Introduction.
When I came to Tianjin Wei, I didn't learn ......”
When you set foot in Tianjin, the first thing that catches your eye is Tianjin Allegro, followed by Tianjin's famous "Goubuli" buns.
Goubuli buns have a long history of 163 years, it is a rare long-established shop in China, and its popularity in China is quite high.
However, as time goes by, the long-established brand also gradually declines, what is the reason behind this?
In the thirties of the 19th century, the social upheaval at the end of the Qing Dynasty, the Gao family in Wuqing County lived a difficult life in this chaotic era, and their children faced great challenges soon after they were born.
In order to ensure the safe growth of their children in the future, the parents named them "Gao Guiyou", and the milk name is "Dog". When the child was fourteen years old, "Gouzi" was sent to a small restaurant in Tianjin and began his apprenticeship.
Over the course of three years, through unremitting efforts and a love of academics, he has fully mastered the art of packing. As an apprentice, the dog studied deeply, was tenacious, and soon received high praise from the owner.
After 18 years, at the age of 27, Gui had the determination to start his own business and opened his first store by the South Canal, called Dejuhao.
At the end of the Qing Dynasty, snack bars sprung up in Tianjin, and Gouzi wanted to stand out and create its own unique brand image. Therefore, he decided to modify the traditional flatbread filling to create a new type of flavor with thin skin, delicate meat and excellent texture!
Thanks to his efforts, the new flavor of flatbread was finally launched, and it was very popular with customers, and sales skyrocketed. He carefully calculated the proportions of the various ingredients and after many experiments, finally succeeded in developing a unique recipe that was both excellent and aromatic.
He also deliberately paired it with fatty pork, boiled into a rich soup, and added 28 different spices to make it rich, fragrant and delicious, and this rich gravy further accentuated the juicy flavor of the buns.
In order to ensure that every freshly cooked bun meets his quality standards, he starts making black cloth dishes early in the morning and personally participates in the wrapping process. He carries out strict quality control on each bun, and these efforts are quickly recognized by consumers and have won wide love and praise!
As time went on, the store's reputation spread, and despite the constant flow of customers, the owner was so busy making steamed and delivering water teas that sometimes he didn't even have enough time to interact with customers.
The dog is so engrossed in making the buns that he doesn't have enough time to satisfy the diners in the store, so for a long time, people jokingly called him "Dog Ignorance". "Dog ignorance" is a very interesting title. In Tianjin, people like to joke, and such jokes have begun to spread widely.
After years of development, this shop has become a well-known traditional snack bar. Once, the Governor of Tianjin was intrigued when he learned that the soldiers in the army had praised this as the most delicious steamed bun shop in the military district, so he decided to buy it himself and try it, and was deeply attracted to it the first time he tasted it.
Therefore, he quickly selected a few high-quality products for the Empress Dowager Cixi, and although the Empress Dowager had always had a high taste, she still praised them again and again after tasting them.
Since then, this has been called"The dog ignores"The steamed buns were so popular all over the country that many diners came to buy them that it became one of the most popular food markets at the time
The attitude of dog ignorance has changed from being close to the people to being estranged from people.
Goubuli buns were initially loved by the general public for their thin skin, large filling, and unique taste. In the 90s of the 20th century, the brand expanded rapidly in Beijing through the form of a franchise chain, which was reasonable, so it became the first choice for breakfast and supper among ordinary people.
However, after entering the 21st century, Goubuli began to gradually implement the so-called "high-end positioning" strategy, thus getting rid of the competition in the low-price market and significantly improving the product**.
What is shocking is that a trivial meat bun is priced at 15 yuan, plus a bowl of soy milk for 48 yuan and peanuts for 58 yuan, which is completely broken with the previous image of being close to the people and arouses huge social repercussions.
In fact, as early as 2010, Goubuli clearly put forward the strategic goal of "getting rid of the shackles of low prices", but the management team clearly overestimated the inclusiveness of the brand and the affordability of the average consumer.
In just one night, Goubuli, a brand that had been equated with old Beijing residents for morning tea and supper, was suddenly nicknamed a "profiteering merchant" by them. At the same time, the quality of the Goubuli brand is also gradually declining, and its service attitude is becoming more and more strict, which is in stark contrast to the high-end brand image it admires.
According to customers, many stores choose to use frozen semi-finished products when producing steamed buns, which is very different from the way they originally made them by hand. After "takeaway" became a fashion, many people believe that frozen food has lost its competitiveness. Some marketing accounts revealed that Goubuli's takeaway rating is relatively low, which indicates that there is indeed something commendable about its service.
Faced with the double blow of market downturn and public evaluation, Goubuli gradually went into decline, and its business in fields such as coffee and health products suffered failures, and even faced the dilemma of being delisted for a time.
In 2019, due to having to withdraw from the capital market, the century-old brand suffered a major setback in its business expansion process. After in-depth analysis, the biggest Achilles heel of Goubuli is its deviation from consumer behavior.
In 2011, the production process of Goubuli buns was officially recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage, which originally had the opportunity to serve as an opportunity for the inheritance and promotion of the brand. However, Goubuli still adheres to his own tradition and does not care about the tradition, causing the ** of a bun to soar to tens of yuan, and the ** of the side dish is several times higher.
The result was a disappointment to visitors who strongly believe in cultural heritage, and the purchasing power of the general population was out of step with it, and consumers were unhappy with the fact that the current process of making Goubuli buns was too simple and its freshness was hardly comparable to that of the past.
What is really worth ** is only the premium brought by the brand it operates. Nowadays, the dog ignores the buns, and the ** is often millions of yuan or more. This is a big gap from the craftsmanship and deep emotions that a time-honored brand should have.
After a hundred years of vicissitudes, the time-honored brand has now fallen into a bottleneck period of developmentIn September 2020, a food blogger personally experienced Goubuli and gave it a "greasy and unpalatable" rating, which reflects the inner feelings of many tourists.
Dog's hard-line attitude has made the situation increasingly difficult to control, and instead of confronting the existing problems, it has threatened to remove the blogger's ** through legal means, which has sparked wider social condemnation.
Due to the strong influence of the public, the Wangfujing branch had to suspend operations, but the damage caused to its overall brand reputation was irreparable. The fate of "Dog Ignores Buns" has once again become the focus of social attention. In this era of increasing burdens on time-honored brands, what really makes Dog Ignore fail is the management's misjudgment of market rules.
Traditional brands in crisis.
Over time, brands with deep historical backgrounds are being tested like never before. Those who were once leaders may face the dilemma of being ignored if they do not keep pace with the times and stick to their original intentions.
Take Goubuli buns as an example, this time-honored Chinese brand that carries the memory of a generation is gradually losing its position in the market because it has not kept up with the pace of the times.
In the past, Goubuli has been praised by the majority of people for its unique taste and reasonable pricing, and it has become one of the symbols of traditional Chinese cuisine.
However, after the critical moment of Tong Ren Tang's acquisition, Goubuli's strategic direction changed, and they tried to attract more consumers by building a high-end brand image. Although this action has improved the brand's positioning in a short period of time, it has missed the core values of the product, which are taste and quality.
Goubuli's business transformation has encountered difficulties, and the steamed buns, which were once famous for their people-friendly **, have become **luxury food overnight. As a result of the mistakes of this strategy, there was a massive loss of customers, and many said they could not afford such a high level of spending.
What's even more regrettable is that despite the continuous climb, the overall quality of the Goubuli bun has not increased as expected. With the deepening of people's awareness of healthy lifestyles, the flavor of traditional steamed buns can no longer meet the needs of consumers. In the eyes of consumers, the delicacy of the past has become greasy and lacks uniqueness, gradually alienated from the taste they remember.
Faced with an unfavorable reaction from the market, Goubuli did not quickly adjust its strategic direction, but decided to continue to promote a diversified business model. Despite the predictability of this decision, it showed significant shortcomings during the implementation phase.
While investing in the coffee industry and getting involved in skincare may seem grandiose, it actually distracted the company's resources and focus, causing its main business, the production and sale of steamed buns, to gradually decline.
In order to save the Goubuli brand, the first task is to restore the core value of the brand, which also means that we need to regain consumer trust in the quality of the Goubuli product and reshape its positioning in the market.
Goubuli needs to conduct in-depth research on market trends, gain a deep understanding of the actual needs of consumers, and optimize its products and services based on these insights. At the same time, it is necessary to maintain good communication with consumers, and on this basis, constantly improve their own level. In addition to this, companies should also proactively collect and respond to various feedback from consumers in order to seize this opportunity to optimize product quality and improve service levels.
At the same time, Goubuli needs to use modern technology and a variety of marketing strategies, such as social ** and ***, to expand its sales channels and enhance the influence of the brand. On this basis, time-honored enterprises should also actively expand into new areas, such as e-commerce markets and networks. Through these platforms, long-established brands are able to connect more closely with consumers, listen to their voices, and showcase their own changes and improvements.
If the dog ignores hope to be revived, then it must be brave enough to face reality and have the courage to change. In the face of competitive pressure and challenges, it is possible for enterprises to achieve sustainable development only by continuously innovating themselves and enhancing their core competitiveness. Only by always maintaining the original intention and adhering to the principle of quality first can we consolidate our position in the highly competitive market and restore the glory of the past.
Epilogue. Whether it is a traditional industry or an emerging industry, we cannot rest on our laurels and stagnate. In the face of the ever-changing scientific and technological development and the ever-changing market demand, if enterprises want to achieve sustainable development, they must adjust their strategic positioning in time and achieve leapfrog development.
We must always maintain a sensitive insight into the market and have the courage to try new models and methods to adapt to this rapidly changing environment. In the Internet era, traditional enterprises must continue to innovate and change, and only through continuous innovation can they better develop themselves. At the same time, in order to secure our position in this competitive market environment, we must always stay true to our original intentions and maintain our unique strengths and characteristics.
However, all these things are not that simple. Therefore, in such an environment, if enterprises want to survive and develop, they must continue to innovate and change in order to keep up with the pace of the times and gain more market opportunities. Factors such as traditional ways of thinking, outdated business strategies, and people's fear of new things can all stand in our way. How should we face new challenges in the next five years?So, how can we respond to and overcome these challenges?How do we adapt to this new era of opportunity?
This is indeed a topic that requires deep thought, and we expect all companies and individuals to find the answer to this question and have the courage to face various challenges in order to create a brighter future.