2021, the first year of traffic marketing collapse

2021 is about to end, and someone said, Yang Yang should talk about the current situation of the advertising industry.

In that case, let's pretend to talk about something serious.

Looking back at 2021, the thing that strikes me most is that the word "traffic" is really busy.

How busy are you?

Traffic stars have frequently been criticized for their bad reputations. Some have withdrawn their endorsements and had their TV series and movies removed from the shelves. Some have rushed to blur their names, while others have become virtual idols.

Alibaba's hyper-realistic digital human AYAYI

Traffic influencers have also been banned, illegal accounts have been blacklisted, and even the official account of the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission has been targeted recently, with netizens complaining about its vulgarity in order to gain traffic.

Not only that, the authorities also seem to be cracking down on the supremacy of traffic, and the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television took action some time ago.

First, we oppose the traffic-only theory and do not broadcast idol development programs, variety entertainment and reality shows involving children of celebrities.

Second, we must resist pan-entertainment, and resolutely resist such pan-entertainment tendencies as hyping up wealth and enjoyment, gossip and privacy, negative hot topics, vulgar "Internet celebrities", and unscrupulous ugliness.

In short, when "traffic" crashes, no brand, star, or internet celebrity is innocent.

To the point that a voice has emerged saying that the "traffic-only theory" will eventually fade away.

This reminds me of an article written by Lao Jin of Global Times Interactive titled "A Generation of Creative People Ruined by Chasing Hot Topics", in which he mentioned:

"Chasing hot spots" was once a label for Global Times, but we really want to get rid of it.

Most works that chase hot topics neither bring about brand accumulation nor form a positive cycle in traffic. It’s nothing more than leaders watching others and having to follow suit.

I agree with you.

Why a positive cycle in traffic is important.

First, we need to understand what traffic is?

To give an easy-to-understand example, what should we pay most attention to if we open a store?

Of course, the first thing that needs no mention is the location of the store.

Although pedestrian flow may not be the same as customer flow, traffic is definitely the basis for store location selection. Only strong pedestrian flow can drive store consumption.

To put it in a more exaggerated way, all businesses in the world from ancient times to the present are in the business of traffic, it’s just a matter of changing channels and carriers.

The same makes sense when we put "traffic" into the current Internet era.

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As long as advertisers and brand owners surf the Internet, they will follow the traffic. It seems that missing out on one bit of traffic means missing out on 100 million.

Faced with the traffic "collapse" year of 2021, has the traffic, which has been repeatedly criticized, failed?

It is undeniable that the neutral word "traffic" can easily lead people to generalize.

Traffic is not the original sin, lack of moral integrity is.

It is not a bad thing for a brand to have a lot of traffic. It allows the brand to "win big with a small investment", gather attention in a short period of time and reach a peak in traffic. It is also what brand surfing should be like.

However, if a brand wants to be "long-lasting", it cannot just focus on traffic. It must grasp the bottom line and the boundary between traffic content, and cannot just go wherever there is traffic.

Any behavior that only cares about brand interests and ignores the interests of consumers will eventually become a target of public criticism and suffer backlash from traffic.

As Nietzsche wrote in Beyond Good and Evil, "When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

Traffic is such an abyss. When you stare at the traffic, the traffic is also staring at you.

This leads to a new topic: is it true that advertising is impossible without "traffic"?

Not necessarily.

After frequent celebrity failures, during such a sensitive period, NetEase Yanxuan rejected traffic stars and created a "live advertisement".

Let real amateur users sit on NetEase Yanxuan’s outdoor billboards, and the users will become its advertisements.

Not relying on "traffic" marketing does not prevent NetEase Yanxuan from becoming popular.

Standing in front of such an abyss, some brands abandon traffic, while others regard negative traffic as traffic, believing that they can still become a hot topic even if they make mistakes.

It sounds a bit ridiculous, but some people do it.

There was heavy rain in Henan Province. Some real estate developers were making fun of the "scenery", and some internet celebrities were stealing lifeboats to shoot videos. These people were exploiting disasters to attract attention, but there was no need to take advantage of this kind of traffic.

Coincidentally, when an artist with a bad record was detained, executives of Nezha Auto wanted to invite Wu to endorse the brand in the name of "giving Wu a chance to start a new life."

Even if you are criticized, you should just fight back and end it with an "official apology."

There is no garbage in the world, only resources placed in the wrong place. The same goes for traffic. There is nothing wrong with it itself. What is wrong is the way of obtaining traffic.

Here, there is also a brand that has provided a good template.

When the earthquake hit Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shanghai a while ago, Hua Xizi was the first to send out a message of condolences, which increased the brand's favorability to the maximum.

It is said that it took Huaxizi only half an hour from the earthquake to the brand sending out text messages. This public relations speed is truly amazing.

Hua Xizi's careful care has warmed many users.

Most advertisements are for consumers, but this one is only for advertisers.

The plot of the advertisement is based on the topic of Party A and Party B, which is of no significance to ordinary people and is difficult to be widely disseminated, and obviously cannot boost the Double Eleven sales.

So this traffic is like a donut, and every brand wants to get a taste of it.

After talking so much, let’s go back to the question at the beginning: Do advertisers and brand owners still need to chase traffic?

This cannot be generalized.

First of all, traffic is not everything, brand and product are.

Traffic is only an added value and should not be regarded as the whole of marketing. A single idea for attracting traffic is just a one-time deal and it is difficult to effectively reach consumers.

When we take medicine, there are also treatment courses and cycles. Building brand awareness also requires long-term and repeated communication.

Riding on the popularity of hot topics for a long time will only make consumers' perception of the brand remain at the impression that it is only about chasing traffic, and the highlights of the product will be weakened to some extent.

Secondly, traffic is an investment, and of course you have to get it back.

Talking about traffic without considering the effect is just being a hooligan.

After the traffic comes, you need to consider how to "retain" it and convert it into product sales in order to further develop the business.

It can't look lively, but actually be like fireworks, which will end up in nothing after being set off.

Finally, traffic is a short-term technique, while brand is a long-term strategy.

To borrow a phrase from Jiang Nanchun, the founder of Zhong Media:

Traffic is the lover, brand is the wife.

"Traffic is your lover, giving you short-term pleasure, but you have to spend money every time. Brand is your wife. The common understanding between you and your wife is the guarantee of your long-term life. It is not easy to catch your wife, but once you catch her, the cost will drop significantly and the benefit will increase significantly."

A strong brand is the most reliable code for traffic.