From PPT-onlyism to self-licking philosophy, how did Hisense crush Samsung?

Spring has arrived again. At the beginning of March, color TV companies are not only competing to release new TVs with thinner bodies, but are also sighing to each other that their profits are becoming "as thin as photos."

Since the outbreak of self-media, home appliance marketing is shifting from "PPT-only" to "licking philosophy".

Recently, Hisense, which is seeking to expand its overseas business, ignored Samsung's huge global industrial chain system, its position as the world's number one semiconductor chip manufacturer, and its position as the main supplier of Apple mobile phone screens. It said through its official platform that Hisense, the "number one in China" in the color TV industry, will replace Samsung, the "number one in South Korea". This argument seems to please the current regional tension context, but it is not recognized by the majority of rational people. As the old saying goes, those who presumptuously crown themselves as kings "have bad intentions."

There is no harm without comparison. Being praised as "the world's number one color TV" makes you doubt your life.

People who hold rational views believe that unlike TCL, which owns CSOT, Hisense does not have the resources of a panel production factory controlled by capital, is not as good as Samsung in chip design and manufacturing capabilities, the quantum dot patent technology also known as ULED belongs to Samsung, and the licensing period of its overseas sub-brands is unclear with Foxconn. There is nothing to support the conclusion that Hisense can surpass Samsung globally in the medium term.

In the real world, even compared with domestic color companies such as TCL and Skyworth, Hisense TV has always ranked first in terms of sales volume in unilateral market research reports. However, last year, the Internet brand LeTV launched a short-term challenge in single-week sales data and succeeded.

In the global perspective, TCL TV entered the 20 million club in 2016 with total shipments, ranking third in global sales; and Skyworth's global shipments for the full fiscal year are also approaching this number. TCL's Li Dongsheng, a role model in the all-round technological transformation of color enterprises, humbly believes that "the road to internationalization is not smooth, and we must be mentally prepared"; and Midea, another company with a correct development concept in white goods, is committed to transforming from a manufacturing company to a high-tech driven global company. In fact, China's manufacturing industry is collectively transforming into an all-round technology company. The topic of industrial scale has been gradually diluted, and the street era of dominating by sheer weight is losing its persuasiveness.

There is no harm without comparison. Being praised as "the world's number one color TV" makes you doubt your life.

However, Hisense's TV business is not without reason to worry about the industry chain. "Bluster" is just to cover up the reality that it is seriously biased in the color TV industry chain. After the shocking supply cut of Sharp panels at the end of last year, Hisense also realized that having an independent and stable supply chain is the most fundamental trump card for ensuring global sales.

As the leaders of quantum dot technology, Samsung and TCL are paving the way for the future of color TV. Samsung Display (SDI) and CSOT are respectively strong panel technology reserves for the two. However, the real reason why Hisense has been taking laser TV as a strategic product in the past few years is quite embarrassing. It is understood that Hisense has repeatedly visited LGD in South Korea to seek OLED TV panel supply, but returned empty-handed. As LGD's OLED panel production capacity in 2017 is almost certain to double, Hisense executives recently changed their previous attitude of highly bearish on OLED and euphemistically stated that they would not rule out the launch of OLED TV.

In the overseas market, in the statistics of overseas sales of mainstream color companies, the only one that recorded a year-on-year decline was Hisense. Before Foxconn officially took over Japan's Sharp, Hisense had always been "acquiring" Japanese color companies to win the applause of those who did not know the truth. In fact, there is still a deliberate ambiguity in the North American localization that it has been publicizing. Strictly speaking, Hisense is not "Made in USA" as the public has been misled. The factory that it bought with more than 20 million US dollars to save Japan's Sharp from trouble is located in Mexico, and the new president is promoting the construction of a border wall to isolate it from the real competition of American companies in terms of geography and trade tariffs.

The financial report of Hisense Electric, which owns less than half of the shares of the Mexican company, showed that the corresponding business did not show any signs of "the acquisition of Sharp's American business could increase revenue by US$2 billion" as previously expected. Instead, it was "hidden" in the income statement as a deficit. The subsequent hasty addition of investments of over 100 million yuan has never been disclosed by the mass media.

In the US consumer market, it is commendable to compete for Samsung's TV market share. According to social media, in the second half of last year, SHARP brand TV products in the US market suffered a wave of returns after consumers "saw through their true colors" due to negligence in product quality and after-sales service, which led to the temporary removal of two of its brands from the regional market. TCL, which is also in the US market, has won the title of the fastest growing TV brand in the US market for three consecutive years.

There is no harm without comparison. Being praised as "the world's number one color TV" makes you doubt your life.

Even in the experience of the consumer end of the domestic color TV market, Hisense may not necessarily be the number one. Take the reputation of e-commerce platforms as an example. The results do not match the halo of "number one". Some consumers left messages saying that the TVs that users bought at a high price need to watch long startup ads, and the hardware sellers deprived users of the right to turn on the TV without watching ads. "Spending money to buy advertising terminals and inserting ads is too disrespectful to consumers."

Mature companies should have developed tolerance for "criticism" during their growth over the years, rather than classifying all dissenters as "unconscious" enemies. Especially for users who have invested real money in brand products, it is not appropriate to use the dictatorial marketing attitude of "industry practice" and "characteristics of the times" to belittle the consumer experience. As for investors, it is better to stop secretly loving the "number one color TV company" and sort out a clear and unexaggerated growth logic for the market.

If we have to compare the parameters one by one, we will find that sweet words are hard to deceive people in the face of reality, and they are actually quite hurtful.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.