Zhong Xue Gao Brand Marketing History

When it comes to Zhong Xue Gao , it is definitely the envy of many brands.

It became an online celebrity ice cream brand when it was launched in 2018. On Double Eleven 2020, 50,000 sticks were sold in less than an hour after the sale started. The sales on the same day exceeded 4 million yuan, making it the number one in the ice product category.

Nearly 100 million ice creams were sold in just three years. During the 618 period in 2021, the sales volume exceeded the entire day of the previous year in just three minutes after the opening, and 600,000 ice creams were sold on the same day. What's even more exaggerated is that Zhong Xue Gao once set a record of selling 10,000 ice creams in one minute. Even the 66 yuan product was sold out within 15 hours. The two new products priced at 68 yuan and 88 yuan were still in short supply.

Why is Zhong Xue Gao so popular? How does it do this? In this issue, we will explore this from the perspective of brand content marketing.

1. Positioning as “China’s high-end ice cream”

For a long time, China's ice cream market has been dominated by mid- and low-end products, while the high-end market has been basically occupied by international brands such as Haagen-Dazs and Baskin-Robbins. Zhong Xuegao seized this opportunity, entered the market as a domestic brand , positioned itself as "China's own high-end ice cream" , and took the lead in implementing it from both the product and price levels.

On the one hand, in terms of product design, the traditional Chinese cultural elements of Jiangnan blue tiles are used as symbols, matched with the Morandi color scheme, to visually deepen the impression of the new domestic brand. On the other hand, it is promoted to the outside world that real materials are used without any additives and the taste craftsmanship is used to highlight the quality of the product.

The price further highlights its high-end attributes . The average price of one stick is 20 yuan, which is four to five times that of ordinary ice cream. It is also supplemented by the limited operation methods commonly used by luxury goods. While it makes some people stay away from it, it also appeals to the curiosity of some young and middle-aged people to show off in social situations, confirming its high-end nature and paving the way for subsequent price marketing.

2. Create celebrity and internet celebrity standard to increase social value

In order to attract more young users to consume, one of the strategies adopted by Zhong Xue Gao is to use opinion leaders such as celebrities and internet celebrities to anchor the quality. Through their real experience evaluation feedback and social media sharing, they create the impression of high-quality internet celebrity products, so that the public will form the consciousness that Zhong Xue Gao is indeed value for money and worth a try.

For a time, Zhong Xuegao appeared on social platforms such as Xiaohongshu, WeChat, Taobao Live, Douyin, and Kuaishou. Even top anchors like Li Jiaqi and Wei Ya were promoting Zhong Xuegao. There was a saying that one out of every three food broadcasters knows Zhong Xuegao.

In addition, Zhong Xuegao also invited the consul of the Consul General of Ecuador in China to taste the products, becoming the most special spokesperson in history. It also had the beautiful actress Tong Liya endorse the brand, which was very popular and attracted many consumers to pay for it.

Because for consumers, it is not just about eating a delicious ice cream, but more importantly, it is also about increasing their social assets. A casual shot can create eye-catching social content, which greatly satisfies consumers' desire to show off.

3. Continue to create social topics and consolidate the status of "cake" industry with high-frequency exposure

After just three years of operation, Zhong Xue Gao has basically completed the creation of a high-end ice cream brand, and marketing has played a crucial role in this whole process.

Looking at all of Zhong Xuegao’s marketing actions, you will find that in addition to advertising in WeChat Moments, the most common marketing method it uses is to use cross-border collaboration to create social topics.

For example, Zhong Xue Gao and Wahaha jointly launched a "minor ice cream", which taps into nostalgic emotions and awakens the taste of minors.

We have created Chinese-style ice cream (seafood ice cream, bird's nest ice cream, lazy and addictive ice cream, etc.) with four major domestic brands, but the most eye-catching one is the "Blackout Ice Cream" launched with Luzhou Laojiao. The name alone tells a story.

It also cooperates with brands such as Wufangzhai, Xiaomi, and Nayuki Tea, which also have internet celebrity attributes.

In addition to physical brands, Zhong Xue Gao's cross-border areas also extend to platforms, such as launching the "Daze" ice cream and some product peripherals with Tmall.

How to send, how to stay

Cooperate with Mr. Hema to produce cherry flavored ice cream, and join forces with Baidu to carry out national trend.

According to incomplete statistics, in the past three years, Zhong Xue Gao has collaborated with more than 40 cross-border brands, with an average of one cross-border collaboration per month.

In fact, we can see that the cost of such cross-border cooperation is extremely low, and many of them require almost no investment (because Zhong Xuegao itself has to develop new products, so such cooperation saves a lot of trouble). It only requires logo authorization, an interesting name, and a cover design, and you can get attention and discussion on social media.

As a result, more and more brands actively approached Zhong Xue Gao for cooperation, creating the impression that Zhong Xue Gao is always very popular. Coupled with its product price, appearance, endorsement by internet celebrities, and consumers' check-ins and show-offs, it almost overshadowed other ice cream brands in the industry.

Because of Zhong Xuegao's high-value social attributes and its ability to create social topics, Zhong Xuegao's every move has attracted much attention.

So much so that during the 618 period in 2021, when major brands were offering discount promotions, Zhong Xue Gao topped the hot search list with #Zhong Xue Gao's most expensive ice cream is 66 yuan# because of its "Ecuadorian Pink Diamond" ice cream, which was once priced at 66 yuan .

Finally, let me briefly summarize.

One of the important reasons why Zhong Xue Gao has achieved its current success is that it saw a gap in the market and gave up on entering the mass consumer market and competing with many ice cream brands. Instead, it directly transformed a mass product category with a history of more than 100 years into a high-end niche brand with no competitors.

With such a positioning, any action may be magnified to the industry level and become unique news material. In other words, Zhong Xuegao has unique advantages in terms of communication.

Based on this, Zhong Xue Gao took the lead in improving product strength, from materials to taste to sensory perception, making sure that the ingredients are real, the shape is unique, and the appearance is stunning. With the product as the content and the price as the gimmick, it is easy to make a splash in the market and gain the trial and favor of some people.

But the problem is that ice cream is a disposable consumer product. Although such a high price will bring attention and traffic, there will definitely be people who complain that it is not worth it.

Zhong Xue Gao is very clear about this, so in future marketing, Zhong Xue Gao will mainly focus on improving the product's premium ability——

Increase social attributes and enhance social value.

In addition to the taste enjoyment of ice cream that costs dozens of dollars, it also brings spiritual satisfaction, a confirmation from the identity label, and praise from social media.

Looking back now, it is clear that Zhong Xuegao relies on the Internet, selects celebrities and influencers to promote its products, and collaborates with well-known brands.

Author: Advertising Department Store

Source: Advertising Department Store (ID: storead)