Guangming.com commentator:In the past two days, the time-honored Zhang Xiaoquan has been listed on the social network topic list and has been repeatedly crushed by public opinion.
The origin of the matter is not complicated. In fact, it is a dialogue between Zhang Xiaoquan’s consumer and customer service. In the screenshot of the conversation on the Internet, consumers are puzzled by the fact that the garlic knife is broken, especially the time-honored brand that has been in the rivers and lakes for nearly 400 years. To this, the customer service replied calmly that it is not recommended to use a kitchen knife to shoot garlic. For a Chinese who has a kitchen knife all over the world, this answer obviously impacts common sense, but it is not far-fetched to regard it as an improper response from customer service.
However, to many people’s surprise, Zhang Xiaoquan almost “single-handedly” directed the tide of public opinion towards himself. First, the person in charge plausibly and professionally explained the truth that “not all knives are suitable for shooting garlic”, and then the person in charge of “consumer education” and “the wrong way of cutting vegetables in China” and other video remarks were transferred to the public opinion field by netizens. The public opinion about Zhang Xiaoquan exploded completely. Despite the apology and new crisis public relations measures, the ridicule and dissatisfaction of netizens have not subsided.
Some people think that Zhang Xiaoquan’s reputation management is almost meaningless, and his performance in crisis public relations is also poor.And behind this is the arrogance of “old capital”. For consumers, hundreds of years of brand precipitation and the status of “China Time-honored Brand”, aside from cultural filters such as feelings, are at least equivalent to a certificate of quality assurance, which means that they can buy with confidence. However, when consumers find out that the product is not the right version and the name is not true, the reputation of the old brand will also be attacked.
Zhang Xiaoquan’s crisis seems to be more than that. Some media conducted “excavation” of Zhang Xiaoquan’s prospectus released last year and found that Zhang Xiaoquan relies heavily on OEM production. From 2018 to 2020, at least 3/4 of the annual output is OEM production; and in terms of marketing It also relies too much on distributors. In the past three years, the distribution model has contributed at least 60% of the annual revenue. In terms of research and development expenses, which are generally concerned by the market, it is far less than the scale of marketing expenses.
Although the division of labor and cooperation is the norm in modern industrial society, driven by profit, this kind of liberalization from production to marketing will likely weaken the brand’s management and control of products, not to mention the unique cultural heritage and development. Many time-honored brands have failed to supervise and control the foundry, and it is not uncommon for news of food safety crises. In an extreme situation, it may be that, except for the few words of the brand that have not changed, everything else has nothing to do with the time-honored brand. Previously, Hengyuanxiang and others were criticized for selling only trademarks but not products and deceiving consumers.
The market economy is fair and cruel, and will not give you any preferential treatment just because you are old. For the time-honored brands that have gone through the ups and downs of history, they should be more convinced of this. People’s needs are changing with the changes of the times. Of course, the impulse and efforts of time-honored brands to seek new and change are necessary, but the premise is that they should not forget their old roots and do not lose their souls. In other words, don’t give up the pursuit of “ingenuity” by yourself, and don’t downgrade your respect for consumers and the market. When a time-honored brand no longer has self-evident brand value, it will be difficult to move in the market, and the road to transformation will be even more difficult.
Whether it is based on simple cultural sentiments or rational consumption needs, people are reluctant to see more stories of time-honored brands “successfully”.
(For reprinting, please indicate the source “Guangming.com”, author “Guangming.com commentator”)
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责编：王营 ]