---
title: "Zhu Zhiming Column Serial: Consumer Sovereignty Series - The Detonation of Trends (Part 2)"
description: "This article is selected from Zhu Zhiming's new book \"Sales Promotion Operation: Rhythm Control and New Tactics in the Community Era\". New Distribution is authorized to serialize this book in Zhu Zhiming's column. Section 2, The Detonation of Trends, discusses that for consumers, the first purchase may stem from external forces or environmental influences, or an impulsive attempt. However, if consumers are willing to continuously consume a product, there must be factors that match and satisfy their internal needs. That is, the initial or first sales may be driven by external forces, but for sustained sales, an internal driving force is necessary."
author: "朱志明"
publisher: "New Distribution"
email: "zhaobo258@gmail.com"
telephone: "+8615854817671"
published: "2017-05-20"
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# Zhu Zhiming Column Serial: Consumer Sovereignty Series - The Detonation of Trends (Part 2)

> This article is selected from Zhu Zhiming's new book "Sales Promotion Operation: Rhythm Control and New Tactics in the Community Era". New Distribution is authorized to serialize this book in Zhu Zhiming's column. Section 2, The Detonation of Trends, discusses that for consumers, the first purchase may stem from external forces or environmental influences, or an impulsive attempt. However, if consumers are willing to continuously consume a product, there must be factors that match and satisfy their internal needs. That is, the initial or first sales may be driven by external forces, but for sustained sales, an internal driving force is necessary.

**This article is selected from Zhu Zhiming's new book "Sales Promotion Operation: Rhythm Control and New Tactics in the Community Era"**
**New Distribution is authorized to serialize this book in Zhu Zhiming's column**
**Section 2: The Detonation of Trends**
For consumers, the first purchase may stem from external forces or environmental influences, or an impulsive attempt. However, if consumers are willing to continuously consume a product, there must be factors that match and satisfy their internal needs. That is, the initial or first sales may be driven by external forces, but for sustained sales or even booming sales, there must be an internal force driving consumption.
What exactly is this internal driving force?
1. Consumers' internal needs are often driven by both economic value and social value; only trending products have composite functionality.
Based on Maslow's hierarchy of needs, consumers' psychological needs ascend from low to high levels. But in real life, when consuming a product, consumers do not have a single-level consumption psychology; rather, multiple psychological needs merge. This fusion of multiple psychological needs is the combination of economic value and social value. That is, the product must not only meet basic material functions and economic value at the commodity level, but also satisfy economic affordability, making consumers feel face, value, and social worth.
How can a product simultaneously satisfy consumers' economic and social values?
Besides precise and clear selling points of basic material functions, good packaging, and high cost-performance, a key element is that the product is relatively trendy. Only a trending product can meet diverse consumer needs, solve economic and social value, lead to repeated purchases without complaints or regrets, and make consumers feel both face and substance.
Sustained sales stem from trends; without trends, not only is sustained sales difficult, but a true brand cannot be formed.
2. Understanding the essence of trends: Trend = Traffic × High Frequency
What is a trend? Simply put, it is a phenomenon where a product is consumed frequently and in clusters, forming high-frequency, high-traffic consumption.
Specifically for liquor, it means that in a certain region, circle, scenario (such as wedding banquets or business dinners), or channel, everyone is drinking it, and drinking it frequently and continuously. That is a trend.
Therefore, if a product wants to achieve truly sustained sales, booming sales, and best-selling status, the first thing to do is to create a trend, and ensure that this trend is not disrupted or replaced.
**So, how to create a trend?**
Liquor is drunk; only when a group of people starts drinking it first, only when certain channels start selling it first, only when certain occasions (like wedding banquets) start drinking it first and it becomes trendy there, can it spread to larger areas and more occasions. Trends are always created and detonated at points, in small circles, and in small areas. Therefore, we must deeply grasp our product positioning: who are the target consumer groups, what are the leading channels, and where are the breakthrough points?
Do you use core opinion leaders to drive consumption and detonate the trend, or use core channels to push and detonate it? Do you use terminal consumption interception to detonate the trend, or rely on consumer promotional activities? Do you focus on atmosphere creation and consumer interaction to detonate the trend, or first detonate in a small area and then radiate to other regions? These all require us to choose and match our operational paths and breakthrough points based on product conditions, market conditions, competition, channels, resources, and advantages to detonate the trend.
3. Three Laws for Detonating Trends: The Law of Context, The Law of Stickiness, and The Law of the Few
Here we borrow the three laws proposed by American author Malcolm Gladwell in his book "The Tipping Point" to help us find ways to make products quickly trendy.
1. The Law of Context
Trends need a breeding ground; when an environment is formed, individual factors become unimportant. That is, trending things are largely influenced by the external environment, the conditions under which they operate, and the special environment required for their operation.
In the past, when a product was advertised extensively in a regional market, it was easy for it to become trendy quickly. For example, Nao Baijin's popularity was created by occupying advertising slots during garbage time, achieving rapid trendiness. When a product had strong displays and strong in-store and out-of-store promotional atmospheres, as well as strong recommendations and interception by terminal promoters, it was easy for it to become trendy quickly. For example, Slek used strong terminal interception to quickly create a trend.
**So, in real marketing, how do we create or use the power of context?**
**First, create the power of terminal atmosphere.**
(1) Product display. The quality of product display is mainly reflected in four aspects:
First, display position. Choose the position that best grabs consumers' attention or is most likely to attract their notice.
Second, the products displayed. For core leading products, the display effect and value must be strengthened.
Third, the quantity of display. Ordinary stores should follow standard display methods, while core stores should adopt large displays or counter displays, requiring the best display surface to be no less than 24 bottles of liquor.
Fourth, the display method. According to product grade, arrange from high to low on shelves or counters, or place in a row with the highest-priced product in the middle and others arranged sequentially. Price tags must be present on the display surface.
(2) Stack display. "Goods sell like mountains" is an efficient product display method in any era. Generally, in-store stack displays should be no less than 10 boxes of liquor, supplemented with standardized materials such as large L-shaped display boards, shopping bag displays, and full-box stickers.
(3) In-store advertising materials. Such as storefronts, wall paintings inside and outside the store, display cabinets, counter display surfaces, counter decorations, X-stands, posters, hanging flags, price stickers (explosive stickers), plastic suction paintings, banners, window one-way transparent films, etc.
Terminal atmosphere creation should either surpass competitors in quantity and variety, or achieve the ultimate expression of a certain form, strongly impacting consumers' vision and psychology.
**Second, create the power of urban atmosphere.**
Urban atmosphere creation involves implanting product advertisements into consumers' lives, making them visible everywhere and pervasive. Examples include TV, WeChat big accounts, Weibo big accounts, radio, outdoor billboards, building ads, bus ads, bus stop ads, road signs, street flags, storefronts, walls, taxi ads, posters, core stores, model areas, model streets, etc.
Of course, corporate resources are limited, so you can choose advertising methods that match your resources. If resources are very scarce, you must choose one form and do it to the extreme, maximizing influence and effect with minimal resources.
**Third, create the power of consumer interaction.**
(1) Consumer interaction at terminals. Choose outlets with high foot traffic, strong radiation, and matching product sales terminals, especially catering terminals. Collaborate with terminals to plan a series of consumer promotional activities in-store, and fully disseminate promotional information, such as tasting experiences, lucky draws, buying to participate in smashing golden eggs, buying to participate in other entertainment activities, buy large get small free, buy wine get dishes free, dine and get wine, limited-time wine gifts, limited-table wine gifts (gifts for the first few tables), etc. Sanjing Xiaodao Liquor, when breaking through regional markets, continuously conducted consumer interaction activities such as free tasting, lucky draws, smashing golden eggs, and gifts from the God of Wealth at many core catering terminals, quickly detonating the market.
(2) Roadshow activities in squares, communities, rural areas, etc., to interact with consumers. Through roadshows, strengthen promotional interaction with consumers, proactively contact them, increase product experience and participation, and achieve good sales results. For example, the consumer promotion activities of Rouhe Seed Liquor are very active regardless of peak or off-season. Because of its high market activity, it has achieved king status in many county-level and prefecture-level markets. Seed Liquor often cooperates with cultural departments of government agencies to organize a series of cultural performances in rural areas, community activities, combined with on-site buy-give, free tasting, Q&A with prizes, small gifts, surprise draws, etc., to attract consumer participation and strengthen brand and product awareness.
(3) Tourism experience at the distillery. Enterprises invite key customers and consumers to visit production lines or distinctive business venues, allowing consumers to experience product or brand characteristics and value through tourism. Let consumers personally feel the profound corporate culture of the distillery, feel the enterprise's attention to consumers, and narrow the distance between consumers and the enterprise. This experiential promotion will inevitably strengthen consumers' awareness and even loyalty to the product, brand, and enterprise. At the same time, consumers will become living advertisements, gradually building the brand image.
In Zouping County, Shandong, there is a Yuehe Distillery. Facing fierce attacks from external brands and the squeeze of two strong local brands, with almost no survival space, they continuously invited consumers to the distillery for experiential consumption, persistently interacting with consumers, letting them deeply feel the brewing culture and sincere, people-friendly corporate culture of Yuehe Distillery. Within two years, they became one of the top brands locally and won the support of local consumers.
(4) Tasting sessions for opinion leaders. Select core consumers matching the product, and regularly hold one-table or two-table tasting sessions around them, with no more than three tables, to facilitate point-to-point communication and close contact and interaction with core consumers. Even after one session, everyone may become close friends, striving to increase the loyalty of the consumers you host, making them willing to promote and publicize the product at all times.
Sanjing Xiaodao Liquor carried out a public relations project for 100 opinion leaders in regional markets (generally county-level markets). Each market selected 100 core opinion leaders, provided them with PR services, and held 2 tasting sessions per month. Distributors and business managers not only explained the advantages, value points, and corporate culture of Xiaodao Liquor to opinion leaders but also let those who love drinking, know how to drink, and can drink freely, narrowing the distance. During the banquets, small lucky draws and entertainment activities were held, achieving both quality and popularity, deepening relationships with core opinion leaders.
2. The Law of Stickiness
Stickiness factors should be product information or activity content promoted by the enterprise that is directly related to consumers or can make consumption easier to accept, easier to remember, and more likely to trigger action or sharing.
So, Stickiness = Relevance + Practicality + Appropriate Form.
**Relevance**: Information irrelevant to the audience is not watched; it also helps select target groups. **Practicality**: The more useful the information, the more acceptable it is; note the broad meaning and extended attributes of "practical." **Form**: The form created or interesting, fun ideas are the best carriers of embedded information. The above three points should be adapted to local conditions for better results.
Simply put, design an activity that is willing to trigger action, sharing, and dissemination, or graft onto existing content and activities that have already influenced consumer minds, to drive the target consumers' consumption craze.
Currently, the most common sticky marketing methods in liquor marketing generally appear in three forms.
First, use consumers' psychology of gaining advantage to create stickiness.
(1) Product prizes. Setting prizes in product boxes, cases, or bottle caps is both a common consumer pull method in white liquor promotions and a typical application of sticky marketing. There are two specific forms:
One is placing scratch cards inside the product, with prize details listed on the card. Consumers scratch off the coating to see if they won and what prize. Common prizes include wine tickets, vouchers, cigarettes, cash, US dollars, precious metal products, exquisite souvenirs, travel products, home appliances, etc., in various forms.
Two is directly placing physical prizes inside the product, which consumers can get immediately upon opening the package. Common prizes include cash (such as US dollars, Hong Kong dollars), golden eggs, real gold and silver, and physical prizes like lottery tickets, lighters, towels, etc. In-product physical prizes mainly rely on novel, interesting promotional items or small interest stimulation to drive consumption.
When setting product prizes, pay attention to using big prizes to detonate and small prizes with high winning rates to keep consumers continuously engaged, forming a consumption craze. For example, Lao Cunzhang and Longjiang Jiayuan are hot in many markets because they use sticky marketing with product prizes to drive consumer consumption and create product trends. Many brands use consumers' gambling psychology for big prizes to carry out themed promotions, driving consumption. Examples include "10,000 gold rings giveaway," "Millions of real gold and silver giveaway," "Drink ×× liquor and win a car," "10,000 laptops giveaway," "1,000 'Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand' five-day tours," "Drink ×× liquor, win one of 10,000 iPhone 5S," etc.
(2) Buy-give. Buy-give promotions are the most common form of consumer promotion. There are two specific forms:
One is giving the same product, such as buy one get one free, buy two get one free, or collect caps to exchange for liquor. For example, Sichuan Luzhou Chun Liquor Industry had a phenomenon: due to poor overall operation in the early stage, sales in large supermarkets like Carrefour were very low, forcing them to clear out. The company leadership decisively took measures, launching a buy-one-get-one-free (same product) activity before clearing out. The result surprised the manufacturer: the effect was surprisingly good. Products quickly increased in volume, and even an old lady went to the supermarket and directly asked for the buy-one-get-one-free liquor.
Two is giving gifts. After purchasing, consumers receive coupons, daily necessities, small liquor, cigarettes, and in restaurants, buy wine and get dishes free. For wedding banquets, buying a certain quantity gives wedding cars, sedan chairs, refrigerators, TVs, etc. For entrance banquets, buying liquor gives phones, computers, suitcases, plane (train) tickets, etc.
Second, use consumers' entertainment and interactivity to create stickiness.
(1) Participation with prizes. Use local WeChat big accounts, Weibo big accounts, and the enterprise's own WeChat public account to plan, publicize, and participate in consumer promotional activities. Anyone who reposts the activity can get free tasting of ×× liquor; anyone who takes a photo with the product activity poster and reposts it to their Moments can get gifts or free tasting; anyone who consumes this product and reposts to Moments can get ×× gifts, or restaurant vouchers, or free tasting, etc.
(2) Lucky draws. Lottery promotions use the public's gambling and entertainment psychology during consumption, setting winning opportunities and using lottery forms to attract consumers to buy the product. Manufacturers or distributors uniformly make lottery cards, place them in lottery boxes, or use computer software for on-site draws, aiming to carry out on-site promotional activities at terminal sales points, inducing consumers to buy and consume on the spot and redeem prizes immediately.
Common lottery promotion forms include one-time draws, multiple draws, quiz-based draws, game-based draws, linked draws, etc. Shan Zhuang Lao Jiu's "smash golden eggs" activity in Shijiazhuang market brought the "Very 6+1" golden egg smashing into restaurants, triggering a consumer participation craze.
A certain enterprise cooperated with a hotel in the city, holding a "every 100 yuan consumption gets one draw chance, grand prize is 'meal free'" on-site lottery promotion show every other week for a month. Not only did the hotel smile because of the booming customers, but it also attracted other hotels' attention, who proactively requested to stock the product for promotions.
(3) Chain rewards. Chain reward promotions are based on single purchases or single-bottle prizes, using cumulative methods to encourage consumers to buy repeatedly. There are three activity forms:
One is empty bottle exchange: collect a certain number of empty bottles or boxes to exchange for one original product or other designated prizes, and after accumulating a certain amount, you can also get a certain number of gifts.
Two is collecting a designated number or type of cards (cards themselves also have prize settings) to exchange for gifts or original products. For example, during the World Cup, cards with country names were placed; champion country cards could be exchanged for prizes, and collecting all 32 country names could be exchanged for additional prizes.
Three is that buying products can win prizes, and collecting certain iconic items can bring surprise big prizes. A certain brand launched an "18 Reward" promotion in Shijiazhuang. The "18 Reward" adopted a "buy-give + big draw" format, including two joys: first, buy and get gifts, everyone gets a reward; second, decode to win big prizes. Fully utilizing people's greed and curiosity, the activity's participation and interactivity reached unprecedented heights, making the product trendy and best-selling in one fell swoop.
Third, create or use the influence of hot events to create stickiness.
A brand or product in its initial development stage should create or use hot events to detonate trends, or inject thematic, explosive promotion concepts, and persist in shaping them into "trendy hot topics" to increase consumer enthusiasm. Because whether consumers, distributors, or media, they all have high trust and compete to chase hot things, which is conducive to word-of-mouth dissemination, pushing the brand to become hotter and forming a virtuous consumption cycle. Examples include Xiaodao Liquor's fan meetings, Jiang Xiaobai's same-city wine appointments, and Jin Liufu's Happiness Caravan.
3. The Law of the Few
Trends always rely on people as carriers. Key figures mainly refer to those who can recommend, promote, lead, and drive product sales or consumption, including leader-type terminal managers, opinion leader consumers, and leader-type sales personnel. In detonating trends, all three are important, with key value in recommendation, leadership, and guidance.
(1) Leader-type terminal managers. For new products or products that have not yet become trendy, the first issue to solve is not whether people buy, but whether people are willing to actively sell, and whether the main managers of leader-type terminals are willing to proactively recommend the product.
Leader-type terminals refer to those with strong recommendation ability for new products, larger scale, longer operation time, many regular customers, and influence over other terminals and consumers. Leader-type terminal managers mainly refer to the boss, boss lady, or managers at the terminal who have weight, authority, and certain influence, rather than salespeople or waiters focused on selling.
For products that are not yet best-selling, first, through the construction of leader-type terminals, fully leverage their enthusiasm for product recommendation, form rapid sales and flow, create demonstration effects, establish product consumption influence and confidence for other following terminals, and drive sales at other terminals from point to area.
Therefore, if you want products to sell quickly and become trendy, a key step is to identify those leader-type terminals that can both guide consumption and stabilize prices, focus resources, attack key points, and rely on their recommendations to make products circulate quickly.
(2) Opinion leader consumers. Liquor is drunk; it is first drunk by a small group of people, then followed by the majority, and finally becomes trendy.
This small group is what we often call opinion consumption leaders or seed consumers. Under their leadership, the product first becomes trendy in their small circles, ultimately influencing larger circles, thus triggering a trend.
Opinion leaders need to meet the following five conditions:
> **First, they themselves are also your target consumers.**
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> **Second, they have certain network resources.**
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> **Third, they have a certain voice and influence in a certain circle or field.**
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> **Fourth, their identity matches your product.**
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> **Fifth, they like or are willing to spread and promote recognized things or the intrinsic value of the product.**
(3) Leader-type sales personnel. Leader-type sales personnel have strong market operation or product marketing capabilities. In their responsible areas, whether it is the education and control of leader-type terminals or the mining and promotion of opinion leader consumers, they can efficiently match and operate according to product positioning. Basic work such as product distribution rate, visualization, and consumer interaction is even more effortless. Therefore, in their responsible areas, product sales or trends can become a benchmark or example, influencing sales and trends in other areas.
For leader-type sales personnel, when selecting and allocating regions or markets, we should generally consider strategically, sending them to regions or markets with leading roles, so their success can quickly influence and drive success in other regions, forming a prairie fire.
**Zhu Zhiming Column:**
Special column author for New Distribution;
China's most practical marketing expert in the consulting industry;
Founder of Zhizhuo Marketing Consulting Planning Company;
Chairman of Zhenzhi Zhuojian Marketing Planning Company;
Consultant and instructor for dozens of enterprises;
One of China's top 10 practical marketing training teachers;
**Published FMCG industry monographs:**
"Sales Promotion Operation", "Ten Steps to Successfully Operate White Liquor Regional Markets", "Regional White Liquor Enterprise Marketing Winning Rules", "36 Rules for Regional White Liquor Marketing", "Kingly Marketing", etc.;
**WeChat:** zhuzhiming0551
Zhu Zhiming Column
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