Text: Minimalist popular science
Minimalist popular science
Preface
Do you still remember those days when the gods fought? As soon as you turn on the TV, there are overwhelming advertisements for health care products, not only the content is brainwashing, but also the target groups are different. As a result, many consumers have generously donated money and become a big leek harvested by pharmaceutical manufacturers.
However, as information continues to be transparent, these legendary health care products with miraculous effects have also fallen to the altar and become what everyone calls the "IQ tax". Today, let's take a look at these once brilliant health care product brands and see how many you have bought.
1. Brain platinum
When it comes to its name, I'm afraid everyone knows it. At the end of the twentieth century, relying on the continuous brainwashing and repetition of advertising slogans, Brain Platinum broke out of the encirclement in one fell swoop and became the sales champion of the health care products industry at that time. Even at the end of 2003, it set a sales myth of 100 million per month. So far, Brain Platinum has become a well-deserved leader in the mainland health care products industry.
But who would have thought that the founder of the brand was once a poor man in debt. The reason why you want to build the brand of brain platinum is completely to pay off your debts?
In 1997, business tycoon Shi Yuzhu began to build the Giant Building. However, it backfired, not only did he fail to build the business empire of his dreams, but he was burdened with 250 million debts. In order to get out as soon as possible, Shi Yuzhu set his sights on the health care products industry.
In his conception, he is ready to rely on the wallets of young people to earn money from the elderly. Soon, a series of anime-style TV commercials were born. In addition to the line brainwashing, the advertisement has always promoted the concept that if you want to prove your filial piety?
Relying on such advertising logic, Brain Platinum has risen rapidly in China, not only opening more than 200 sales outlets, large and small, but also with annual sales of more than one billion.
However, the foam came and went quickly, and the brand was soon exposed to a shocking scandal: the main raw materials in the product were actually starch and melatonin, which not only had no health care function, but even had side effects when taken for a long time. So far, a generation of mythical brain platinum has completely become a market outcast, and even faces accountability from consumers and relevant departments.
2. 汇仁肾宝
"He's good, I'm good. I believe many people remember this vulgar advertising slogan. Paired with the exaggerated performance of the advertising actors, it instantly made the audience think about it. It has also successfully attracted many men to rush to buy, and even broke out in a panic buying frenzy across the country.
However, this legendary health care product with miraculous effects is not cheap, and the price of each capsule is 2.5 yuan. Relying on the strong support of consumers, Huiren Kidney Treasure successfully achieved a sales volume of 300 million yuan a year, and also made the big boss behind it, Chen Shishi, make a lot of money.
In fact, this is not the first time that Chen Shi has made money in the health care products industry, and he made a lot of money by selling royal jelly in his early years. However, after that, the popularity of propolis products continued to decline, and he was forced to find another way. Soon, he set his sights on the male market.
He first invited the goddess Chen Shu to shoot an advertisement, and then threw 14 million advertising fees at CCTV. Fueled by a series of packaging methods, Huiren Kidney Treasure was born and became a well-known health care product brand. However, consumers may not know that the high-end health care products they buy back with huge sums of money only cost a dime each, and the profit is as high as 14 times.
In other words, everyone obviously spent the money of ginseng, but what they ate in their mouths was a large radish. In 2019, the state also began to rectify related industries. The vulgar and brainwashing kidney treasure advertisement has finally disappeared from my eyes completely.
3. Mrs. oral liquid
Replenish the complexion, prolong aging, and sleep well. This series of curative effects, without exception, poked the hearts of middle-aged women, and also made Mrs. Oral Liquid sell well in China for 20 years, and made the boss behind it, Zhu Baoguo, make 49 billion yuan.
Relying on oral liquids, Zhu Baoguo reached sales of 300 million yuan in 6 years, and completed the listing target ahead of schedule. was even once known as Buffett in the medical world by the industry, and successfully achieved fame and fortune. And "Mrs. Oral Liquid" has also successfully entered the shopping mall counters in first-tier cities. In 1999, the brand was able to reach a monthly turnover of 300,000 yuan at just one counter of the Guangzhou Department Store.
However, fame comes and goes quickly. Especially when female consumers find that they don't see the corresponding results even if they insist on taking it. Mrs. oral liquid has also become a "big problem" in the health care product industry, and it has gone downhill in a short period of time. By 2018, the brand's annual revenue was less than 10 million, and it really fell to the bottom.
However, Zhu Baoguo did not break his muscles and bones because of this. He had long expected that he could not sit back and relax with only one product, so he dispersed his net worth to multiple brands in the pharmaceutical field in advance, and he could achieve tens of billions of revenue every year by relying on them. It seems that the clown is actually the consumer himself, and he has not escaped the fate of being harvested by capital after all.
4. Life One
A bottle of liquid and a small pill can make your child smarter. This sentence may sound like a fantasy, but at the end of the 90s, such a health supplement reaped the wallets of many students and parents.
I'm afraid everyone can't forget the little boy with the aperture on his head, and the magical sentence "Give me life number one before the college entrance examination". Relying on such advertising words, Life No. 1 successfully captured the hearts of the first batch of involuted parents, as if as long as the child insists on taking it, he will definitely be admitted to a key university.
However, if we dig deeper into the ingredient list of Life One, we will see that such a vision is a joke. After all, its main raw materials are taurine and deep-sea extracts, to put it bluntly, eating some hairtail fish and drinking some red bull can achieve the same effect. However, the price of these two items is much cheaper than that of Life One. No wonder some netizens said: health care products are the biggest IQ tax.
5. Three-share oral solution
In the field of health care products, I am afraid that there is only one company that dares to take the road of the countryside surrounding the city. Relying on a bucket of white paint, Sanzhu Oral Liquid has become a "dominant" brand in rural areas around the country. At the end of the 90s, you could see the concise advertising slogan "If you are sick, please drink three plants" in almost every village.
Relying on such unpretentious advertising words, Sanzhu successfully achieved annual sales of 8 billion yuan under the condition that the per capita salary was less than 100 yuan. However, who would have thought that its founder, Wu Bingxin, would actually make a fortune by selling bean sprouts?
He once started in the food and beverage industry, and later entered the health care product industry. In 1994, Wu Bingxin successfully founded Sanzhu Industry. However, from the first day of the development of the star product Sanstrain Oral Liquid, he set himself two goals: one is to expand publicity, and the other is to reduce costs.
In 1996, an old Mr. Chen from Changde, Hunan Province, had reached the advanced stage of frequent urination, but under the powerful advertising campaign, he did not choose a regular hospital, but spent a huge amount of money to buy ten bottles of Sanzhu oral liquid. Eventually, due to the delay in treatment, Mr. Chen died.
When his children took Sanzhu to court, the people of the whole country finally knew the true face of Sanzhu oral liquid. It turns out that the main raw materials of the so-called high-priced health care products are all kinds of grains and probiotics. Although it is not toxic, it is unbelievable to rely on him for health care.
6. Chinese soft-shelled turtle essence
Speaking of this health care product, it can definitely be called the originator of the IQ tax industry. It is said that the main ingredient is nutrients extracted from wild turtles, combined with various Chinese herbs. Taking 1-2 times a day can achieve the effect of delaying aging and prolonging life.
At first, many consumers were skeptical, thinking that it was just an oral liquid, how could it have such a significant effect, but when the spokesperson of the product came out, almost everyone began to believe it.
Ma Jiajun, who once dominated the track and field world, soon became a living signboard of Chinese turtle spirits. Coach Ma Junren has publicly stated more than once that the reason why his athletes can achieve many outstanding results is because of the long-term use of Chinese turtle essence.
As soon as this news came out, the expensive health products were immediately sold out of stock. However, after an unannounced interview by reporters, the truth gradually surfaced. It turned out that there was only one soft-shelled turtle in the entire production plant, and the main raw material of its oral liquid was only brown sugar water. It is difficult for brands to use the guise to blind all consumers, and even sell for more than ten years, which can be called a big joke in the health care product industry.
7. Wuhan red heart k
I believe that many post-80s and post-90s generations have heard the name of red heart K blood-generating agent, but can you think that this health care product that was once popular all over the country not only has no blood tonic effect, but even causes cancer?
Judging from the advertisements, K of hearts is definitely an all-round representative, which can not only supplement iron, improve skin condition, but also regulate weight and enhance immunity. And the name of the person is also very confusing - "blood-growing agent", at first glance, I feel that there is endless energy all over my body, full of good complexion.
In fact, the sodium tolulate in its raw materials not only has no health care effect, but is a first-class carcinogen. In fact, it is a common preservative raw material, but it is occasionally used in medicines or dyes. In such a high-priced health care product, preservative raw materials with carcinogenic effects are actually added, which is really a bit of black humor.
- 505 Divine Power Vitality Bag
If I told you that there is a belt that can cure all diseases, you will definitely scoff at it. However, it is such a health care product that sounds like a fantasy, and it has become popular all over the country in the last century. It even became popular on the other side of the ocean and became an important "weapon" for Americans to fight pneumonia.
In 1989, the overseas edition of the People's Daily published a special article from a patient's family. It is written: His mother was frail and sickly, but she regained her health by insisting on wearing the 505 Divine Power Vitality Bag. As soon as this news came out, it instantly ignited the desire of people across the country to buy. At that time, 5 million goods could be sold in a day.
However, the founder Lai Huiwu was not satisfied, and he invited countless "water army" to promote it in the major newspapers and media. As a result, it was given the opportunity to export to the United States.
However, with the passage of time, many consumers finally came to their senses. And the once famous Shengong Vitality Bag has also become an outcast in the health care product market. However, many Americans still believe in its power to this day, and even insist on wearing it during the epidemic, hoping to get the effect of "all poisons are not invasive". The East is not bright and the West is bright, and the 505 Shengong Vitality Bag is indeed a wonderful product in the health care industry, and I don't know how long it will be popular in the American market.
From a smash hit to notoriety, these health products have harvested a lot of people's hard-earned money. However, as time passed, their true colors were revealed. In the face of a dazzling array of health products, we must keep our eyes open, protect our money bags, and not be confused by the extraordinary effect of the merchants' publicity. Consistent exercise and good Xi habits are the most effective means of health care. Do you agree with the editor's point of view? Welcome to leave a message in the comment area to discuss.