Wen | Feng Ma Niu (WeChat public number: Feng Lun Feng Ma Niu)
01
The knowledge of black-rimmed glasses
Ren Zhengfei, who wears black-rimmed glasses, looks at least ten years younger, and he is almost unrecognizable. With this new shape, Ren Zhengfei attended the inaugural meeting of Huawei's second batch of legions not long ago.
In past media exposure, Ren Zhengfei rarely showed himself as a person wearing glasses. His dress has been consistent for many years: shirts with blazers, slacks - more formal than jeans, less formal than suit pants, black leather shoes, shirt buttons undone one or two, very rare occasions to tie, is the older generation of traditional entrepreneurs common dress.
The external image of the entrepreneur is an important part of the corporate brand, and in the shaping of the external image, the two main communication carriers are the clothing style and the way of speaking.
Ren Zhengfei's language arts have long been the object of external research, and his control over language is pure, such as the unique way of managing Huawei through the issuance of documents for many years, the ability to mobilize the emotions of employees to the greatest extent with a few words, and the ability to explain a complex or professional problem in plain language.
But Ren Zhengfei's external image is rarely discussed by the outside world. Compared with the strong language style, the founder's dress is really not something to discuss. Ren Zhengfei may be the most characteristic entrepreneur in appearance. For example, jobs-led jeans and new balance geek fashion, over the years with a red polo shirt dressed in the hearts of the people, unobstructed "red cannon" Zhou Hongyi, after losing weight successfully into the domestic favorite black suit of the Internet tycoon Liu Qiangdong, Ren Zhengfei has never been a model of "storytelling" through dressing up.
As far as body language is concerned, the external image that has remained unchanged for many years conveys an inner unity, continuity and stability. The entrepreneur's personal image serves the company's development strategy, and the sudden change of image of a company's soul is likely to mean that it or its corporate strategy is undergoing a major turning point. Such external signals cannot be ignored.
There are not a few such examples, among which Zhou Hongyi is the first. In recent years, as the focus of 360 shifted from the C-end business to the B-end, the "Red Cannon" eliminated the red polo shirt and ushered in its own stable and moderate fifty years of "Knowing The Destiny". Who remembers the last time he fired? In the personal image photo on Baidu Encyclopedia, Zhou Hongyi is wearing a dark Mountain suit, and the impersonal posture of crossed hands holding his chest is definitely something he has not looked up to in the past. He admitted himself, "I have to go to various units and enterprises every day to explain the importance of network security, if you still talk every day without opening the door, people will think that you are more than fifty years old, how can you be so unreliable." 」
For example, Huawei's competitor Xiaomi for many years, lei Jun, who used to be at the helm, followed Jobs's footsteps because of his speeches and dressing styles at the new machine conference, so he got the name "Rebbs". Wearing jeans and a black T-shirt, he was confronted by "fever-born" and cost-effective electronic enthusiasts. In recent years, as Xiaomi has aspired to conquer the fortress of high-end mobile phones, you will find a significant evolution in Lei Jun's dressing style - he has appeared on the cover of fashion magazines several times, his clothing style has become more and more middle-class elite, and he has also chosen running as a middle-class standard as a means of "pleasing" target customers. You'll never find a shadow of Rebbs again.
There has also been a public opinion incident caused by black-rimmed glasses in the international political arena. In 2016, when French President François Hollande attended a public event, he was noticed by the media that he took off the rimless glasses he had been wearing since the presidential election a few years ago and replaced them with fashionable black-rimmed glasses, a detail that exploded in France. Hollande hopes to announce a new direction for his administration.
It is precisely because Ren Zhengfei's "body symbol language" has not changed for many years that the sudden change is worth investigating, and it is difficult not to think about the black-rimmed glasses this time.
In general, transparent-frame glasses are the first choice of most business elites. Recall the glasses-wearing business elites, Jobs, Ma Huateng, Guo Guangchang, Luo Yonghao, including the aforementioned Zhou Hongyi... They all wear transparent-rimmed glasses, and at most the upper part of the frame is blackened, which looks more radiant to the eyes. Rimless glasses give people a stable and low-key image, do not appear abrupt, is the most "safe" choice.
And when it comes to the representative of black-rimmed glasses, many people will think of Li Ka-shing. The oversized frame has been hanging on the skinny face of Hong Kong's richest man for decades, and it doesn't feel violated when you get used to it.
Someone on social media asked why Li Ka-shing's glasses were so big?
Netizens' answers are varied: some people think that it is purely personal preference, some people say that it is superstitious feng shui, some people think that the vision of the large frame is broader, some people say that his eye bags are too large, so he wears large glasses to cover the eye bags - of course, it can cover not only the eye bags, but also the real emotions in the eyes.
In any case, as one netizen said, "If he takes off his glasses, it is estimated that many people do not know him." Black-rimmed glasses have become a personal image symbol for Li Ka-shing as he walks the rivers and lakes. If one day the pair of black-rimmed glasses disappears from the bridge of his nose, it may be a more noteworthy code than "evacuation from Britain".
02
Huawei's new story
All in all, compared to low-key frameless glasses, large black-rimmed glasses are more likely to make people think of a few keywords: personality, recognizability, eye-catching... Ren Zhengfei obviously does not need these, but it is undeniable that Huawei needs them. Huawei is facing a new turning point, needs a new atmosphere, and needs to rekindle combat effectiveness. As the outside world has commented, today's Huawei needs a new, comprehensive victory.
In fact, the recent inaugural meeting of the second batch of legions by Huawei is not the first time that Ren Zhengfei has worn glasses. At the inaugural meeting of the first legions at the end of October last year, Ren Zhengfei also wore glasses when he spoke. In an earlier media interview in May 2019, Ren Zhengfei was shown holding glasses to cover his slightly reddened eye sockets – at this moment, glasses play a role in masking emotions. The glasses styling that can be found online is only three times.
But a closer look at the above two pictures, and the latest time to wear glasses are different, the first two times are the traditional flat long tortoiseshell glasses, this time is the kind of boxy large black frame that young people like, set off ren Zhengfei does look a lot younger, adding some fashion sense, even if wearing a tie does not look dull.
It should be emphasized again that in the theory of brand construction, once the personal image recognition system forms a brand and influence, it should not be changed too much. If there is a change, it is likely to be a signal of the adjustment of the direction of the business.
At this conference, in addition to Ren Zhengfei's eye-catching black-rimmed glasses, another noteworthy symbol is the red of the scene - the Huawei people who participated in the oath-taking conference all wore red masks printed with English "winner" - the last time they wore black masks, wearing red ties, neatly aligned, employees waved red battle flags on the stage, shouting "must win" three times, this video was posted in the voice community, employees have left messages, making people's blood boil.
In the video, ren Zhengfei also appears looking down at the file, indicating that he should not be wearing reading glasses or myopic glasses
Ren Zhengfei again explained the source of the "Legion" at the oath-taking meeting: a special google organization from the New York Times reported on June 6, 2004. This legion is composed of PhDs, scientists, engineers and marketing experts, generally fifty or sixty people, flexible and efficient, avoiding the redundancy of the management mechanism of the enterprise layer, and their goal is to be the first in the world. The "Legion" model is an enterprise service business, which is Huawei's solutions for specific industries or industries, such as coal legion and smart photovoltaic legion.
This business has high hopes by Ren Zhengfei and has the meaning of a backwater battle. Huawei's recently released 2021 financial report has undergone some unprecedented changes: revenue of 636.8 billion yuan, which is the first time that Huawei's revenue has declined since it published its annual report on its official website since 2006. The reason for the decline is that the revenue of the consumer business (mainly mobile phones) is almost cut to the waist, almost returning to the level of revenue in 2017.
The carrier business (CNBG) is the core business on which Huawei started, from 2003 when Huawei entered the mobile phone business, to 2018, during which 15 years, consumer business (CBG) revenue exceeded the operator business for the first time. For Huawei, this is a historic moment, and it is also the story that Huawei has talked about most in recent years. But also at the end of this year, Meng Wanzhou was detained in Canada, and the following year Huawei was sanctioned by the United States, and the results of the sanctions were finally reflected in Huawei's annual report in 2021.
After the external turmoil gradually subsided, how to achieve growth has once again become the primary contradiction within Huawei.
Even though the consumer business has surpassed the operator business in the first two years, Ren Zhengfei also said, "After all, it is an auxiliary industry, and the purpose is to make money, send money over, and help CNBG dominate the world." WHEN CNBG got the money, it charged and occupied Mount Everest."
Today, the consumer business is folded, and the enterprise business of one of the three major businesses has maintained a slight growth in 2021, and has become the next direction of Huawei's efforts and the new driving force for escort operators to occupy Everest. Huawei's fifteen legions, which were established twice before and after, are part of the enterprise business and are personally supervised by Ren Zhengfei.
Legion mode may be Huawei's new story.
The change in Ren Zhengfei's appearance, in addition to sending the signal of Huawei's "new atmosphere", may be just as people visually feel "younger", trying to show that the 78-year-old Ren Zhengfei is "not old", and has spare strength to continue to escort Huawei and stabilize the military.com. Just like the recent Starbucks founder Schultz came out of the mountains again and returned to the front line when the company was in turmoil.
After the Meng Wanzhou incident, Ren Zhengfei said in an interview that the current is not the most dangerous moment for Huawei, and the general laziness of Huawei people in the past period of time is the biggest crisis, and this sudden outbreak of external crisis has stimulated Huawei's cohesion and combat effectiveness. He also quipped in an interview, "Maybe because the United States always suppressed us, I was motivated, and I was ready to retire."
Since 2011, Huawei has begun to implement a rotation system, and since 2014, Huawei's annual report has cancelled Ren Zhengfei's "CEO Speech" column, and on Huawei's official website, Ren Zhengfei's ranking on the management information page is very low. The founder gradually "retreated". Huawei's major decisions are jointly voted by the board of directors, and Ren Zhengfei only has the right to vote. But the board retained Ren's one-vote veto, and according to a public interview, Ren zhengfei had not yet used the veto.
After the US sanctions incident, Ren Zhengfei returned to the front of the stage, giving more than 30 intensive media interviews in 2019, jokingly referring to him as "working for the Public Relations Department". Huawei, which is still at the critical juncture of life and death, is still inseparable from Ren Zhengfei's "needle of fixing the sea god" for a long time.
Ren Zhengfei's newly established image of rejuvenation at home also matches the results of Huawei's recent "youthful" personnel adjustments. Among the recent series of Huawei trends, the most eye-catching thing is that Meng Wanzhou has been added as Huawei's rotating chairman, and Guo Ping, one of the original three rotating chairmen, has been adjusted to the chairman of the board of supervisors, and the rotating chairman is still three. The move also sparked speculation about The possible succession of Meng Wanzhou, although Ren Zhengfei had stated that Meng Wanzhou, who was born in finance, did not understand technology and could not succeed.
The above is just one of huawei's management changes. In addition, huawei's board of directors and supervisory board after the change of term have also absorbed some new faces, showing a youthful trend.
03
Meng Wanzhou's "Mission"
The body language of entrepreneurs is not only an integral part of the corporate brand image, but also a powerful weapon for corporate public relations as a carrier of information. Huawei has two extremely important "public relations missions" based on Meng Wanzhou's clothing as a communication carrier.
On the day Meng Wanzhou returned to China in September last year, she appeared at the entrance of the plane in a red dress. Some foreign media wrote this detail into the news report: Meng Wanzhou was wearing a striking red long-sleeved dress, which was very coordinated with the five-star red flag on the plane at the moment. Meng Wanzhou's circle of friends on the way back to China has strengthened the narrative effect of this transmission: "Without a strong motherland, there would be no freedom for me today." It was that brilliant Chinese red that ignited the fire of faith in my heart, illuminated the darkest moments of my life, and led me on the long way home."
Source: Xinhua News Agency
However, in the public statement to the outside world, Ren Zhengfei is always vigilant against the risk of excessive spread of "red". In a foreign media interview in 2019, Ren Zhengfei was asked how to view the recent criticism of Huawei on the Internet, and Ren Zhengfei's answer was impressive: Huawei has been red and purple for some time, if you hack Huawei, Huawei's color will become grayer and restore its true color. Huawei's true color is gray, not red and purple. When the society thinks that Huawei is very good, in fact, Huawei itself is also full of contradictions.
Earlier, during Meng Wanzhou's "house arrest" in Canada — Ren Zhengfei emphasized "house arrest" rather than "imprisonment" — her every appearance drew foreign media footage to her dress: delicate, dominated by bright colors, stepping on high heels like weapons, and her gait was always upright.
On the other hand, Ren Zhengfei, who frequently gives interviews at home, has a relaxed look, rational and powerful language, and constantly emphasizes the sincerity of win-win cooperation with the United States, while drawing a bottom line. During the BBC's participation in a Huawei press conference, he bluntly said at the meeting site that "there is no sign that the company is under pressure" - the same sentence applies to Meng Wanzhou, who is far away on the other side of the ocean and is dressed brightly every time he appears.
The father and daughter in the two places jointly completed Huawei's crisis public relations task in an intertextual manner. After returning to China, Meng Wanzhou returned to a low-key black with every appearance at the company.
It is difficult to say whether it is a coincidence or a precaution, just one month before Meng Wanzhou was detained in Canada, Huawei Voice Community released "Ren Zhengfei's Speech at the Public Relations Strategic Outline Briefing Meeting", titled "From the Crystallization of Human Civilization, Find the Key to Solving World Problems", which can be regarded as the guiding principle of Huawei's public relations work.
To Ren Zhengfei's right is Chen Lifang, President of Huawei's Public and Government Affairs Department and a member of Huawei's Supervisory Board, who joined Huawei in 1995
A month later, Huawei's public relations department may not have had time to carry out "rehearsal" and "simulation" according to Ren Zhengfei's suggestions, and ushered in a bloody battle. In that public opinion war, you will find that Huawei's public relations strategy is basically consistent with the content of Ren Zhengfei's speech, and Huawei's various measures can also be found in that document. An excerpt is as follows:
Our public relations work should no longer need to emphasize identity proof, and almost everything that can be proved proves that it is now necessary to solve the problem of the business environment, that is, to fully understand Western values, clearly explain the part of Huawei's values that are consistent with the West, and form a consensus to a certain extent. If their behavior is understood from different perspectives, there will never be a common language, and it will be impossible to indirectly find a pattern for solving problems.
Public relations should clearly explain Huawei's values, the big hat must be "win-win cooperation", and it is necessary to establish a balanced world and a win-win pattern of cooperation in a high-level manner. Without this programme, it is easily understood as a subversion of the world, which will exclude us. The leader can only take care of himself; the leader must take care of others.
In the past, public relations was mainly a shield to the outside world, and in the future, it was not only a shield to the outside world, but also a catalyst for the change of internal thinking, and it was open to both internal and external. Learn to play tai chi, less Shaolin Temple, don't be aggressive, you can blacken yourself, you can't boast. Now that society has exaggerated Huawei, which is harmful, don't let our young people, think that the company has really succeeded, and paralyzed.
Public relations can also play a group of individual groups when historical events occur, representing different roles and conducting debates and deductions. For example, in the Middle East crisis, some people play NATO, some people play Iran, Russia, the United States, Saudi Arabia, Israel... Various interest groups, speculation makes people progress, the more fierce the debate, the more to search for information, but also a profound study. They can also play their own press spokesmen and act in live newspaper dramas.
Public relations should take the road of carrying, and the boundaries of job responsibilities should not be too clear. All of us are public relations, and everyone's every move, every word and deed actually represents the image of the company.
In an interview with the BBC, Ren Zhengfei said: "I have not undergone media training, and I speak too bluntly, it is inevitable that I will say wrong, I hope everyone can forgive." Ren Zhengfei may indeed not have received professional training, but he is undoubtedly a very talented public relations expert.
Resources:
[1] Huawei Voices Community
[2] "Why Jobs, Ma Huateng, Zhou Hongyi, Xu Xiaoping and the big guys all like to wear rimless glasses"
[3] "Zhou Hongyi: When the Fighter Is No Longer Tough" Source: Pick up the move
Image from the web
The author of this article | Peng Peng is the editor-in-chief | Wang Tao
Wang Shuqi, consultant | Chen Runjiang, editor|