8,000 words of useful information | Learn "Brand Launch Conference" from Steve Jobs and Lei Jun: 6 rules and 18 techniques!

The 2024 new energy vehicle launch is in full swing, with both success and doubt. This article does not comment on the pros and cons of the products, but only starts from the trend of the launch to reveal the six key words of success: emotional value, connection, superiority, sense of participation, sense of ritual and story. Let you understand the winning formula of brand launch!

In 2024, various new energy vehicle launch conferences and continued hot spots are in full swing.

First, Tesla's bulletproof "Monk" made a brilliant debut and reached the peak as soon as it debuted; followed by the "rollover" incident of Ideal MAGA, which attracted people's attention; then, Lei Jun single-handedly turned the launch of Xiaomi SU7 into a spring fireworks display, which was very popular; last month, first there was the debut of BYD's Formula Leopard family and the glorious launch of Zeekr, followed by Lei Jun's "push-back feeling" at the Beijing Auto Show and Zhou Hongyi's popularity by riding on the traffic.

However, despite the huge investment and efforts of various manufacturers, why do some win while others remain unsuccessful? Why do some receive praise while others are criticized?

This article does not judge the pros and cons of the product, nor does it discuss the superiority of public relations, let alone those "reception banquet" style press conferences. Instead, it starts from the trend of brand press conferences, finds some basic principles, and provides certain methods!

The article will bring you new insights from three aspects and 6 keywords.

• 1. The past, present and three types of brand "press conferences".
• 2. Re-understanding brand launch conferences: levels, new cognition and classification.
• 3. 6 checkpoints to create your own brand launch conference - emotional value, connection, superiority, participation, ritual and story.

1. The past, present and three types of brand "press conferences".

Speaking of press conferences, we have to talk about Steve Jobs and his six press conferences that changed the world:

• In 1984, Jobs released Mac (the world's first graphical visualization computer). Smashing IBM and "introducing yourself";
• The iMac G3 launch event in 1998, shortly after Jobs returned to the company. The all-in-one computer has a colorful design (Chic. Not Geek).
• In 2001, Jobs pulled out an iPod from his pocket. The first generation iPod that could fit in your pocket and store your entire music library.
• In 2007, Jobs reinvented the mobile phone - the iPhone that changed the world was born.
• In 2008, Jobs pulled the first MacBook Air out of an envelope. It was the thinnest notebook at the time.
• In 2010, Jobs launched the iPad - "Between the smartphones and laptops that everyone uses, is there room for a third type of device?"

These milestone press conferences not only shaped the consumer technology industry as we know it today, but are still considered classics in press conferences today, not only because of the products and technologies themselves, but also because of Jobs' unique style, attention to detail, and ability to establish a strong emotional connection with the audience.

However, there is only one Steve Jobs in the world, so there is a second type of brand launch conference - a "brand launch conference" that focuses on gathering co-creators.

In 2008, Google held its first developer conference, Google I/O. “I/O” stands for “Innovation in the Open” and has been held every May for 20 years.

The I/O Developer Conference was originally just a way for Google to show the world its latest, most cutting-edge, and most advanced innovations over the past year. Today, it has become the most important event for Google's ecosystem partners. At the conference, many developers jointly showcased their continuous innovation and co-construction and empowerment over the past year.

Similar cases include Airbnb’s AirbnbOpen host conference (first held in 2015), Weilai’s NIO Day (first held in 2017), Lego’s LEGO CON (first held in 2021), and lululemon’s anniversary celebration. It should be noted that the core participants of these conferences are not fans, but super users and ecological partners who participate in brand or community building, that is, co-creators.

At the same time, we can also see the third type of conferences, such as CES, MWC and IFA exhibitions that lead the technology wave, as well as the four major fashion weeks in Paris and London.

These press conferences bring together the world's top opinion leaders, talkers of the times and super users, and each one is a guide and foreseeing of future trends.

In the above three types of press conferences, some people focus on products, some love brands, some like communities, and some are obsessed with personal charm. So, in such a flourishing and aesthetically fatigued "press conference universe", how can we hold a press conference that is truly valuable, influential, and even phenomenal?

Let’s start from the beginning. It’s time to get to know the brand launch conference again.

2. Re-understanding brand launch conferences: levels, new cognition and classification.

1. The third level of brand launch conference.

To understand brand launches, we first need to understand their purpose or goal. Generally speaking, there are three levels of brand launches.

Primary level: Show yourself and attract attention. Brands strive to attract the attention of the media, investors and the public by showcasing new products, technologies or presenting a new image and strategy, and stand out from many competitors. The ideal situation is to "top the list as soon as you debut", such as the "first-time famous" Lao Xiangji in 2020 and the Tuwei press conference that went viral with only 200 yuan.

Intermediate level: Create an image and stimulate desire. At this level, the brand shows the public its leading position and innovative spirit, creates a striking brand image, and stimulates interest in the product and the desire to buy it. This is just like the press conferences of various luxury brands.

Advanced level: Incarnation of IP, forming a sense of belonging. At this point, the press conference is usually a strategic move of the brand . The integration of specific cultural expressions enhances the cultural influence and leading position of a certain circle; through the emotional expression that can be passed on and remembered, it strengthens the user's sense of belonging; with the expected "check-in" mechanism and the scarcity of a specific time point, it successfully cultivates the participants' sense of pride... Just like Apple's new product launches over the years, Google's developer conferences, and the four major fashion weeks, they all have the characteristics of advanced levels.

Regardless of the purpose, a brand launch conference is no longer a simple marketing event to launch a product or announce an official attitude, but a " stage " for a brand to showcase itself .

Think of the brand launch as a "stage" and everything will become clear!

2. New understanding of the brand conference - "Actually, I am an actor"?

On this "stage", you can fully display yourself, revitalize your personality, and make people willing to spread the word about you; you can also arouse curiosity and expectations, making more people remember and actively buy; you can also create an unforgettable interactive experience and establish emotional resonance with the target population; more importantly, this is your opportunity to interact with the world and dance with the times.

If you agree with this point of view, then the following conclusion is obvious: on this stage, the brand is no longer just an independent entity, but like an actor on the stage or the host at a banquet, it is a real and interesting role.

You and I will play the role of director and design the entire conference into an amazing dance drama. From the ups and downs of the plot, the conflicts between the characters, to the reversal of the story, imagination will be injected into every detail.

A brand is actually just an actor! On this stage, it needs to perform, behave and express itself well.

3. Reclassify brand conferences - who is the "protagonist"?

If you are truly customer-centric, you are like the host of a party, you are throwing a party for the guests. Sometimes, the host of a party is throwing a party for himself.

——Amazon founder Bezos

A more radical inference is that there are only two kinds of press conferences in the world:

One is that the brand is the protagonist/host, such as Steve Jobs' Apple, Richard Yu's Huawei, and the OpenAI conference.

One is that users are the protagonists/hosts, such as Google's Developer Conference, Airbnb's Host Conference, Lego Player Conference, and Weilai's NIO Day.

Of course, there is no clear boundary between the two, they can merge and penetrate each other. The king is Lei Jun of Xiaomi, who combines product launches, fan celebrations, personal insights and all kinds of chicken soup!

For most brands, there may not be people like Steve Jobs, Lei Jun or Richard Yu, but this does not prevent them from finding a press conference method that suits them.

To demonstrate how this process works, Brand Ape introduced a questioning method to examine the characteristics of its own press conference. Following these principles may not necessarily make the press conference stand out immediately, but this process should help you see the leap from principles to practice.

3. 6 checkpoints - create your own brand launch conference!

Let us examine ourselves from the six key words: emotional value, connection, superiority, participation, ritual and storytelling .

1. What kind of “value” do you bring to the participants?

The ultimate goal of an enterprise, which is also the ultimate goal of economic activities, is to create customers and create value for customers.

—Peter Drucker

The first step to a successful brand launch is to examine what unique “value” you can bring to participants.

The following three points need to be emphasized:

First, there must be "emotional value"!

The unique "value" here is not only product innovation or leading technology, nor is it the rational value in use, but more refers to various "emotional values".

Just like a wonderful stage play, excellent content not only creates wealth, but also helps the audience gain unique emotional experiences: these emotional values ​​can be "witnessing", which brings a unique experience; "surprise", which brings a little dopamine; "showing off", which gathers personal glory; or "belonging", which gains a certain recognition and resonance...

Just like the rational value of "technological innovation", Apple brings "surprises", Huawei brings "pride and confidence", and Xiaomi brings more "beautiful aspirations and belonging".

Second, the "value" you pay attention to has no value. Only the "value" that users and the media pay attention to has "value".

The so-called super performance, cost-effectiveness, cool design, celebrity participation, etc. are no longer fresh, and they are only valuable to geeks or actual buyers. If you really want to attract attention, you need to bring the "value" that the public and the media are interested in.

For example, no one may care about the "far ahead" technology, but the word "far ahead" has made Huawei an "Internet celebrity" time and time again; similarly, Xiaomi SU7 became popular not because of so much data listed, but because of its tribute to (imitation of) Porsche's design.

In addition, you think that most "innovative technologies" are worthless, and only technologies that can empower users' lives are valuable. This is also the key reason why Apple's mobile phone conferences led by Cook are gradually losing their appeal.

Third, "sense of identity" is the trigger for conveying "value" and "emotional value".

From this perspective, the "value" you create not only needs to be noticed by users, but also needs to be recognized; the "emotional value" you convey not only needs to be valuable, but also needs to be able to resonate.

Only when they are recognized will participants actively participate and share . When they share in Moments, it is not just an emotional catharsis, but also a transmission of social value.

Therefore, clarifying the "value", "emotional value" and "sense of identity" you want to create at the beginning of the press conference may make your press conference stand out from the crowd.

2. What does your press conference “connect”?

If you want to build a boat, don't gather a group of people to collect materials, don't tell them to do this or that, the first thing you should do is to instill in them the "passion for rowing to the sea." - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince

Next, you need to clarify what your press conference “connects” to?

The "connection" here refers to whether the "value" created by the conference can connect with people's higher-level or deeper needs. It can be a connection with the past or the future, with meaning, or with a specific community or like-minded people .

That is to say, what you need to do is not only to tell people how great your product is and what problems it solves, but more importantly, to tell people how your brand is connected to some kind of beauty, meaning, trend, group or other thing.

• Jobs' press conference will connect users with the "future".
• Lei Jun’s press conference connected Mi fans with “beauty”.
• Google I/O Developer Conference connects partners with “co-creators”.
• Luxury brand launches connect users to “trends and status”.

It must be noted that the press conference is a connection between the brand and the user, not just a connection between the product and its use. At the same time, connection is not only a marketing tool, but also a way to establish a deep connection with the user.

3. What identity or “sense of superiority” can your press conference help participants establish?

At major film festivals, celebrities walk on the red carpet one by one, competing with each other and sparing no effort to "perform" to attract the attention of the media and the public. Why? They are shaping their own identities through the red carpet show!

The key to this identity recognition is to gain a sense of superiority, to make yourself feel superior to others and to enter an exclusive circle, which is also called "social currency".

In Jonah Podger's best-selling book "Contagious", "superiority" is classified as the first principle of the six principles of contagion, "social currency".

Just as people use currency to buy goods or services, using social currency can gain more praise and more positive impressions from family, friends and colleagues.

——《Go viral》

It can be challenging for brands to establish an identity for a person just by attending a press conference. However, it is easy to simply and effectively label participants through press conferences, giving them a sense of superiority.

Here are four tips to help you create a sense of superiority:

1. Label.

As we all know, a sense of superiority comes from various labels, such as technology geek, fashion guru, luxury car and watch circle, the second dimension, etc.; "What you said before was wrong, my news is right" , this kind of "prophetic information" is also a label.

2. Create or maintain a positive "personality".

Countless labels constitute a "personality", and these "personalities" allow participants to possess and convey a positive image: such as wisdom, intelligence, kindness, and a strong desire for knowledge.

3. Provide capital for showing off .

Participants can have the opportunity to show their unique experiences, such as witnessing the birth of something, taking photos with celebrities, etc. They can also show off their insights by complaining about a car rollover. Even taking a photo of the red-robed leader Zhou Hongyi sitting on the roof of a car and sharing it on WeChat Moments is a way to show off.

4. Create scarcity.

Scarcity is an often overlooked source of superiority. If an event in a press conference has a scarce attribute, it will create another unique superiority. For example, scarce elements such as exclusive news, limited edition products, and face-to-face communication will make participants feel special.

The most important scarcity is the selection of participants and the number of events . A press conference that anyone (including the media) can attend and a press conference that is held a few times a year are definitely of little value.

Therefore, it can also be said that the essence of a brand launch conference is to issue "social currency", a currency that can make participants feel superior.

4. What can your press conference allow users to participate in and create together?

The first three checkpoints explain some basic principles of the press conference, and the fourth checkpoint is facing the latest trends, what new things do you need to add to your integration? This is the sense of participation and co-creation!

Why do this? There are three reasons:

First, we now live in a digital world of participatory theater, in which audiences watch performances and immediately criticize the performers; at the same time, audiences do not want to be told, but want to narrate and express.

Second, the current Generation Z, whose members gather together through circles and the Internet, are no longer believers who are content to sit down and listen to the Pope's speech at any press conference. Instead, they hope to stand in the spotlight and become new bishops and leaders. They all aspire to be heroes in their own life journey.

Third, in the past, for an influential press conference, user participation was not important, but media communication was the key. Now the situation is completely different. Without user participation and co-creation, it is difficult to gain popularity.

In such a new digital era, brand conferences, no matter who is the protagonist, have a new principle: let some users participate! Only in this way can the stage become a grand event, not just a marketing event.

This is also the remarkable thing about Lei Jun's Xiaomi press conference. He took a step forward from Steve Jobs' press conference and integrated his own gene of "sense of participation".

The ultimate way to achieve this is NIO’s co-creation brand conference – NIO Day in January every year. This is NIO users’ own festival, a ceremony, and a true “annual event”.

Taking NIO Day in 2020 as an example, NIO users deeply participated in every aspect of NIO Day (selecting cities, processes, performances, venue layout, etc.)

More than 40,000 people participated in the voting in 10 candidate cities; more than 260 users participated in the co-creation of NIO Day; nearly 200 Chengdu user volunteers warmly welcomed car owners from all over the country; NIO Day was opened by users, with user community singles and user story short films, touching users from the user's perspective.

In fact, participation can also be understood as "connecting users with users and letting users move users."

Of course, it would be best if you could achieve a sense of participation and co-creation at the strategic level; if that is not possible, at least there should be a sense of participation at the tactical level.

At this time, ask yourself - can you open a participation node for users?

Here are three tips for implementing a participating node:

• Method 1: Easy to act. The purpose of user participation and co-creation is to get them to act, not just to appreciate, remember and consume. The core is to call on them to take action, starting with sharing, but going further. Therefore, nodes must first make it easy to act, such as liking, commenting and forwarding, and they need to be given clear tools and scenarios.
• Method 2: Processable. Let users participate and allow them to easily customize, reprocess and shape . It is meaningless to give press releases and materials like the media. You need to give templates that can integrate personality.
• Method 3: Benefits. As the name suggests, what benefits can each participant get? Red envelopes, gift certificates, points, experience, trial, honor... As long as you think about it, there is always a way.

Only through interconnected participation and co-creation actions can it be possible to activate emotional value, form a real network effect, and become traffic and hot spots.

5. Will your press conference have a sense of ceremony?

Everyone has some wonderful moments, some are beautiful, some are surprising, some are glorious, some are disgusting or even disgusting, and these moments can sometimes accompany you throughout your life. ——"Behavioral Design"

"Rituals" are called "positive decisive moments" or "peak moments" in psychology, and they can make emotions more solid.

Why are those top brands so keen on creating various formal and informal ceremonies? Because "rituals" can generate feelings that are difficult to establish, such as a sense of belonging, trust, appreciation and respect, and can also continuously output surprises and beautiful memories. The world's top sense of ritual is the Olympic torch relay every four years.

For brand launches, a “ritual” is any activity that marks the significance of a particular period or event . The actions in a ritual have a deep meaning, connecting the present to what happened in the past and our hopes for the future.

For example, the launch ceremony, unveiling ceremony, countdown, red carpet, photo-taking and check-in, etc. Although these ceremonies are difficult to arouse people's interest and these fancy means are difficult to attract people's attention, planning a high-quality ceremony is still an indispensable task in the press conference, and even a top priority at the tactical level.

Here are three tips for creating a sense of ritual:

Tip 1. Make it meaningful – Any ritual must be given meaning to be valuable.

In fact, people often underestimate the imagination of "ritual sense". "Ritual sense" does not require unconventional or luxurious rituals, but connects you with your users and integrates the meaning of your brand into their lives.

It should be noted here that "sense of ritual" is not a ritual, but refers to a specific time, event or behavior that is given a meaning far beyond itself and is recognized and participated in by the audience.

An action, a badge, a photo, a bracelet can all be tools for brands to incorporate meaning into users' lives.

A typical example is Lei Jun, who personally opened the door for the first batch of car owners. This created a sense of superiority and ceremony that is several levels higher than handing over the keys and taking photos.

Tip 2: Find a "temple" - find a sacred space.

In simple terms, a sacred place is a space that is set aside for a special purpose. When you think of a place that is special to you, you probably think of an event that only happens in that space. In addition, some activities are made more special by taking place in a special place.

Holding a press conference in Beijing's 798 will give it an artistic temperament, Wuzhen has a technological gene because of the Internet conference, and a press conference in Dunhuang or on the Great Wall will embrace Chinese romance.

Of course, you can temporarily build a space into a sacred place, or you can temporarily reserve any space and give it a sacred meaning, such as a former residence, a material heritage, a title of "first", etc.

For top brands, the location of the press conference is not important, but for innovative brands and press conferences that focus on making users/fans the protagonists, the choice of venue is crucial - the physical "temple" can become a "spiritual landmark" for a specific group of people.

Tip 3: The ceremony becomes more sacred when meaningful people participate.

The participation of important people is also essential to the "sense of ritual". Their arrival will make the sense of ritual more sacred.

The pope who crowns the king, the chief justice who swears in the president, the general who awards medals to the soldiers, the honor guard who welcomes the return of the martyrs' ashes... The book club invites the author of the original book, the anniversary celebration invites a certain KOL, and even the partners who grew up together at the coming-of-age ceremony...

lululemon 10th Anniversary in Mainland China

6. Can you tell a story? Tell your own story and your users’ stories!

Stories are the most powerful way humans learn and communicate. The most powerful principle for a great launch is storytelling. Unfortunately, most people tend to violate this principle more than they follow it.

Now, let’s review the “story” moments from Jobs’ six world-changing press conferences.