Click the image for details 2018 marked the end of the golden era of entrepreneurship, and from now on, it may be the beginning of building brands solidly. Brand awareness and consensus will become the strongest moat for products. Last year, I thought that after years of brand communication, always listening to clients and bosses, my own ideas couldn't be fully realized. If I had the chance, I would start my own brand, using my own methods. It might not be huge, but it would be fulfilling. I haven't decided what brand to create yet, but I have seriously thought about how to build a brand from scratch now. It might be immature, flawed, and certainly incomplete. I'll write down my thoughts for discussion and mutual inspiration. Here it is: Before thinking about how to build a brand, we need to see the current situation clearly; before making strategies, we need insight. I'll briefly describe the current situation from three levels: first, circle stratification; second, shortened consumption paths; third, public opinion gray rhinos. This was mentioned in previous articles: the truth of contemporary life is stratification and cognitive cocoons, and most people are unaware, thinking what they focus on is what the world focuses on, and what they see is what the world sees. If you broaden your horizons a bit, you'll find your world is barren, and the real world is vast. For example, Douyin has 500 million monthly active users. In theory, it's a large circle with diverse content, but if you persist for three days, spending 2 hours a day, you'll find the content is similar, highly homogenized. Douyin users think the whole world watches Douyin, but if you close Douyin and look at others, you'll see a vast world. Circle stratification and cognitive cocoons are objective facts, neither positive nor negative; they are a matter of personal choice. The question for marketers is: in this environment, how to reach the audience, what language to use, and how to communicate with them? This is the first insight—circle stratification. The current consumption path has fundamentally changed. Previously, from seeing an ad to purchasing a product, you had to physically travel a distance—hundreds of meters, kilometers, or even farther. Now, due to the improvement of internet infrastructure—social, search, e-commerce, O2O, etc.—most of our lives are concentrated in a smartphone. When I discovered that some post-95s don't even have PCs, and when I found my daily screen time exceeds 6 hours, I concluded: all paths are within the palm of your hand; there's no distance, only speed. After 5G, there won't even be a concept of network speed; everything will be instantaneous. So, the current consumption path is: See—(Search)—Act, where search can even be omitted, or search is part of action, a necessary part. Today's "product" is dispersed; you see brand information anywhere, and if moved, you immediately act on your phone—maybe opening the App Store, Xiaohongshu, Taobao, following a public account, etc., then purchase, experience, follow, completing the conversion from product to effect. First, no QR code needed; just inform the entry point. Second, zero delay; as long as interested, you can act immediately. The moment people are moved is when their desire to act is strongest; if they can't act immediately and have to wait, that desire will decline and disappear. All consumers want "what I want, I want now." This is the second insight—shortened conversion path, almost zero decay from product to effect. It's been hard to find a word to describe this, so I'll use "public opinion gray rhino." A typical example: Kuaishou, in its early development, had no voice in public opinion; no media or self-media in the Fifth Ring discussed it. A behemoth with over 100 million users and high activity remained silent, and public opinion ignored it. Isn't that a public opinion gray rhino? We need to understand the essence of public opinion: not all communication volume creates public opinion. Another example: when Weibo was rising, an old, clichéd joke was reposted over a million times, spreading widely. I casually reposted it to my Weibo and added a hashtag #XXStyle# (various styles were popular then). It got only about 2,000 reposts, but the next day, over a dozen metropolitan newspapers reported it; the third day, Baidu Baike had hundreds of thousands of views; by year-end, it was listed in the annual buzzwords. This illustrates that communication volume and public opinion are not equivalent. This insight can be viewed in reverse. A product that silently accumulates users, silently spreads, without disturbing public opinion—if done well, this is a good strategic concealment period. This period gives the product and users enough breathing room. When it becomes a gray rhino, it emerges explosively. Imagine that scene; it would be spectacular. This is the third insight—public opinion gray rhino. In the mobile internet era, based on these three insights, how do we create a new brand? What are the steps? First, understand what a brand is: a brand is a consensus between the client and consumers; it's a proposal to consumers, gaining enough recognition, and reaching consensus with consumers—that's a brand. So the question is: how does the client gain more consumer recognition and achieve broader consensus? Step 1: Circle Consensus In the past, when launching a new product, you targeted everyone from the start, hoping to reach consensus with everyone. This strategy was feasible in the early Chinese market: many blank markets, centralized media discourse, and consumer word-of-mouth not connected online. In recent years, various trends have emerged, though discourse is less centralized, but some blank markets were still opened, so it's partially effective; the only change is that consumer word-of-mouth is now connected. In early or blank markets, the time window is crucial; gaining enough market share in a short time is important. The current situation is that blank markets are shrinking, mass brands are harder to build, and more new brands are niche vertical brands or iterative brands in mature markets, not new brands in blank markets. In this case, the work of seizing the market is not urgent; reaching circle consensus first becomes important. Due to circle stratification, it's theoretically feasible to only reach circle consensus without disturbing mass public opinion. Circle consensus has two parts: selling through the circle and accumulating circle consumer word-of-mouth. Why reach circle consensus? Two reasons: first, if you can't achieve natural growth in the core circle and can't make a 90-point brand, you need to adjust or iterate in time, or even stop. Second, related to the consumption path: first build a good reputation in the circle, make a 90-point brand, then when pushing to the mass market, it's a 90-point brand. Conversely, if you don't reach circle consensus and push to the mass market immediately, the score is uncontrollable—it could be 90 or 10. For example, Heytea's first store was on Jiuzhong Street in Jiangmen, Guangdong, a remote corner of China. Then it expanded to Dongguan, Foshan, Huizhou, and only three years later entered the provincial capital Guangzhou. Before entering the public eye, Heytea spent enough time in regional markets (circle markets) to collect feedback, refine products, maintain natural growth through trial and error, and finally became an internet-famous brand when it entered the public eye. Imagine if Heytea's first store had opened in Sanlitun, Beijing—would it be the Heytea of today? Another example: Pinduoduo and Kuaishou, before entering the public eye, accumulated enough users underwater and emerged as gray rhinos. Many e-commerce bestsellers were often bestsellers in a niche circle before becoming mass bestsellers. So, before entering the public eye, reaching circle consensus is more reliable. Step 2: Mass Tuning In the past, positioning was most important for a brand; now positioning is still important, but tuning is more important. Many brands ignore this step, and some brands' tuning power is seized by mass media or KOLs, tuned negatively, causing heavy losses. Let's discuss two examples to explain what tuning is. First, Kuaishou: the biggest failure in its development history is that it didn't control the mass tuning power. Kuaishou's debut in the public eye was self-media "Dr. X"'s article "Cruel Underclass Story: A Video App's Rural China." This article established Kuaishou's tone as low, cruel, and underclass. Because Kuaishou was nailed to rural areas, Douyin had its opportunity. Think about it: if Dr. X's article hadn't existed, and another short-video platform image had been shaped, even a neutral one, would Douyin have risen? In the first season of the American TV series "House of Cards," there's a memorable example: Frank, while pushing the education bill, triggers a teacher strike, and someone throws a brick at his house. In the back garden, Frank discusses with Claire and Doug how to tune this. Claire says a word: "unorganized labor." Thus, there are no respectable teachers, only unorganized labor. This word frequently appears in various media, transforming striking teachers into unorganized labor, ultimately leading to the strike's failure and the bill's passage. A brick and a tuning word won Frank the battle. So, the second step in building a new brand is "mass tuning." When a product has gained excellent word-of-mouth in the core circle, with beautiful natural growth, and is already a good niche brand, it's time to consider how to debut in mass public opinion. This tuning debut doesn't have to be official; it could be third-party PR, but it must be personally managed by the client. When is the right time? Two parts: first, closely monitor mass public opinion; if a negative tuning like "Cruel Underclass Story" appears, either communicate with the blogger in time or remedy with positive tuning content. Second, if mass public opinion hasn't tuned the brand, the rhythm can be controlled by the brand. When the circle consensus stage is complete and natural growth slows, it's time to start mass tuning, break the circle barrier, and enter the mass space. Circle consensus is the foundation for mass tuning. If you haven't made a 90-point brand in the circle, mass tuning can't be established. After successful mass tuning, the brand will gain attention and discussion; at this point, consumers will definitely search for the product to see if the public opinion is true. If they search and find excellent circle word-of-mouth, a 90-point brand, then the brand tone can basically be set, leading to a new round of growth and broader brand consensus. At this point, a niche brand can successfully enter the public eye and have the potential to become a mass brand. Step 3: Mass Communication We've seen too many products that are popular for less than a month: Xiaokaxiou, Faceu, the face-morphing app from a while ago (or maybe Bullet Messenger?). So, to prevent the brand from becoming a flash-in-the-pan hit, continuous investment and mass communication are necessary and important. The previous work is just the foundation. A new brand has just debuted; if you revel in the thrill and achievement of going viral, within a month, the brand will go silent, and after a while, the company might go bankrupt. There are many precedents. After a successful mass tuning, you need to press the advantage and consolidate the victory. Update products, mass communication, continuous innovation, continuous buzz, and maintain the freshness of a new brand over a long period. Why do all this before starting mass communication? First, for effect conversion: as mentioned, the conversion path is almost zero decay; seeing leads to immediate action. Now, with mass communication, consumers see, then search for word-of-mouth, check user reviews, see attitudes of big V's and media; if positive, they might order. Without circle word-of-mouth and mass tuning, users find nothing, and the chance of ordering is much lower. Second, for the brand: a brand is no longer the client's unilateral wish, not just awareness or influence, but a consensus between the client and users. The previous circle consensus and mass tuning are to form brand consensus. Abstractly, after these two steps, a complete brand with product, word-of-mouth, tone, and consensus is in place, just on a smaller scale. At this point, when doing mass communication, people see a brand, not a product. This will rapidly expand brand consensus, making the brand's consensus scope larger and larger, becoming a true brand. Today we're discussing new logic. It's complex if you think it's complex, simple if you think it's simple. Let me try to summarize. You've probably seen a funnel logic before: at the top is attention and seeing, then interest, then desire, then purchase, then word-of-mouth conversion. This is a crowd-filtering principle: after making a good product, push it to the mass market, advertise as widely as possible, tell everyone, and then filter interested people in the big funnel. Maybe 100 million see it, and finally 100,000 convert to consumers. That's the usual logic. But the current environment is different. First, all consumers are internet users. If 100 million see and 100,000 buy, but 500,000 hate it and complain online, the remaining 95.5 million see those complaints, which could lead to failure. Today's consumer word-of-mouth is connected, real-time, and public opinion is uncontrollable. A product has only one chance; once tuned, it's hard to reverse. Second, authority is dissolving. We used to trust authoritative media like CCTV; now the public only trusts the public, even the niche around them. So exposing to 100 million at the start without a mass base leads to extremely low conversion and a high risk of negative tuning—it's dangerous. Therefore, when launching a new product, don't enter the mass market at the beginning; don't give everyone a chance to criticize you—that's dangerous. First, try in the core circle, modify, test, polish into a 90-point niche brand, and reach brand consensus with core circle users. Then do mass tuning. This step is crucial; the mass tuning power should ideally be in the client's hands, not seized by media or KOLs, because once the tone is accepted by the public, it will affect the brand image for a long time. Think of Kuaishou and Momo and the price they paid. Finally, mass communication. After successful mass tuning, there will be a period of rapid growth, but this viral stage is the most dangerous; it's easy to suddenly become outdated. So at this time, strike while the iron is hot with mass communication, maintain long-term brand freshness, until the brand jumps over this rapid growth and enters stable, normalized growth. At this point, a new brand's tone and growth rate stabilize, having passed the death zone and gotten a seat at the table. Wang Xing once said, "Meituan is always only 6 months away from bankruptcy." I agree with that. In my career, almost every project I've worked on is full of uncertainty, and each time I tread on thin ice. Not to sell anxiety, but in a rapidly changing communication environment, no methodology is guaranteed effective; there's no certain broad road, only uncertain single-plank bridges. Source: Yang Buhuai (ID: yangbuhuai01) New Distribution will hold the 2019 (5th) FMCG + Internet Conference during the Chengdu Spring Sugar and Wine Fair from March 16-18. This conference will focus on the topic "Breakthrough", with in-depth discussions with brand owners, supply chain service providers, distributors, retailers, and others. Compared to previous conferences, this summit will be fully upgraded. In addition to original topics like channel innovation, city logistics, distributor transformation, it adds new marketing cases, IP + FMCG empowerment, community group buying, innovative retail, and other parallel forums. Through three days of ten high-density, high-quality expert sharing sessions, we believe every brand owner and distributor can learn the latest business models, expert insights, and practical methods, finding new tools and methods for their own 2019 breakthrough, returning to the track of rapid growth. Conference Time: March 16-18, 2019 Conference Venue: Longfeng Hall, Chengdu Longemont Hotel Conference Topics 2019 5th FMCG + Internet Conference Date | Time | Venue | Topic 3.16 | All day | Main Forum | Breakthrough—2019 (5th) FMCG + Internet Conference 3.17 | Morning | Parallel Forum 1 | New Logistics, New City Distribution Parallel Forum 2 | How Can Distributors Achieve Iterative Upgrades? Afternoon | Parallel Forum 3 | IP Empowerment, Boosting Brand Growth Parallel Forum 4 | How Can Community Group Buying Restructure the Value Chain? 3.18 | Morning | Parallel Forum 1 | Retail Scene Innovation Parallel Forum 2 | New Product Sales Public Course Afternoon | Parallel Forum 3 | Social E-commerce Parallel Forum 4 | New Marketing Public Course Invited Guests (tentative) Chen Qiwei, Chairman, Coca-Cola (China) Investment Co., Ltd. Zhao Shuanglian, Chairman, COFCO Group Lin Bibao, Chairman, PepsiCo Greater China Wang Chaocheng, Founder, Yijiupi Su Xiaoxin, Executive President, Zhongshang Huimin Zong Fuli, Chairman, Hangzhou Wahaha Group Chen Duye, General Manager, Toutiao Marketing Center Lin Xiaohai, General Manager, Alibaba Retail Link Yang Qianhui, Chairman, Tingyi (Cayman Islands) Holding Corp. China Region Chen Xiaodong, Senior Vice President, Nestlé Greater China Zhang Nan, General Manager, Douyin Short Video Tao Shiquan, Founder, Jiangxiaobai Mao Wenchao, CEO, Xiaohongshu Cui Zhen, Founder, Hui Xiadan Huang Zheng, Founder, Pinduoduo Liu Bo, Vice President, Best Group; General Manager, Best Dianjia Ye Maozhong, Famous Marketing Expert Li Jiaoshou, Famous Marketing Expert Xiao Masong, Independent Strategic Marketing Consultant Liu Chunxiong, Founder of New Marketing Theory Fang Gang, Famous Marketing Expert Bai Ya, Founder, Youzan Li Qian, Founder, Youqingxu Liu Zhao, Founder, Waiqin365 Xu Yonggang, Founder, Maidelin Niu Enkun, Famous Marketing Expert Wang Qi, Founder, Weijie City Distribution Wang Shenbing, Founder, Zhongke Shangruan Chen Siting, Founder, Wanchaobang Rui Yun, Founder & Chairman, Dianda Huang Wei, General Manager, Uni-President Lifestyle Food Business Division Liu Peng, Vice President, Chongqing Jiangxiaobai Liquor Co., Ltd. Chen Lei, Founder, Maolaile Ma Xiaolong, Marketing Director, Taishan Beer Wu Jinghe, General Manager, Caihua Trading Tang Xiangyang, General Manager, Lidu Liquor Guo Guangyu, General Manager, Squirrel Store Wang Jun, Famous New Retail Expert Liu Xiaoting, Famous New Retail Expert Wang Jinghua, CEO, Miduo Big Data Engine Lin Feng, Chairman, Beijing Jundu Zhuoyue Consulting Chen Ruifen, General Manager, Uni-President Tea Business Group Gu Tiefeng, CEO, Answer Tea Zhu Zhentao, CEO & Chief Product Officer, Jumi Intelligent Zhuang Jianzhong, CEO, Meinian Changxiao Miao Qingxian, Chief Consultant, Shanghai Yihe Marketing Agency Ding Ding, Founder, Fans Factory Liao Chuan, CEO, Xian Shiji Zheng Yubin, CEO, Palm Quick Sale More guests are being invited... Previous Participating Companies Brand Owners Coca-Cola, Mengniu, P&G, Mengniu, Lay's, Master Kong, Uni-President, Yili, Guangming, Wahaha, Mondelez, China Resources, Jiangxiaobai, APP, Daliyuan, Haojiayi, Xiaoshile, Youbulao, Xipin Tiancheng, Tsingtao Beer, Budweiser, Youqingxu Snacks, Ximai, Six Walnuts, Mingren Soda Water, Deqingyuan, Blue Moon, Haoxiangni, Wyeth, Hengan, Guangming, Sanquan Food, Daohuaxiang, Zhujiang Beer, Suntory, Kraft Heinz, Unilever, Qiaqia, Jinluo, Johnson & Johnson, Colgate, Bacardi, Laiyifen, RIO, Zhonglv Culiangwang, Beibingyang, Mars Wrigley, Zhongjing Mushroom Sauce, Liby, Hengshun Vinegar, Toto Le, Haoliyou, Meiliumei, Baicaowei, Baiya Group... Supply Chain Platforms Alibaba Retail Link, JD New Path, Yijiupi, Zhongshang Huimin, Best Dianjia, Hui Xiadan, RT-Mart E-Lufa, Caihua Trading (Yueheji), 1 Life, Xingaoqiao, Xian Shiji, Palm Quick Sale, Dianda, Rongcheng Yigou, Waiqin365, Qianmi Network, Zhongke Shangruan, Youshang Software, Weijie City Distribution, Wanchaobang, Tao Daqing, Dinghuobao, Huoquanquan, Hailian Tiandi, Shenzhou Liangpin, Guanjiapo, Fengwang, Yi Shenghuo, Yiyatong, Yun Niao, Dian Xiaohuo, Xin Shangmeng, Yuncangpei, Wuqianjia, Bianlibao, Lianpin, Jingxiaoyi, Yibao Payment... Internet Platforms Alibaba, JD.com, Suning, Pinduoduo, Xiaohongshu, Youhaohuo, Dalinjia, Yunji, Sibu Group, Weixuan, Youzan, NetEase Yanxuan, Weimob... Unmanned Retail Shenlan Technology, Bingo Box, Xingbianli, Xiaomaigui, Youbo, Miss Fresh, Haha Convenience... IP Commercialization Tencent Video, iQiyi, Youku, Palace Museum, Tencent Animation, Wanda Pictures, AC Nielsen, Alibaba Fish, Miduo, Jiangxiaobai, Peppa Pig, Xiaoming Classmate, Lawson, Three Squirrels, Luckin Coffee... Community Group Buying Chongma Linli, Kaola Jingxuan, Linlinyi, Tianxianpei, Meiriyitao, Yipin Fresh, Dailebo, Shixianghui, Shihuituan, Niwonin, Xingsheng Youxuan, Linzhanggui, Haoxiangtuan, Xianlepin, Youjia Puzi, Huigou GO, Qian Dama, Meijia Youxiang, Keke Jingxuan, Rongcheng Youpin, Squirrel Pinpin, Xiaoqule, 1 Life, Dingdantu, Shu Dongpo... Ticket Information Type | Price | Early Bird Price | Benefits Regular Ticket | 599 | 399 | 1. Access to all-day conference and all forum activities; 2. Conference guide, agenda, and other materials; 3. One copy of "2018 China FMCG B2B Competitiveness Research Report"; 4. Early bird discount limited to 200 tickets, first come, first served. VIP Ticket | 1999 | 1299 | 1. Reserved front-row VIP seats in the main venue; 2. Dinner voucher for the closed-door banquet on the evening of the 16th; 3. Conference guide, agenda, and authorized guest PPTs; 4. Access to all-day conference and all forum activities; 5. One copy of "2018 China FMCG B2B Competitiveness Research Report"; 6. Early bird discount limited to 50 tickets, first come, first served. Registration Method Registration is now open. Long press the QR code below or click "Read Original" to register. Early bird tickets at 66% off are limited to 200 and selling fast...!** Add the conference staff to register Previous Conference Review Click the links below to review the highlights of the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th FMCG + Internet Conferences: -END-