Use Scenario Thinking to
Implement Growth Strategy?
To study growth with scenario thinking, we need to re-examine the entire marketing chain. See how brand, product, communication, and channel have changed.
In the past two years, Keep is a typical example of using scenarios to drive growth. Let's try to break down its marketing chain.
Brand Strategy
— Determine Strategic Direction from Incremental Scenarios
The earliest Keep used the concept of "mobile gym," where fitness enthusiasts could exercise anytime, anywhere under Keep's guidance. But people who love fitness are a niche circle. Compared to fitness fanatics who achieve six-pack abs, being lazy and gluttonous is the norm for the masses.
Ordinary people's common exercises are not burpees but jump rope, not push-ups but planks, not HIIT but aerobics.
So, Keep's brand positioning should shift from "hardcore exercise" that advocates self-discipline to "easy exercise, happy exercise." This type of exercise has higher frequency and a larger user base, making it the future incremental market.
Starting from user exercise scenarios, Keep can easily derive its growth strategy, which is to lay out its business around the brand positioning of "easy exercise."
But finding the strategic direction is only the first step. To implement the strategy, you must establish a connection between strategy and scenarios.
Product Support
— Scenario-Based Course Development
Since the brand strategy is to build a platform for "easy exercise," let's first restore the user's mindset in exercise scenarios and think about why those exercise flags have all fallen.
First, the exercise courses on Keep have certain training thresholds, such as high-intensity anaerobic training like "Ab Ripper" and "HIIT." These courses are often intimidating for beginners.
So, the first thing Keep did was to use scenario thinking to develop new training courses. For example, the top course on Keep's popularity list is called "10-Minute Morning Wake-Up."
The user scenario is: how can every office worker use 10 minutes before work to eliminate body swelling and mental fatigue, so you can go to battle full of energy!
The fourth most popular course is also interesting, called "Must-Train Before Wearing a Vest." This scenario targets men and women who want to show off their arm lines when wearing a vest in summer. You only need a chair and a resistance band to complete this training.
Developing easier exercise courses is for user acquisition. Keep also needs to solve the problem of re-engaging old customers. This problem is even more severe because human nature is lazy, and most people have three-minute enthusiasm. Many users are "sleeping users" on the platform.
To awaken "sleeping users," Keep developed many scenario-based live courses. For example, there is a course called "Fat-Burning Party," which invited celebrities like La Mu Yangzi and Chen Zhuoxuan to exercise with users, adding fun to the exercise.
Keep also launched smart hardware with stronger interactivity and better gamified experience. They have a smart spinning bike with a large touchscreen. Users can initiate live challenge races on the screen and team up for PK.
Developing new courses, operating live courses, and producing smart hardware—all these are to help users exercise more easily and happily.
Advertising and Marketing
— Embedding Content Scenarios to Stimulate User Needs
In 2021, Keep collaborated with "Back to Field" (Xiangwang de Shenghuo). This IP marketing utilized the value of scenarios to the extreme.
Step 1: Scenario penetration within the show
In "Back to Field," there are three exercise-related scenarios: after dinner, before bed, and early morning.
After dinner is "aerobics time": He Jiong and Peng Peng usually do a 10-minute aerobics to digest Chef Huang's big meal.
Before bed is "yoga time": The younger sister can practice yoga on Keep to stretch her muscles and sleep peacefully.
Early morning is "running time": In the show, Teacher Huang often drags Peng Peng for a morning run to start the day full of vitality.
These three moments are the most typical exercise scenarios in life. Through program placement and celebrity demonstration, these scenario cues are implanted in the audience's minds.
Step 2: Scenario supplementation outside the show
If you sort out the exercise scenarios of a day by timeline, you'll find one missing scenario—exercise during work hours. Due to long-term desk work, office workers need to stretch their muscles during work breaks.
Because "Back to Field" is filmed in a rural area, the exercise scenario during work hours is realized through marketing activities outside the show.
Keep created an offline event called "Keep 10-Minute Break." They built a large "mobile school bell" and a playground, using the bell to remind office workers to relax their muscles.
Step 3: Scenario linkage on the product side
The four scenarios—fat-burning aerobics after dinner, yoga before bed, morning running, and relaxation exercises during breaks—not only need external resource support, but the product side also sets up corresponding operational activities.
Users can search for program keywords like "Xiangwang" within the app to enter a dedicated landing page. Each scenario in the show has related course recommendations. Completing all courses earns a Taohuayuan badge.
Every user who comes in because of the show can find scenario-based solutions on the app. This ensures traffic is collected and conversion is guaranteed.
The reason brand strategies often fail to land is that there is no connection point between the top-level strategy and the bottom-level marketing. Scenario is the energy interface between strategy and marketing.
After seeing this case, let's redefine marketing concepts from a scenario perspective:
- Strategy: Making business trade-offs around scenarios
- Brand: Occupying a heavy scenario in users' minds
- Product: A solution under a scenario
- Communication: Giving users scenario cues and activating their needs
- Channel/Media: Hyperlinks under scenarios
Conclusion:
Scenarios can break the growth ceiling. Scenarios are the buttons of demand. Scenarios are the load-bearing walls for strategy implementation.
Please rethink growth from a scenario development perspective.
Are you "watching" me?