Reporter Wang Minjie Ma Yunfei
In this scorching summer, Zhong Xuegao himself did not expect to attract attention frequently in this way.
Following media reports in early July that netizens placed ice cream at a room temperature of around 31 degrees for 1 hour without melting, a video of netizens igniting Zhong Xuegao’s ice cream with a lighter on July 5, which was suspected to fail to burn, went viral on social media again. spread."Marketing bosses are fighting back!" "I can't afford it, can't I not eat it?" "Too much glue?" Consumers left messages under related topics.
Subsequently, a screenshot of Zhong Xuegao's founder Lin Sheng's WeChat Moments on the evening of July 5 was circulated on the Internet. The content shows that Lin Sheng wrote, "It is obviously a product far exceeding the quality of the national standard, but it is faked by pseudoscience. Out of context, there are many additives... In the first three days of July, two hot searches were made in anger, and the traces of the navy were extremely obvious..." On July 6, Zhong Xuegao also bluntly stated on his official Weibo, "I use baked ice cream. It is not scientific to judge the quality of ice cream by drying it, drying it or heating it.”
Obviously, consumers do not pay.The next day, the entry "Why does Zhong Xuegao cause public disgust" appeared on Weibo's hot search, and some netizens said, "Zhong Xuegao is not cost-effective, but 'net celebrity' marketing has disrupted the entire ice cream market. Cheap products have been squeezed out of the market, and consumers have become 'leeks'." More bluntly stated that Zhong Xuegao's public opinion incident has caused a crisis of consumer confidence.
At present, the "crusade" around Zhong Xuegao is still going on, and the "ice cream assassin" seems to sting the sensitive nerves of consumers.Regarding questions such as whether this incident will affect the development of the brand, in early July, a reporter from the International Finance News interviewed Zhong Xuegao, but as of press time, he has not yet given a relevant reply.
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Consecutive public turmoil
Less than 4 days after "Zhong Xuegao was left at room temperature of 31 degrees without melting for 1 hour" became a hot topic of discussion, Zhong Xuegao's ice cream was suspected of not melting, causing concern again.
In early July, the upsurge of public opinion surrounded Zhong Xuegao, the "Hermes in the ice cream industry", like this cool summer.
The first was on July 2, when "Zhong Xuegao was placed at room temperature of 31 degrees for one hour without melting" was on the hot search on Weibo.The incident started in late June, when a netizen tore a sea salt-flavored Zhong Xue Gao ice cream into a plastic bag and placed it at room temperature of 31°C.After half an hour, the ice layer on the surface of the ice cream melted and became creamy.After 50 minutes, the ice cream in the box was in a more viscous milky substance, not watery, and the overall shape was intact.
Subsequently, Zhong Xuegao's "ice cream does not melt" quickly fermented on the Internet and caused heated discussions in public opinion.At 21:57 on July 2, Zhong Xuegao responded by publishing an article on the official WeChat account in response to the Internet rumor that Zhong Xuegao's sea salt coconut products did not melt for a long time, saying that there is no ice cream that does not melt.
According to Zhong Xuegao, the solids are high and the water is low. After they are completely melted, they will naturally become viscous, and will not completely disperse into a pool of water.The melting is viscous because the main ingredients in the formula of this product are milk, cream, coconut milk, condensed milk, whole milk powder, ice egg yolk, etc. The solid content of the product itself is about 40%, except that some raw materials themselves contain a small amount of In addition to water, the formula does not add drinking water.
Since then, Zhong Xuegao has further stated that the issue of melting ice cream has been followed up by media and platforms to refute rumors.
It is worth noting that, just before Zhong Xuegao made the above response, according to relevant media reports, Zhong Xuegao's customer service responded that the ice cream did not melt for 1 hour, and the ice cream melted and would be sticky. Viscosity, add a small amount of carrageenan, etc.
"Carrageenan has a very wide range of application scenarios. It is used in ice cream and jelly. As long as it is added within the range stipulated by the state, it will not cause much harm to the human body." In the view of Zhu Danpeng, an analyst in China's food industry, Zhong Xuegao's problem The key is the standard of its overall products and ingredients, which is quite different from its price, which is a very important reason for its heated discussion.
So far, the turmoil about Zhong Xuegao's ice cream not melting has not completely passed, and another turmoil has arisen.Less than 4 days after "Zhong Xuegao was left at room temperature of 31 degrees without melting for 1 hour" became a hot topic of discussion, Zhong Xuegao's ice cream was suspected of not melting, causing concern again.
On July 5, a netizen demonstrated in a video that Zhong Xue Gao Haiyan Coconut Ice Cream was not melted immediately after being sprayed by the flamethrower, but was burnt to charred brown; after continuing to breathe fire for a period of time, The area where the ice cream was sprayed was basically completely coking, but only a drop of liquid flowed out, and other parts were not melted; after continuing to spray fire, the ice cream flowed down a few drops of liquid, and it felt very viscous to the touch, but the inside was still hard of.
As the incident and public opinion intensified, at 10 a.m. on July 6, Zhong Xuegao's official Weibo quickly issued a statement saying that all ice cream products of the company are legally produced in accordance with the national standard GB/T 31119-2014 "Frozen Drink Ice Cream". , and leave the factory after passing the test.Regarding carrageenan that consumers care about, it is derived from red algae and is widely used in ice cream, ice cream and beverages. An appropriate amount of carrageenan helps the milk protein in ice cream to maintain a relatively stable state.The average amount of carrageenan added in each 78g Zhongxuegao Sea Salt Coconut Ice Cream is about 0.032g, which is in line with the national standard GB 2760-2014 "National Food Safety Standard for the Use of Food Additives". Production needs to be added in an appropriate amount".
At the same time, Zhong Xuegao's statement also mentioned, "It is not scientific to judge the quality of ice cream by baking, drying or heating ice cream."
On July 6, Zhong Xuegao's above response was once again on Weibo's hot search, and as of press time, the number of readings had exceeded 500 million.
It is worth mentioning that a few days ago, a screenshot of Lin Sheng, the founder of Zhong Xuegao, posted on a relevant social platform shows that he said that in the first three days of July, (Zhong Xuegao) angrily mentioned two hot searches on the list. Obviously it is a product far exceeding the national standard quality, but it has been taken out of context by pseudoscience into many additives, and said that "the traces of the navy are extremely obvious, and it is estimated that there will be three, four, five or six sequels.
Even so, on the afternoon of July 6, a reporter from International Finance News visited a well-known supermarket in Shanghai and found that Zhong Xuegao's products were hard to find. Relevant sales staff did not give a specific explanation.In another convenience store, Zhong Xuegao's products are still on sale, but compared with other brands of ice cream in the same freezer, only this brand's products are not marked with the price.
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The AB face that came out of the circle because of "expensive"
Especially recently, with the arrival of hot summer, various topics related to ice cream and ice cream have caused heated discussions on social platforms. As one of the representatives, Zhong Xuegao, who came out of the circle with "expensive", was coerced into the eye of the storm of public opinion.
According to Tianyancha information, Zhong Xuegao’s operating entity is Zhong Xuegao Foods (Shanghai) Co., Ltd., which was established in March 2018. Its legal representative is Lin Sheng, with a registered capital of 1.203 billion yuan. It is wholly-owned by Hong Kong-based Gloryseed HK Limited.As a newly emerging Chinese ice cream brand in recent years, Zhong Xuegao cut into the ice cream with the iconic patented tile shape, and quickly established a firm foothold in the ice cream market. Now it has launched classic models, small ice creams, joint models and Zhong Xuegao's cakes and other product series.
Different from the relatively low pricing in the traditional ice cream market, Zhong Xuegao has been taking the route of Chinese high-end ice cream since its birth. "During the period, the "high-priced ice cream" and "Ecuadorian pink diamonds" were launched, which were dubbed "Hermes in the ice cream industry" by netizens.According to a set of data disclosed by Zhong Xuegao’s official WeChat account on November 12, 2018, this ice cream, priced at 66 yuan per stick, is limited to 20,000 pieces and sold out within 15 hours of its launch.At the same time, as Zhong Xuegao's first "Double 11", its sales on that day exceeded 4 million, and its total sales ranked first in the Tmall ice category.
According to the official website of Zhong Xuegao, since its debut on May 20, 2018, the number of fans of its Tmall flagship store has exceeded 2.16 million, the cumulative number of visits to the store on Tmall flagship store has exceeded 400 million, and the number of visitors to Tmall flagship store in a single day has exceeded 400 million. More than 3.61 million, and the number of ice creams shipped in 2020 exceeded 48 million.
While Zhong Xuegao quickly "out of the circle", he also attracted the favor of various capitals.Since its establishment, it has completed 4 rounds of financing, two of which occurred in 2018.At the end of 2020, Zhong Xuegao obtained equity financing from Tiantu Investment, but the specific amount was not disclosed.Less than half a year later, Zhong Xuegao once again received 200 million yuan from the joint investment of Yuansheng Capital, H Capital, All Things Capital and Lixin Capital, and completed the A round of financing.
"Zhong Xuegao is not short of money. Financing is not for survival, but for more efficient development. In the war, we need to prepare enough food and grass to fight bigger battles." In May 2021, Lin Sheng was interviewed. If so.
In fact, with the long-term battle of Zhong Xuegao, its high price has been questioned by consumers.Especially recently, with the arrival of hot summer, various topics related to ice cream and ice cream have caused heated discussions on social platforms. As one of the representatives, Zhong Xuegao, who came out of the circle with "expensive", was coerced into the eye of the storm of public opinion.
"This year, the price of ice cream has received frequent attention, which has also made the public more and more dissatisfied with the high price of ice cream. As a representative of "expensive", Zhong Xuegao has caused constant controversy, which has a lot to do with the public's dissatisfaction. From this point of view, Zhong Xuegao Xue Gao has 'grievances', and belongs to being 'on the muzzle'. But for a high-end, atmospheric and high-end ice cream brand, this setting is inherently topical, and Zhong Xuegao is always in the public opinion. On the cusp of the storm, it is also brought about by its own attributes." On July 6, People's Daily Online commented bluntly in an article, "Zhong Xuegao's biggest problem is probably not the materials used, but whether it can support the high price. Is it worth the price?"
An industry insider who did not want to be named told reporters that Zhong Xuegao's current controversy is not unrelated to his past "black history".According to public information, in March 2019, Zhong Xuegao's online store product page promotion included advertisements such as "no drop of water, pure cow frankincense".However, after official verification, the ingredient list of relevant ice cream products clearly contains drinking water ingredients, so the propaganda content does not match the actual situation, which is misleading and false propaganda, and was imposed an administrative penalty of 6,000 yuan.
In August 2019, Zhong Xuegao wrote in an advertisement for an ice cream product, "It does not contain a single sucrose or sugar substitute, and fructose brings a more fragrant aroma. Only the premium red grapes from the core grape-growing area of the Turpan Basin are used, with zero additives." and so on.However, after inspection by relevant departments, the specification grade of the red raisin is "bulk/first-class", and the content of "special red raisin" constitutes false propaganda.
Superimposing these backgrounds, Zhong Xuegao, who has been frequently pushed to the forefront recently, will the subsequent development be affected?
"The early adopters will be suppressed in the short term." Wang Guoping, a senior retail expert, told the "International Finance News" reporter, "The sale of products on the channel side depends on whether it can bring profits, so Zhong Xuegao's support in the channel is still acceptable. At the same time, there is currently no domestic brand that can replace Zhong Xuegao, and there are also problems faced by Zhong Xuegao with substitutes. There will be short-term impacts, and the medium and long-term impacts are still unclear.
The reporter noticed that there are also opinions that Zhong Xuegao may try to create sub-brands or new series to meet the needs of consumers in order to save young people.Wang Guoping did not agree with this.It pointed out that the brand pull-down will have an impact on the concept of light luxury that has been created. If Zhong Xuegao is purely a low-cost brand, there is no advantage.Brand costs, labor costs, headquarters office costs, and management and marketing costs all determine that the pricing of its products will not be cheap.
"Zhong Xuegao's current food safety problem is that the domestic standards for ice cream are not high. If he is willing to reverse his own standards beyond the existing national standards, it will be more appealing." According to an industry insider, he told reporters , "The reason why other companies don't follow, or are unwilling to take the opportunity to overtake in a corner, is that they don't want to raise their standards, or enjoy the benefits of such a standard level."
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Where will the "chaotic" ice cream market go?
Before the rise of Zhong Xuegao, the domestic ice cream track has formed a relatively stable competition pattern, so it is very difficult for new ice cream brands to enter the public eye with the original business model.
In fact, this summer, high-priced ice cream and "ice cream assassin" have become a hot topic behind Zhong Xue's frequent hot searches due to controversy.
"Where did the cheap ice cream go? Now it's becoming more and more unaffordable." Previously, some consumers sighed in an interview with reporters.In the memory of many consumers born in the 1980s and 1990s, there are many kinds of ice cream, such as old popsicles, small puddings, three-color cups, chocolates... These ice creams with a price of less than 5 yuan almost contracted the once summer's ice cream. hapiness.Nowadays, it seems that the cheap ice cream in the past is hard to find, and it is replaced by an endless stream of Internet celebrity products, and the price is not cheap.
In mid-May, the full-cream ice cream jointly launched by Moutai and Mengniu, Moutai wine-flavored ice cream, was born and set off a craze on social platforms.Even if some netizens commented on this as "how does it feel more luxurious than drinking Feitian Moutai" and "more expensive than Haagen-Dazs", this did not affect the rapid emergence of Moutai wine-flavored ice cream.Not long ago, the condiment brand Hengshun Vinegar launched three cultural and creative ice creams, including soy sauce cheese, balsamic vinegar and rice wine. Each flavor of ice cream was added with 5% brewed soy sauce, 6% vinegar and 7% The rice wine is priced at 18 yuan each.
Along with the emergence of new products and new players in the ice cream field, there is also the rise in ice cream prices.In June, the topic "Don't pick up ice cream that you don't know when you go to a convenience store" has already attracted a lot of attention on Weibo. Many consumers reported that the ice cream sold more and more expensive, and they subconsciously dared not choose the ice cream they have not seen before. It is recommended that businesses mark the price of ice cream on the packaging.Some netizens joked, "The expensive ice cream is good, but my heart is cold before I eat it."
Is the rising price of local ice cream brands related to Zhong Xuegao's "born out of nowhere"?
"Before the rise of Zhong Xuegao, the domestic ice cream track has formed a relatively stable competition pattern, so it is very difficult for new ice cream brands to enter the public eye with the original business model. Until Zhong Xuegao broke through the Internet platform Since the original stable business model and industry structure have been adopted, Zhong Xuegao has attracted much attention due to its high price, and is therefore well known by everyone." In the opinion of Zhu Yue, a partner of CIC Consulting, although Zhong Xuegao is expensive, he can use the The internet has been a huge success by bringing consumers closer together and at a price that consumers can afford.Since then, many new consumer brands have emerged with the rise of Zhong Xuegao.
"Zhong Xuegao has promoted the consumption upgrade, which has brought the price increase in the ice cream field earlier. But from another perspective, Zhong Xuegao has also given the industry a new development direction, and laid a solid foundation for the possible participation of Chinese ice cream companies in global competition in the future. A certain foundation.” According to Wang Guoping, “This has objectively promoted the price increase of ice cream, and it has also made many people lose their happiness. Now there is too much space for the medium and high price track, and the growth rate is fast, and companies are getting together. Enter this low-competition channel. When the ice cream industry develops to a certain level, the medium and high price channels become crowded, and a new round of audience stratification will appear, and it will return to the stage of pursuing cost-effectiveness.”
A number of industry insiders told reporters that, except for individual companies that may stick to low-cost operations and sell through online or some offline cheap channels, the era of low prices in the ice cream field is gone forever.The recent national debate on ice cream sparked by Zhong Xuegao has also played a role in popularizing the industry, and consumers are gradually accepting product price increases.
