No matter how small the category is, you must first find the first place and not be the second.

Exploring how brands can break through in the 200 billion T-shirt market, this article reveals strategies for building expert brands and ultimate product power, and is recommended for brand founders and marketing professionals.

Many people think that Bai Xiao T grew up due to Douyin, which is true. But Bai Xiao T definitely did not grow just because of Douyin. So many clothing brands are doing business on Douyin, why can't they grow up, but Bai Xiao T did.

What are the underlying, logical, and deep-seated reasons behind this?

The 4Ps of marketing include product, price, channel, and promotion. The success of a brand is the success of the 4Ps, not just one P. If you simply take out one factor (P) and say that XX brand is successful because of XX, such a summary of success will often lead to more misunderstandings.

Of course, marketing is not just 4P. If we use the iceberg theory, 4P is the outer iceberg. Under the iceberg, it also includes macro/micro environment analysis, market segmentation, target market selection, market positioning, and then 4P.

Having categories without brands is the basis of a good business, and a clean "brain" is a necessary condition.

• When it comes to down jackets, there are big goose and Bosideng;
• When it comes to men's trousers, there is Jiumuwang; when it comes to jackets, there is Jinba

What is the brand that can directly reach the minds of consumers when it comes to T-shirts? It seems that there is really no such brand. This is a good business opportunity. In a T-shirt category market worth 200 billion, there has always been a lack of an expert brand (this is indeed a good business).

Even in the smallest category, we must be number one and not try to be second.

1. How to seize good business: cutting-edge products

All the feelings, ideas, and values ​​of an entrepreneur should be reflected in the product. Your product is your feelings, your product is your ideas, and your product is your values. Those who talk about feelings, ideas, and values ​​without considering the product can only move a small number of people, but cannot inspire the masses. Consumers vote with their feet.

Talking without practicing is just a fake trick, and practicing without talking is just a fake trick. Only those who can both talk and practice are good tricks.

2. Product strength means cutting-edge products

The essence of differentiated competition is to form differentiated cognition on the consumer side, guide facts through cognition, and strengthen cognition with the help of facts. On the one hand, it is the factual differentiation support at the product level, and on the other hand, it is the cognitive segmentation of consumer differentiation. The method is to focus on categories, create super appearance, and launch super hot products, thereby forming a strong cognition in the minds of potential customers.

Otherwise, the more products there are, the less focused the cognition will be, and the less money will be made.

As mentioned in the Selected Works of Mao Zedong: Concentrating forces is the first and main thing. The reason why it is necessary to concentrate forces is to change the situation between the enemy and us. To win victory in strategic defense, it is basically a move of concentrating forces. The phrase "concentrating forces" is a cutting-edge product for enterprises.

3. How to eliminate cutting-edge products: dig out pain points and let consumers see the details

Productism is the foundation of a brand, and products are also the ticket to becoming a brand. I have never seen a company with a good product that is not a brand. On the contrary, I have seen many companies that wanted to become a brand but died on the product. Especially in the early market, almost all purchasing decisions are made by technology enthusiasts and visionaries, and the most important value areas are technology and products - "Crossing the Chasm".

When a new brand is first launched, it should first break through with a single point under limited funds. There is no need to come up with a variety of selling points and features. Focus on breaking through with product strength and find a differentiation point (single point) in product strength (function-benefit).

From craftsmanship, ingredients, components to functions, we reduce the number of products and sharpen the points that satisfy consumers' interests - the profit comes from the satisfaction of products for consumers.

for example:

The fabric of the white T-shirt is long-staple cotton, which is then treated with liquid ammonia at -180 degrees Celsius, making it very delicate and smooth to the touch (physical sensation). To address the problem of unraveling at the neckline and deformation after a few washes, the loose white T-shirt has two spandex threads added to the neckline. At the same time, the neckline and sleeves are made with Japanese three-needle technology. This treatment makes the clothes more durable, less likely to unravel, and the neckline is not easily deformed (experience). In addition, there is not a single thread end on the entire T-shirt, truly achieving "0" thread ends (visual)

In addition, unlike other T-shirts with relatively "light" packaging, Bai Xiao T uses "heavy" packaging - which goes a step further in terms of packaging vision, conveys a distinctive visual difference, and thus forms a very distinctive brand tone.

The key to grasping category differentiation and creating hot-selling products lies in product strength. Product strength is essentially the understanding of categories and characteristics, which ultimately manifests itself in the ultimate expression of product functions and benefits. The founder must first be an ultimate productist. He must express and convey his ultimate pursuit of products.

1. Pricing: Seek momentum

You can set a price according to the position you occupy. On the contrary, if you are not in that position, you cannot set a price. It is not that you cannot set it, but that consumers do not accept or recognize it because you do not have that potential energy. Price is potential energy. A good fighter seeks it from the potential energy, not from others. Therefore, he can blame others and take advantage of the potential energy.

In fact, compared with the cost, consumers are more concerned about the benefits of purchasing products. Including: use value, functional value, image value, and social value. The logic of pricing has never been cost, but creating advantage recognition and price anchoring. If we use Bai Xiaot's logic: high technology (use value), high appearance (image value), high quality (functional value), high social currency (social value)

2. Same product at one-tenth the price

White T-shirt = brand quality + carefully selected price + Xiaomi's sense of technology

Before Bai Xiao T, the T-shirt that attracted widespread attention was Vancl 10 years ago, which sold T-shirts for 29 yuan. For the same category (T-shirts), Bai Xiao T and Vancl chose different pricing. One sold cheap products at a lower price, while the other sold expensive products at a lower price. The former sold cultural T-shirts (29 yuan), while the latter sold technological T-shirts (99-299 yuan).

Bai Xiao T’s anchoring is different from Vancl’s, as it is anchored on international big-name T-shirts. A big-name T-shirt that costs 1980 yuan can be bought at one-tenth the price. This is the logic of NetEase Yanxuan.

3. Reach and private domain: trust and word of mouth

Bai Xiao T is a technology-driven product company at the bottom, a data operation company in the middle, and a brand company at the top. It redefines clothing through technology to meet demand, and drives the business model with data to reach, cover, and convert. Then, it occupies the category through the brand, making Bai Xiao T = T-shirt (brand = category).

• Solve the trust problem in the entire private domain through IP personality + life + positive energy
• Solve sales problems through IP company + brand + product

To this end, Bai Xiao T built his own private domain marketing system. The understanding of private domain is not just to sell goods, but to solve problems for users through private domain operations - user needs and demands are solved in the first place.

In addition, the significance of private domain user data to product development lies in feedback, collection, classification, summary, refinement, iteration, and application. Recording all the good and bad feedback in the private domain is the focus that must be paid attention to when iterating the next generation of products. At the same time, private domain data is even more significant for public domain delivery, which can achieve more accurate circle expansion, more effective arrival, lower cost and better ROI.

IV. Conclusion

Nothing can bring greater growth potential than a new category. The vast majority of strong brands are created in the early stages of a category’s rise. The advantage of a category’s own halo and becoming the first comes first from cognitive advantages.

The opportunities for the second and third place players are to discover, create, and make objective choices (offensive, defensive, flanking, and guerrilla) by combining cognitive advantages and corporate strengths. Battlefield (creating cognitive advantages), battle zone (focusing on advantageous resources), battle situation (brand differentiation strategy), and battle situation (grasping the trend of category differentiation).

The biggest risk that Bai Xiao T faces is the high-end wing with upgraded craftsmanship. There are still many business vacancies in this category. It’s just that everyone wants to be a competitor, but no one has found the vacancy that belongs to them.

Author: Houshankeju; Source public account: Laogao Business and Brand (ID: 904085)