Since 2009, the cartoon brand image of Zhang Junya (hereinafter referred to as "Zhang Junya"), with her puffy hair and red bow, has entered the public eye. No one expected that within a few years, this imported crumbled noodle snack, priced at nearly 10 yuan, would rise rapidly and become a favorite among mainland consumers. According to preliminary statistics, Zhang Junya's turnover in the mainland reached nearly 1 billion yuan in 2014.

In the current imported food market, a hit product may emerge only once every 5 to 10 years, and Zhang Junya, created by Taiwan's Wei Lih Foods (hereinafter referred to as "Wei Lih"), is undoubtedly one of the lucky ones. Many industry insiders have analyzed the reasons for Zhang Junya's success: cute cartoon packaging, deep brand meaning, imported food labels, and the push of e-commerce...

But it's worth noting: is that all? How did Zhang Junya become so well-known and successful in just five years? What secrets lie behind it?

Below, the World Food editor reveals the three truths behind the rapid rise of the Taiwanese brand "Zhang Junya."

Truth 1: You think the success is due to distributors, but actually... In 2009, Zhang Junya, created by Wei Lih, entered the mainland market, initially operated by import agents. Shanghai Yongying Trading Co., Ltd. and Qingdao Suolong Trading Co., Ltd. were the first two agents, with sales starting in Shanghai and coastal areas, then spreading nationwide.

From 2011, driven by trends, Zhang Junya joined the e-commerce wave, laying the foundation for its later fame. Seeing Zhang Junya's momentum in coastal areas, Henan Taiping Trading Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as "Taiping Trading") obtained the agency rights for Henan Province in 2011. However, unlike developed coastal cities, sales in Zhengzhou, Henan, were not ideal initially.

According to Pan Chaocheng, General Manager of Taiping Trading, "At first, we wanted to try it, so we only brought in over 100 boxes. At that time, the retail price was 9 yuan. I showed it to the buyer of the famous local supermarket chain Dennis, but they couldn't accept it. Given the consumption capacity at that time, people still thought it was expensive." In the first few months, Zhang Junya's monthly sales in Zhengzhou averaged only one to two hundred boxes. Pan tried offering free samples at some elite schools, using Zhang Junya's doll head for interaction, but after nearly 8 months, sales still didn't pick up.

Recalling Zhang Junya's early growth, Pan still remembers it vividly: "Initially, sales were not good, but we persisted step by step, from 100-200 boxes a month to 400-500 boxes, then to over 1,000 boxes, with all its ups and downs." Product distribution also expanded from Zhengzhou to surrounding areas like Luoyang and Kaifeng, and then to more provinces such as Shanxi, Henan, Hubei, and Hunan. In this way, Zhang Junya marched from the coast to the inland, becoming known to more consumers.

After learning this, many might conclude that Zhang Junya's success should be attributed to import agents like Pan Chaocheng. Is that really the case? Actually, no.

"Our capabilities are limited after all; most of the credit goes to Wei Lih, the manufacturer in Taiwan. They are the force behind us," Pan explained. "Wei Lih has a dedicated mainland team, and in recent years, they have sent many senior managers to deeply cultivate the mainland market, assisting distributors in operations and terminal management. They are very diligent, spending more than 20 days a month on business trips in the mainland, visiting stores with distributors every day, at least a dozen stores a day. From Wei Lih's people, we see the meticulousness and dedication of Taiwanese people. This is an important reason for Zhang Junya's success. Many Taiwanese manufacturers don't understand the mainland market, but Wei Lih is willing to make the effort to understand it."

It is understood that Wei Lih pays close attention to issues such as timely delivery, price stability, and cross-regional selling. When visiting stores, they check product placement and implement four-point detail management: observing whether the display is attractive; whether products are out of stock; the freshness of production dates; and whether packaging labels are neat and standardized.

Subsequently, Wei Lih compiles data on product display at terminals and marks the status of each market. If a market has good display but poor sales, Wei Lih analyzes the reasons and identifies the problems. "Last month, we just went to Sichuan with Wei Lih and learned that distributors were under-supplied. Wei Lih traced the root cause and promptly resolved the supply issue for distributors."

"Look at successful Taiwanese brands—who comes to guide distributors? Most are still foreign trade-oriented. But Wei Lih is different; even the smallest distributor, Wei Lih tries to support. That's the key to Zhang Junya's success," Pan said. "For us importers, we mostly play a service role, helping Wei Lih develop and supply."

Truth 2: You think the high-priced import is the selling factor, but actually... Facing Zhang Junya's hot sales, many industry insiders believe that "high-priced imported snacks" are exactly Zhang Junya's charm. Its origin from "Taiwan, China" distinguishes it from local brands on the shelves. With a retail price of 8-10 yuan per pack in supermarkets, 2-3 times higher than similar products (under 100g), it perfectly annotates its imported snack status.

But is it really the origin that determines its popularity? Actually, no.

"If consumers buy it the first time because of its high-priced imported identity, out of curiosity, then the second and third purchases are definitely because of its quality," Pan responded. "Zhang Junya is like the iPhone of Taiwanese snacks; its production lines are all imported. Its positioning is not luxury, but to make the public feel it represents high quality and high value, worth the money."

In 2014, as Zhang Junya's sales boom spread across the mainland, many companies began to imitate Zhang Junya by launching snack noodle products. But in Pan's view, they still struggle to compete with Zhang Junya, fundamentally because it's hard to surpass its quality.

It is understood that Zhang Junya initially had 8 SKUs when it first came to the mainland, but over the years, Zhang Junya has not expanded the number of SKUs to boost sales; it has kept SKUs within 10. Each year, Wei Lih eliminates the worst-selling one and adds a new product. These products each have their own characteristics and always maintain a display.

So far, the best-selling items are Chocolate Donut, Leisure Balls, and Mexican Snack Noodles.

Another factor in Zhang Junya's popularity is the "brand" corresponding to quality. This is what Wei Lih has been consistently promoting.

Since 2009, Zhang Junya has continuously conducted tasting and promotional activities in schools and supermarkets. Wei Lih has designed many stickers, dolls, and other souvenirs for Zhang Junya, almost all limited editions. Even the gift packs sold during festivals are limited and not discounted. "Wei Lih maintains a strategy of 'marketing strategies, no price reduction,' gradually building the brand, rather than simply pursuing explosive growth and ruining the product image," Pan introduced.

Truth 3: You think it was hyped by e-commerce, but actually... Many consumers don't know why Zhang Junya suddenly became popular. Industry insiders attribute it to the push of e-commerce platforms. Is that really the case?

Actually, Zhang Junya became popular from the student circle. At that time, Zhang Junya's channels had not fully reached schools, but distributors would do tastings at many university campuses, bringing Zhang Junya's cartoon doll to interact and take photos with students.

Pan introduced: "Our campus activities followed current trends. In 2013, we brought Zhang Junya's doll head to dance 'Gangnam Style,' and in 2014, we danced 'Little Apple.' We fully integrated Zhang Junya into the student circle, making them feel it's not just a product but a brand. Once they become familiar with the cartoon image, they develop a desire to buy." "The role of e-commerce cannot be denied, but it's just a catalyst. The real reason is definitely the combined online and offline communication, which is a cyclical process. Consumers hear about the product, see it in supermarkets, want to buy it, but find it expensive, so they might order online. As more people buy online, the product's visibility increases, which also boosts offline sales," Pan said.

In January 2015, on Pan Chaocheng's personal WeChat, he wrote: "Tonight I happened to see old WeChat photos, and I didn't realize it's been so long since we danced Zhang Junya Gangnam Style in the square. Time flies. Some old partners are still here, some have gone their separate ways. In this new year, I wish all of us, no matter how we sprint forward, to occasionally stop and think, not forgetting our original intentions, enthusiasm, and attitude when we fought desperately!"

Zhang Junya's long growth journey may be hard to express in words, but Wei Lih and its distributors have created a five-year miracle with practical actions. I believe in the next five years, Zhang Junya will bring us more surprises.

Source: Food Industry Expert Reprinted from: World Food

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