Pride and Prejudice: Luo Yonghao's slap in the face and Hammer's return to the ground

Luo Yonghao was slapped in the face again, and this is not the first time. This fat man who calls himself "Kepiduo" once lost control of his emotions and slapped himself in the face in Starbucks, which made people feel shocked and distressed. But that was in a micro-movie, and I was still his fan at that time. After he made mobile phones, this cute clip was repeatedly turned out and became the best material for ridicule, which may be something Luo Yonghao had not expected before.

Luo was slapped in the face this time because Hammer announced a price cut. The 3G version of Hammer dropped from 3,000 yuan to 1,980 yuan, and the 4G version of Hammer dropped from 3,500 yuan to 2,480 yuan. (Well, it would have been even more comedic if it dropped to 1,799 yuan.)

It is not surprising that Hammer cuts its price. It is a way of accepting reality and returning to the ground. Due to production capacity issues, this phone has missed its golden sales period. Facing the impact of strong competitors emerging in the second half of the year, Hammer's sales volume is only a pitiful tens of thousands. This is not something that can be solved by going on Youku. Price cuts and promotions have become the most helpless option.

Luo Yonghao was slapped in the face not because of Hammer's price cut, but because he jumped into the hole he dug. Although his explanation was still sincere, his Weibo was still full of emotion, and he even admitted that he was "slapped in the face" with grievance. But his previous Weibo post mocking other manufacturers' price cuts, claiming that if the price was less than 2,500, he would be a grandson, became the best source of ridicule.

In fact, just like the last time at Starbucks, he slapped himself and his face was swollen. If Luo Yonghao hadn't boasted before, he wouldn't have been ridiculed and booed now. Luo Yonghao can continue to excuse himself and think that ridicule is an inevitable part of success; but in fact, most of the onlookers are laughing at Luo Yonghao himself, and Hammer is just an innocent victim.

Yesterday, many people forwarded this sentence on Weibo: "If you are a businessman who is purely in it for money, there is nothing wrong with making money openly, but it is too hypocritical to always wear the cloak of idealism and portray yourself as noble and pure. I hate hypocrisy." This was originally Luo Yonghao's original words mocking Yu Minhong when he left New Oriental, but now it has become the most popular comment mocking him.

Yes, pride and prejudice are the current situation of Luo Yonghao and Hammer. Without his previous arrogance, there would be no prejudice now. Luo Yonghao's previous boasting has now become a pit he dug. The wild words he used to mock his opponents have now become figurines he made. Although other startups are not as topical as Hammer, they have not suffered such ridicule. OnePlus, which was released at almost the same time, has now sold nearly a million phones and has achieved profitability in just 10 months.

Luo Yonghao became famous from New Oriental because of his excellent language skills and frank style. Luo Yonghao left many classic quotes and attracted many loyal fans. When he was working on Niubo.com and Luo English, when he was swinging a sledgehammer to smash Siemens refrigerators, and when he was holding up his belt to argue with Fang Zhouzi, he was mostly greeted with applause and thumbs up. These supporters also became potential users of Luo Yonghao and Hammer phones.

Luo may not have expected that he would be mocked and coldly treated after making mobile phones. When he entered the field of smart phones with full enthusiasm, he imagined that he could change the existing industry structure like Steve Jobs, and thought that he could create perfect products by pursuing details, but he was hit head-on by the cold production capacity and sales problems, and was covered in dust in the dust of mocking spectators. Perhaps many people were waiting to see Luo's failure.

It sounds a bit tragic, but Luo Yonghao did underestimate the difficulty for a newcomer to enter the technology industry. When he stood on the shore, he arrogantly laughed at others for their clumsy movements, looked down on domestic mobile phones and Android systems, and even mocked and belittled Nokia and Apple. But when he jumped into the river, Luo found that the water was icy cold and he was not a good swimmer. After choking on water repeatedly, he realized the cruelty of reality. When he started Weibo marketing himself, he was actually more naked and direct than many domestic manufacturers he had ridiculed before.

It is not wrong to do things in a high-profile manner, but the premise is that there must be solid product support, otherwise it may lead to credit bankruptcy. And doing things in a low-key manner has always been a virtue advocated by the Chinese people, especially in the field of mobile phones, which are generally over-marketed today.

In the fierce competition, if you want to survive, you have to adapt to the reality like other peers, and use the actual price to attract users in exchange for sales. Feelings can only attract Luo's fans, but cannot support the high positioning of Hammer. There are very few domestic mobile phones that can stand firm at the price of 3,500 yuan. Now Huawei Mate 7 high-end version is one of them, and this is also the result of Huawei's years of accumulation and comprehensive strength.

Put aside the controversy caused by Luo Yonghao's boasting, and look calmly at the Hammer phone that has returned to the ground. Although Luo Yonghao's boasting is bankrupt, we can also give Hammer some positive comments. I don't appreciate the design of Hammer (opening the back cover, physical buttons, nine-square layout), but objectively speaking, as the first product of a startup company, the Hammer phone is undoubtedly sincere and innovative, even if there are some defects.

If the Smartisan smartphone fails miserably due to production capacity issues, overpricing and over-marketing, it will be a tragedy and lesson for Luo Yonghao and Smartisan Technology, and it will also be unfair to other employees of Smartisan. Luo Yonghao has gained the topicality of Smartisan by his own efforts, and he has also become the biggest source of controversy and prejudice against Smartisan. A negative brand image will also directly affect the psychology of potential users of Smartisan.

With the price dropping below 2,500 yuan, Hammer's elite aura and sentimental marketing are long gone, but what awaits them is a market with the most brutal competition. There are a large number of powerful manufacturers such as Huawei, Xiaomi, Lenovo, ZTE, and Meizu. Can the Hammer's price, which has returned to the ground, be exchanged for actual sales?

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.