Survival of the fittest

Author: Ding Di / Country: Mainland China
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: Concept Concept can also play an important role in business warfare, achieving unexpected effects. Concept is a major tactic for the success of General Motors Shanghai. In 2004, with the help of successful concept, General Motors Shanghai achieved a 25% sales increase, reaching over 250,000 vehicles, even when the automotive market was declining. Since the launch of the Sailu, General Motors Shanghai has demonstrated its "smart" side: China is in the development stage, and most people cannot afford mid-to-high-end cars, but they also have high demands for affordable small economy cars. Therefore, they launched the concept of a "100,000 yuan small Buick," making a car that had already been replaced in Europe "like the sun at its zenith" in China. When the family car concept was first introduced, the image of the Sailu was a happy family of three; later, it was a young person sitting in the Sailu, imagining himself driving fast on the road; now, it is a white-collar worker who has just worked for a few years and has achieved initial career success, driving the Sailu home to visit his parents, and the slogan has also become "Independent New Life" targeting the new generation of urban white-collar workers. General Motors Shanghai is an expert in concept marketing, and its concept marketing is fully reflected in the Sailu. The success of a business ultimately depends on the solid provision of its products and services, which is real work. However, as a means, concept is still very effective. Concept is about having a reasonable and realistic understanding of one's own product or service; discovering a unique value, finding a prominent selling point, and this is when the concept is born; then, through the media and various promotional methods, interest in the selling point is generated among a broad consumer base, creating a desire to purchase. A certain American car company introduced the concept of "You can enjoy our services anytime, anywhere" when selling. The market response was extremely positive. One day, a customer whose purchased SUV broke down on a snow-covered mountain at an altitude of over 4,000 meters and couldn't descend. At this moment, the customer thought of the promise made by the salesperson, "You can enjoy our services anytime, anywhere," and called the manufacturer without much hope, reporting his predicament. The company gave a positive response, asking him to wait patiently. At this point, the company faced a difficult choice, as clearing the snow on the mountain was beyond the capabilities of both snow clearing vehicles and ordinary service vehicles. However, the company had introduced the concept of "You can enjoy our services anytime, anywhere," and this time, fulfilling the promise would be a great test for the company. In such a special situation, if the company had failed to provide service, the consumer reaction might not have been very strong. But 55 minutes later, the stranded driver received a rescue helicopter, food, warm clothing, possible spare parts, and repair personnel. It's easy to imagine how strong the market reaction would be, and sales immediately surged. This company had a huge advantage in service, which allowed it to introduce the concept of "You can enjoy our services anytime, anywhere" and gain market recognition. If other manufacturers in the market could also provide such services, this concept would have no place to stand. Concept is just one of the marketing tools and must be supported by sufficient products. It is absolutely forbidden to be overly pretentious and stay at the level of. Looking at the current high-end TV market, although it appears prosperous on the surface, a closer look reveals that concept outweighs technological progress. Moreover, price cuts seem to be the only means for high-end TV companies to compete for market share. In response, experts point out that technological progress is the key to market development. Relying solely on concept and heavily discounted products with outdated technology to win the market does not align with the company's long-term development strategy. Competition among high-end TV companies should shift from concept to technological competition. For new technology products, after the concept is, the technology should also be, and both companies and the media should take responsibility. However, some domestic LCD TV brands still only focus on product concept competition, with slow improvements in product quality, simply relying on continuous price cuts to attract consumer attention. This is neither beneficial to the company's own development nor to the healthy development of the entire high-end TV market. Therefore, companies need to adjust their strategies to adapt to market trends, focus their main efforts on technological innovation, truly consider the needs of consumers, and ultimately win market favor with high-quality, affordable products. However, concept remains a very useful tool for the current domestic market in China and is also a skill that business managers need to master. P16-18