Moutai: Stop co-branding!

After the joint event became a big hit and gained a lot of popularity, Moutai stopped the cooperation. What considerations did Moutai have in making this choice? And what do you think of Moutai's grand and suddenly terminated joint drama?

In the golden month of September, the sweet osmanthus should be fragrant, but the land of China is filled with the aroma of Maotai liquor, making it a real "wine month" - the month of Maotai liquor.

At the beginning of the month, the collaboration with Luckin Coffee swept the entire internet. In the middle of the month, the collaboration with Dove became popular again. At the end of the month, all collaborations were suddenly stopped, starting with coffee and ending with chocolate, with the main theme of "bitter first, sweet later".

Whether it is the decision to co-brand or not, Moutai has made the right decision. Why is it right to do it or not? This starts with the three core values ​​of Moutai.

1. Storytelling - A story about the national wine

When it comes to storytelling, there is no brand that is better than Moutai.

Whether it is Luckin’s “coffee story” or Dove’s “love story”, they all seem to lack the foundation compared to Moutai’s “national liquor story”, because the story Moutai tells is a story about family and country feelings and national justice.

First of all, there is the widely circulated story of Moutai winning the gold medal at the Panama World Exposition.

In 1915, the newly established Yuan Shikai government spent 300,000 US dollars to participate in the "Panama World Exposition" in order to promote national prestige. In the end, it won 1,211 awards, ranking first in the world. It was a great success. Legend has it that Moutai was recommended by the Guizhou Provincial Government at that time. Because it was packed in earthenware jars, no one was interested in it. At the end of the exhibition, the Chinese representative came up with a plan and pretended to accidentally break a bottle of Moutai. The aroma of the wine immediately filled the air. The judges were attracted at once. After repeated tasting, they unanimously agreed that "Moutai" was the best wine in the world, so they reissued the gold medal to Moutai.

But in fact, at that "World Expo", both Fenjiu and Changyu Wine won medals (first prize), and the gold medal was actually the third prize. Some people also said that Moutai actually won the silver medal (fourth prize), but it doesn’t matter anymore, because the story has spread so widely. Now Moutai puts the honor of the "Panama Gold Medal" at the top of the company's honors, and because people generally believe that the "Gold Medal" is the highest award, it seems that at the 1915 "Panama World Expo", Moutai single-handedly showed the glory of the national wine to the world and became the symbol of Chinese liquor.

Source: Moutai official website

Then there is the story of "Four Crossings of the Chishui River": According to legend, the Red Army crossed the Chishui River four times during the Long March. The middle reaches of the Chishui River happen to be Renhuai, Guizhou, the hometown of Moutai, so the soldiers at that time used Moutai's 72-proof liquor to disinfect their wounds after being injured. It can be said that Moutai also contributed to the establishment of New China.

Then, after the founding of the People's Republic of China, because of the special preference of a certain leader named Zhou, Moutai was used in banquets to entertain foreign guests, making Moutai the "state banquet wine."

Each of these well-known stories binds Moutai to the "national sentiment of the Chinese people". When other liquors are focusing on landmarks, only Moutai is doing its utmost to promote the concept of "National Liquor Moutai" and has applied to the state for the "National Liquor Moutai" trademark for nine consecutive times since 2001. On the other hand, it keeps telling the "story of national liquor", gradually making "National Liquor Moutai" a consensus. It was finally successfully approved in 2012, and Moutai surpassed Wuliangye in one fell swoop. Although the "National Liquor Moutai" trademark was rejected again in 2016, "Moutai = National Liquor" has long become a consensus and is deeply imprinted in the hearts of generations of Chinese people.

2. General equivalent: Moutai is not a luxury, but a necessity

"Luxury goods" and "necessities" are mutually opposing concepts. So-called luxury goods are "non-necessities". It is good to have them, but it doesn't matter if you don't have them. However, Moutai's position in business banquets is that of a "necessity".

In a business banquet, how does the host demonstrate the standard of reception?

The most direct way is to pile up dishes. One or two thousand-yuan dishes are used to show off, and dozens of regular dishes are used to make up the number. This is the maximum. If you pile more, it will be considered extravagant and presumptuous, and it will be indecent. So how can you improve the standard of the reception?

It’s very simple. Just put the small white bottle on the table and everyone will immediately know the owner’s budget and intentions.

The ex-factory price of Feitian Moutai is 1,499 yuan, and the market price is around 3,000 yuan. You didn't write on the table the specifications and thought you put into this reception, but the people at the table can tell at a glance. If you put out two bottles it will be 6,000 yuan, and 10 bottles will be 30,000 yuan, and everyone can see it.

No matter whether the other person likes to drink it or not, you can never go wrong by serving Moutai (except for the “three gong consumption” of course).

That is, the principle is “the guests may not drink Moutai, but the host cannot not serve it.”

You can only use Moutai to do this, no one else will work.

The situation is tense at the negotiation table, but at the dinner table, I will pour you a glass of wine, filled with blessings and wealth. Will this matter be much easier to negotiate?

Therefore, business banquets are always a rigid demand, and Moutai is a rigid demand for business banquets. Therefore, Moutai is the rigid demand among rigid demands.

As long as business banquets exist, Moutai's status as a general equivalent will be difficult to shake.

Besides Moutai, the only brand I can think of that has the attribute of "general equivalent" is Huaxizi.

3. Financial attributes: liquidity comparable to gold

Moutai, as long as you can get it, it is a sure win.

Even buying Moutai online has become a business. The factory price is 1,499, and you can double the price when you resell it (the price also fluctuates). Some people even publish paid guides to teach you how to buy Moutai.

In this way, Moutai becomes an excellent financial product. You buy Moutai as a gift, and even if you don’t give it away, you can sell it; you receive Moutai as a gift, and even if you don’t drink liquor, you can find people buying Moutai on the street, and it can even appreciate in value if you keep it for a few years.

This is really incredible. The Huawei Mate60 is also expensive and hard to get. Try to see if it can still be sold for more than 6,000 yuan next year?

This is the financial attribute of Moutai. Because it is hard currency, everyone can buy Moutai without hesitation as long as the money is authentic enough.

It is the above three points that lay the foundation for the core value of Moutai, including its ever-increasing selling price, the company's incredible market value and strong stock price.

Then looking at these three core values, they are actually based on one point, that is, "consensus."

Consensus is the foundation of all values. Bitcoin is consensus, the US dollar is consensus, and the RMB is also consensus. As long as there is consensus, you are hard currency, otherwise, you are waste paper.

Therefore, the biggest risk for Moutai is that this "consensus" will be broken.

It is basically impossible to break the consensus of Moutai now, but in the distant future, there is a fact that makes Moutai uneasy:

Young people nowadays are starting to stop drinking liquor.

The group of liquor consumers is forming an age gap.

Moreover, despite the collective disregard of high-end liquor brands in the past, this trend has become increasingly obvious.

You can't expect young people to suddenly fall in love with liquor after their 40th birthday.

Moutai, the leader in liquor, is a little panicked.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have come up with that outrageous rap song Oh It's Moutai two years ago. It was obviously an attempt to communicate with young people, but it was a bit too much.

The plasticizer scandal and the crackdown on the three public consumption are not enough to shake Moutai's position, because Chinese people will always drink liquor, and when it comes to liquor, they will choose Moutai.

But when young people stop drinking liquor, will other general equivalents appear in future high-end banquets? Will Huawei Mate60 be given directly as a gift for doing things? No one can say for sure.

In fact, many leaders nowadays are born in the 1990s. When you ask them to do something, ask them whether they want two bottles of Moutai or a Huawei Mate60?

It is difficult to predict the future, so top companies must always be prepared for danger. Otherwise, when you are defeated, you won’t even know who defeated you.

The so-called "I defeated you" has nothing to do with you, just like takeout defeated instant noodles, pre-prepared meals defeated takeout, King of Glory defeated chewing gum, and Apple, which makes computers, defeated Nokia... Moutai must also be vigilant. In the future, will you be replaced by Huawei? No one can predict the future.

Therefore, Moutai can no longer ignore young people. The previous "Moutai Rap" was an attempt, showing that Moutai is really trying to communicate with young people. Until the launch of the Maotai Latte, Moutai's youth-oriented communication finally achieved a complete success.

Young people’s first cup of Moutai, never underestimate this first time, seeing is believing, just try it once, its position in your heart will become different, this is called the “endowment effect”.

In the past, everyone knew that Moutai was good and expensive, but it had nothing to do with you. Now I have tasted it. Even if I haven’t tasted it, at least I have participated in this wave of Internet carnival. You are so close to it. Its story, value, and attributes have invisibly penetrated in the topic dissemination and planted a seed in the hearts of young people. This is enough.

In fact, the best time to stop the collaboration is after the "Soy Sauce Latte", and the second best time is after the collaboration with Dove.

Of course, considering that Moutai International Hotel previously only had Moutai liquor and Moutai banquets, which seemed to be for entertaining men, now with the addition of Moutai ice cream, Moutai coffee, and Moutai chocolate, it can be said that the shortcomings of the female user group have been made up, so that's ok.

Why is it correct to call a halt?

Because some unexpected and uncontrollable factors have emerged in public opinion.

In particular, we have seen a view that "if Moutai continues to collaborate in this way, it will turn itself into a cooking wine."

This kind of argument has resonated with many people, which is definitely something Moutai does not want to see. As the term of office continues to develop, it may lower Moutai's sense of value.

Because once it is defined as an auxiliary material, it will inevitably consume the high-end value of Moutai and then shake the foundation of Moutai - "value consensus" .

Thus, Moutai ended this "wine month" and also ended this September. From now on, we are just strangers and we won't make an appointment to drink even if we have wine.

Author: Kuang Thirteen

Source: WeChat public account "Copywriting Free Shipping" (ID: kol100)