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How can brands grow beyond price competition?
Evidence and cases on product strategy, category innovation, marketing, and channel coordination in China’s consumer market.
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4701 articles · Page 136 of 196
Who Can Save Instant Noodles? Is It This?
A recent announcement by Tingyi (Master Kong) reveals a three-year procurement agreement for freeze-dried ingredients and other food products, signaling a push into healthier, premium instant noodles. With players like Xiaomi and Jinmailang already using freeze-dried technology, the market is shifting toward high-end, nutritious offerings, but challenges in market cultivation and competition from imported brands remain.
澄韵The Road to Empire: Mars' $33 Billion Annual Revenue
Dove, Snickers, M&M'S, Skittles, Extra, Pedigree, Whiskas... You've certainly heard of these brands, each valued at over $1 billion, but you may not know they all belong to Mars, Inc. It is the world's largest private company, steadfastly refusing to go public since its founding; it is also the world's largest candy manufacturer and chocolate producer. Yet it remains mysterious and low-key, rarely granting media interviews and unwilling to disclose financial statements, even to banks. Since its founding in 1911, how exactly has Mars built its candy empire?
New DistributionThe Time Has Come for Brand Manufacturers to Enter B2B!
The topic of FMCG B2B has been discussed for over four years, evolving from the first phase of startups entering, to the second phase of traditional distributors and chain retailers, to the third phase of internet giants. The author believes that now is the prime time for a fourth force to enter FMCG B2B: brand manufacturers. Store owners' ordering habits are quietly changing, and manufacturers cannot afford to hand over terminal stores to B2B platforms.
刘昭The "Beijing Instant Noodles" Without a "Beijing Hukou"!
For those born in the 80s and 90s, "Beijing Instant Noodles" were a childhood favorite, a shared memory despite individual tastes. But it's not actually from Beijing; its real name is "Nanjiecun Brand Beijing Instant Noodles." This article explores the origin of the name and the brand's development, including its rise, fall, and challenges.
New DistributionHard to Collect Debts: A Moral Decline or an Industry Regression?
As the year-end approaches, many distributors are stocking up for the Spring Festival or pushing sales to meet annual targets, only to find their working capital tight. Upon checking their books, they discover numerous outstanding credit sales, ranging from tens of thousands to millions. Thus, a new task emerges: debt collection. Phone calls like "Let's settle this year's account" are met with excuses like "Business is tough this year; I'm short on cash. Can we delay?"
冷冻君Online is Image, Offline is Sales
In the traditional marketing era, online and offline were clearly separated: online was for brand building, offline for sales. Later, Lei Jun claimed that offline could be abandoned, but when traffic disappeared, he admitted his biggest mistake was neglecting offline. The article argues that attention is the scarcest resource, and that both online and offline should be integrated, with the concept of "4P are all communication".
刘春雄Decoding the Viral Marketing Events of 2017: Can Marketers Still See Hope?
Despite the economic downturn and harsh environmental regulations in 2017, marketers can find opportunities in the coldest times. This article reviews the year's most notable marketing events, from deceptive advertising to new retail, and argues that true marketing is just beginning.
苗庆显Troubled by Negative Publicity and Seven Years of Failed IPO Attempts, What Does the Cash-Rich 'Six Walnuts' Want?
From 2014 to the first half of this year, the parent company of 'Six Walnuts,' Yangyuan Drinks, has invested nearly 2 billion yuan in advertising and marketing. Plagued by negative news and lawsuits, can 'Six Walnuts,' which lacks sustainable development capability, win favor from capital? With annual profits of 2.7 billion yuan and a strong desire to go public, the fourth IPO attempt of its parent company, Hebei Yangyuan ZhiHui Beverage Co., Ltd. (hereinafter 'Yangyuan Drinks'), was met with a 'deferred vote.'
李文贤Want Want finally makes its move, expanding thousands of vending machines nationwide—will you join?
Due to changes in the external environment and the near saturation of traditional FMCG channels, almost all FMCG companies have seen a downward trend. Channels that are self-built and directly controllable have attracted FMCG companies to focus on the vending machine industry. Since last year, many companies have started to stake their claims early, with industry giants like Nongfu Spring and Wahaha deploying vending machines. Recently, Food Board learned that Want Want Group has finally made its move, establishing a vending machine operations center and launching Want Want smart vending machines, with plans to expand to over a thousand machines nationwide this year.
New DistributionCan the Pre-mixed Cocktail Business Still Be Profitable?
Zhang, who started a pre-mixed cocktail business at the end of 2014, was forced to switch to other markets within a year: "The performance targets I set for myself during the good times two years ago are now impossible to achieve. A large amount of pre-mixed cocktail products that were bottled in advance are piling up in the warehouse, and the market is a mess." In 2013, the two major brands, Rio and Bacardi Breezer, pushed the entire pre-mixed cocktail industry to its peak, but within just two or three years, the industry rapidly declined. Overly high market expectations led to severe product overstock, and some believe the pre-mixed cocktail market has already slid into a dead end. According to a report by Mintel...
宿志红Coca-Cola: You May Not Have Realized How Much the 131-Year-Old Company Has Quietly Changed...
There was once a saying that if there is a brand more famous than the United Nations worldwide, it would be Coca-Cola. However, in an era of great change in the retail industry, even the world's largest beverage company is trying to become faster and lighter. Coca-Cola, the globally renowned 131-year-old company, is undergoing its own century-long transformation. For Coca-Cola, continuous innovation and capturing consumer trends and changing markets are essential to face today's strong competition.
New DistributionCan High Commissions Motivate Salespeople to Sell New Products?
In the boss's view, there is certainly room for employee improvement, but it requires external drivers such as assessment pressure and incentives. During the new product launch phase, the simplest way to encourage employees to sell more new products is to offer higher commission rates for new products, such as one point for old products and two points for new ones. However, the actual effect is not as good as expected; employees do not show much interest in selling new products and continue to sell old ones.
潘文富China Want Want Interim Report: Revenue Up 6.3% YoY, Net Profit Down 10.0% YoY
On December 5, China Want Want released its latest interim results, with revenue of approximately RMB 9.01 billion for the six months from April to September 2017, up 6.3% year-on-year; net profit of approximately RMB 1.27 billion, down 10.0% year-on-year; and gross margin of 43.7%, down 4.2 percentage points year-on-year. The company has three main business segments: rice crackers, dairy and beverages, and leisure foods.
刘宸妍Jiuzhitang, Known for Donkey-hide Gelatin Blood-tonifying Granules, to Start Selling Toothpaste...
An illusion of prosperity. As you may know, Jiuzhitang, known for its donkey-hide gelatin blood-tonifying granules and Liuwei Dihuang pills, is about to start selling toothpaste. From December 3 to 6, Jiuzhitang's five-year strategic launch conference for toothpaste products was held in Changsha, where it announced the launch of its Luohua Zizhu series toothpaste, aiming to break the category's bottleneck of "difficulty in combining efficacy with fresh breath." In fact, besides Jiuzhitang, many pharmaceutical companies have crossed over into daily chemical products by selling toothpaste, such as Yunnan Baiyao, Jiangzhong Pharmaceutical, Harbin Pharmaceutical Group, Pien Tze Huang, Du Yiwei, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical, and GlaxoSmithKline.
师姐Zhong Shanshan's Surprising Attitude: Without a Good Product, the Faster You Market, the Quicker You Die!
Zhong Shanshan, chairman of Nongfu Spring, is known for his maverick marketing style. With unique concepts and fresh angles, he has created numerous hit products over his 30-year career, such as 'Nongfu Guoyuan' juices, 'Scream' functional drinks, and 'Tea π'. Recently, his new move has stirred the food industry: the 'farmer' who sells water is now selling 'water for the skin'.
New DistributionExpert: Drinking Wanglaoji Can Extend Life by 10%? Why Not Fly to the Sky?
The article criticizes Chinese companies for making dubious health claims, focusing on Wanglaoji's announcement that drinking it can extend life by 10%. It argues that such claims exploit consumer trust and are part of a marketing strategy to raise prices and profit.
老纳Vending Machines Poised to Take the Top Spot in 'Unmanned Retail'
Did you know that as early as the 1st century AD, the ancient Greek Heron's device for dispensing holy water is considered the world's earliest vending machine? Modern vending machines began in 1925 when the United States developed a machine to sell cigarettes, followed by various modern machines for stamps, tickets, and beverages. Today, vending machines cover a wide range of products, from drinks and snacks to adult products, fruits, and fresh food, with payment methods evolving from coins to bank cards, and now WeChat, Alipay, and Best Pay. In China, the market gap for vending machines is estimated at over one million units, and with the support of the Ministry of Commerce and the trend toward self-service, vending machines are set to thrive.
许景涵Losing Market Share and Lacking Brand Premium, Tsingtao Brewery Faces Dilemma
Amid an industry downturn, Tsingtao Brewery's revenue and net profit have declined for two consecutive years, while China Resources Beer and AB InBev have grown against the trend. Among the three giants, Tsingtao's market share gap with China Resources has widened, and its brand premium is weaker than AB InBev's.
马雪梅Product Selection Isn't That Complicated!
Distributors' ideal state is to make money while sitting still, but times have changed. This article provides practical advice on how distributors can select winning products by considering profitability, manufacturer support, channel fit, and consumer trends, using examples like the success of 'Little White Milk'.
澄韵Spotlight on High-End Bottled Liquor: 8 Power Players Above 20 Yuan, Each with a Fresh Twist—Which One Is Your Pick?
From a price perspective, with 20 yuan as the threshold, many bottled liquor products meet this standard, including upgraded new products from veteran companies like Niulanshan, Laocunzhang, and Longjiang Jiayuan, as well as high-end bottled liquors from famous brands like Yanghe Lanyou. This article highlights 8 such products that represent new forces in the category.
酒说团队Performance-Driven Deep Distribution Is a Poison to Brands!
The formation of China's FMCG giants has always been built on the dividends of a channel empire where terminals reign supreme. Once, many domestic experts loudly proclaimed that channels were not king, but brands were; however, the JDB case of changing its brand name slapped these experts in the face. Looking back at thirty years of marketing in China's FMCG industry, before 2013, almost no one thought that performance growth was difficult; at worst, three moves would work every time: first, use big guns; second, tighten the spring; third, launch new products.
方刚10 Lawsuits in 1 Year: Three Squirrels Faces Three Hurdles on Its IPO Path
Due to the lack of comprehensive whole-industry-chain safety control, food safety issues are highly likely to occur; over-reliance on online channels and a single homogeneous product category may lead to a cliff-like decline in performance in the event of unexpected situations. These potential risks will, to some extent, become obstacles to its IPO.
代秀辉China's Infant Formula Prices Are the World's Highest—Deliberately Set by Manufacturers, but Prices May Be About to Drop
The abnormally high prices of infant formula in China are largely the result of deliberate pricing strategies by manufacturers. However, subtle changes are underway as domestic brands regain market share, potentially signaling the end of the high-price era.
陈晓平Today, Xiangpiaopiao, After Three IPO Attempts in Six Years, Finally Lists!
Xiangpiaopiao milk tea, which sells hundreds of millions of cups a year and could circle the earth several times, finally listed on the A-share market (stock code: 603711) after three IPO attempts, with an issue price of 14.18 yuan. The company issued 40.01 million new shares, planning to raise 748 million yuan for two projects: liquid milk tea construction and automatic production line for cup milk tea. Compared with its first IPO attempt six years ago, the milk tea industry is now a red ocean, squeezed by internet-famous milk tea shops like Heytea and Yidiandian...
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