Haidai Financial Review | the business logic of "Frozen" on the ice pier

A "pier" is hard to find!

The "winter" wind of the Winter Olympics blows the mascot ice pier high. On the list of hot searches, the topic soared, the surrounding sold out, not only 5,000 hands were robbed in 15 minutes, the original price of 118 yuan of hidden blind boxes are now speculated to 2500 yuan, a premium of 20 times. Undoubtedly, the ice pier has been successfully put on the position and has become the "top stream of the Winter Olympics" of this year.

Born from the national treasure giant panda and inspired by the rock sugar gourd, it is cute and cute, and has captured the hearts of a large number of fans. The topic of "ice piers" on social media is endless, from "when can one household and one pier" to "why ice piers can't speak", people's attention has risen from simple material acquisition to personality concerns. It can be seen that the ice pier is no longer an inanimate "thing", but has evolved into a personality and symbolic individual.

I can't help but think of another animal IP - Kumamoto Kumamoto. It was born in 2010 as the Sales Minister and Happiness Minister of Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, and has transformed into a world-class mascot within three years. According to data released by Kumamoto Prefecture in Japan, the annual sales of related products in 2020 are about 10.164 billion yuan, and the cumulative sales are about 59.208 billion yuan. This "public figure" who takes "real characters" as the starting point has frequently entered the public eye last year with the wedding incident and the candidacy for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Torchbearer, which will make everyone laugh. For more than 10 years, the heat has not decreased, and the ten billion-level income generation has been achieved, and the mystery of Kumamoto Kuma's success lies in the human design.

What is the human design of the ice pier? First of all, in terms of appearance, it applies one of the most recognized Chinese cultural symbols overseas - the giant panda. Words such as gentleness and ease, which symbolize the giant panda, are natural popular symbols. The design team put on a two-dimensional cute appearance for the giant panda, supplemented by an ice-like modern shell, to achieve effective cross-cultural communication. Second, through interaction, add "human touch" and create the character characteristics of the ice pier. During the Winter Olympics, it not only appeared on the stands to contact the audience, but also made a guest appearance on Japanese television in Beijing's special studio on February 9 to communicate with "lost brother" journalist Tsujioka, which triggered hot comments and praise from Chinese and Japanese netizens. At the Winter Olympics, South Korean female athletes used ice piers as nail art patterns, and Tsujioka opened the "explosive buy" mode and frantically "Amway". As the messenger of chinadialogue, the mission of the ice pier at the Winter Olympics was achieved.

Usually, mascots have extremely high commercial value. On the opening day of the Winter Olympics, the sales of ice piers reached nearly 3 million yuan, breaking through a new high. After the stock market opened in the Year of the Tiger, stocks related to the ice pier even rose and fell.

However, the close connection with the event also determines the mascot's short-lived peak of popularity. Unlike ip such as Lingna Belle, which relies on business tycoons, and different from IP that has been operating as a city mascot for a long time, Olympic mascots often stop after the event. Who will buy a Fuwa in 2022? The focus of the thinking, then, is on how to extend the business cycle.

Interaction is a way to maintain and strengthen relationships. We can expect the official intervention to increase the interaction between the ice pier and the outside world, and create a more delicate human design through various anthropomorphic activities. Of course, it should also be seen that even if a "pier" is difficult to find, the "pier" fans still interact fiercely in the network. Fans can participate in the creative boom while discussing the topic of achieving "freedom on the ice pier". "Everything can be ice pier" is an example, for a time, Weibo, Douyin, Xiaohongshu and other social media flashed a variety of short videos, just to show their own exclusive ice pier. People can use snow piles, but also through paper-cutting, leaf carving, handicrafts and other forms of restoration, and even Guizhou, Gansu and other regions have appeared "ice piers and piers". The colorful forms of participation and the dilution and elimination of social identity have made the Internet a happy and harmonious "pier" resort.

There is more than one ice pier that enters this "Frozen". Driven by the Winter Olympics, the enthusiasm for ice and snow consumption in the country is high. According to Alibaba's "Year of the Tiger Spring Festival Consumption Trend Report", from Chinese New Year's Eve to the fourth day of the first month of the first month, Tmall ski equipment increased by more than 180% year-on-year, and ice sports categories increased by more than 300% year-on-year.

Under the consumption boom, the Olympic mascot should not only achieve economic functions, but also bear the responsibility of transmitting the Chinese spirit. Jiang Xiaoyu, vice president of the Beijing Olympic City Development Promotion Association, said that the ice pier shows the world the image of Chinese people, industriousness and kindness, and shows China's full self-confidence in the future. Admittedly, "hunger marketing" is not a long-term solution, and the rush to buy will eventually dissipate, but there are still wider and wider roads waiting for it to go. Not only in combination with ice and snow sports, it can also be used in many fields such as costumes, anime characters, and meta-universe space. The future of the ice pier, there are still infinite possibilities. (Dazhong Daily client reporter Wang Heying planned Qi Huaidong)