An operational guide to internet celebrity brand marketing and promotion!

Hardcore internet celebrities (fusion faction) are different from traditional faction and internet celebrity faction.

There is no brand that doesn’t want to become a hardcore internet celebrity. The product is hardcore in the left hand and the marketing is amazing in the right hand.

Hardcore internet celebrity is also the final destination of all internet celebrities.

More and more clients want to build a hardcore internet celebrity brand, and some of them have been suppressed by me.

Please note that this branding model is not suitable for all teams. In addition, many people's understanding of this model is limited to marketing and appearance.

A long article to explain it all at once.

Preface 1: Why do we want to create a hardcore internet celebrity brand?

Young people, market traffic, and fan stickiness are all urging you to evolve. If you don’t advance, you will regress. The current situation of serious decline of old brands is obvious to us.

1. Relying purely on channels

The era when channels were king is long gone.

The current situation faced by many traditional brands is that they have users but no fans. The reason why consumers still buy from them is simply because of channel monopoly. This gives emerging brands the opportunity to subvert them.

2. Purely relying on price

What young consumers need is something delicious, fun, “affordable” and cool.

Inexpensive does not mean low price. There needs to be value for money, but it must be a value for money that makes one feel valuable. Low price is no longer a core competitive advantage.

3. Purely rely on traffic

Whether it’s food delivery, reviews, or Weibo, the bonus period for natural traffic is long gone. The price of traffic remains high, and the model of spending money to buy traffic will only result in more losses.

A marketing director of a well-known brand in Shanghai once complained to me that shopping malls are more willing to reserve good locations for emerging brands that "bring their own traffic and spread their own influence", and give the green light on decoration restrictions and property conditions.

Both platforms and brands hope that the other party will bring their own traffic rather than just asking for it.

If you want to escape this vicious circle, then start building a hardcore internet celebrity from now on, bring in your own traffic, turn users into fans, fall in love with your brand, and choose you spontaneously.

Preface 2: What is a hardcore internet celebrity brand?

To explain it in one sentence, it is a balanced brand that is neither entirely marketing-oriented nor entirely product-oriented.

To explain it with a picture, it is a scale.

To put it simply, if we compare a brand to a person, then the brand needs to excel in professional skills (products, operations management), and at the same time it needs to have an independent personality with an "interesting soul" (in layman's terms, a person with character and spiritual pursuits).

Providing professional services to others through professional skills is a person's ability to make a living. He may have users, but not necessarily fans.

Only through personal charm, character, values, etc., combined with your expertise in professional skills, can you attract a group of like-minded friends or even a partner, who are your loyal fans.

Such brands can actually be seen frequently, but you just ignore them.

1. Product creation is the foundation of hardcore influencers

The hardcore of hardcore internet celebrities is: product! product! product! The foundation is the product, and the prerequisite is still the product.

If you want to become a hardcore internet celebrity based on solid product strength, you need a brand-new product shaping capability: three characteristics and one standard, limited edition.

(1) Identification: tableware and packaging visualization

Either visualize product attributes or visualize brand concepts.

Visualizing dishes, tableware, and serving methods with an image is an excellent way to recognize and remember them.

It increases the cultural added value and interest of the dishes, while also giving consumers a reason to take photos and spread the word.

San Dun Ban Coffee, which uses small bottles of super-concentrated dark roasted coffee, not only gives consumers a refreshing feeling, but also makes them remember this packaging style.

Zhong Xue Gao ice cream is in the shape of tiles. Although you may not understand the meaning of the brand name at first glance, you can definitely feel the Chinese culture he wants to convey through the product shape.

(2) Interactivity: Interaction in eating and drinking experience

What young consumers need is something that is delicious, good-looking, fun and can show off. Experience interactive innovation and solve the problems of having fun and showing off at one go. No matter how old a person is, they all have a playful heart, so fun products will naturally become popular.

Friends who are familiar with me know that I love eating noodles. Noodles can be divided into soup noodles and mixed noodles. Soup noodles may be old-fashioned and boring, but mixed noodles have natural interactive properties.

Shake and stir, turn and stir, the more you stir, the more flavorful it becomes, is that possible?

Image source: Shanghai Food Guide

Grandpa Xu chopped the fish head with pepper, and carried the fish head on the sedan chair while beating gongs and drums. The panda will not leave the cake. After the cake is delivered, it will sing, dance and take photos for you.

(3) Conflict: Appropriate category micro-innovation

Don’t do disruptive innovation lightly. Try more micro-innovations to keep them fresh in the minds of consumers. Sometimes it is necessary to make some micro-innovations within a certain scale, which are both reasonable and unexpected.

There is nothing special about round cakes, 21CAKE makes the cakes square.

There is nothing special about flat stinky tofu. The Changsha snack restaurant Xiang Yu Jian Ni makes the stinky tofu into cubes.

Soft European bread → dirty bread

Steak→Paper Boat Steak

Dumplings→Squid Ink Dumplings

Tea→Small Can Tea

It is slightly different from everyone's conventional perception, but not abrupt, and it is both reasonable and unexpected.

(4) Standardization: Reproducible standardization

Good products and good ideas of chain brands must be standardized, supported by a mature supply chain, and easy to operate. If you work hard to come up with product ideas but cannot replicate them, you will not be able to maximize the impact on consumers.

It is impossible for every innovation to hit the mark among consumers, but we must always be prepared for mass standardization.

(5) Limited Edition: Appropriate Scarcity

Limited editions are like the hidden menu at Starbucks or the long queues outside the Nike AJ sales door. Only the most loyal fans will understand.

You can call it hunger marketing, but for ordinary consumers, you can choose not to buy or pay attention. But for loyal fans, occasionally giving them thoughtful feedback and letting them show their preference for your brand gives them a sense of respect.

On the other hand, limited editions bring scarcity, freshness, interactivity and authenticity to the brand.

When I was writing this article, a friend excitedly sent me the hidden menu of Tai Er Pickled Fish.

At the same time, she also reserved a seat in Tai Er's universe community through the community method. In fact, whether it is a hidden menu or a community, you may have seen it in more than one place. The key is to put them into practice.

Product shaping-identifiability, interactivity, conflict, standardization, limited edition

If some catering people do not understand the above methods, they can try to start with the menu planning method. The "One Commander and Nine Generals" method of Mr. Chen Xinshi from Hanyuan Catering Management College is very classic. In order to cater to young people and combine it with new product shaping methods, we will add two sections to it: "One Handsome Man and Nine Generals Spread the Dishes Limited Edition".

The product creation of hardcore internet celebrities is ultimately based on their insights into young consumers. The reason why traditional brands can no longer attract young people is because they lack insight.

2. The core of product creation is the insight into young people

(1) First, understand why brands need to become younger?

a. On the one hand, it is determined by the overall environment of the food and beverage industry

behind:

In the field of mass consumption, the food and beverage industry (mainly catering) has always been at a backward stage.

Influenced by the Internet and foreign culture, the material and spiritual needs of those born in the 1990s, 1995s, and 2000s have upgraded too quickly, forcing the industry to evolve.

contradiction:

Conflicts have arisen between young people and food and beverage brands.

The development of the entire industry cannot meet the young consumers’ growing desire for a wonderful experience of eating, drinking and having fun.

b. On the other hand, it is determined by the brand communication task

Young people are the core driving force for brand growth.

They may not solve business problems (young people with limited money), but they create brand influence.

Only young people are willing to try new things, and they are the only ones who will pay attention to your innovations. Only young people are too lazy to cook at home and have the opportunity to consume you. Only young people are best at sharing on social platforms.

(2) Reasons for consumption upgrade: Young people’s aesthetic upgrade

Too many brands have not figured out what is the reason behind this wave of consumption upgrades that has continued for five years without stopping? The essential reason for consumption upgrading is: the self-iteration of young people’s aesthetic taste.

The biggest gap between young people (emerging brands) and old people (traditional brands) is also: aesthetics.

This gap can be gradually eliminated through insight.

(3) What is aesthetics?

Aesthetics, in the past, was indeed applied to its literal meaning: the perception and judgment of aesthetics and art.

But nowadays, aesthetics refers to a person's taste in all aspects of life and a person's comprehensive cultivation in dealing with society. Consumers have different tastes and their own judgments on a series of brand touchpoints including your environment, brand culture, user experience, brand expression, marketing activities, plating, online display, etc.

Young people's aesthetic development of appearance has gone through several stages:

After rapid and rough development, there will gradually be no unified market style, and various styles will coexist.

Our generation has gone through the process of having almost no aesthetic sense to gradually developing our own judgment.

a. Changes in dining experience: “Eat with camera first → Comprehensive experience”

Since the summer of 2014, the trend of “taking photos first and eating later” has become popular across the country.

To this day, I don’t dare post on WeChat Moments unless I go to a unique restaurant and have some photography and photo editing skills. Not only does the food need to be exquisite, but the entire experience process and brand characteristics must also conform to the aesthetic tastes of young people.

You will have the opportunity to be included in their consumption list.

b. Changes in the crowd visiting exhibitions: “Art industry → artistic youth”

I remember that the air conditioning in the exhibitions during college was particularly strong, and the crowds were limited to art practitioners. There were few people visiting and there were almost no queues.

Nowadays, no matter what kind of exhibition it is, it has become a daily activity for young literary and artistic people on Saturdays and Sundays.

Young people’s daily lives cannot satisfy their aesthetic enjoyment, so they have the need to visit exhibitions during holidays.

Young artists who are interested in art can get spiritual pleasure from visiting exhibitions, and visiting exhibitions has become a kind of social currency for them. And these people happen to be the KOLs in the circle of friends who are good at taking photos and editing pictures.

The initial popularity of Shanghai K11 was due to the exhibition held in B2. Now, shopping malls with a certain quality will cooperate with artists to hold exhibitions to attract young people.

c. Changes in the aesthetics of star-chasing: "White Moonlight → Popularity Star → Talented & Independent Personality"

Ten years ago, twenty years ago, people preferred the "white moonlight", with its perfect face, figure and personality, shining brightly on the stage.

As audiences (consumers) gradually develop the ability to distinguish, they will slowly begin to abandon some of the "stereotyped" preferences and gradually turn their attention to "interesting souls and eye-catching talents."

d. Changes in the aesthetics of popular art: “Mass → Popularized niche”

You may think that the public's aesthetic taste has not reached this level yet, yes. But the aesthetic taste of young literary and artistic people (KOLs) has arrived. It is only after they share their "better life" that the public will start to imitate them. Behind the consumption upgrade, KOLs’ screen-sweeping efforts have played an indispensable role.

(4) The younger version of the mass market

On the one hand, brands want to cater to the preferences of young people, but they don’t understand why young people like it and which young people like it? On the other hand, brands want to capture all consumers, but they end up capturing no one.

You'll often see some really awkward marketing practices.

You have seen many slogans of XX brand:

XX brand: XX dish for young people.

XX brand: small hotpot that is more popular among young people.

XX brand: More young people choose to drink X tea.

You have also seen many soulless, unsystematic cool, trendy, and cute illustrations; or some very "Jiang Xiaobai" copywriting; the space uses some very internet-famous decorations (flamingos), or very cool colors; the product appearance is also very good (copy whatever is popular).

In addition to plagiarism, what you can feel more is "blindly following the trend".

Do you think that their "youthful" operations would be suitable for other brands? What’s the difference between this and the traffic stars and white moonlights who used to cater to the public’s taste?

In order to cater to the youthful operations carried out blindly by the general public of young people, I call it "the shell of mass youth."

The consequences are:

Even if your consumers come for the first time, they will go elsewhere the second time, to those "more popular internet celebrity" brands, because you are competing to see who is more popular, thus falling into a vicious circle.

A young shell of the masses = only comes once = no individual soul = no loyal fans.

If you want consumers to repeatedly and continuously show off your brand, you need to find your core consumers. To find core consumers, you need to have a complete positioning first.

3. To find core consumers, you must first have a complete positioning

It seems that when talking about positioning, we cannot avoid Trout, we cannot avoid product differentiation, we cannot avoid category positioning, and we cannot avoid mental cognition. Perhaps it is precisely because this concept is deeply rooted in people's minds that traditional brands lack innovation. In the past, the main purpose of positioning we talked about was to differentiate from competitors, but times have changed. In the era of fan economy, forget about competition. What’s important for a brand is to do its best, attract fans, and prevent fans from leaving.

Positioning solves two important problems: choice and trust. It helps consumers understand and make choices quickly.

You will see specialized stores of various categories on the streets and in shopping malls. As long as you go to these stores, you will immediately know what to order and you will believe that the product is professional.

But what happens after the choice?

Is the experience good, is the brand concept conveyed, and what kind of emotional interaction is there with consumers? These are often things that brands that believe in positioning rarely do.

Let’s go deeper. What if shopping malls are really full of category-specific stores?

In the noodle category, there are: bullfrog noodle specialty stores, beef noodle specialty stores, spicy meat noodle specialty stores, yellow croaker noodles, hand-rolled noodles, mixed noodles...

I didn’t dare to think about it any further, and the difficulty of making a choice arose again.

Do consumers really think so much about the category when eating a bowl of noodles? Just because Haidilao is the top hotpot restaurant in people’s minds, does that mean you must go to Haidilao every day? KFC has launched spicy braised skewers. Does it fit the category perception? Not necessarily, but consumers will buy it.

Leaving aside the food and beverage industry, when we buy a short-sleeved shirt, do we have to look for the most professional brand with the highest sales volume? Not necessarily, because everyone is very professional. I just want to choose something that suits me, looks good, and highlights my taste and temperament.

Why would consumers buy your product instead of your competitor's? When it comes to products, they need rational reasons. When it comes to brands, people also want an emotional connection. Only when consumers like you will they have reasons to continue buying from you.

It is correct to use categories as a logical habit to think in terms of positioning, but it is incomplete and places too much emphasis on rationality and utilitarianism. The positioning of a hardcore internet celebrity brand must be complete.

A complete positioning is like a complete person. The brand itself is a "person" created by the founding team. The way for a person to attract loyal fans requires not only professional skills but also an independent personality.

People have two sides. When they are rational and emotional, they correspond to the left brain and the right brain. Sometimes it is more rational, sometimes it is more emotional, which also creates different brand styles.

Rationality corresponds to logical thinking, productism, functional benefits, and category thinking.

Sensibility corresponds to image, concept, emotion, aesthetics, and values.

If these are understood as the material and spiritual aspects of a brand, then both aspects should have a positioning and need to be balanced, like a scale.

The material and rational positioning is easier for everyone to understand, and most domestic brands also tend to focus on functional benefits.

So how do we do spiritual positioning?

This is related to the core consumers that the brand wants to target. The common preferences and values ​​of this group of people determine the spiritual attributes of the brand.

4. Spiritual positioning determines who the core consumers are

Anyone can consume products, but only your core consumers (loyal fans) will consume your brand.

The consumer buys her ideal self.

They use shopping to express their ideals - "What kind of person do I want to be?".

A brand should not satisfy everyone, but should stand out on its own path, only then will it be followed by fans.

If you agree with this, here comes the problem.

How to find the core consumers of a brand?

To find the core consumers of a brand, two points need to be met:

(1) Consumer population and market acceptance

Core consumers cannot be a particularly niche group of people. Maybe the point you choose is niche, but many people have common psychological demands.

For example: naturalists, optimists, trendsetters, cute people...

(2) The genes of the founding team

Each brand is a replica of the founding team. Of course, it needs to be adjusted based on market and consumer needs and the team’s genes.

For example, if the founding team consists of people of this type, and they operate and manage a cool and trendy brand, consumers may like it, but the founding team will definitely be exhausted physically and mentally.

The following two catering big brothers have completely different styles. One is the gene of traditional large restaurant chains, and the other is the gene of youthful innovation.

The brands they incubate are also completely different.

Xibei camp: Xibei Youmian Village, Super Roujiamo, Maixiangcun, Xibei EXPRESS, and Xibei Yogurt Bar.

99 Mao Jiu Camp: 99 Mao Jiu, Tai Er Pickled Fish, Shuang Chuan Chuan, and Two Egg Pancakes.

You can feel the different temperament just by listening to the brand name.

The former is mainly based on the traditional banquet thinking. Except for the main brand Xibei Youmiancun, all categories with fast fashion, female and internet celebrity attributes have been defeated without exception. The latter is almost a rare flower among the catering tycoons. Nowadays, we are not afraid of tycoons having a lot of resources, but we are afraid of tycoons who don’t understand young people.

Once a brand finds its core consumer, it needs to further tell her about your “consumption scenario”.

5. Tell her your consumption scenario

In the food and beverage industry, catering may have clear consumption scenarios, but retail and fast-moving consumer goods need to define themselves.

You must have heard slogans like these:

If you feel a little hungry or sleepy, drink Xiangpiaopiao.

The world's biggest anti-hunger brand, Grain Multi Oat Milk.

Snickers, sweep away hunger.

Three completely different products all want to seize the "hungry" consumption scenario.

Other examples include:

Meals for one person, alcohol that can be drunk while working, a little wine for one person who is a little tipsy…

The purpose of targeted scenarios is to make consumers think of you first when they have similar physiological/psychological needs.

If categories and product positioning solve the problem of "what kind of special products do you provide to consumers", then scenarios solve the problem of "when should consumers use your products".

The core of consumption scenarios is directionality.

Pointing to the occasion: Party? Business? Party? Taking alcohol and beverages as an example, Jiang Xiaobai is suitable for young friends to drink at small gatherings, the amount per person and the level of beverage are important for business purposes, and RIO is suitable for parties. This is the direction of consumption occasions.

Target group: One person can eat instant hot pot, and one person can eat instant ramen. Whether it is a little wine for one person or a little wine for two or three people, there will be differences in capacity and bottle size, and the corresponding copywriting and design images will also be different.

Pointing to emotion: Eating ramen alone may give you the warm feeling of going to a late-night diner. The tipsy drinks for girls, such as Banwan Qingniang, Qie Ting Feng Yin, and RIO Tipsy Cocktail, all emphasize the portrayal of girlish thoughts, literary sense, and youthfulness.

The occasion, the crowd, and the emotions all need to be in place in one step and linked together.

When the brand positioning, core consumers, consumption scenarios, etc. are clearly defined, an interactive design is needed to perfectly convey the brand settings to consumers.

6. Interactive design is the perfect expression of brand positioning

Design is the last mile of a brand.

Due to the continuous improvement of aesthetics, the importance of brand appearance has risen to an unprecedented level.

"I'm very busy. How about you let me experience your talent (product) first, or let me see your appearance first, and then I'll consider whether I want to continue to get to know you (repurchase)"

Today's design is really more than just a standard VI system, a standard store SI, or an ordinary packaging design.

Good design must meet four conditions.

(1) Sense of symbols

Influenced by H&H, many founders and design companies’ understanding of symbolism is limited to “taking a certain word from the brand name, drawing a circle around it, and enlarging it.”

This is probably a ghost painting...

The I LOVE oats and plaid cloth of Xibei made by Hua & Hua are indeed good symbols, but the “叔” in Lao Niangjiu... is too scary.

Symbolic sense has two functions, or in other words, it can be called a symbol only when it satisfies these two functions.

a. You can use association

It borrows the power of the cultural matrix that has existed in history and is accepted by the public.

For example, when you see tiles, you think of modern times and Chinese style, no explanation is needed.

For example, when you see candles, you think of birthday cake, no explanation needed.

For example, when you see couplets, you think of the Spring Festival, no explanation is needed.

This is the power of the cultural matrix. It exists in your memory, and symbol design only helps you mobilize your memory.

b. Can create visual memory or action instructions

Color, shape, theme, and packaging can all become visual memories. The premise is repetition, constant repetition in your brand.

These can all become brand symbols.

(2) Design

What is design sense? Everyone has a different answer to this question.

But the basis is "reasonable, unexpected".

Take the currently popular "national tide" as an example.

Do young people like traditional Chinese culture?

Some people like the 80/20 rule very much. They are willing to read ancient books, visit local museums when traveling, and study documentaries. More young people will not take the initiative to study and prefer to follow the crowd.

So how can we make more people like it? Make up the old culture and package it in a way that they can accept. The combination of traditional culture and trendy elements is both reasonable and unexpected, and refreshing.

This is just like those folk songs you didn’t like listening to when you were a child. If the singer sings in the minority style, you won’t understand and will immediately change the channel. But if the singer combines folk songs with elements of popular singing, and you feel that you can understand it and that it is refreshing and unique, you may be willing to learn about the culture of ethnic minorities.

This is the sense of design. It does not mean that you have to make something that you cannot understand to have a sense of design, but it means making appropriate designs with discretion.

(3) Sense of interaction

Standardized SI may be the need of fast food, but it is definitely not the need of hardcore internet celebrities. Brand design, space design, and packaging design are all points of contact between design and consumers.

Good looks are the basis, fun is the surprise, and details are necessary.

(4) Conform to the overall positioning

Brand positioning - product development - brand design - space design - copywriting - packaging design - marketing promotion are all one thing and must be carried through with the same concept.

The design must be consistent with the overall brand setting. It is not recommended to make too many adjustments to this setting within a certain period of time. Fix it for a period of time to give consumers a preliminary understanding of you.

Some founders believe that they need to constantly innovate, which is correct, but the innovation must be within the overall setting of your brand. HEYTEA has stores and packaging with different images, but overall you feel that it is HEYTEA. Although it is a little different, it fits harmoniously in the HEYTEA category and does not look out of place.

A lyrical singer who has his own style will also bring his personal characteristics when he tries singing and dancing for the first time, and this cannot be lost.

7. Update from time to time to keep the brand fresh

Why do popular online stores lose popularity after a period of time, and why can’t old brands attract new customers? Because I don’t update myself all the time.

I believe there is no need to say much about this section. First-tier brands such as Heytea, Lelecha, McDonald's, and KFC have already delivered perfect report cards.

Yesterday morning, I was reading the insider information for restaurant owners and happened to see an article analyzing Heytea. The founder said that young people are fickle and love new things, so we should accompany them in various ways.

If we were asked to choose between marketing and product innovation. Only children make choices, of course we (hardcore internet celebrities) want them all.

The actual situation of some teams does not allow you to achieve all of them. Then we must give priority to product innovation and cross-border cooperation on products.

8. Stick to doing well in the front, and brand culture will naturally come

After designing a project, I always ask a question first when I provide brand basics training to the client’s management.

“What do you think a brand is?”

Many friends say that brand is a kind of culture, and further ask why they say it is a kind of culture? Maybe it’s hard to explain.

When you persist, overcome numerous difficulties, and implement the brand characteristics you want to achieve step by step, you will gradually begin to influence one group of consumers after another. Your brand naturally creates culture.

Every method described in this article is designed to ultimately make your brand a culture, influence batches of consumers, make them fall in love with you, and become loyal fans.

Did HEYTEA have a brand culture in the beginning?

Maybe not, but in these seven years, he has done a lot of things that have disrupted the industry. Now he is complete, a brand with his own unique soul. Maybe you think HEYTEA is still very young?

OK, let's change it.

We also like the brand Su Xiaoliu, which does not have any internet celebrity qualities. When he focused on "handmade" and persisted to the extreme, handmade became his brand culture.

9. Mostly forgettable, but occasionally beautiful "power moments"

Even if you build a brand culture, consumers will only remember one powerful moment. When we recall a brand, we may have bought it many times, but what you often remember is the moment when it touched you.

The thing you do most at Shanghai Disneyland is actually queuing. But what you may remember is the great experience the ride gave you.

Mostly forgettable, occasionally very beautiful.

That moment is a powerful moment.

The insights, methods and routines in the previous part of this article are all intended to leave consumers with a powerful moment of experience.

On the one hand, we need to set up enough powerful moments.

When you first create a brand, you can’t know what most consumers are interested in, and everyone’s excitement points are different. Therefore, when we work on each project, we will try our best to create as many interactive points in user experience and brand design as possible for different consumers to experience.

Whether it is innovation in product experience or other aspects mentioned above, the library of options must be large enough and rich enough. Because you really don’t know which point will “explode” your consumers.

On the one hand, it needs to be magnified and exaggerated.

My undergraduate major is film and television drama performance. When I was in college, my performance teacher said this:

When you want to convey an emotion to the audience, you need to perform 150% so that they can feel 75%, because in the process of emotional transmission, it will be greatly discounted due to the distance, the strength of the voice, each person's excitement points, and different receptive abilities.

When a brand discovers the powerful moment it gives to consumers, it must amplify it by 200% so that consumers can feel it.

10. Not all brands need to become hardcore influencers

Today we are talking about brand building. There are many popular theories and methods. No single method or theory can be adapted to all brands at any time. If there is, then it must be a scam.

This hardcore internet celebrity operation guide only provides a reference coordinate for building a brand targeting young consumers, and is not a standard answer. I hope it can bring some inspiration and enlightenment to everyone.

Author: Mushan Tiantuan

Source: Mushan Group