In the current era of rapid and complex market changes, the marketing framework remains the same, but the marketing mix and style of play continue to evolve. This paper deeply analyzes the changes and constants in marketing, emphasizes the key role of emotional value in building commodity power, and points out that future marketing needs to pay attention to new elements such as emotional value and social fission.
In business, marketing and marketing are eternal themes.
However, technological progress and changes in economic structure have made the market change faster and more complex: a number of enterprises will be eliminated every ten years; Every few years, some business methods are innovated; Every year there are some new marketing styles.
For example, Xiaohongshu has become an in-depth grass planting platform and has become popular abroad; Labubu has not only become a trendy pendant for international stars, but even in Paris, the fashion capital, you have to queue up to buy it, and the first generation of dolls has sold for a sky-high price of 1.08 million……
These are all incomprehensible to old marketers.
That’s right, times have changed! Although the framework of marketing has not changed, marketing styles and marketing elements are constantly changing. As a marketer, how should we face the changes and unchanges in marketing, and what new elements of marketing should we master?
In today’s article, Professor Zhou Hongqi will analyze the changes and constants in marketing, hoping to inspire you.
In my book “The Nature of Business” published last year, I systematically summarized the results of 13 years of business model research. However, as a professional professor of marketing, the research is real-time and constantly synchronized with the development of new market laws and new marketing methods.
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It should be pointed out that the complexity of business operations in the new era is far greater than before, and CMOs must also be responsible for growth, so they must also understand business.
In the study of new business laws, I focus on three dimensions: new business, new model and new marketing.
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The new model is an innovative way of doing business. In the preface to my book “The Nature of Business”, Professor Kotler specifically pointed out that if you have been doing business in the same way for five years, you are not far from closing because the market is changing too fast.
But what is more difficult is the marketing style: new business, a number of enterprises are eliminated every ten years, and new enterprises are constantly emerging; New models will innovate some business methods every few years; The specific style of marketing continues to change and iterate every year.
Therefore, if enterprises want to continue to make profits, they must continue to learn new business methods and new marketing methods.
1. New business rules: change and unchange in marketing
What remains unchanged is the basic framework, which is the marketing STP (S market segmentation; Target market selection; P market positioning) and six marketing forces (product power, commodity power, content power, game rule power, communication power, brand power), etc.
For example, in the past, market segmentation was mainly based on demographics and consumer preferences, but now it is more segmented from the dimension of scene and circle.
The communication method has also changed from the decentralized “four kings model” – big planning, big concept, big delivery, and big channels to today’s “four empty” – the media fragmentation and the dispersion of information acquisition channels brought about by the mobile Internet era, which has brought about great changes in the specific connotation of the marketing framework.
1. Unchanging framework: marketing STP + marketing 6 forces
Marketing strategy STP includes three elements: market segmentation, target market selection and positioning, from which a basic product is shaped.
First of all, a basic product must have product strength, that is, the traditional 4P (product, price, channel, promotion).
Secondly, commodity power is to further commercialize basic products to “add value” and bring them to the market. Value-added includes highlighting rational reasons for purchase (ingredients, functions, quality) and perceptual values (values and emotional associations), and even understanding the positioning of sales.
Furthermore, content (storytelling and narrative style) is also very important. Usually, in the product planning stage, it is necessary to prepare content copy in advance, and plan the 54-week marketing calendar and corresponding supporting content throughout the year.
Then, the rules of the game (transaction design) will bring different marketing effects. For example, the post-80s generation should have a very deep impression of crispy noodles, eight or nine crispy noodle brands are doing the same, why do they all buy little raccoons? Because each pack comes with a sticker after opening, and there are 12 kinds of stickers in the whole series, buying crispy noodles is not just to satisfy the appetite, but to collect stickers, that is the design of the rules of the game.
For another example, many parents now buy smart learning machines, priced at seven or eight thousand yuan, and the mathematics knowledge of all grades of K12 is transformed into a knowledge graph, which accurately tells you the weak points of each question and pushes the learning content in a targeted manner.
Suppose there are two transaction plans, one is to buy a learning machine and get a smart headset worth 500 yuan, and the other is to buy a learning machine and get an right – you can participate in the lottery for another 10 yuan, and you have a very high chance of winning a 500 yuan smart headset.
Which way is more attractive? Obviously, the second option is more attractive, because people tend to cherish what is “obtained” through hard work rather than directly “given”, which is the subtlety and charm of the game rule design, which accelerates the purchase of goods.
There is also communication power, which mainly relied on television communication in the past, but now it has turned more to new media.
Finally, brand power, not only communication without brand, brand ultimately cultivates consumer loyalty, the focus is on net promoter score (NPS, Net Promoter Score).
The six forces of marketing need to be combined with sales power, which is the “technology of transactions” and the “last mile” of completing transactions.
The mission of marketers is differentiation, either product differentiation, product differentiation, or content differentiation… If a company’s six marketing forces lack differentiation, it must rely on strong sales to facilitate transactions.
2. Changes in marketing mix and marketing style
It should be emphasized thatMarketing tactics are not the same as marketing tactics.
Marketing tactics (that is, the six forces of marketing) are the six must-have tools to achieve differentiated marketing, and when these tools encounter the technology and methods of the new era, under the marketing mix of the new era, various operational connotations in the tools have changed, and the new operational connotations constitute a new way of playing.
(1) Evolution of the marketing mix: from 1.0 to 3.0
Where have the past six forces been reflected since 2002 (Business 1.0)?
Predict target markets based on demographic preferences; Design product strength with expert insights; find selling points from the rational and emotional levels; There is also product reach/exposure; The field is mainly offline; In the past, the media was mainly television and radio and paper media; Brands with potential energy will look down on consumers.
Sales power should include operation and repurchase, especially consumer products, but in the past, there was no effective operation, and it was constantly spending money to attract new users, and users were also leaving in large numbers, with a large number of people entering and exiting.
However, since 2008, the supply in the Chinese market has exceeded the demand, and the marketing mix has been upgraded to an experience economy (business 2.0).
After 2012, it came to the stage of business 3.0 (mobile social economy). This period emphasizes “strong content, strong community, strong scene, and finally strong connection”.
Take the “Xuanzang Road” activity as an example: participants are attracted by the need to challenge themselves (strong content), and the organizers pull participants into the WeChat group (strong community), and in the two years of preparing for the event, various practice scenarios continue to emerge.
Participants generate consumer demand and make purchasing behaviors in different scenarios: the first practice scenario triggers the purchase of sports equipment; The second practice scenario may trigger the purchase of protein powder; the third trigger will ask the coach to guide you, etc., and each strong scene will generate a sales link.
This is the best embodiment of strong content, strong community, strong scene and strong connection in marketing in the 3.0 era.
(2) The changes of the times in marketing styles
In the era of marketing mix 1.0, it is experts who have insight into consumers (the essence is “what do I think you need”), companies use seller thinking to think about which rational and emotional elements will drive consumers (or “what do I want to sell to you”, ignoring users’ “buy points”), content focuses on reach, communication focuses on centralized media (such as TV/radio/print media), and brand power often creates a sense of oppression of “if you don’t buy it, you will be left behind”, etc.
However, in the current era of marketing mix 3.0, it is through data and AI to do consumer insights, and enterprises have begun to provide the emotional value that consumers need from the perspective of buyers.
In this era, the first priority is strong content and strong community, emotional value is becoming more and more important in marketing, and brands must have the ability to “content provocation” – the ability to arouse consumer interest and promote interaction (especially collective interaction).
Modern sales channels are also more three-dimensional, content platforms are turning to shelf e-commerce and live broadcast e-commerce, short videos and live broadcasts have formed a short and direct linkage, forming the most distinctive marketing trend at present.
3. The first and second halves of mobile Internet marketing: from touch to interaction
The biggest change brought about by the mobile social era (Marketing 3.0) can be summarized as the shift from the “first half” to the “second half”.
(1) First half
Planting grass is shallow and direct. It is mainly through industry media, CCTV, outdoor advertising, etc. to reach users in one direction, and it is difficult to effectively reach scattered audiences. From a large number of “reaches” to conversion purchases, not only inefficient, but also lacking long-tail operational capabilities.
(2) Second half
With the rise of in-depth grass planting platforms such as Xiaohongshu, Douyin, and Bilibili, user behavior patterns have fundamentally changed. They wander around, search, read content, interact, and leave messages on these platforms, and “disgusting goods are buyers (Taiwanese slang, meaning: only those who dislike bad goods are experts)” – users’ willingness to interact shows interest in itself.
The grass has become deeper, the links have become longer, and consumers have become extremely savvy (such as comparing more than a dozen masks on Xiaohongshu). The marketing goal has changed from the pursuit of “grass planting is conversion” to the establishment of “continuous dialogue”, and the goal is to generate long-term repurchase after the first purchase.
At present, the cost of attracting new customers in the market is high, and once enterprises attract consumers, they must do a good job in continuous operation and improve the repurchase rate.
What is the difference from marketing 3.0 to 4.0? Market segmentation is no longer based on statistical preferences, but is triggered in the scene circle. Now that there is enough data, AI assistance can more effectively gain insight into consumer intentions. In the past, commodity power included rational value proposition and emotional conceptual positioning, but now emotional value is important.
In the past, the content was provided by the supplier, but now it is invalid. Now we are talking about the lower hook (teasing) and then the interaction. In the past, it was a shelf e-commerce, but now it has begun to be a broadcaster to achieve short-term (short video, live broadcast) connection, because the most important communication power today is new media and self-media.
Brand power has also shifted to the logic of equal viewing, no longer the logic of high potential energy and looking down. The most important thing is that fragmentation is brought about, and the operation must be re-operated, and the goal has also shifted to high repurchase, otherwise it can only lose money.
2. Emotional value is building new commodity power
Next, we use the case of Swiss On Running sneakers to explain the commodity power of emotional value construction.
The Angpao brand was only established in 2011, and in just over 10 years, it has long been popular among white-collar workers in Western cities. Why is such a sneaker with a sole like “braces” popular, and why is it getting more and more popular? It attaches great importance to emotional value, which is not something that ethereal copywriting can bring.
1. Emotional design, heartfelt can be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people
In this new era, if you don’t innovate the definition, you will become mediocre. The original emotional definition of running shoes was self-discipline, which can also bring pain, but now it has been transformed into a poetic emotional resonance experience.
Emotions, to go to the heart, but also to go deeper into the heart. What is considered a heartbreak? Implant emotion in product design.
(1) Technical emotional
Make body action memory points emotional triggers:
First, the cushioning effect is indeed obvious when running, bringing a positive emotion of “comfort and protection”, so you can buy less move free (Weigu Li, a joint strengthener);
second, there is a sense of forward advancement when running, triggering the psychological feeling of “progress and upward”;
Third, the weightlessness of the foot, the structure brings a wonderful sense of “lightness and flow”, which makes you wonder “Is this really a shoe?” ”
(2) Ritual emotionality
In the early days, the “three and a half circles” design of cross-wrapping shoelaces became a highly recognizable visual symbol, conveying a sense of “professionalism and uniqueness”. In addition, the dynamic light and shadow effect produced by the sole pattern when running (especially in the sun) makes people feel the visual mood of “never stopping”.
(3) Community emotionality
Through the exclusive APP, runners can see a real-time heat map showing how many people are running around in their clothes. Create a sense of belonging and community pride that “you’re not fighting alone.”
(4) Narrative healing
The product is endowed with personality and story! For example, the product names “Cloudmonster” and “Cloudsurfer” integrate the product name into the emotional core at the beginning of the design, “going to the heart” and “going deep”.
2. Systematic strategy in the era of marketing 3.0
Suppose you are the founder of Angpao, the Chinese market is blank, and you want to enter the Chinese market, what did you do 10 years ago? What should we do today in the era of marketing 3.0? In fact, this is a systematic strategy that many successful new brands have proven.
(1) Community first, then store opening
Even if you don’t have a physical store, build a community first! Organize seed users to do various themed activities (such as urban night running, trail running), connect core running enthusiasts and fashion people, establish brand awareness and sense of belonging, and buy or not is an afterthought.
First, focus on high-end/trendy circle penetration in first-tier cities such as Shanghai and Beijing. Use the demonstration effect (“they are all wearing, I want too”) to radiate second, third and fourth-tier cities.
(2) In-depth planting of grass on social platforms
Invest resources to cooperate with KOLs and KOCs in vertical fields to create “professional + trendy” topics, triggering target user discussions and UGC content fission.
(3) DTC direct sales
Open Tmall flagship store and WeChat mini program mall online. Offline, choose top landmarks to open brand flagship stores (Beijing prefers Sanlitun, Guomao, etc.), and use flagship stores as old local gathering points to continuously gather iron fans for activities to gather the cohesion of the circle.
(4) Expand distribution coverage
After establishing brand potential energy, franchisees open stores to expand offline channels and cover a wider range of consumers.
(5) In-depth user operation (can be referenced)
Drawing on its attempts in Europe and the United States (not launched in China): launching innovative subscription-based services (such as an annual fee of RMB 1,500, users can get a pair of shoes, and wearing them can be recycled and replaced), the idea is to lock in user LTV (customer lifetime value).
And establish a clear user portrait layering (such as hardcore runners, fashion wearers) through user data, and accurately push based on data to achieve personalized communication and repurchase.
This is a standard marketing 3.0 style that is completely different from the old era!
3. Facing the future, CMOs have ten new capability infrastructures
Facing the future, CMOs need to focus on building the following ten new basic capabilities, which need to be combined and used to form an effective marketing style combination.
1. Redefine demand and accurately impress consumers
Taking Laopu Gold as an example, the stock price has continued to grow since its listing on the Hong Kong stock market in June 2024, which is attributed to its remarkable redefinition of ancient gold, upgrading cultural meaning and aesthetics, and its innovative pricing model at a fixed price, unique craftsmanship and services.
At the same time, it also follows business rules, such as classifying goods to meet different consumer needs.
There is also Lululemon, although it has diluted the elite aura after breaking the circle now, but it is undeniable that it has completed the leap from sports scenes to life scenes, redefined needs, become part of the user’s lifestyle, and most importantly, make you feel that every day you are self-disciplined, you are growing, and you have a community to belong, which is the fact of brand success.
Taking Bubble Mart as an example, MOLLY, DIMOO, BOBO&COCO, especially Labubu, have swept the world this year and have become the only IP for the current mix and match. How to quickly adjust products in an economic downturn? Adjust from a small plastic doll to a larger furry companion, and the amount will not be increased.
2. Content wins
Like Asahi Vipshop (a milk brand, acquired by New Hope Group) uses “new meanings” and “new concepts” to summon users in the new era.
Take the concept of environmental protection, talk about circular farming, and convey the value of nature, peace of mind and deliciousness;
make a set of logic for product development in new product development, and do not specifically talk about function;
Scenario segmentation, each product is related to a specific scenario;
In terms of content strategy, it is clear, scenario-based, warm, and mindful, and it is necessary to use Xiaohongshu, which has a high usage rate of target users, as the main content position, so that UGC is driven out of the circle.
If you want high-quality content to get out of the circle, you need to meet the preferences of three subjects:
First, users like it, after all, products and content are oriented to users;
second, the boss recognizes the promotion resources and direction of the content that the boss’s decision affects the content;
The third is that the machine “likes” (in line with the platform’s algorithm recommendation requirements) and gets free traffic from the platform. The standard practice is to conduct delivery tests and adjust and optimize based on feedback.
3. Provocation
Enterprises that attach importance to strong content are good at using hot topics and social platforms to amplify their attention to emotions, and constantly create waves of phenomenal hot discussion events, and get ideas and emotional resonance through high-frequency social interaction with consumers through hot discussions. Let the social ecosystem prosper and interact and establish a long-term relationship of trust.
Taking Lei Jun’s car manufacturing as an example, his “insistence on building a car” itself is a huge and continuous heat of “shaping differentiation in the sense” event, and he announced that in the more than 1,000 days of car manufacturing, he has continuously strengthened the image of “persistence and breakthrough” in the voice of doubt, and finally won trust.
From the official announcement of car manufacturing, to the landing in Beijing, to the launch conference, every node has attracted much attention, and the press conference has pushed the heat to a climax.
More importantly, the social emotions generated by interacting with him every day create prosperity in the social ecosystem. In the more than 1,000 days after the official announcement of the car, in the continuous interaction with him, we slowly found that this was true and believed in him from the bottom of our hearts.
4. Emotional value
In the marketing process, the feelings brought to consumers are more important than any language, which was mentioned in the previous high-running run.
5. Social fission
Establish a ripple user operation model: new fans→ customers→ old customers→ members→ KOC→ communicators. The design mechanism allows users to naturally flow from one layer to the next (deeper, more loyal, and more communicative), realizing the closed loop of customer acquisition, conversion, retention, repurchase, and fission.
This is a set of playing style in the past 5 years, which is the main battlefield of long-tail operations, such as MINISO, which is largely due to this style of play.
6. Be proficient in one platform first, and then expand to other platforms
First, deeply grasp the characteristics and operation mechanism of one platform, and then expand other platforms. Avoid getting involved in multiple platforms at the same time without being proficient in none of them.
Each platform has its own unique user attributes, interaction methods, traffic distribution mechanisms, content ecology and commercialization tools. For example, the customer attributes of the Douyin platform are clear, and there is also a set of traffic distribution mechanisms, and the logic of short-direct linkage is also emphasized when seeking KOC.
When it breaks through one, it enters other platforms, and finally breaks the circle and markets globally on multiple platforms. Of course, if you have abundant resources and build multiple teams at the same time, it will be more efficient to focus on one platform.
For example, many people choose to return to Xiaohongshu after having an in-depth understanding of Douyin. Now Xiaohongshu has transformed into a buyer e-commerce, and the platform has tried to generalize content users but has not succeeded, and the latest version 4.0 puts forward the concept of “everyone is a lifer”, and after breaking the circle, male users account for 40% (60% of women), and the user base has increased significantly.
Nowadays, Xiaohongshu has become a life encyclopedia platform, from “how to make Kung Pao chicken” to “European foraging strategy”, and even Jay Chou’s dynamics can be queried here, and the traffic scale has surpassed Baidu.
Taking the 3rd and 4th stages of Xiaohongshu’s AARRR (5 important links of the user life cycle: user acquisition, user activation, user retention, revenue, and recommendation dissemination) strategy as an example, the core logic is to focus on the vertical field first, and then achieve breaking the circle and expanding. This logic also applies to platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, and Pinduoduo, which is the underlying infrastructure for business expansion.
7. Build a complete link from planting grass to pulling weeds
For the main products, it is necessary to be able to sort out the whole consumption link (RICS – reach, interaction, conversion, service) that various major customer groups may experience. How to plant grass in each full link, and how to pull out weeds in the end.
8. Clever trading
Deeply use the game methods in behavioral economics (such as loss aversion, endowment effect, gambler psychology, etc.) to accelerate the conversion of the first order and increase the repurchase rate.
For example, Luckin Coffee is a master of transaction design, allowing consumers to enjoy the experience of “the more you buy, the cheaper it gets” through endless coupon gameplay (discounts, free drinks, spells, lottery), coffee wallets, community operations, membership mechanisms, etc.
At the same time, through the promotion of membership levels and rights, stickiness, if the brand is changed to disperse consumption, the accumulated rights and discounts will be lost, and the rules will be cleverly used to “circle” users in their own ecosystem.
9. Strengthen the construction of digital intelligence
Excellent enterprises are all invested in digital intelligence, and now they are strengthening AI, and learning from various excellent enterprises across borders, and consolidating their own digital intelligence and AI capabilities according to local conditions.
Enterprises need to clearly distinguish the three stages of technology products: information products (basic process online); data-based products (data-driven decision-making and operations); AI products (using AI to improve efficiency, insights, and experience).
For example, Shein has built competitive barriers for structural upgrading from the construction of information systems throughout the clothing value chain, to the deepening of digital intelligence in each business link (as shown in the figure below), and then to continuous + AI.
Its strongest barrier lies in the ability to do “explosive product development” based on external trends (social media interaction insight trends) and internal user data (in-depth analysis of users’ behavior data in the APP to form accurate portraits), and then through efficient testing, small orders and quick returns, massive production of explosive products, data-driven user repurchase and social recruitment… A complete closed loop of digital and intelligent business.
GMV has increased from 200 million to 250 billion yuan in 10 years, which is a model of unicorns cultivated by plugging in the wings of digital intelligence.
10. Marketing + AI
No need to be one step faster, just half a step faster!
Chasing cutting-edge technologies can be inefficient, such as feeling good in workflows in the past, only to find that relatively mature technologies (such as DeepSeek) are more convenient and faster.
Of course, it is expected that it will take more than a year for the large-scale maturity and commercial use of real agents. At present, we should maintain a pragmatic attitude and focus on using existing AI tools to improve the efficiency of all aspects of marketing (content generation, data analysis, customer service, delivery optimization, etc.), and avoid being biased by over-advertised “agent agents”.
Finally, I would like to tell you that brands in the new era have a new set of underlying marketing soft elements, which must be mastered in the process of most successful brand building: for Generation Z and Generation Alpha (referring to children born after 2010) consumer groups, we should pay attention to establishing emotional connections with consumers, shaping a shared identity, arousing emotional resonance, and uniting consumers through the community. 4. Conclusion
At a time when technology and consumer habits are accelerating and iterating, the essence of business has never changed – it has always created value around user needs, but the path to realizing value has changed drastically.
From the underlying logic of marketing STP and the six forces framework to the evolution of new playing styles such as scene segmentation, emotional value, and digital intelligent operation, each iteration confirms that only by grasping the underlying logic of “the framework remains unchanged” and embracing the dynamic thinking of “always new playing styles” can we break the game in the era of fragmented, social, and intelligent marketing 3.0. *The article is the author’s independent opinion and does not represent the position of the note-takers.
