The Spring Festival is a time for family reunion, but many people are also worried about "what to give as a gift".
If you spend 5 dimes to buy a good luck spray and send the blessing of "one spray for promotion, two sprays for salary increase" to relatives and friends, will you be tempted? If you spend 1 dime to take a picture of "Einstein's brain" and give the child who is preparing for the exam "IQ +10086", will you pay for it?
In fact, "Einstein's Brain" has sold 100,000 orders, and even made the list of the top ten products of 2023 for a certain shopping **, becoming the first virtual product to be selected in the past year.
Virtual goods that seem to be curious are moving from niche preferences to "explosive" on online shopping platforms.
This generation of young people is not only "whimsical" when buying things, but also "big as a black hole" when selling things. For example, on the day of "520", a second-hand product advertisement with a "sugar content of 0" played maverick copywriting such as "confession was rejected and fate came out", and such a "bringing goods + socializing" method has become a kind of "idle learning" on the second-hand trading platform.
Why are "meaningless" virtual goods so popular? Why has "idle learning" become a unique cultural phenomenon? Tube invitedYu Yiqi, a teacher from the Department of Marketing, analyzed the perceptual and rational behind these consumer behaviors
Yu Yiqi
Young associate researcher of the Department of Marketing, Fudan Institute of Management, research interests: consumer behavior, behavioral intervention, consumer well-being.
"Unexpected" and "reasonable".
From the perspective of the characteristics of virtual goods and consumer demand, the popularity of "Einstein's brain" and "good luck spray" is both unexpected and reasonable.
"Unexpected" is the characteristic of this type of product itself. themNot a tangible commodity（physical goods），It does not have practicality in the traditional sense；At the same time, it is also different from other common intangible digital products (digital goods), such as **, images, etc.
It is reasonable that the explosion of this type of product just reflects the needs of current consumers, especially young consumersIt can provide consumers with emotional, self-expressive and social value beyond "practical value".
"Skillfully" grabs attention and stimulates the communication effect
"Attention" is a scarce resource that businesses and ** are grabbing. Some of the characteristics of this kind of "virtual goods" themselves have their own out-of-the-circle attributes that attract consumers' attention. A series of studies on consumer cognition and information processing point outIt is precisely because it is not so consistent with people's daily perception that it can stand out from the crowd of traditional goods and attract attention
At the same time, consumers will pay more attention to the products and information related to themselves faster and more - "one spray promotion, two spray salary increases" and "IQ +10086", these are the demands and pain points that many consumers are always concerned about in their lives. To catch the attention of consumers is to capture the hearts of consumers
In addition, such products often have some humorous and self-deprecating characteristics from the name to the slogan - "Einstein's brain automatically grows on your brain when you take a picture" and "purebred wild mosquitoes, you may get lost when you place an order". Similarly, the unique "idle learning culture" produced by buyers and sellers who exploded on the C to C second-hand trading platform Xianyu because of their trading skills - "Losing money", "Growing fat and unable to wear", "licking the dog, ten moving fish (very touching but hanging idle fish)" is also full of humor, homophonic stalks, self-deprecation, and so on.
Why do people find this kind of language funny? What are the common features? The "benign violation theory" of psychology mentions two elements that "humor" needs to be present at the same time:
One isThis scenario may be unconventional, contrary to common sense or expectations。The gift from the suitor was very moving, but it changed hands and hung up on Xianyu; Most people want to create a good self-image on social networks, while "losing money" and "gaining weight" do the opposite.
The second isThis "contrast" is mild, acceptable and understandable。After all, many people have received things that they don't want and need so much, and in the second-hand trading platform, this reason can also indicate that the product is new enough and unused; "Losing money" and "gaining weight" are also experiences that many people have experienced. This sparked everyone's resonance with humor.
Therefore, the contrast is the first stepThe language is humorous and down-to-earth, and the content has topicality and communication value, so as to arouse the emotions of consumersActivate the "fast" system in your head(i.e., system 1, which is the brain's thinking and action patterns that rely on intuition, memory, and experience to respond quickly; Compared with the "slow system" that requires cognitive effort and more time and energy to think logically and analyze judgments).to facilitate discussion, sharing and dissemination
In the case of Xianyu, in addition to the characteristics of products and language with their own communication attributes, the platform also combines a variety of "triggers" or triggers, such as festivals and other special time points, representative events, etc., constantly creating and excavating all kinds of new scenes, combining and redefining the characteristics of "idle learning" culture, and stimulating the "source of living water" of people's creativity. For example, on the day of "520", when others express their love on a romantic day, the "idle learning" people do the opposite, playing an "advertisement with zero sugar content", inspiring the creators of "idle learning" culture to open the self-deprecating and humorous "idle learning" skills "crazy output", so as to double the communication influence.
Grasp consumer demand and link human resonance
From "virtual goods" to "annual ugly things competition", or the endless "mental state of contemporary young people" on social **, behind many new phenomena, it seems that behind many new phenomena, it is actually a similar expression of human nature. And human nature is slow, since ancient times, everyone has a need for self-expression, hoping to be unique and liked. But we also have a need to socialize and belong, to connect with others in society, which is a trait that is imprinted in our evolutionary history and genes, and is the reason for the survival of human society. The development of business and technology has made the manifestations of these needs different and diverse, but the human nature and needs reflected behind them are similar
The honey of A, the arsenic of B", the value of the same thing can be completely different for different people, or even the same person in different states of need. These seemingly unconventional goods actually meet the emotional and social needs of these consumers。By expressing their real-life wishes or confusions in a light-hearted, humorous and funny way, these products become an outlet for their emotions. There are some virtual products that can also act as placebos, such as good luck spray, electronic wooden fish, etc., spending a little money to buy happiness and comfort, which is worth it for consumers.
At the same time, in the process,Consumers will find that "I am not alone", and through such products, they can find empathy and connection with other people who are in similar situations and have similar desires。In the process of interaction, discussion and sharing, "happiness is doubled, sadness is halved", and consumers also gain social value in virtual goods.
In the example of the "Xianxue Culture" produced by the unique trading language of the buyer and seller of Xianyu,"Socializing" also plays an important roleCommodities become the "social currency" of buyers and sellers。Humorous and self-deprecating language itself can help communicators build a positive social image and meet consumers' needs for self-expression. In the process of sharing, and discussing products, the language of "idle learning" has also shortened the distance between buyers and sellers. It's not just about the product, it's aboutSocial Connections Between People – Come, tell your story, and I have a story to exchange with you
Sky & Sky Advertising).
When "second-hand trading" rises from social value to broader social significance, many moving stories have been passed down from it. For example,An electric car that has been "sold for eight generations" on the platform has ...... owners ranging from white-collar workers and real estate agents to programmers, college students, and delivery workersThe ordinary "little donkey" connects the real life of ordinary working people。We see their stories and the power of the gentleness of ordinary people. Products have become cultural ties and bridges here, connecting 8 different lives across time and space, and connecting all of us. It has witnessed the changes of the times, the epitome of ordinary people's extraordinary life and yearning for a better life.
The core of self-deprecation is open-mindedness, and behind the humor is tenacity, I believe that everyone can find their own connection and resonance from these "virtual" and "free". People's material needs may be limited, but their needs for spiritual culture are endless. The practical value brought by a product can be measured and may be worn out over time, but the spiritual and cultural value behind it can be continuously amplified and sublimated, and it has been redefined and given meaning in the dissemination and inheritance of time and again