What Lao Xie most approves of is charity marketing, and there are many good things like this.
Today's economy has entered a period of global competition. How a brand attracts consumers' attention and how to make consumers feel good and even loyal is the inherent mission of every enterprise. However, in the era of excess information, consumers are passive, lazy, and selfish in the face of a pervasive information environment. Traditional market operations are no longer enough to arouse consumers' interest. Therefore, companies must put aside the behavior of selling purely for the sake of sales, start from the minds of consumers, build a platform that can be recognized by consumers and have a social credibility background, implement humanized marketing activities, and bundle public welfare activities with marketing activities , in other words, companies should do more good things for society and consumers in marketing activities, so that people will remember your brand as a "warm-hearted" one. This behavior is “philanthropy marketing.”
Charity marketing is based on caring about people's survival and development and social progress, using public welfare activities to communicate with consumers, and using the popularity and authority of public welfare undertakings to carry out a series of dissemination and diffusion of brand marketing activities, while generating public welfare benefits. , a marketing behavior that causes consumers to develop a preference for a company's products or services and give priority to the company's products when making purchase decisions. Therefore, the prerequisite for charity marketing is social responsibility, and the foundation of charity marketing is charity activities.
Charity marketing enables brands to gain visibility and reputation among specific target groups with high exposure and low cost. According to a survey, 86% of consumers believe that companies with philanthropic activities have a more positive image, and 90% of employees are frankly proud of their company's philanthropic activities.
Mengniu Dairy has grasped this key point. From its start to its development, every step of success is permeated with public welfare activities. It is Mengniu's public welfare activities that have enabled Mengniu to rise from the bottom of the rankings in just a few years. A leading enterprise, it has broken through its competitors one after another and become the most powerful leading brand in the country. It has allowed "a cow to run at the speed of a rocket" and accomplished the goal that other enterprises have taken decades to achieve.
It was different from the beginning
When Mengniu was founded in 1999, it launched more than 500 outdoor billboards in Hohhot City overnight, with the words "Develop the dairy industry and revitalize the economy of Inner Mongolia" and "Thousands of miles of grassland rise. Yili Group, Xingfa Group, Mengniu Dairy, Great Wall The pearl shines on Ningcheng Group, Shiqi Group, the King of Mongolia in Hetao, Ordos on the plateau, Zhaojun Cashmere, the pride of the west... We cheer for Inner Mongolia and let Inner Mongolia take off. "When Mengniu's advertising expenses are very limited, it is not immediate. Promoting its own products, but in turn caring about the urban development of Inner Mongolia, this is Mengniu's careful bundling. It uses public welfare actions to win the recognition of the public and society, making itself extraordinary from the moment it was born.
Mengniu is well aware that the development of an enterprise is inseparable from social development: while developing itself, if an enterprise repays the society with practical actions and consciously assumes corresponding social responsibilities in market competition, it will receive support from national departments at all levels and enable it to It is very easy for a company to gain high trust and popularity among the public, which is an intangible asset for the company's brand and will make the brand more attractive.
Mengniu CEO Niu Gensheng once said, "Don't look at our small place. People in small places don't think about it. Thinking about it is a major event in the country." Regardless of whether he is "from a small place or a big place", just by saying "I don't think about it" "is a major national event" is enough to prove that Mengniu has had public welfare genes from the beginning; it was Niu Gensheng's public welfare awareness that made him break the convention and call his competitors "teammates", making "quality is life, and products are The corporate philosophy of "It's about character" has taken root in the mind of every employee, which means that Mengniu has spread public welfare activities to every corner of the company's development from the inside out, from its start to its growth.
Of course, charity activities in charity marketing are not simply charities and donations. Charity activities must allow consumers to feel the existence of the brand, touch the quality of the product, and allow consumers to firmly associate the brand with charity behaviors in their consciousness. Many companies use public welfare marketing, but few companies can use it as appropriately as Mengniu. Mengniu has gone from "donating to the 2008 Olympic Games" to currently "donating milk to 500 primary schools in poor areas", which can be described as one step at a time. Combining Mengniu's marketing activities with public welfare activities not only establishes the brand image, but also promotes product sales, which can be said to be both fame and fortune.
2001: Sponsoring China’s “Olympic bid” was successful – a resounding success
"The good wind will send me to the blue clouds with its power." Taking advantage of the opportunity to ascend to heaven is all about seizing the opportunity. In the hot summer of 2001, everyone's attention was focused on the "Olympic bid" event. The Olympic Games have always been a source of unlimited business opportunities. Mengniu, which had just started for only two years, aimed at this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and planned to take advantage of the "Olympic bid" to create a strong foundation for the "Olympic organization". "Committee" donated 10 million, launching the first shot in the national market.
Mengniu’s thinking at the time was: Since it wants to use charity activities to enhance its brand, it must seize the best resources. Being the first brand to donate after China’s successful “Olympic bid” can maximize its brand value; then, when is the best time to donate? Donating too early will not attract the attention of consumers, while donating too late will allow other brands to seize the opportunity and may be in vain; therefore, after careful consideration, Mengniu set the donation day on July 10, 2001. At that time, the "Olympic Organizing Committee" was about to be established, and it was only three days before the successful "Olympic bid" on July 13. It was the time when everyone was looking forward to it, and Mengniu took action at this time to maximize the communication effect.
As the old saying goes, "a teacher has a reputation." Mengniu came up with a perfect reason for the donation: Inner Mongolia Helinger Shengle Economic Park is Mengniu’s headquarters. It was a wasteland when Mengniu was founded in 1999. It is a counterpart assistance donation of 1 million yuan from Xicheng District, Beijing. With the launch of Shengle Economic Park, it can be said that Mengniu and Shengle Economic Park have developed simultaneously. It is through this origin that Mengniu has shouted out the slogan "Beijing helps me with 1 million, and I will help Beijing with 10 million!" A drop of kindness is repaid by a spring! Mengniu's donation at this time makes people feel the traditional virtue of "repaying kindness" of the Chinese nation.
If the value of public welfare activities is to be maximized, Mengniu’s donation must be linked to consumers, so that consumers can feel Mengniu’s brand value through Mengniu’s public welfare activities. Therefore, Mengniu has launched the banner of "One penny spirit, ten million yuan contribution", which means that Mengniu will withdraw one penny from the sales revenue of each bag of milk and each ice cream stick, with a total withdrawal of 10 million yuan, and donate it in installments. To the "Olympic Organizing Committee", in this way, Mengniu's public welfare activities are seamlessly connected with consumers, so that every consumer who buys Mengniu products feels that they have contributed to the "Olympic bid", which reflects the personal integrity of the consumer. Value, and sublimation of Mengniu's brand image, killing two birds with one stone.
On July 10, 2001, three days before the announcement of the host city for the 2008 Olympic Games, Mengniu Dairy boldly announced to the world: Beijing's bid for the Olympics was successful, and Mengniu donated 10 million! For a time, thousands of people were paying attention: Mengniu's power is so great big!
When the information was released, Mengniu held a press conference and notarized it. At the same time, a letter was sent to the Chinese Olympic Committee, which was reported by dozens of media including Guangming Daily and Economic Daily. As early as April 2001, Mengniu had launched a "10,000 signatures" campaign in Shenzhen - "China bids for the Olympics together, Pengcheng has a big signature". On July 10, Mengniu launched another "10,000 signatures" campaign in Hohhot. The autonomous region's industrial The Vice Chairman also participated in the signing in person. On July 13, 2001, Beijing's "Olympic bid" was successful. The Hohhot People's Government sent a congratulatory message to Beijing. The congratulatory message emphasized Mengniu's commitment to assisting the Olympics. The Central People's Broadcasting Station broadcast the congratulatory message the next day.
Since then, Mengniu has made soft publicity on "Why a "two-and-a-half-year-old child" donated 10 million yuan to the Olympics" in major newspapers in more than 40 cities across the country, including Beijing Evening News and Southern Weekend. For a time, the "Mengniu whirlwind" swept across the country. The contrast between "a two-and-a-half-year-old child" and "a donation of 10 million yuan" created a huge public opinion effect in society. The phone calls came one after another. Some people were so moved that they also sent sincere letters to the company. Since then, consumers have gained a deeper understanding of Mengniu, and Mengniu’s brand value has been enhanced. Mengniu's sales rose sharply from July to December 2001, more than three times the sales in the same period in 2000!
2003: Fighting SARS together with the country—doing the best
The spring of 2003 was gray, and SARS was raging. People were shrouded in the haze of SARS, causing everyone to panic. People began to realize the importance of good health, and milk, as a nutritious food that enhances physical fitness and enhances immunity, suddenly became a hot commodity, and panic buying became common in Beijing's dairy market. If the price of milk is raised at this time, people will not care. It will undoubtedly be an excellent opportunity for dairy companies that value sales and profit growth. Mengniu seized the opportunity, but it went beyond people's conventional thinking. Instead of raising prices, Mengniu prohibits dealers from raising prices, and imposes strict regulations on violators such as expulsion or termination of their distribution rights.
Mengniu's strategy is "play hard to get". For the sake of long-term development, Mengniu used the SARS incident to make consumers identify with the Mengniu brand. It later proved that Mengniu's brand image had indeed been greatly improved after SARS.
During the SARS period, many companies stopped advertising because it would be futile to invest any more. However, Mengniu not only did not withdraw its advertising, but instead increased the amount of advertising and increased the intensity of public service advertisements to remind the public to pay attention to health awareness. On April 21, 2003, Mengniu took the lead in donating 1 million yuan to the Ministry of Health, becoming the first Chinese enterprise on the Ministry of Health’s red list to donate to fight SARS, and also kicked off donations from other enterprises; Mengniu’s traditional style is: When spring comes, I will be the first to call, and I will do my best when I want to do it. I will be a "tinder", not a "charcoal" waiting to be ignited.
Since then, Mengniu has successively donated 9 million yuan and 3 million yuan in milk to 30 cities across the country for medical workers and consumers. In the late period of SARS, Mengniu launched the initiative of “Sending Health to People’s Teachers” and donated 9 million yuan to medical workers and consumers in 17 cities across the country. Each of the city's 1.25 million teachers was given a carton of milk, with a total value of 30 million. In response to this series of actions, Mengniu's explanation is: "We are concerned about everyone's concerns and think about everyone's thoughts." It is these actions of Mengniu that closely connect the Mengniu brand with the consumer public. Mengniu's public welfare activities during the SARS period aroused huge repercussions in society, and Mengniu once again became the focus of the media. At that time, Mengniu was reported in major media as "the first company in the country to fund SARS prevention and control work"; after SARS, the effect was immediate. Mengniu was recognized as a social enterprise with a sense of public welfare and responsibility, and once again became the first choice among consumers. brand.
2003: Take off together with the "Shenzhou V" - monopolize resources
In 2003, the "Shenzhou V" spacecraft launched manned spaceflight. This was a ground-breaking event in the history of our country's development. It was something that China had long awaited. Media at home and abroad were competing to pay attention to the "Shenzhou V". If the "Shenzhou Five" is bundled with marketing and monopolized, it will undoubtedly be an unprecedented opportunity. Whoever possesses this resource first will seize the commanding heights, and Mengniu has done it again.
In April 2003, Mengniu was identified as "milk for Chinese astronauts," but under a series of conditions, this information was not allowed to be publicized until the "Shenzhou 5" manned spacecraft was successfully launched and the astronauts successfully returned to the ground. . This is not a bad thing for Mengniu. "If you don't make a sound, you will be a blockbuster." When the restrictions are lifted, it will be the time when "explosive" information will spread, which will have more impact on consumers.
The time has come, and the content of the communication must be determined. The content must convey the brand connotation of Mengniu and must also interact with consumers. First of all, there are 14 people in the first batch of our country’s astronaut candidates, all of whom are the elites of the air force who are selected from a million. Their bodies are extremely valuable. Mengniu milk was selected as "milk for Chinese astronauts" only after many layers of screening; secondly, the launch of "Shenzhou V" shows that China has become stronger; therefore, Mengniu's slogan is "Mengniu milk, strong Chinese people" , which embodies Mengniu as a national brand and contributes to China’s aerospace industry, and promotes Mengniu milk as “milk for astronauts”; another slogan, “Raise your right hand, cheer for China” is the same as “Mengniu milk, The brand information of "Strong Chinese People" is closely integrated to establish a brand image with national connotation, thereby enhancing Mengniu's brand charm, increasing brand visibility and sublimating the brand's reputation.
This public welfare activity combines the public's attention, the core point of the event, and the brand's appeal points, and the three points and one line are consistent. It not only injects new brand connotation into Mengniu, but also increases Mengniu’s patriotism, sense of public welfare and sense of responsibility. At the same time, it conveys to consumers the trustworthy brand information of Mengniu product quality, which is equivalent to using the strict standards of aviation food to certify Mengniu products. health and nutrition, which will beneficially promote terminal sales.
As soon as "Shenzhou 5" landed at 7 a.m. on October 16, 2003, Mengniu's advertisement appeared on the portal website immediately, and Mengniu's advertisement on CCTV was successfully launched around 9 a.m. At 12 noon, all TV commercials and street sign advertisements have also achieved "successful docking" in cities such as Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai. Mengniu's advertising has occupied waiting rooms in more than 30 cities across the country. All Mengniu's outdoor advertisements have four versions: women's version, men's version, children's version, and senior version. At the same time, Mengniu milk with the "Milk for Chinese Astronauts" logo has appeared in major stores across the country.
The slogans "Mengniu milk, strong Chinese people" and "Mengniu milk, milk specially designed for astronauts" seemed to fill the streets and alleys of the city overnight; both Yang Liwei and Mengniu attracted the attention of all media. It can be said that Mengniu made a profit this time. It caught the attention of the public. Since January 2004, Mengniu's liquid milk sales have ranked first in the country's milk sales for 30 consecutive months.
2004: Mengniu “adds milk” to Olympic athletes – competition sublimates
After a series of measures in 2003, Mengniu's sales revenue that year was 4.071 billion yuan, ranking third in the industry, and Mengniu became a leader in the industry; after tasting the sweetness brought by charity activities, Mengniu joined hands with Olympic champions in the spring of 2004 . Thanks to Mengniu's efforts, the Training Bureau of the State Sports General Administration selected Mengniu dairy products as the special food for "Athletes of the Training Bureau of the State Sports General Administration". Mengniu used Olympic champions to further enhance the image of the Mengniu brand.
On April 12, 2005, Olympic champions Zhang Jun, Li Na, Zhang Yining, Luo Yutong and others attended the press conference. At the conference, the configured "milk package" was delivered to each national athlete, and everyone drank Mengniu milk together. Mengniu CEO Niu Gensheng gave a keynote speech on the spot, "A glass of milk at ordinary times will make the game more exciting." These actions of Mengniu are based on the minds of consumers, asking athletes to drink more milk and achieve better results for China; the deeper purpose is to remind consumers to drink more milk and strengthen their bodies. Since then, hundreds of media have published scenes of Olympic champions and World Cup champions "showing themselves drinking" Mengniu milk.
Since then, Mengniu products have become an essential daily food for Chinese athletes, and its publicity has become a powerful weapon to boost sales. Let consumers have a sense of trust in the quality of Mengniu products, and make consumers respect Mengniu from the bottom of their hearts. The psychological implication of "supporting the Olympics and supporting Olympic athletes, choose Mengniu" has brought considerable sales to Mengniu and won consumers. the favor of the person.
In 2004, Mengniu's sales revenue nearly doubled from the previous year, ranking second in the industry.
2006: Responding to the Prime Minister’s call for nationwide milk donation—continuous upgrades
Charity marketing is not a simple superposition of charity activities, but the continuation of each charity activity to produce the effect of 1+1>2. In other words, charity marketing is an overall system project that runs through the entire marketing link of the enterprise.
It is based on this perspective that Mengniu has seized opportunities again and again. While performing charity activities, we have won reputation and profits.
In April 2006, Premier Wen Jiabao said during an inspection in Chongqing: "I have a dream that every Chinese, first of all, children, can drink a pound of milk every day." This actually reflects Premier Wen's commitment to the health of the people across the country. We are concerned about the situation and hope that Chinese people’s milk-drinking habits will be popularized, so that people can consume more milk, increase nutrition, and strengthen people’s physical fitness.
Mengniu first responded to the call of national leaders and put forward the slogan "One pound of milk a day strengthens the Chinese people" and carried out the largest milk donation project in history across the country. Mengniu provided free milk to poor students in 500 poor schools across the country. A year's worth of milk is equivalent to hundreds of millions of yuan. Mengniu, together with government departments, scientific research institutions, and industry associations, will work together to create a milestone in China's health history. After people realize the value of milk, more people will surely respond to the call of "one pound of milk a day", which will inevitably arouse A national public milk-drinking “campaign”. If Mengniu, which once again chose the right time, cannot become the biggest winner, who else will dare to do so?
According to Mengniu, “Drinking an extra cup of milk in the city will make the family rich in the countryside.” “Although milk is no longer a luxury product for most urban families. But 80% of China’s population is in rural areas, and rural residents’ average annual dairy consumption The amount of milk is only 2 kilograms. There are still 26 million people in rural China who are in absolute poverty, nearly 50 million people have just been lifted out of poverty, and there are 22 million people in cities who are provided with minimum living security by the government. If one kilogram of milk per capita can reach the level of developed countries. On average, if each child has one pound of milk, it will reach the average level of advanced Asian countries.”
Mengniu's words and actions reveal Mengniu's care and support for dairy farmers, consumers, society, and the country. It is also Mengniu that starts from the interests of the consumer public and avoids the "grandma sells melons, sells and boasts" traditional thinking. From "donating to the Olympics" to "donating milk across the country", in Mengniu's words, "Mengniu has been working hard for the cause of strengthening the Chinese nation". "Strengthening the Chinese people and wishing every Chinese to be physically and mentally healthy" has become the mission of Mengniu Dairy. It is these measures that have made Mengniu the focus of consumers' attention and won their trust time and time again, allowing Mengniu to develop from an enterprise with "no factory, no brand, and no market" to what it is today. Industry champion.
Since its birth, Mengniu has positioned itself as the largest job-making machine in the northwest, rather than a money-making machine. Mengniu has more than 6,000 employees, reaching millions of farmers and influencing hundreds of millions of consumers. Mengniu, a far-sighted company, has become so deeply rooted precisely because of its public welfare activities. Corporate behavior is like character, and corporate character is the most essential corporate mission of the brand. Without this, the brand will become a mirage. Only by having a corporate purpose that is consistent with human spiritual civilization can a company be able to achieve success in both directions. The guarantee of being invincible on the public welfare marketing platform is the foundation for the company's everlasting longevity.
It can be seen that it is not important what the company does, what is important is what consumers think you have done. No matter how powerful the company is, or how high-quality the product is, charity marketing is to "win hearts" and win the hearts of consumers. Brand can win.