In the trillion-level snack and soft drink market, countless new brands rise each year, and countless brands fall. This article from the micro-channel public number: Jingwei Venture Capital (ID: matrixpartnerschina), the title picture comes from the text
Although there is a huge group of foodies, it is inevitable that they love the new and dislike the old. After a swarm of new Internet celebrity products, the brand is abandoned is a matter of minutes. Therefore, developing new products and spending a lot of money on marketing are often the two biggest problems for brands.
If you can make a snack drink that can be sold without marketing, it is probably what every brand dreams of. The snacks and drinks we shared today have all been achieved, and have become a kind of “koi”-like existence. The faith halo has its own bonus, which can be called the highest state of making snacks and drinks. Worried about the repurchase rate? Worried about brand outdated? It doesn’t exist at all.
1. Taiwan is obedient and treats all kinds of irregularities
In July this year, there was a hot post online in Taiwan. At that time, an employee working at TSMC suddenly wondered what he should do on the last day of work before leaving. The posting caused a heated discussion among netizens. Among them, Guaiguai is a must-eat feast recommended by everyone:
“Eat the whole company obediently!”
“Eat first, then change to red.”
“Eat the obedient machine, do you still have to teach?!”
In Taiwan, whether it’s the computer room, the crew, the bank or the police station, you can always see the beloved in all kinds of unexpected places.
This ancient snack brand first appeared in 1968, 21 years before the other Taiwanese brand “Wang Wang” we know well.. Although this is a snack with a history of half a century, it always has a place in the iteration of the new brand. Why is it so magical? A large part of it is due to its good name.
There has always been a superstition rumor in the Taiwanese industry: “Put on the machinery and equipment to protect the machinery from problems.” As the name suggests, the endurance of this corn puffed food is somewhat metaphysical-the name is exquisite, but you must use green obediently to have an effect, and obediently can’t eat, otherwise it won’t work. Because green has the meaning of passing and running. Over time, has become a symbol of “everything goes well”.
Perhaps it was because of the time being dominated by obedients for too long, and many people gave an idea for the employee who was about to leave-to eat all the obedients. In the eyes of social animals, this may be the most humble “effective counterattack” before leaving.
1. How did Guaiguai become a Koi-level snack?
It is rumored that the obedient superstition operation first came from a forced graduate student at the Institute of Chiao Tung University in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The graduate student was staying up late to fight for the paper to be submitted the next day, and the computer suddenly crashed.
In a state of desperation, he ignored the package of Guedi next to him, and went to the doctor in a hurry to put Guedi on the computer, begging to bless the file. “Please, I will hand in the paper tomorrow, please don’t be out of trouble, help me finish the paper, and hand it in tomorrow.”
Perhaps because of sincerity but spirit, after the computer restarted, the files were not lost, and there were no other accidents on the computer that night. The graduate student completed his thesis smoothly. Things were too miraculous and triggered an attempt to follow the trend. It has become a custom to pass on ten or ten, and the “behaved culture” has gradually become an existence that is close to social consensus.
There is also a special entry explanation on Wikipedia-it is said that it is a culture of Taiwan to place the surly next to the machinery and facilities, and also specifically introduces the surly usage rule: the outer packaging must be green (creamy coconut flavor), it cannot be yellow or red, because the light when the machine is running smoothly is usually green, while the yellow and red lights represent There are malfunctions or abnormalities, and the obedient snacks cannot expire. They must be replaced regularly, otherwise they will not work.
Entry explanation of Guaiguai Culture
The obedient manufacturer quickly realized this, and emphasized it in the packaging: Except for the little man holding the green traffic light, the packaging is printed everywhere: “The machine is good, it doesn’t work” and “Dear is good, work is smooth”. And other words.
2. How popular is Taiwan’s “behave” tradition?
In Taiwan, the obedient track is almost all over the major industries, it is inseparable from the information industry to the IT circle: programmers will put a package obediently next to the host computer for protection from downtime ;Besides worshipping gods for auspiciousness when the crew is turned on, it is also essential to be obedient; hospitals, police stations, traffic police teams, and even ATMs will also put a bag of obedients at any time…
The most common place for Guaiguai is in major computer rooms. You know, the computer room is a forbidden place for food and beverages, but obediently got the only pass, which silently guards the top secret of the normal operation of Taiwanese people’s life-without obediently blessing, half of Taiwan’s machines will be paralyzed.
Picture source: ross_tt@flickr, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
Previously, when reporting the comprehensive income tax, Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance tried to save the operating system that was slow due to excessive traffic by placing obedients, but because it bought yellow packagingHe was so obedient and criticized by netizens.
Scientific research institutions cannot escape the obedient magic. In Taiwan’s computer research centers, which have invested hundreds of millions of dollars and are worth a lot of money, green beloved is also the only permitted snack, so that the computer can be smart and not crash.
For example, in the Computer Center of Mingxin University of Science and Technology, the total value of equipment is over 100 million yuan, and snacks are absolutely forbidden, but the green is rampant. The director of the computer center even personally checks whether the obedient is effective, worrying about the expiration of the warranty period.
In August 2017, before the Formosa Satellite 5 carried SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket into the sky, the team also placed packs of packs around the satellite model to pray for the satellite’s launch.
The work team arranges snacks “obediently” around the model
Banks are no exception. They need to obediently protect the smoothness of ATM cash machines. Someone encountered a staff member repairing an ATM at a bank in Taiwan. As a result, when the machine was pulled out, the first thing that attracted attention was not money, but a pack of green boys.
Even in such solemn and formal places as police stations and hospitals, obedient figures can be seen everywhere.
On the duty desk of the Quanzhou Street Police Station in Taipei City, there are full of darlings. According to Taiwanese media reports, there was a period of time in the Quanzhou Street Police Station in North City where wanted criminals wielded a knife to injure the police officer and fight in the palace.It was not peaceful, and it coincided with the ghost month of the lunar calendar, so someone put up the entire watch desk with obedient snacks praying for peace.
Taipei’s Quanzhou Street Police Station is full of good people on the duty desk. Source: China Times News Network, trainee reporter Jiang Fei.
Even if they leave the country, entrepreneurs never forget to obediently protect their safety. On June 3, 2017, at the opening press conference of VOLETARIUM, the largest flying theater in Europe, a group of entrepreneurs in suits and leather shoes, witnessed by various spotlights, were preparing to sign a cooperation agreement, and a pack of green boys were in front of the camera. garish.
According to the introduction, this is a snack brought from Taiwan by the owner, Michael Mack, “obediently”, claiming that it can bless the operation of all the machines in the flying theater.
Source: Apple Instant Photo by Xiao Wenkang
What’s even more illusory is that it was put in the computer control room of the flight theater, and this requirement was also written into the contract. It is estimated that the Europeans who cooperated at that time also felt embarrassed, but they could only obey.
The obediently placed inside the Flying Theater Source: Apple Instant Photo by Xiao Wenkang
3. The green color is on fire, what about other products of the same brand?
Without the light of traffic lights, the obedients with other colors can only use their brains to increase income.
Guaiguai in yellow packaging Source: Guaiguai ins account
Because yellow and gold are similar in color, in terms of obedient snacks, yellow obediently interpreted as “obedient salary increase”, and the slogan of “obedient boss, catch me raise” is written on the bag.
Specific products, short deadlines, and need to be replaced during the expiry date… All the characteristics that open the sales of the products are gathered in the obedient snacks, coupled with the homophonic bonus, gradually become a social culture, and it is not surprising that it is selling well in Taiwan.
II. KitKat, Japan, an artifact that will win every test
KitKat chocolate under Nestlé was founded in England in 1935 and introduced to Japan in 1973. Although KitKat is sold in more than 70 countries around the world, it is the most successful localized operation in Japan, even surpassing Japanese local brands.
Since 2010, the sales of KitKat chocolate in Japan have increased by 50%, and Japan has become the second largest market for KitKat chocolate in the world. KitKat even introduced nearly 300 flavors specifically for Japan.
Why can Japan, with a total population of only over 100 million people, contribute so much sales to a chocolate? This has a certain relationship with Japan’s unique culture.
Japan’s superstition of KitKat chocolate first appeared in Kyushu. The head of Japan’s KitKat’s propaganda department said that at the beginning it was only discovered that during the Japanese college entrance examination in January, the sales of KitKat in Kyushu would soar, thinking it was accidental. Unexpectedly, the same situation appeared in the following years of observation.
The reason is that KitKat is homonymous with the Kyushu dialect’s “will win”. KitKat’s Japanese homophonic “きっと胜つ” means sure to win. Because of this unexpected homophony, KitKat has become a must-have mascot for many Japanese students. Maybe it was just a joke among friends at first. With some unexpected coincidence, everyone gradually began to believe in the “koi” effect of KitKat, and in the end it became more and more widespread and evolved into a national phenomenon.
“You can eat it!”
“If you eat it, you can skip the exam!”
“If you eat it, you can get a high score that scares you to death!”
In Japan, where the big and small exams continue to take place, the students who are burdened with considerable pressure to enter a higher education unconsciously deify the magic of KitKat.
This is similar to the rumors of eating rice dumplings in the Chinese college entrance examination-a homophonic “high school”, and eating a fried dough stick and two eggs before the exam.
In this way, relying on pre-exam superstition, KitKat successfully entered the Japanese market and became Japan’s national “koi”-level snack. In addition to the homophony of winning the exam, KitKat is also given a variety of meanings such as fond memories, important protection, future dreams, etc., successfully surpassing the boundaries of ordinary snacks and establishing a strong emotional connection with people.
It is understood that when KitKat first entered the Japanese market, its name was not KitKat, but Chocolate Crisp(Chocolate Crisp), due to the fact that It was renamed KitKat because of the difficulty of talking. No one thought, because this unexpected change of name gave it a chance to open the market.
Especially during the entrance examination period, buying KitKat to cheer candidates has gradually become a kind of societyConsensus conveys unexpressible blessings and feelings of protection.
During the exam season, when tens of thousands of Japanese students bring their toilets, KitKat chocolates will be in the lunch boxes. KitKat chocolate sales will surge, and Nestlé Japan has now increased production to cope with the surge in market demand. Some students even bring KitKat into the examination room as a lucky item.
With the gimmick of winning the exam, KitKat began to fight a turnaround in Japan. During the various entrance examinations, it has become a necessity for students to cheer and encourage each other. KitKat also seized the opportunity to carry out various support activities. Each year, there will be limited products before the Japanese college entrance examination season.
As early as 2010, KitKat launched a new product “KitMail”-the package can be written with cheer and mailing address. If you put a stamp on it, you can send it to candidates who want to help, and bring good luck to them.
Later, KitKat introduced chocolate with a place for writing on the back of the package. If you write harder, the word can be engraved on the chocolate.
In 2016, KitKat’s exam season limited products were even cooler, and the KitMail x 3D Hologram special set was directly launched. The set price is only 250 yen(approximately RMB 13.5). In the boxA transparent plastic sheet is folded to scan the QR code on the box, and then the plastic sheet is placed on the screen of the phone to show a holographic film.
The singer in the holographic image sang: “Believe in yourself! I know you can do this.” ——KitKat encourages the candidates not to fight alone, but believes that they will succeed.
In the ranking of lucky items for Japanese candidates, KitKat jumped to second place, second only to the amulet of Japanese shrines, became a real “koi”-level snack.
In addition to being linked to Japanese test culture, KitKat’s popularity in Japan is also related to the various flavors it has developed. At present, many tourists to Japan will buy a lot of KitKat chocolates, because these unique flavors are not available in other countries.
Japan started to independently develop the first KitKat 20 years ago. With the rise of the convenience store model in Japan, consumption transformation and upgrading, the younger generation’s love for new chocolates has become a trend. According to the person in charge of KitKat’s media promotion department, the strawberry flavor was the first to be produced at that time, and it sold out as soon as it hit the shelves, setting a new best-selling record.
Since then, Japanese product developers have worked hard to invent various limited-edition KitKat chocolates such as mustard and cherry blossoms, which have caused people to buy them as a symbol of gifts between relatives and friends. 34-year-old German backpacker Matt Borscak (Matt Borscak) said when he was in Japan, “At this moment, I just want my Friends try KitKat with wasabi flavor.”
It is worth mentioning that Japan has sold more than 350 flavors of KitKat, and currently has more than 30 products on sale.
Three, a small town in southern Mexico, Coca-Cola can be psychic
Bubbling fat house water has an irresistible charm. But if you drink Coke like water, it is really hard to imagine. In Mexico, there is such a land where everyone pursues Coca-Cola.
According to research, as one of the world’s largest consumers of soft drinks, Mexicans can even consume 180L of cola per year. Especially the residents of Chiapas, southern Mexico, may be Coca-Cola’s most loyal customer base on the planet. The residents here drink 2L of Coke every day. When residents here feel thirsty, they will choose to drink Coca-Cola instead of drinking water. The first thing they think of after getting sick is not to go to the hospital to see a doctor, but to pour a bottle of Coca-Cola (Pepsi-Cola does not work).
The obsession with Coca-Cola is pervasive here, occupying corners of people’s lives: Coca-Cola trucks can be seen everywhere on the street, Coca-Cola filled with beverage freezers, even the offerings in the church are also Coca-Cola…
A Coca-Cola truck parked on a narrow street in San Cristobal. Source: Photographed by Diana Bagnoli, The Guardian
Why are local residents so enthusiastic about Coca-Cola? It is related to the local religion and unique customs.
In the 1960s, Chiapas in southern Mexico was isolated from the rest of the world. The society here was extremely racist and superstitious. The almost primitive way of life and the unchanging of transportation brought irreversible things to the local area. Poverty and stubbornness. Aboriginal culture, natural beauty, racism and extreme poverty are intertwined here.
The harsh external environment makes people look for spiritual sustenance-God bless. Dating back to the 1960s,In the beginning, people used a local spirit called pox. But evangelical sects, often preached among developing countries and oppressed people, are occupying entire poor towns. The preaching of the evangelical church began to pressure the residents to stop drinking.
You cannot drink alcohol or use alcohol for sacrifices, which forces local people to look for substitutes for spirits. In the end, Coca-Cola, whose color resembles Pox, stood out and seized this vast market.
The sourness of carbonated soda has conquered the local people in an instant, and it has become a must-have for washing the soul and sacrificial rituals.
Under the endorsement of the church, Coca-Cola has not only the power of healing, but also channelling, which is a symbol of social status and hospitality.
Whether it is celebrating the birth of a baby, or at a wedding or a banquet for the patron saint, without Coca-Cola, this party would be incomplete. Coca-Cola has become an indispensable part of important local ceremonies.
Zinacantan town, lunch time during a celebration. Source: Photo by Diana Bagnoli, Guardian
The local traditional healer said, “Coca-Cola is sweet, so the soul can enjoy it, and it also has a certain curative effect.”
In every sacrifice, Coca-Cola is the key to the soul, connecting the two worlds of the human world and the ghosts. Every hiccup you hit is to eliminate the evil of the body. “The key is to hiccup. The more you hit, the cleaner the soul.”
Imagine that the life of each town resident might be spent like this:
Get up in the morning and drink a cup of Coca-Cola;
I was thirsty when I went out to work during the day, so I took a sip of Coca-Cola;
Family gatherings and wedding events are not complete without Coca-Cola. Perhaps the woman’s dowry is Coca-Cola of the same value;
I feel guilty about doing something wrong, and feel sad and disappointed. When various emotions erupt, people no longer use alcohol to sorrow.
Pour a bottle of Coca-Cola down, and then hit a long hiccup, the soul is washed…
Another reason why local residents are addicted to Coca-Cola is related to water supply. Although this area is one of the rainiest areas in Mexico, drinking water is extremely scarce, and tap water is only supplied a few times a week. Moreover, because the fluorine content in the water is too high, residents cannot drink tap water directly and have to buy more drinking water.
Coca-Cola has also adopted a differentiated price strategy, with lower prices in some remote rural areas. Coca-Cola is convenient and cheap to buy, which has led more people to choose to use Coke instead of water.
The irony is that it is precisely because of some agreements between Coca-Cola and the Mexican federal government that its factories have the privilege of pumping water. For example, at the location of Coca-Cola’s bottling plant, due to over-exploitation of spring water, water shortage is serious, forming a bad vicious circle.
Excessive drinking of cola has led to a high incidence of diabetes and mortality. Diabetes has now been identified as the biggest killer in the region. Addiction to Coca-Cola is getting younger and younger in Chiapas. A recent study in an Aboriginal community found that 15% of children between one and two years of age regularly drink soft drinks, as do 3% of infants under six months of age. This trend has further exacerbated health problems.
After being aware of this unhealthy way of drinking beverages, relevant people began to call on people to change this habit, but it was too late. Coca-Cola has completely integrated into the local blood. Zapata’s current leader Marcos even said: “We have a way to get rid of Coca-Cola, the way is to drink up the last bottle.”
When Coca-Cola became a thing of faith, science became the least valuable thing. Even if you know that drinking Coke for a long time is bad for your health, residents cannot give up this “psychic” drink.
Fourth, Thai strawberry flavored Fanta, a red drink deep into the soul
The orange-flavored Fanta is an inherent impression of many people. Later, Fanta continued to innovate products and successively introduced apples, grapes, limes, mangos, peaches, etc.Many flavors, but almost no one sees strawberry-flavored Fanta in domestic convenience stores.
Picture source: Weibo screenshots
In Thailand, the strawberry-flavored Fanta is the best seller-it has nothing to do with the taste of the drink, but is covered with religious mystery.
At the Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, several rows of red strawberry-flavored Fanta are neatly placed under the giant sculpture at the airport, and each bottle is opened with a straw inserted.
This photo was shared by a netizen who arrived in Bangkok early in the morning. The first reaction many people saw was “OMG”. Even the media joked: “Thais walked out of the shrines and ghost dolls, and the trend of superstition ran to the airport.”
In many Asian countries, there is a folk custom of using food as offerings to worship gods. The mourning halls can be seen everywhere in Thailand, Myanmar and Cambodia, but the construction styles vary from country to country. Even though not everyone believes in the existence of gods, this approach is widely recognized.
Thailand is even more a religious country. 95% of the people are Buddhists. People believe that gods will hide in the earth and ancient trees, and they hope that gods can bless themselves. Like various churches in American towns, these mourning halls form part of the urban landscape of Bangkok. The belief in animism is everywhere here. It is this religious superstition rooted in local culture that provided the soil for the popularity of strawberry-flavored Fanta in Thailand.
Strawberry-flavored Fanta is a beverage specially designed by Fanta for Thailand. Its color is very bright red. It is rumored that Thais think strawberry-flavored Fanta is an excellent substitute for “blood sacrifice”.
Walking into the streets and alleys of Thailand, there will be a small Buddhist altar at the door of every house, and it will also be matched with a red Fanta. There are no exceptions to hotels such as hotels.
Red Fanta placed in a hotel in Thailand
In the eyes of Thais, “If you take care of these gods, they will take care of you.” Thai Kitsana said: “Because the Thai people respect ghosts and gods, we pray every day. There are not many cases of new crown in Thailand. Maybe the gods heard our prayers.”
Although the first case of COVID-19 outside China occurred in Thailand, this country with a population of 70 million currently has a total of more than 3,000 confirmed cases, of which 58 have died. The overall epidemic prevention situation is good.
In addition to enshrining the gods, red Fanta also has a more magical usage-offering to Gumantong. One of the most popular worships in Thailand is to provide for Gumantong. It is said that the soul of a dying child is placed in a made card or statue, and ultimately bless the supporter, so that it can eliminate disasters and fulfill their wishes.
In the eyes of the locals, “If you take good care of these Gumantongs, they will take care of you. In Thailand, evil spirits will not kill you casually. If there is, you have not offered sacrifices. “.
The important offering of worship Gumantong is strawberry red Fanta. Thais say that Gumantong likes to drink red Fanta, because red Fanta looks like blood and can simulate a blood sacrifice.
Relying on the superstition of worshipping gods and offering Gumantong, Thailand has become Fanta’s fourth largest market in the world.
As a result, a lot ofStem:
“Except in Thailand, it is difficult for you to imagine that junk food and occultism are so deeply intertwined.”
“Drink Fanta to ghosts because they are dead, so don’t care about sugar, pigments and chemicals”
“Coca-Cola signed a contract with the Thai ghost.”
The publicity picture of Fanta’s official website is also very understanding, and the red Fanta is grafted with bats, vampires and other elements to create an atmosphere.
With the blessing of the “koi” halo, the product can penetrate the hearts of consumers without any effort. And being able to grasp the people’s psychology and subtly integrate into the local culture, the product will not be far from selling.
As for whether “koi” snacks are effective, different people have different opinions. Compared with the snacks themselves, it is better to say that “the power of belief” makes people want everything possible.
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This article is from WeChat official account:Jingwei Venture Capital (ID: matrixpartnerschina)