The marketing campaign of car companies has collapsed again.
On October 11th, Yang Dacheng, Vice President of Jike Intelligent Technology, posted a video on Weibo of eating hot pot inside Jike MIX. In the video, the front seats are rotated 180 degrees; deg;， The car is equipped with an expandable table, on which there is a pot bottom, a plate of tripe, a puff of meat, a plate of vegetables, and four dipping sauce dishes. Yang Dacheng also emphasized the good air conditioning effect of the vehicle, and even mentioned the possibility of playing mahjong in the car.
However, after the release of this video, it triggered heated discussion and a large number of roast from netizens. Netizens have raised many questions, such as concerns that the smell of hot pot may remain in the car and be difficult to dissipate, accidents may occur when braking suddenly, and eating hot pot is a fake demand. And the hotpot in the video was not lit, which made some netizens think that this promotion was more like showcasing product features rather than practical applications.
However, some netizens have pointed out that the marketing approach of Jike is understandable. The company did not adopt unreasonable competitive methods, but only provided consumers with a new usage scenario. As for the marketing results, consumers will naturally "vote with their feet".
On October 13th, Yang Dacheng released another video in response. He described eating hotpot in the car as a new camping experience and pointed out that this promotion is to showcase the efficient fresh air system equipped in the Jike MIX, which can deal with the problem of odor in the car. He also mentioned that more usage scenarios will be revealed at the upcoming press conference.
This is not the first time that a car owner has been "out of business" in a car.
In the winter of 2023, Zhiji Automobile launched a live streaming event. Zhiji Automobile CEO Liu Tao wrapped dumplings in the car and posted pictures and text on Weibo. This marketing tactic was widely questioned, and Liu Tao ultimately deleted the relevant pictures and text.
Skyworth founder Huang Hongsheng has repeatedly sparked controversy due to his use of health oriented marketing methods. For example, emphasizing the health function of car seats, claiming to relieve fatigue, promote blood circulation, etc. This marketing approach that combines cars with health concepts has attracted the attention of some consumers, but has also raised some doubts. Some people believe that the main function of cars is still transportation, and overemphasizing health functions may cause confusion among consumers.
Compared to eating hotpot and making dumplings in the car, Chang Jing, the founder of Jishi Motors, boldly proposed the unique idea of a car toilet. This idea is truly groundbreaking in the automotive industry and has sparked widespread attention and discussion.
Industry insiders have pointed out that in the highly competitive automotive industry, sales and traffic are closely related. Nowadays, "refrigerators, televisions, and sofas" have become standard equipment for smart cars. Some car companies choose to activate manufacturing hotspots in marketing in order to gain traffic, and some of them have been too aggressive or even overturned.
Under severe traffic anxiety, car industry leaders have been dragged into the battlefield. Since the beginning of this year, traditional car company leaders such as Changan Automobile Chairman Zhu Huarong, Chery Chairman Yin Tongyue, and Great Wall Motors Chairman Wei Jianjun have also started live streaming on the internet.
There are over a hundred car brands in China, and their models are constantly emerging. All the advertising slogans available have been exhausted, and car companies can only rack their brains to highlight differentiation. "A marketing department official from a certain car company analyzed this phenomenon to a reporter from The Paper.
At present, relying solely on "price wars" is no longer sufficient to adapt to the fierce competition in the Chinese car market, and car companies are increasingly launching new products to seize the market. According to incomplete statistics, nearly 50 new models and upgraded models were launched in September of the just passed "Golden September". Within just one day on September 26th, nearly ten new cars including Avita 07, all-new Zhiji LS6, Lingxi L, Xinghai S7, and Lynk&Co 06 Renew were launched and released.
Delivery data shows that Jike delivered a historic high of 21300 vehicles in September, a year-on-year increase of 77% and a month on month increase of 18%; A total of 142900 vehicles were delivered from January to September, an increase of 81% year-on-year. According to data from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the retail sales of narrow passenger cars in China reached 2.109 million units in September, a year-on-year increase of 4.5% and a month on month increase of 10.6%; Since the beginning of this year, the cumulative retail sales have reached 15.574 million units, a year-on-year increase of 2.2%.