Why is it difficult for “specialty products” to become big brands?

A few weeks ago, I wrote an article titled " Haidilao is so famous, but what is its slogan? 》, which mentioned Haidilao’s slogan – hotpot from Sichuan…good hotpot speaks for itself.

After reading the article, many readers said in the background:

This is the first time I know that Haidilao is a Sichuan hotpot restaurant!

Yes, as long as you have been to Haidilao, you will find that Haidilao rarely advertises that it is from Sichuan. Even if they post a slogan, it often only has the second half (good hot pot speaks for itself) but not the first half (hot pot from Sichuan)...

Note: This was Haidilao’s previous slogan

Now it has been changed to "Let's have fun together, Haidilao"

This is indeed a very interesting phenomenon...

In fact, apart from Haidilao, many other big brands do not seem to like to emphasize their "origins" , for example:

• Xibei - initially it was positioned as "Northwest Folk Cuisine", but after several changes, it was changed to the current "Xibei Oat Noodle Village";
• Wanglaoji - it does not emphasize that it is a herbal tea from Guangdong (PS, herbal tea is a specialty of Guangdong);
• White Rabbit - it does not emphasize that it is a milk candy from Shanghai (PS, you will definitely see it in specialty stores in Shanghai);
• KFC - it has long stopped advertising itself as fried chicken from Kentucky;

Even Dong'e Ejiao - although "Dong'e" is a place name (Dong'e County), its official website does not emphasize the regional characteristics, but instead focuses on its "nourishing" effect.

So, why do these big brands, which can be considered "specialties" themselves, not call themselves "specialties" or emphasize the concept of "authenticity"?

One of the factors is “scale” - the brands mentioned above are all leaders in their categories.

In this case, if we continue to emphasize that we are "authentic" or "specialty", the implication is that there are many other brands on the market besides us - which is equivalent to giving up our leading position in the minds of consumers.

For example, Haidilao is already the leader in hot pot restaurants, but if it still insists on saying "I am the authentic Sichuan hot pot", it is equivalent to telling consumers:

If you want Sichuan hotpot, come to our place. But if you want to eat Chaoshan hotpot, Hong Kong style hotpot, Korean hotpot, etc., go somewhere else...

This is obviously not wise...

Therefore, Haidilao will only say that it is a "good hot pot" and no longer emphasize that it is "from Sichuan"...

(PS: The slogan “Hotpot from Sichuan” was a great idea when Haidilao was smaller in scale - it helped build consumer awareness right away.)

Of course, to say that they gave up the concepts of “authenticity” and “specialty” because of their large scale does have the suspicion of “deriving the cause from the result” - after all, any brand starts from a small scale, rather than becoming a big brand right from the start...

The more important factor is actually "inducement".

1. Geographical factors vs. other factors

The so-called specialty actually refers to: products that are unique or particularly famous in a certain place, have cultural connotations or history, or are only produced in a certain place.

For example: Guangdong's herbal tea, Hangzhou's Longjing tea, Beijing's roast duck, Dong'e's donkey-hide gelatin, Sichuan and Chongqing's hot pot...

It uses the region as an inducement for the product - for example: when people think of a certain place, they are more likely to associate it with the product; or because people like a certain place, they are more likely to like the products there.

So, let’s get back to the title of this article: Why is it difficult for specialty products to become big brands?

In fact, it is because: if the region is used as an inducement for the product, the "frequency" and "efficiency" of triggering associations will be too low.

1) Low frequency

Take Wanglaoji as an example.

We all know that Wanglaoji is herbal tea, and herbal tea is a specialty of Guangdong.

But if its initial promotional point was not "Drink Wanglaoji if you are afraid of getting a sore throat" (function), but "authentic Guangdong herbal tea" (origin), it means that consumers must think of "Guangdong specialties" before they are more likely to think of the Wanglaoji brand.

However, for consumers across the country, how often do they think of "Guangdong specialties"?

The answer is obviously: not often...

In comparison, "fear of getting a sore throat" is a more frequent (functional) trigger - as soon as you see hot pot, crayfish, chili peppers, or even just because you eat an extra bite of meat at night, you will think of "getting a sore throat", and then you will be more likely to think of Wanglaoji, which "can relieve heat".

Yes, in order to promote your product more smoothly, you must find an incentive with a higher frequency.

This doesn't just refer to specialty products; all products are the same.

Like Michelob beer.

Its original slogan was "Michelob is the best beer to drink during festivals and holidays".

At first, the entire advertisement received a lukewarm response, until it was adjusted to "The weekend is the best time to drink Michelob beer", and then it became popular all over the United States.

The reason here is that: "weekends" are a more frequent trigger than "holidays".

Another example is Kit Kat chocolate. It was because it combined itself with coffee and claimed to be the best companion to coffee that it had the opportunity to turn an aging brand into a profitable one in just one year.

This is also because it is tied to "coffee" - a trigger with a higher frequency than "chocolate". After all, in the United States, most people drink coffee every day, while chocolate is more of an occasional snack.

(PS, the pairing here is just a promotional concept, not to say that chocolate and coffee should be sold together)

2) Low efficiency

Let’s get back to the topic of specialties.

If a product defines itself as a "specialty", in addition to the low frequency of triggering associations, its effectiveness in triggering purchases is generally also low.

Let’s take Wanglaoji as an example.

If Wanglaoji defines itself as a specialty product, the "authentic Guangdong herbal tea", it is equivalent to suggesting to consumers: "You buy Wanglaoji because you like Guangdong herbal tea."

But why do most people insist on drinking Guangdong’s herbal tea?

Anyway, I can’t find any convincing answer… (unless you are from Guangdong/a Guangdong fan/traveling in Guangdong)

However, if the main selling point is “fear of getting angry”, it’s different - many people are worried about getting angry, which is a more convincing reason to buy.

Yes, a product may have many selling points (such as performance, high-end, novelty, convenience, etc.), "authenticity" is just one of them, and in most cases, it is not the strongest one...

However, many people who are engaged in specialty business do not think so, especially those locals who are born in the specialty producing areas.

For example, I knew a guy who made Yunpian cake. He was from Xuzhou, and Yunpian cake is considered a specialty of Xuzhou, so he focused on "authenticity" - emphasizing the history of Yunpian cake, traditional craftsmanship and Xuzhou culture, etc., and sold it on Taobao .

After listening to my suggestion (the initial suggestion was to position Yunpian Gao as a snack with an artistic flavor, mainly for office, reading and travel scenes, anyway, not focusing on "authenticity"), he immediately said:

No, this is originally a specialty product of Xuzhou. The Yunpian cakes in other regions are all imitations. By focusing on authenticity, we can combine products with culture and establish a certain threshold.

This idea is actually a product of self-perspective - as a Xuzhou native, of course you will understand and love Xuzhou's local culture better than people from other regions, and you will have a sense of pride. (He is a typical example: because he likes a certain region, he prefers the products of that region)

However, do people in other regions have similar thoughts?

I don't need to tell you the answer...

After reading this, you may ask:

Does that mean that all products are not suitable for the “specialty” route?

Of course not.

Some products are indeed more suitable to call themselves "specialties" or use their place of origin as the main selling point, such as Jingdezhen porcelain, Hangzhou Longjing, Cuban cigars, Northeast China rice, and French perfume.

The reason why they can go the "specialty" route is generally because they all meet the following conditions:

• This category/brand places great emphasis on cultural attributes. If it is a "copycat" from other regions, it will have no value, such as Jingdezhen porcelain;
• This category is only produced in a certain region, such as Longjing in Hangzhou and Champagne in the Champagne region of France;
• The region does have matching genes, for example, the black soil in the Northeast can indeed grow better quality rice, and the romantic culture of France can indeed give perfume more charm; (PS, this "gene" must be widely known)
• Homogeneous competition is serious, and brands can achieve differentiation through "region", such as Northeast rice;
• Of course, if a brand only intends to do business in scenic spots , it can also focus on "specialties"...

As for the Yunpian Cake mentioned earlier, it does not meet any of the conditions - this category does not emphasize cultural attributes; Xuzhou is not a famous place of origin of cakes; the competition in the entire Yunpian Cake category is not fierce (its current situation is: the category itself is not popular); and it is not sold in scenic spots...

Therefore, it makes no sense for it to focus on "specialty" or "authenticity" - since the entire category has not been developed, why bother to steal jobs from poor relatives?

What it should do is emphasize the value of the entire category - lead relatives to go out and make money together, so that it has the opportunity to become a leader in the category.

Just like Dong'e Ejiao back then: when the Ejiao market was low, it did not emphasize "When buying Ejiao, make sure to buy Dong'e", but instead it has been promoting the value of the Ejiao category.

Moreover, it sets an extremely high price, giving other donkey-hide gelatin brands the opportunity to enter the market (at a low price), thereby expanding the entire category together.

Finally, it uses the advantages of high prices and scale to ensure that it will always be the leading brand of donkey-hide gelatin.

Yes, if running a business also requires "vision", then Dong-E-Erhu is a good example.

2. About the frequency of triggers

As mentioned above: In order to make the promotion of the product more successful, it is necessary to find an incentive with a higher frequency.

What needs to be noted here is that the higher the frequency, the better.

Psychologists once conducted an experiment:

They created two advertising plans for a restaurant in Boston:

• Would you like to have dinner? Consider Boston's XX restaurant!
• Do you want to have a meal? Consider Boston's XX restaurant!

Then these two plans were sent to two groups of local residents to watch and test which advertisement was more impressive and triggered dissemination and sharing.

The results showed that the residents who read the first group of copywriting had a 20% higher transmission rate than those who read the second group.

Yes, the frequency of the inducement must match the overall "stimulation intensity" of the product to achieve the best effect.

If you blindly pursue "high frequency", the intensity of stimulation will eventually be diluted. (Otherwise, wouldn’t every brand be able to use “heartbeat” as an inducement…)

Of course, what exactly is considered a “match”? This is related to the attributes of the category and the scale of the brand. Due to the limitations of this article, I will not go into details.

In short, do things within your capabilities. If a concept tries to represent everything, it will most likely represent nothing in the end.

At this point, I suddenly remembered a job seeker in the TV show “If You Are the One” who showed a LOGO that he spent three years designing:

Yes, two letters "F" back to back.

This LOGO is not an ordinary LOGO, because behind it, there is a profound cultural connotation...

In English, “F” can stand for: non-governmental, non-profit, friendly, fun, fair, free, freedom, room rate, forest… There are more than 100 wonderful meanings in total…

Well, all the "good F" in the world belongs to him...

I didn’t watch this show, and I don’t know what happened in the middle, but I was still surprised that he was hired in the end…

It is also a marketing planning position...

Many netizens are questioning his ability.

But I think that for talents with this kind of mindset, it would be a waste of their talent to work in ordinary companies.

Because there is hardly any company whose business scale can satisfy his appetite...

Perhaps, he should directly join the world's largest and most devout religious organization, so that he can have the opportunity to show people his "profound and extensive" cultural connotations...

The author of this article @小云子 is compiled and published by (Qinggua Media). Please indicate the author information and source when reprinting!

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