Can “sense of participation” marketing help Xiaomi squeeze into the new energy vehicle “circle of friends”?

On December 28, the Xiaomi Automotive Technology Conference became the focus of the automotive industry, with countless netizens actively discussing it. In terms of momentum, Xiaomi Auto really won. So how effective is this "sense of participation" marketing? What is the key to users' willingness to pay? Let's take a look!

1,000 days after announcing the official launch of car manufacturing, Xiaomi Auto ushered in its highlight moment.

On December 28, Xiaomi's automobile technology launch conference became the focus of the automotive industry. Lei Jun's three-hour passionate speech revealed a lot of information about Xiaomi Automobile. Countless netizens actively discussed factors such as appearance, performance, and price. In terms of momentum, Xiaomi Automobile was indeed the winner.

As a latecomer in the new energy vehicle market, Xiaomi Auto is striving to squeeze into the new energy vehicle "circle of friends". In addition to building momentum for its own brand, paying tribute to its competitors is also its marketing highlight.

Social marketing is a key part of car companies' efforts to seize the market. Xiaomi Motors is well versed in traffic secrets. How effective is this "participatory" marketing? What is the key to users' willingness to pay?

1. A unique “participation” marketing campaign

The day before the press conference, Lei Jun paid tribute to pioneers such as BYD, NIO, Xpeng, Ideal, and Huawei on Weibo. At the same time, Lei Jun posted photos of each tribute in multiple consecutive Weibo posts.

That evening, huge advertisements appeared on buildings in Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Guangzhou at the same time. Xiaomi lit up landmark buildings in cities where car companies are located to pay tribute to its peers. This "tribute to literature" marketing move instantly attracted great attention from the entire network, and netizens had mixed opinions on this move.

Image source: Weibo

Some netizens praised that "Xiaomi Auto pays tribute to Huawei, BYD and other companies, which is a respect and recognition for leading companies in the industry, and it opens up a new pattern", "Xiaomi pays tribute to these companies, in fact, it also pays tribute to the vigorous development of the entire new energy vehicle industry", "A humble tribute is definitely more pleasing than a hard fight that is indifferent to life and death, which is crucial for the external image that Xiaomi Auto wants to create"...

However, many netizens also ridiculed Xiaomi Auto's "tribute literature". Some netizens complained that "standing on the moral high ground and loudly shouting tribute to the opponent, using public opinion to get traffic and publicity, while secretly taking the opportunity to think about the opponent's customer base, this is not a tribute, but an overt and covert threat and bottom-fishing."

The most incisive comment was a widely circulated "subtext" poster, which used sentences like "making cars is difficult" and "research and development is not easy" to mock the deep meaning of Xiaomi Auto's "tribute to literature".

Image source network

In addition to the attention of netizens, Xiaomi Auto's "participatory" marketing has also caused a stir in the automotive industry. In response to Xiaomi Auto's tribute, BYD, Xiaopeng, Ideal, and Weilai's Li Bin expressed their warm welcome.

It is worth mentioning that as an investor in NIO and Xpeng Motors, Lei Jun’s Shunwei Capital seems to be bound to respond in public.

Xiaomi's tribute to BYD also triggered a war of words in the auto industry. For example, Yang Xueliang, vice president of Geely Auto Group, forwarded Lei Jun's blog post about Xiaomi's tribute to BYD, saying that it was "too much", "If people always want to be paid tribute to, it's over, but if people always want to pay tribute to others, they will have no future." Shen Ziyu, chairman and CEO of StarJi Meizu Group, forwarded a Xiaomi poster on WeChat Moments and said, "Is this kind of sentimental kidnapping interesting?"

Image source: Weibo

From the current marketing environment of car companies, being noticed and discussed is the prerequisite for gaining a foothold in the market. Although Xiaomi Auto's marketing method is suspected of "moral kidnapping", it has attracted enough attention. Judging from the momentum, Xiaomi Auto's marketing is quite effective.

At the press conference, Lei Jun first responded to the tribute storm and explained that "it is not easy to look at 'NIO, Xiaoli and Li Auto' again after making cars... As for why I didn't pay tribute to FAW, Second Automobile, Changan, SAIC, GAC, BAIC, Great Wall, Geely and Chery? Everyone really misunderstood. I have always been in awe of the entire automotive industry. When I decided to make cars, I visited each of them and expressed my respect in person."

When introducing the product, Lei Jun compared Xiaomi Auto to Tesla and Porsche. He said that he hoped that SU7 would be comparable to Porsche Taycan Turbo in terms of driving and other mechanical qualities, and comparable to Tesla Model S in terms of intelligence, while also having the most advanced technology and the richest ecosystem. It can be said that the Xiaomi Auto launch conference carried out the "sense of participation" marketing to the end.

2. Xiaomi cars have their own traffic, sparking heated discussions on social media

Although Xiaomi Auto is a new player in the new energy vehicle market, its progress has always attracted much attention due to its high popularity in the mobile phone market and the support of the "Mi fans" group, and the press conference has sparked heated discussions on social media.

At the press conference, Xiaomi Auto made its public offline debut, and netizens' discussions revolved around appearance, brand logo, performance, price, etc. Many netizens also expressed their opinions on Xiaomi's car-making.

The appearance of Xiaomi Car is quite similar to Porsche and has become a hot topic among netizens. "Good Mi knows Porsche", "The first Porsche for young people", "Can I change the Xiaomi logo to a Porsche one after I buy it"... While netizens are making fun of the memes, they are also bringing a certain amount of popularity to Xiaomi Car.

Image source: Yiche

Although the appearance of Xiaomi Car is controversial, it can be seen from comments such as "Try to beat the price of Porsche" and "The color is very beautiful. The overall design is also good-looking" that many netizens recognize the design aesthetics of Xiaomi Car.

As for the brand logo, not only the four words "Beijing Xiaomi" on the rear of the car, but also the entire brand name has been criticized. "The words Beijing Xiaomi at the end are really unbearable" and "The name Xiaomi really can't be used on a car, it's too twisted, like a 1.9-meter-tall, six-pack-abdominal macho named Xiujuan"...

Image source: Xiaohongshu screenshot

As for the price that netizens are most concerned about, it is well known that Xiaomi's foundation has always been cost-effectiveness, small profits but quick turnover, and price killer. From "young people's first mobile phone" to "young people's first TV" to "young people's first two-wheeled balance car", the low-price strategy has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Therefore, for the pricing of Xiaomi cars, "99,000 yuan to make a friend" is the expectation of many netizens.

Before the launch, Lei Jun said that it was "a bit expensive indeed". At the launch, he did not announce the specific price, but smiled and said to the audience, "Don't talk about 99,000 yuan anymore, it's impossible, and don't talk about 149,000 yuan anymore, we still have to respect technology, Xiaomi SU7 is expensive for a reason."

The price of Xiaomi Auto has not been determined yet, which may be a real problem. After all, the price of the first car means the brand image and positioning. If the price is too high, sales will be difficult to guarantee, and if it is too low, it will be unfavorable for the brand to impact the high-end market. It will take some time to reveal the final price.

At present, Xiaomi cars have not been mass-produced, and netizens have no way of knowing the actual driving experience. Many netizens are still skeptical about Xiaomi's car-making. "I am concerned whether it will become slower and slower as I use it, like Xiaomi mobile phones, and pop-up ads from time to time." Some netizens even mocked that "Nanjiren cars are my last bottom line."

3. Apart from social media influence, what does Xiaomi Auto rely on to gain a firm foothold?

It is undeniable that Xiaomi Auto is successful in marketing, and the title of "young people's first Porsche" has earned the expectations of netizens. As performance is a key indicator for user purchases, Lei Jun is also confident in the strength of Xiaomi Auto, which is reflected in the multiple descriptions of "first" and "best" at the press conference. Some netizens even joked that "the advertising law has become invalid at the press conference."

Earlier, Lei Jun told reporters in an exclusive interview with CCTV that Xiaomi's first car had 3,400 engineers and the entire R&D investment exceeded 10 billion, which was 10 times more than the investment. Judging from the relevant data at the press conference, Xiaomi's car does have many advantages.

Xiaomi SU7 is positioned as a medium-to-large pure electric sedan, with an acceleration time of 2.78 seconds from 0 to 100 kilometers and a maximum speed of 265km/h. Its acceleration exceeds the 2.93 seconds of the Porsche Taycan Turbo, and its top speed also exceeds that of the Porsche Taycan Turbo and Tesla Model S.

Image source network

In terms of electric drive, Lei Jun said that by the end of 2022, Xiaomi Auto had developed the world's fastest super motor V6, with a maximum speed of 21,000 rpm, surpassing Tesla, but was unexpectedly overtaken by Huawei. So this time, Lei Jun brought the self-developed super motor V8s, with a maximum speed of 27,200 rpm, saying that this is the peak performance of the world's motors and will be installed in cars in 2025.

In addition, the 800V high-voltage battery released by Xiaomi Auto has a rated voltage of 871V, which can achieve a fast charging capability of 510 kilometers in 15 minutes. However, this fast charging technology needs to be used in conjunction with a super charging pile, which Xiaomi Auto still needs to improve.

In terms of smart cockpit, Xiaomi's self-developed Surge OS is also used in the car for the first time. In order to give Apple users a good experience, Xiaomi cars also support CarPlay, AirPlay and iPad. Xiaomi cars realize a closed loop of the entire ecosystem of people, cars and homes, which is also a highlight of Xiaomi cars in terms of intelligence.

Overall, Xiaomi Auto is more of following in the footsteps of its competitors. It has no disruptive innovation in technology, but is constantly optimizing parameters. Although there are no big surprises, it is a safe move for a startup smart car brand. Technology that has been proven by the market can increase user trust.

However, for smart electric vehicles that focus on experience, whether Xiaomi Auto's intelligent performance can reach a level comparable to or even ahead of its competitors still needs to be verified on next year's mass-produced vehicles. This is also the key for Xiaomi Auto to strengthen its brand power and gain a firm foothold in the new energy vehicle market.

Author: Aries , WeChat public account: KOL User Manual (ID: KOL-TOPKLOUT)