Chinanews client, Beijing, June 18 (Zuo Yukun) "Wrongs can be corrected, but they cannot be erased. Apologize again, and the alarm bell rings." On the evening of June 17, an apology letter made Zhong Xuegao on the hot search , This is also the sixth hot search for this Internet celebrity Chinese ice cream brand "harvested" within 3 days.
Will this storm of public opinion caused by "love or not" end with "alarm bells ringing"?
Zhong Xuegao and other Internet celebrities in the freezer of a convenience store.
Photo by Zuo Yukun, China News Service
A storm caused by a 66 yuan ice cream
Not long ago, on the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhong Xuegao had just made a small fire with the Zongzi-flavored ice cream co-branded with Wufangzhai and the Zongzi co-branded with Shudao.
Unexpectedly, on the first working day after the Dragon Boat Festival, Zhong Xuegao became a big hit with the words of the founder.
"The most expensive one has been sold for 66 yuan, and the cost of the product is almost 40 yuan." "It's at that price, do you like it or not." On the 15th, Zhong Xuegao founder Lin Sheng made some remarks in an interview. #钟薛高雪糕最贵一个66元# hit the hot search headlines.
As a national brand with the halo of "the light of domestic products", it is not difficult to understand that Zhong Xuegao can ignite the negative emotions of consumers-"It is enough to use me as a leek secretly, why is it clear?"
The constant fermentation of things made Zhong Xuegao unable to sit still.
On the 16th, Zhong Xuegao released a video to refute rumors, claiming that the widespread dissemination of inappropriate remarks was caused by malicious editing.
"Love to buy or not" is the supplier's attitude towards Zhong Xuegao, not Zhong Xuegao's attitude towards consumers.
But the heat of this reversal is obviously unable to overcome the sound of besieging Zhong Xuegao.
On the 17th, Zhong Xuegao was found out on two incidents in which he was fined RMB 6 thousand and RMB 3 thousand for publishing false advertisements two years ago.
Without adding a drop of water?
fake.
Premium red mention?
It's also fake.
Screenshot from Weibo @钟薛高.
Zhong Xuegao, who had been on the cusp of the storm for three days, issued an apology again that night, saying that after receiving the penalty notice, he provided relevant materials to the government as soon as possible, paid the fine and immediately made rectifications.
"Although the mistakes made in the past can be corrected, they cannot be erased. The two administrative penalties in the early days of entrepreneurship are like alarm bells, constantly reminding us to communicate with users more cautiously, accurately, and responsibly." Zhong Xuegao At the same time, I am very grateful to the government and the public for their attention and supervision to Zhong Xuegao. At the same time, we once again solemnly apologize to everyone for the mistakes we have made and the trouble we have caused.
"Big traffic" as young as three years old
In Zhong Xuegao's letter of apology, the words "early start-up" surprised many people.
In fact, this brand, which sounds antique and a bit old-fashioned, is indeed a "little fresh meat" born in 2018.
In the "Double 11" in 2018, an Internet celebrity ice cream called "Ecuadorian Pink Diamond" opened a new path among a crowd of wildly promoted products and sold a astronomical price of 66 yuan. Its brand Zhong Xue Gaoye Because the positioning of "Hermes in ice cream" became an instant hit.
That year's "Double 11", Zhong Xuegao won the top spot on Tmall's ice product sales list. At that time, it was less than a year old.
It is a collection of three surnames named "Chinese ice cream". The shape design is inspired by traditional building tiles, and the top is formed with a "Hui" pattern. The stick sign is also made of a unique composite straw material. Zhong Xue Gaocong Both inside and outside are striving to highlight the label of their domestic products.
However, in terms of prices, Zhong Xuegao contradicted the quality of traditional goods at low prices, and "high, really high" all the way.
Image source: Weibo @钟薛高
In addition to the starting price of the most basic items, which cost more than ten yuan, the 66 yuan ice cream cited by Lin Sheng is not a ceiling.
In April this year, Zhong Xuegao released "Zhong Xuegao's Cakes" with prices ranging from 68 to 88 yuan, which once again raised the price threshold of the ice cream industry.
What's more surprising is that this ice cream needs to be purchased together: buying four boxes of "Xing Yu Nian" and four boxes of "Zhi Mei Long Li", you need to buy 16 ice cream at the same time.
Think it's too expensive?
This can't be bought yet.
Because it was quickly sold out after it went online, the rush of purchasing agents once fired this product to a premium of 200%.
From "patch" to "scalper", is this operation a bit familiar?
The consumption process of luxury goods has made many people ridicule: "I know it may be my fault that I can't afford it, but I didn't expect me to be so wrong."
Is it the original sin?
Zhong Xuegao's several rounds in the public opinion field this time are considered by many to be the backlash of consumer complaints caused by his persistently high pricing.
"Expensive" became the label of Zhong Xuegao, why is it so expensive?
According to the official statement, scarce natural pink cocoa, expensive Japanese grapefruit, and environmentally friendly sticks made of straw have jointly created the "Ecuadorian pink diamond" ice cream priced at 66 yuan. Lin Sheng claimed that the cost reached 40 yuan.
"The cost of 40 yuan = 38 yuan marketing cost + 2 yuan raw material cost!" As netizens commented, behind Zhong Xue's high cost, a little bit was spent on product production itself, and a little bit was spent on marketing and promotion. It is worthy of scrutiny.
Zhong Xuegao ice cream.
Zhang Sushe
"Zhong Xuegao’s production costs include purchase costs, marketing costs, and other hard costs. Generally speaking, the cost of ice cream is not very high, but the unit price of net red ice cream can be more than 60 yuan or even 80 yuan. Because it has been given added value such as social attributes and emotional needs, it is in line with the consumption thinking of the new generation of mainstream consumer groups, and the brand has gained room for survival and growth." In this regard, China Food Industry Analyst Zhu Danpeng believes.
Zhong Xuegao, who is popular with advertising, is not excluded, in addition to ice cream, it is also a social currency.
Since the birth of Zhong Xuegao, a variety of unexpected products have cross-border joint names, shopping malls flashed new ones, celebrity endorsements, and self-media bloggers’ marketing campaigns have swept a batch of screens.
It is not wrong to use marketing to open up awareness, but if these high costs fall on consumers, then should we spend money on products or advertising?
The ultimate meaning of "eating" is still "delicious"
"What Zhong Xuegao wants to build is a brand that can survive the economic cycle, consumption renewal, and even international changes. That is Zhong Xuegao's sea of stars." Lin Sheng once said.
In the eyes of industry insiders, the expansion of new consumer brands is nothing more than two paths: one is to hit from top to bottom, make luxury brand tonality, and harvest the market with the best products, such as Hi Tea and Bubble Mart. ; The second is to hit from the bottom up, and quickly cover the market with products of better quality and similar prices. Yuanqi Forest and the Perfect Diary are the representatives.
Obviously, Zhong Xuegao chose the first way.
It is rare to find ice cream under 5 yuan in convenience stores, and the most expensive can reach 22 yuan.
Photo courtesy of the interviewee
Consumers' initial recognition of Zhong Xuegao may come from his unique appearance, perhaps from his fancy advertising, or from his "noble" label.
But the initial blue eyes have increased, can it be exchanged for a long-term buyback option?
This may also return to the ultimate meaning of "eating", which is delicious.
In recent years, the ice cream industry has become more and more "involved."
This is a daily food at affordable prices. In order to fight for more profit margins, we will fight for taste, shape, creativity, wonder, and price.
But the increasingly fierce marketing range has also made ice cream more and more out of the scope of traditional catering.
"Do you want love" is a misinformation, but it is also a wake-up call.
On the official website, Zhong Xuegao conveyed the concept of "As food, delicious is only the bottom line", and hope that Zhong Xuegao and other Internet celebrity brands will stick to it.
After all, making products with heart can bring the most expansive sea of stars to the brand.
(Finish)