Wang Laoji and JDB are household names, known to almost everyone. In many people's eyes, these two giants of the herbal tea industry have long been at odds—they are direct competitors and have even been embroiled in trademark disputes. However, it cannot be denied that they are quite similar, so much so that apart from their names, I (Tiao Ma Jun) have never been able to clearly distinguish between them. Today, I want to reveal a common secret about Wang Laoji and JDB—they both have a 'Blue Hat' but have never worn it! Don't believe me? Let me take you to the website of the National Food and Drug Administration. In the list of domestic health foods, 'JDB Herbal Tea' and 'Wang Laoji Herbal Tea' are clearly listed, with their Blue Hat approvals dating back to 2000 and 1999, respectively. (Image from the National Food and Drug Administration website) As 'Blue Hat' products, they both have the health function of clearing the throat and moistening it. (Image from the National Food and Drug Administration website) However, despite the overwhelming advertising for these two products, consumers have never heard any promotion of their health functions. On the packaging of Wang Laoji and JDB seen in the market, only the QS mark is present. We all know that compared to regular food, health foods have certain effects and undergo much stricter approval processes, making obtaining a batch number time-consuming and laborious. Some companies, in order to quickly bring products to market, even risk passing off regular food as health food. However, Wang Laoji and JDB have done the opposite—over the years, neither their advertisements nor their packaging have ever revealed their 'health food' status, which is quite interesting. Why is that? I think it's purely for sales considerations. In our era of irregular eating habits and chaotic lifestyles, 'getting heaty' (shanghuo) has become a common occurrence—so herbal tea companies have capitalized on this. In various herbal tea advertisements, we see: staying up late causes heatiness, eating spicy food causes heatiness, being anxious causes heatiness, being excited causes heatiness... In short, anyone can get heaty. (Image from an early Wang Laoji advertisement) Wang Laoji's most famous slogan is: 'Afraid of getting heaty? Drink Wang Laoji!' (Image from Wang Laoji's website) Although JDB lost the trademark in the red can dispute, it couldn't lose its momentum, and its slogan aims to outdo Wang Laoji, but it still talks about 'heatiness'—'Afraid of getting heaty? More people drink JDB!' (Image from JDB Herbal Tea's official event website) It can be said that the current image of 'everyone gets heaty' is both a product of the times and fueled by advertising bombardment. Of course, the result is that herbal tea products sell well. Imagine if Wang Laoji and JDB only marketed their 'Blue Hat' status, what would happen? Let me give an example of a 'clearing throat and moistening' health drink—like Yizhibi brand Laiyang pear juice—have you heard of it? Yizhibi brand Laiyang pear juice, a health product among fruit juices. Health products always have specific effects, are not suitable for everyone, and often have restrictions on usage and dosage. Herbal tea, on the other hand, has been shaped as a beverage suitable for everyone. So, for sales reasons, Wang Laoji and JDB have no need to wear the 'Blue Hat'. After all, the 'Blue Hat' is just a selling point; if a better selling point comes along, why not discard it? In fact, this is not an isolated case. Wahaha AD calcium milk, which I have studied before, is the same—just play the nostalgia card, and consumers flock to it. So, if you see such examples in the future, don't be surprised. Because everything we see is just business! -END-