Click the image for details. What was your favorite drink as a child? What candy did you beg for as a kid? "Robust" "Jianlibao" "Arctic Ocean" "Golden Monkey" This is a question that reveals your age. But regardless, these brands that accompanied the post-70s and post-80s generations truly represent the happiest tastes of childhood. Saving up pocket money for a long time, running to the corner store with friends, or even only being allowed to buy one after scoring well on an exam—how to describe it? The feeling in your mouth was sweeter than first love. Yet these national brands, once household names for the post-70s and post-80s, did not escape the fate of being acquired by foreign companies and shelved. The more glorious they once were, the more desolate they are now. Golden Monkey: The Bond Is Broken, Hard to Turn Back Let's start with the recent buzz about Golden Monkey possibly being bought back by its founder. When the American candy giant Hershey acquired the domestic brand Golden Monkey three years ago, no one could have imagined today's difficult situation. Similarly, when news broke that the founder might buy back Golden Monkey, no one could predict the outcome. Everyone just hopes that Golden Monkey, a former domestic brand, will not sink into oblivion. In 1996, Golden Monkey was founded by Zhao Qisan, a private entrepreneur from Henan. By 2008, with annual sales of about 200 million yuan, Golden Monkey began preparing for an A-share listing, but the plan was shelved by Zhao Qisan in 2012. In 2013, an acquisition agreement was reached with Hershey. Most people assumed that after selling Golden Monkey, Zhao Qisan would live a relatively comfortable life, given that he was nearly 70 years old. But judging by his recently publicized second entrepreneurial blueprint, Zhao Qisan is still eager to try. His products include salt lamps, edible salt, nuts, cocoa, cosmetics, and bio-enzyme products. Originally, some of Golden Monkey's products would have been added... Those who feel they lost out are the former employees of Golden Monkey and Hershey, as well as distributors, especially those sued by Hershey in May this year. In their view, they are the victims of this acquisition, caught between Zhao Qisan and Hershey, either used or threatened. Whether the buyback is completed or not, neither Hershey nor Zhao Qisan will "clean up" for them. In fact, there is another loser: the Golden Monkey brand. According to industry experts, Golden Monkey's current situation is not the worst among foreign acquisitions of national brands—after all, it hasn't been shelved—but it's not a win either. Hershey bought the "monkey" but couldn't control it, and the monkey's future, with the failure of Zhao Qisan's buyback, is unclear. The Hershey team is not familiar with candy, nor do they understand the special nature of Golden Monkey's operations, making it very difficult to run. Originally, Zhao Qisan's buyback should have been the best option, but now whoever takes over will likely fail. Even if Golden Monkey does return successfully, it won't be the same "monkey" as before. Arctic Ocean Soda: Fifteen Years in Hibernation, the Taste of Childhood Remains Arctic Ocean soda is currently the "king" of bottled sodas in Beijing. This soda, a must-drink for visitors to Beijing, also experienced being shelved. In the 1980s, "Arctic Ocean Soda" dominated Beijing's beverage market. In 1994, it formed a joint venture with Pepsi-Cola, establishing Pepsi-Arctic Ocean Beverage Co., Ltd. According to data, Pepsi gradually introduced its various carbonated drinks to the Chinese market, but the "Arctic Ocean White Bear," which had been popular for over half a century, was shelved until production ceased. In 1998, the Pepsi-Arctic Ocean company was deregistered due to long-term losses. In 2007, the Chinese side negotiated hard with Pepsi to reclaim "Arctic Ocean." Eventually, the negotiation concluded with the condition that "no carbonated beverages would be produced under the Arctic Ocean brand for four years," allowing the Arctic Ocean brand rights to return to Chinese hands. This condition is the real reason Arctic Ocean has only recently regained popularity. In November 2011, when Arctic Ocean officially made its comeback, it was already late autumn. To ensure the best taste, it still insisted on the most traditional glass bottles. Currently, 95% of Arctic Ocean soda sales are in Beijing, but it is beginning to expand to markets outside Beijing. Netizens have sighed, "The healthy cola with a slight herbal taste has finally returned!" And during this period, who can tell the bitter history of Chinese national brands? Robust: Back in Chinese Hands, Can It Rise Again? In the childhood memories of many post-80s, Robust and AD Calcium Milk definitely hold an irreplaceable position. However, nowadays, only Robust purified water is commonly seen. In 1989, He Boquan and partners founded "Zhongshan Robust Health Products Co., Ltd.," launching yogurt drinks, purified water, mineral water, lemon tea, and other products. In 1998, Robust's performance began to decline. In 2000, Danone acquired 92% of Robust's equity for $2.38 billion. In November 2001, He Boquan and the original founders collectively resigned, and Robust completely changed hands. Sixteen years ago, Robust was acquired by Danone; sixteen years later, Robust returned to Chinese hands. In November 2016, Danone announced it would sell Robust entirely. Public data shows that Robust's legal shareholders changed to Yingkong Holdings Co., Ltd., Shenzhen Jianian Industrial Co., Ltd., and Shenzhen Qianhai Furong Asset Management Co., Ltd. Now, when discussing Robust again, He Boquan summarized the problems during his entrepreneurial process as three issues: inappropriate timing for product launches, unreasonable distribution structure, and missing the rural market. Currently, Angel water purifiers perform well in the South China market. Integrating resources and channels with Robust could help elevate the Robust brand. But this might be limited to the barrel water segment, as Robust's bottled water business has been halted. Therefore, it will take several years to fully lift the Robust brand. Jianlibao: The "Oriental Magic Water" Returns Following Danone's sale of Robust, Uni-President Group signed an equity transfer contract with Guangdong Jianlibao Group, planning to sell its 100% stake in "Foshan Sanshui Jianlibao Trading" to Jianlibao Group for 950 million yuan. This marked the second time the "China Magic Water" changed hands, ten years after Uni-President acquired all of Jianlibao's equity in 2007. On the evening of July 30, ORG Technology announced that it had signed an agreement with Guangdong Jianlibao Group to establish a strategic partnership for future joint investments. Since Jianlibao's return in 2016, the former "time-honored brand" in the beverage industry is regaining its momentum. Jianlibao is back. According to Jianlibao's official website, its tax revenue exceeded 100 million yuan in 2016. ORG also revealed that in the most recent fiscal year, its sales revenue from supplying products to Jianlibao was 6.63 million yuan. A Jianlibao Group executive stated that they "plan to make a large-scale return to first-tier cities," and in 2016 alone, they successfully opened over a thousand outlets in convenience store chains like 7-Eleven in Shanghai. Can Old Brands Revive? In the past two years, the return of nostalgic old brands is not limited to Arctic Ocean, Golden Monkey candy, and Jianlibao... For the post-80s, these are names that were once very familiar but now feel somewhat strange. They were once all the rage, disappeared for years, and are now returning to the market, with various nostalgic foods evoking childhood memories. But clearly, a brand's return cannot succeed solely on nostalgia; it is a complex systematic project. Brands like Jianlibao and Arctic Ocean need to consider whether their product category still exists, whether there are strong competitors, and what advantages they have besides nostalgia when competing with similar rivals. Nostalgia is important, but it cannot be eaten. Additionally, the current market, whether in beverages or other industries, has undergone earth-shaking changes. These old brands may have been industry leaders twenty years ago, but the familiar environment and market are gone. Although these brands have strong appeal among post-80s consumers, those who have nostalgic feelings for them may no longer be the target consumers of their categories. It's hard to say how many people will buy based on nostalgia alone. For old brands to successfully return, I believe they need to combine craftsmanship in product development, market channels, and marketing strategies, refine new product features to meet young consumers' needs, establish a scientific management system, build a creative and executive team, and more importantly, find a striking trigger point. In a rapidly changing market environment, consumers' patience is increasingly limited. Not all brands that want to return can be as lucky as "Feiyue" or "Warrior." All old brands that want to return must think twice. Today, we review these old brands that are returning, which can also be called national brands. In my view, I hope they all succeed in their return, not only out of national sentiment but also out of expectations for the future development of national brands. Finally, it's necessary to complain: these national brands should rely on themselves, not on money, connections, or luck. National Brands, Rise Up! Click the image for details. The Third (CFIC) China FMCG + Internet Conference will be held in Chongqing in October 2017. At this conference, New Distribution has invited 1,000+ distributors, 500+ brand owners, founders of 200+ B2B platforms, and 100+ investment and financing institutions to participate. The theme of this conference is: New Forces, New Ecosystem. We will invite well-known domestic B2B industry experts, mentors, and B2B platform founders to discuss the following topics:
How can the FMCG industry leverage B2B to achieve new growth opportunities
How to build the 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"
Closed-door matchmaking meeting between B2B and investors
Conference site + exhibition center, dual internet technology exhibition
Leaders from Alibaba, EAS, Best Store Plus, GLP, Unilever, Hd, Yunmei and other top companies will deliver keynote speeches sharing pioneering views. October 17-18, 2017 Chongqing Exhibition Center Registration is now open. Long press the QR code below or click "Read Original" to register. Early bird tickets before September 15 enjoy a 30% discount! Add friend and note "Conference Registration" Click the links below to review the highlights of the first and second FMCG + Internet conferences: 2016 "FMCG + Internet" Summit Forum 2017 (Second) China FMCG + Internet Conference Click the links below to review the highlights of the first and second FMCG + Internet conferences: 2016 "FMCG + Internet" Summit Forum -END-