One clear voice
The concept of speculation has pushed consumers' expectations for products to be high. In recent years, price wars have caused the products to gradually lose their individuality and have deepened the homogeneity of products. Chinese companies are paralysing in this vicious cycle. It is time for Chinese companies to return to reality and return to the competitiveness of enterprises. It is time to seek marketing breakthroughs with industrial design as the center.
The power of industrial design allows us to understand the power of product design from several classic stories. In 1995-1997, it was not only the two years that Wintel Union was invincible, but also the long wait for Mac faithful users to wait long for two years. Apple's stock, which created the era of personal computers, has been declining. It was terrible and it was acquired. The company had no choice but to return to Apple’s original CEO, Steve Jobs. In 1998, Apple Computer officially announced the launch of the new iMac computer with a completely new concept. The host computer, monitor, and speaker that are separated from each other's traditional PCs are integrated into one, and the uniform beige shell is abandoned. Instead, translucent and five kinds are replaced. Color color shell.
Although the iMac does not have much excitement in terms of technology and skills, and is priced hundreds of dollars more than other computers, it has received a warm welcome after the product was introduced to the market. In the United States, it was almost every 15 seconds. Bell has an iMac sold, Apple's stock has skyrocketed, setting off an unprecedented industry hubbub. In September 1998, statistics from PC Data, an authoritative market research company in the United States, showed that only seven days of listing, the iMac quickly became one of the top 2 computers on the US computer sales list at the end of August.
In December 1998, PC Data reported that it ranked first on the US market in both the retail and mail-order rankings in November 1998, and it was estimated that it accounted for 7.1% of total US PC sales and 8.2% of total retail sales. It can be said that the iMac's success is entirely due to its talented industrial design. In August 1997, TCL acquired the color TV project of Henan Melody Company. The original 29-inch mold developed by the original Melody Company became a dowry for the company's dowries. According to this model, the TCL-2966 Ultra Flat TV, which was introduced in the mold, was well-developed. Design, elegant and concise shape, making it become the leader of TCL in the color TV market, the TCL-2966 and its derivative TCL-2977 have become the strong force of the market in the color TV industry price war. It is just two changes in the return to life and color of the TV panel. With the power of industrial modeling, it has achieved a high-scale production of a single model, achieving a virtuous circle of product cost performance, product line integration, and optimal inventory structure. The TCL Group has brought in hundreds of millions of yuan in the color TV business and is still playing the role of a price war sniper in the market. Konka Group has won the iMac's success. In 1999, it launched the semi-transparent materials, the colorful series of “small paintings†and the smooth and handsome “art TVâ€. The first time it was launched, it made consumers and competitors brighten up. The same has been a great success. A 14-inch "small colorful painting" won more than a 21-inch ordinary color TV.
The computer design of Lenovo Tianzhu is also ingenious, and in addition to a lot of effort in modeling, through the built-in Internet account, and the customization of the site content shortcut keys, greatly simplifying the Internet operation. Attracted a lot of consumers who fear computer operations but are eager to learn about the Internet. In the end, the market competition is that companies speak on products and consumers vote in currency. Whether an enterprise can obtain a competitive advantage depends on the level of product strength, sales force, and image power of the enterprise and the degree of integration of these points. Enterprises need to use products to drive the market, use sales force to control the market for a long time, and the friendly image of the interface will make the brand deep in the hearts of consumers.
We cannot afford to exhaust the example of products that are full of magical design to make companies rejuvenate, nor can we say that the poorly designed products are out of the market. When our enterprises are struggling with price savage and immersed in the concept of play, have they ever thought about getting away from the basic rules of marketing? Industrial design, a realistic topic that we have talked about for a long time, a treasure that has been exploited by our eager for instant success. Product innovation and marketing dilemma Needless to say, in the past two decades, Chinese companies have made great progress; nowadays, the challenges Chinese companies face in adhering to the local market and opening up the international market are also unprecedented. We are used to seeing the company's ridiculous "shows" for promotional displays, and we are used to seeing the "new concepts" that manufacturers give to their products. A media expert who studies market issues in depth believes that the WTO is the most comprehensive effort for the global surplus economy to seek a new market balance.
If Chinese companies only aspire to become cheap “workshops†in the global economic division of labor, it will take a long time for other countries to have cheaper labor resources and countries with cheaper operating costs will make this cup of food more sour and odious. What are the Chinese companies missing in the end? In marketing, how can our company find breakthroughs? This is really a big issue that we must seriously solve. At the new marketing forum held in Shenzhen in September last year, various elites from the business community, academia, and the consulting and consulting industry conducted a beneficial discussion. Now we still need to carry out more in-depth and constructive Exploration. Now we can't imagine the long queues of vehicles purchased by a large number of merchants at the factory entrance; nor can we imagine that a single model product can create a spectacular scene of annual sales of 8 billion yuan (the famous three companies are in 96-97. Such myths were performed during the year. Of course, it is even more difficult for us to see that consumers must present various documents for a certain day.
Today, we are more aware that manufacturers are not hesitating to drastically reduce prices in order to sell their own products. In order to compete for consumers' attention, sales and promotion expenses are constantly rising, and the marginal profit of a single product has fallen sharply at the same time. Take the color TV industry as an example. Since 1996, there have been more than 7 large-scale price cuts. According to the statistics of the Ministry of Information Industry, the entire industry lost more than 20 billion yuan because of price wars. On the other hand, it is already a common practice for Chinese companies to seek selling points through conceptual hype in the absence of substantive breakthroughs in technological innovation. For example, TVs with progressive scans of the same chip are named by the manufacturers as "drawing screen", "health", "film", "precise display", "inverter", "flexibility", etc. It is not appropriate to call your own TV. Air conditioners, mobile phones, and personal computers all have similar conditions. The chaos of the concept eventually led manufacturers to attempt to stimulate consumer aspirations.
A highly-satisfied advertising person is showing off to others. Some of the products that are selling well on the market are due to the manufacturers' use of the concepts they have created. In the media, some of the technical experts of the national ministries seem to have trouble with the various manufacturers. Every day they say that the concept used by a certain product is unscientific and non-standard. Manufacturers are also using a variety of channels to publicize their products to the public in a large area. Differently adopting some of the world's leading technologies to achieve world-class quality. Although this "technology" may not be heard in serious scientific and technological circles. The previous section of the nucleic acid storm is a very good example. A professional manager who had been immersed in the video player industry lamented with sadness that the DVD market failed to start quickly. When the Super VCD was promoted, manufacturers advertised the so-called “high-definition†or “ultra-high definitionâ€. The concept, especially the proliferation of "concepts" created by manufacturers, is in essence a violation of consumer interests. It will also have a negative impact on the design and R&D of new products. Allowing this kind of game to continue will not help Chinese companies to align with international brands. A very simple truth - a variety of carefully packaged concepts raises the appetite of the people, and continuous and intensifying price scrambling will make manufacturers inadvertent and unable to invest heavily in R&D and design and quality management. Our corporate products will It is always an ugly duckling who cannot become a swan. As soon as one liter and one drop, companies must lose credibility in the market and lose consumer trust. Return to Origin The classic 4P marketing theory has four products: Product, Price, Placement, Promotion, and products are placed first. The opposite 4C theory includes consumer demand, consumer cost, consumer convenience, and consumer communication. Consumer demand is placed first. We believe that in fact there is no real conflict between 4P and 4C in terms of behavior. The final expression of the company’s desire to meet consumer demand is the product. In other words, the product is the basis of the entire marketing, no matter how the theoretical form and viewpoint change, Consumers can provide the products they need rather than the wishful thinking of their companies. Only then can companies achieve sustainable development. This is not only in China, but also the most basic law of economics that is universally applicable. For example, the advent of cars meets the need for people to reach another site more quickly on land. Off-road vehicles are used to transport people in the field. They can't make children play and they can't meet the needs of VIPs attending banquets.
The “service show†that has been popular in China in recent years is actually a non-return to factory maintenance for the quality of its own products. This is in itself a paradox of quality and price. As a result, the "service show" of some manufacturers has become popular and has become a marketing trend, and the marketing cost remains high. With the marathon-style price elimination war, it will become the soft underbelly of corporate competition. The era of rational consumption has come, the core is the individual product, the real price. It is time for us to return to the origin of marketing - products. Our products can no longer be a sign of major roads, and the cost of competition between Chinese companies and their rivals cannot always stay on price. Recall that in the mid-80s, everyone laughed at the Soviet production of motorcycles that were large, stupid and fuel-efficient. In the 21st century, our products should no longer be placed on the convenience stores of developed countries. At the China New Marketing Forum last year, participants conducted in-depth discussions on marketing in the information age. In the Internet age, the demand for personalized consumers has become increasingly strong. The products that the Internet buys for consumers are more direct and convenient, and the communication between companies and consumers is also easier. The cost to consumers is also lower, and companies Satisfying consumer needs with their high-quality products and services has become the focus. Returning to the origin, companies have personalized innovation products designed to meet the individual needs of consumers, seeking marketing breakthroughs, has been placed in front of us. Not necessarily the most powerful, but it should be what users need most. It is not necessarily the most comprehensive, but it should be the most perfect.
It is not necessarily the most expensive material, but it should be the most aesthetically pleasing. Not necessarily the cheapest, but it should be the best performance. Not necessarily the most powerful, but it should be the most comfortable and safe. We need to reflect our progress in science and technology, cultural connotations, humanistic care and attention to the environment through beautiful industrial designs. Only our products are not rough.