370,000 fans lost in 4 days, who can’t live without whom between Oriental Selection and Dong Yuhui?

Dongfang Zhenxuan and Dong Yuhui have had some disagreements recently, such as the well-known "copywriting incident". Nowadays, brands and platforms have a love-hate relationship with big anchors. The good thing is that they can bring traffic, but the bad thing is that brands and platforms are deeply bound to them and are constrained by them. Can Dongfang Zhenxuan successfully "de-Dong Yuhui"? Is this another wise move? Let's take a look!

There was an "internal conflict" within Oriental Selection.

As for the promotional copy written by Dong Yuhui during the live broadcast (the "little composition" as netizens call it), the question is whether it should be attributed to him or to the editorial team of Oriental Selection.

It seems that this is a discussion about the ownership of content creation, but in the eyes of Dong Yuhui's fans, it is an act of Oriental Selection "backstabbing" Dong Yuhui.

Up to now, related topics such as #东方选小作文# and #东方选编辑职业灵# have been on the hot search list on Weibo one after another. The topic #东方选内讧# even topped the hot search list, with a cumulative reading volume of 190 million.

As the center of the vortex of the whole incident, Dong Yuhui responded that his "small essays" were both his own creation and the creation of the team. This did not quell the dissatisfaction of the "mothers-in-law" (the self-proclaimed name of Dong Yuhui's fans), who believed that Dongfang Zhenxuan was accelerating the "de-Dong Yuhuiization". Dongfang Zhenxuan CEO Sun Dongxu's statement that "Dong Yuhui's annual salary is more than tens of millions" further exacerbated the conflict between Dong Yuhui's fans and Dongfang Zhenxuan.

As the incident continued to ferment, Yu Minhong, Sun Dongxu and other New Oriental executives successively issued statements, either criticizing the attitude of the editorial team of Oriental Selection or apologizing for mentioning Dong Yuhui's salary. So far, Oriental Selection seems to have fallen into a Rashomon circle about how the top anchors and institutions can check and balance each other.

1. The mystery of the “short essay”: Who wrote the live broadcast copy?

The incident was triggered by a "short essay" about Jilin's culture and tourism.

On December 5, Oriental Selection started the warm-up for the "Jilin Trip". Dong Yuhui appeared on camera and spoke 700 words, telling about the local customs and culture. This is also a common warm-up mode before each special live broadcast of Oriental Selection.

The next day, the official account of Oriental Selection left a comment in its comment section, saying that each "small essay" was completed jointly by the anchor, copywriting team, shooting team, and editing team, and stated that "the anchor sometimes writes, but it is usually too hard. It takes a lot of material to write the copy for a province."

This statement quickly sparked dissatisfaction among Dong Yuhui's fans. Some netizens said that Yu Minhong had previously stated that Dong Yuhui was the creator of "Little Composition", and the reply from the official account of Oriental Selection was regarded by fans as a "stab in the back" to Dong Yuhui. On December 10, Dong Yuhui did not appear in the live broadcast room as originally scheduled.

As the discussion heated up, Dong Yuhui responded to the matter in a subsequent live broadcast with Sun Dongxu, saying, "The editor who claimed to be very knowledgeable about the business made nonsense replies in the comment section... Yu Minhong asked me and Dongfang Xiaosun to communicate directly and not to be too polite. We had a very intense communication tonight and probably drank several pots of wine," trying to ease the atmosphere in a joking way.

However, the editor of Oriental Selection seemed unwilling to be outdone and left another message in the comment section, "The editor did not make a 'nonsense reply'!... The article about Shanxi going viral was completed independently by a friend, and the anchor did not change a single word."

The debate between fans and the editor became increasingly heated, which once again triggered a series of responses from the top management of Eastern Selection and Dong Yuhui himself.

On the evening of December 12, Sun Dongxu responded to the incident during a live broadcast, which lasted about 10 minutes. He said that first of all, he had to criticize the editorial team for being emotional at work and having inappropriate communication methods. Secondly, he also said that Dong Yuhui's annual salary was more than the tens of millions rumored on the Internet.

At 1:30 a.m. on the 13th, Dong Yuhui posted a long article on Douyin, saying that some of the "small essays" were written by himself, some were written by the editor team, and some were co-created by both parties. At the same time, he also stated that he opposed the fan circle culture and refused to stigmatize anyone in the name of the fan circle.

On the 14th, New Oriental founder Yu Minhong issued a statement saying, "It was originally a small matter within the company, but it turned into a surging public opinion due to improper handling. The editor's approach seriously lacks professionalism, and it also shows that there are major loopholes in the company's management. Dongfang Xiaosun (Sun Dongxu, CEO of Dongfang Selection) mentioned Dong Yuhui's salary when explaining the issue, which is inappropriate. As the chairman, I am responsible for leadership and I also expressed my apologies to Yuhui."

Previously, a chat record leaked from New Oriental showed that Yu Minhong was facing a choice between keeping CEO Sun Dongxu or anchor Dong Yuhui. Sina Technology recently asked Yu Minhong for confirmation, and he said, "It's okay, it's not that serious."

It is worth mentioning that the signature on Dong Yuhui’s Douyin homepage has been changed. The previous signature was "I used to be a teacher, now I am a salesperson", but now it has been changed to "Don’t mind, don’t be sure, don’t be stubborn, don’t be me", and the IP address shows that he is currently in Shaanxi Province.

And just now (on the evening of December 14), Sun Dongxu once again released an apology video, saying that his demeanor, tone, and expression in his live response on the 12th seemed a bit aggressive. He explained that this was because of the inner anxiety caused by not resting for several days, which led to stiff and out-of-control movements. He also apologized for mentioning Dong Yuhui's salary and fans' fan circle-like remarks.

2. "Dongfang Zhenxuan" lost 370,000 followers in 4 days, while Gaotu gained over 400,000 followers

The incident fermented for 4 days. Dong Yuhui, Sun Dongxu and Yu Minhong took turns to respond, but the "mothers-in-law" did not buy it.

The most direct feedback is that the account traffic of "Oriental Selection" began to decline.

According to data from Xin Dou, before public opinion fermented on December 10, the number of viewers for each live broadcast of Oriental Selection exceeded 10 million, but on December 11 and 12, the number dropped to around 8 million. The estimated sales also dropped from 25 million to 50 million yuan to 10 million to 25 million yuan.

According to incomplete statistics from the editorial department of Xinbang, the number of followers of the "Dongfang Zhenxuan" account has dropped by 370,000 since the incident. On the contrary, Dong Yuhui's Douyin account has gained 70,000 followers in the past seven days. In the capital market, the share price of Dongfang Zhenxuan has also been shaken. Since December 11, the Hong Kong stock price of Dongfang Zhenxuan has fallen by 19.6%.

Also caught up in this "short essay" storm are New Oriental's "competitors" - a number of educational and training institutions that have also transformed into live streaming.

On December 11, after Dong Yuhui canceled the live broadcast, angry "mothers-in-law" abandoned the "Oriental Selection" live broadcast room and rushed into the "Gaotu Jiapin" live broadcast room with orange light signs of "Selection Team".

Gaotu Jiapin is a live broadcast room that Gaotu has been operating since the end of 2022. It broadcasts 8-10 hours a day, with only a few dozen people online every day. It has only accumulated 300,000 fans in a year. Gaotu founder Chen Xiangdong previously mentioned that the operation of Gaotu Jiapin has lost tens of millions of yuan in a year.

Until Dong Yuhui’s fans brought this “flood of wealth”.

New Douyin data shows that on December 11, the number of viewers in the "Gaotu Jiapin" live broadcast room reached 600,000, which was 20 times the less than 30,000 viewers the day before, and the sales volume of the live broadcast room also increased tenfold.

As the "small composition" incident continued to ferment, the popularity of the "Gaotu Jiapin" live broadcast room continued to rise. On December 12, the number of viewers in the live broadcast room directly exceeded 2 million, and sales reached 1 million to 2.5 million yuan; on December 13, the number of viewers in the live broadcast room reached a new high of more than 5 million, and sales reached 2.5 million to 5 million yuan.

Until today (December 14), the real-time number of online users in the "Gaotu Jiapin" live broadcast room has remained above 10,000, and many viewers are still constantly spamming keywords such as "Dong Yuhui" and "Oriental Selection" in the comment section.

Such data may not be surprising compared to "Oriental Selection" which has over 10 million viewers, but for "Gaotu Jiapin", this is the highlight of live streaming in a year. The Douyin account gained 410,000 followers in 4 days, and the current number of fans has reached 780,000.

It’s no wonder that some people would imply him in the comment section of Sun Dongxu’s Douyin: “Mr. Sun, are you the marketing director of Gaotu Jiapin?”

The anchors of "Gaotu Jiapin" were also flattered and said they had waited for this day for a very long time. They asked the audience in the live broadcast room many times, "Did we broadcast well?" They also performed various talents and sang and played guitar to liven up the atmosphere.

On December 12, Gaotu founder Chen Xiangdong appeared in the "Gaotu Jiapin" live broadcast room to express his gratitude to fans. Regarding netizens' calls for Gaotu to poach Dong Yuhui, he also said with high emotional intelligence: "Dong Yuhui is not for poaching, but for love. Gaotu cherishes every talent."

That night, Gaotu's stock price continued to rise, increasing by another 7.27%.

In addition to Gaotu, the live broadcast room of another training institution Xueersi, "Xiajia Youpin", also ushered in a small wave of traffic. According to the new Douyin data, the number of viewers of "Xiajia Youpin" live broadcast room reached 76,000 on December 11, which was the first time the account was broadcast since it was suspended at the end of August, and the popularity exceeded that before the suspension.

However, can Gaotu and Xueersi catch this wave of "wealth" that falls from the sky?

In the short term, most netizens in the live broadcast room are just there to join in the fun. They may choose to place an order or two to express their attitudes and positions, but what will keep them in the long run still depends on the reputation of the product.

Moreover, when the "Gaotu Jiapin" live broadcast room was playing and singing, different voices had already appeared, saying that they did not create their own characteristics, but were copying the "Dongfang Selection" model: "Why go the same way as Dongfang?"

This also means that in this field, as long as "Oriental Selection" is still broadcasting live, it will be difficult for "Gaotu Jiapin" to truly break through or surpass the existing achievements of "Oriental Selection" unless it finds another way.

3. Is Oriental Selection ready to “de-Dong Yuhui”?

In this multi-party debate, one word was mentioned frequently - fan culture.

The editor of "Oriental Selection" believes that Dong Yuhui's fans are stirring up trouble and even cyber-bullying the editor in the name of love; Sun Dongxu also stated in the live broadcast room that the company firmly says no to fan circle behavior and hopes that fans will remain calm.

To some extent, "Oriental Selection" was initially a beneficiary of the so-called fan culture.

In June 2022, Dong Yuhui, Yoyo, Dun Dun and several former New Oriental teachers quoted from classics and spoke eloquently in the live broadcast room, switching fluently between Chinese and English. They conquered tens of millions of netizens with their talent and charm, and the number of fans of the "Oriental Selection" Douyin account exceeded 20 million in one month, with sales exceeding 600 million.

Dong Yuhui has the most personal clips and is the undisputed top streamer among the anchors. The number of followers of his personal Douyin account has reached 13.64 million. Many netizens place orders in his live broadcast room. Even Yu Minhong has publicly thanked Dong Yuhui. Without him, "Oriental Selection" might not have sold so well.

It can be said that if the top anchors had not become popular and attracted fans, "Eastern Selection" might not have reached its current scale. However, when "Eastern Selection" first became popular, there were already signs of opposition among fans.

Last year, many media reported on fans in live broadcast rooms shipping couples, pulling each other down, and engaging in verbal fights. The anchors have their own fan groups and seem to be secretly competing with each other. They will also change their cheering avatars in the live broadcast rooms.

It is not the first time that "mothers-in-law" have spoken up for Dong Yuhui. In the comment section of Yu Minhong and Sun Dongxu's social media accounts, there have been fans leaving messages about Dong Yuhui's salary and other issues, worrying that Dong Yuhui is not paid enough. Every time Dong Yuhui disappears from the live broadcast room for a period of time, it will attract a lot of speculation and rumors.

Oriental Selection may have also realized Dong Yuhui's absolute appeal and influence, and made some attempts that were seen by outsiders as "de-Dong Yuhui-izing."

For example, the Oriental Selection Book Number used to focus on personal IP, but now the label of "Yuhui strongly recommended" has been removed, and the image of "square-faced teacher" Dong Yuhui on the packaging of its own brand steak has also disappeared.

At the same time, Oriental Selection is actively deploying its business across all platforms. It launched its first Taobao live broadcast on August 29, with sales of 175 million yuan in a single live broadcast. It also accelerated the construction of its own app and launched a fan culture to rival Sam's Club, increasing fans' stickiness to the "Oriental Selection" brand itself.

But at least so far, these attempts have not been able to support the "Oriental Selection" brand alone. Strong content is still its main label. It can be said that there is no other anchor who can replace Dong Yuhui for the time being, and Oriental Selection will not be able to produce the next Dong Yuhui.

On Douyin, the topic #东方选# has been played 33.1 billion times, the personal topic #董宇辉# has been played 26 billion times, while the personal topics of other hosts of东方选 have been played only tens of billions to hundreds of billions of times.

Liu Xinzheng, a technology self-media person, believes that Dong Yuhui himself cannot copy another Dong Yuhui, let alone New Oriental. This is not something that can be achieved by just relying on ability. "Dong Yuhui's popularity is a lottery ticket drawn by Oriental Selection. After winning the lottery, Oriental Selection is thinking about how they won the lottery, and they want to win it again."

This involves a key question: Who is indispensable between Dongfang Zhenxuan and Dong Yuhui?

The editor’s remarks this time may be a manifestation of Oriental Selection’s refusal to “deify” individual anchors—attributing success more to the team’s credit rather than to any one anchor.

Some fans said, "Wait until everyone believes that the copy was written by Dong Yuhui, and then say it was written by the team." In their eyes, this is an act of "demolishing the bridge after crossing it," first creating a god and then destroying him.

However, some practitioners also said that no matter who wrote the copy, Dong Yuhui has his own scarcity that is difficult to replace. "It's not about the copy itself. After the development of AI, ChatGPT can write such copy. His scarcity lies in his expression in front of the camera."

When the fig leaf of the anchors' star-making was lifted and the contradictions were exposed, Oriental Selection is now in a dilemma.

From the current perspective, Yu Minhong and Sun Dongxu have apologized one after another, and Oriental Selection is still focusing on calming the situation. But when the incident is over, Oriental Selection will inevitably rethink the risk of big anchors, and the pace of getting rid of big anchors may be further accelerated. After all, you can't step into the same river twice.

Author: Truffle Xiaoba

WeChat public account: Newrank (WeChat public account: newrankcn )