Cars
Brand Cooperation and PR Challenges in the Internet Era: A Case Study of Grandma Xu and Chery Automobile.
Recently, there has been a heated discussion on social ** about Internet celebrity Grandma Xu and Chery Automobile. The discussion not only touched on brand cooperation and influencer marketing in the online era, but also sparked deep thinking about public relations challenges and brand image maintenance.
Grandma Xu's Internet celebrity rise.
Grandma Xu's name has almost become synonymous with social ** recently, and her popularity comes from an incident in which a Mercedes-Benz man smashed the hood of Chery. The 71-year-old Internet celebrity is characterized by driving Chery cars around the country, and has attracted a large number of fans through the ** sharing of self-driving tours. Her story has become the focus of discussion among netizens, however, what is even more interesting is that Chery Automobile's official account has repeatedly released ** about Grandma Xu.
This cooperation between Chery Automobile and Grandma Xu is actually a microcosm of the symbiotic relationship between a brand and an Internet celebrity. Relying on Chery Automobile's platform, Grandma Xu has successfully achieved a surge in personal popularity, and at the same time, Chery Automobile has also attracted more attention through Grandma Xu, a representative figure. This cooperation seemed like a win-win situation at first, however, as events unfolded, we realized that it might not be so simple.
Grandma Xu's in-depth cooperation with Chery.
One of the focuses of attention this incident is the in-depth cooperation between Chery Automobile's official account and Grandma Xu. Since 2021, Chery has released nearly 2,000**, of which 8 are related to Grandma Xu. What's even more remarkable is that after the hood smashing incident, Chery's legal department immediately expressed solidarity and flew to Hainan in person. Grandma Xu sent a ** thank you to Chery afterwards and made a wave of advertisements for it. This kind of collaboration is not only an interaction between brands and influencers, but also an attempt to establish a more intimate connection between brands and consumers in the Internet age.
Such in-depth cooperation is essentially a brand to enhance its image in the minds of consumers through the personal image of the influencer. Grandma Xu's unique personality and age characteristics have become a major selling point in Chery Automobile's publicity. However, with the deepening of cooperation, some problems have gradually surfaced.
The reversal of things.
However, the collaboration was not without its challenges. With the in-depth investigation of **, the recording confirmed that Ms. Xu lied that it was Grandma Xu who was driving, and the vehicle did not cut in line at the time of the incident. The authenticity of this anti-transfer has been questioned and more controversy has been sparked. Ms. Xu's choice to remain silent in response to netizens' doubts further stimulated netizens to speculate whether the initial incident was carefully guided.
This reversal not only makes the incident more confusing, but also calls into question the authenticity of the brand collaboration. Whether the relationship between Grandma Xu and Chery Automobile is just a business plan and whether it involves more marketing methods has become the focus of public attention.
Problems faced by Grandma Xu and Chery.
Now, Grandma Xu and Chery Automobile are facing a huge PR challenge. Ms. Xu's silence raised more questions, which raised questions about whether it was all a well-planned event. Brand cooperation in the stage of the Internet era, once faced with negative ** orientation, may have an irreversible impact on brand image and sales. In such a situation, Chery Automobile needs to consider how to handle the relationship with Grandma Xu and how to respond to public questions. Failure to do so may result in damage to the brand image, which in turn may affect sales.
This incident also reflects the need for more deliberate and thoughtful brand cooperation in the online age. In the era of information, consumers are more sensitive to brand attention, and once it is found that there are false or untrue elements in brand cooperation, it may lead to the outbreak of public relations crisis.
Epilogue. This incident not only drew attention to the complex relationship between influencers and brands, but also reminded brands of the risks of public relations in the online age. Brand collaboration is a means of promotion, but if you accidentally get into a PR crisis, it can be counterproductive. For Chery Automobile, how to keep calm in the turmoil and how to deal with the cooperative relationship with Grandma Xu in a timely and effective manner will directly affect the brand's reputation and competitiveness in the market. In this information** age, brands need to be more cautious to prevent the unexpected. As this continues to evolve, we may be able to better understand the complex and delicate relationship between brands and influencers in the online age.