Recently, there seems to be a trend in the automotive industry for executives to become influencers themselves. Daniel Zhang, CEO of Nezha Automobile, was originally urged by his boss Zhou Hongyi to learn from Xiaomi's Lei Jun, and his performance during the live broadcast of selling cars caused widespread discussion. In particular, his attitude towards how to serve car users is in stark contrast to Lei Jun.
As the CEO of Nezha Automobile, Daniel Zhang has recently frequently appeared on various live broadcast platforms, trying to promote his own cars through a people-friendly image.
This strategy seems to be mimicking Xiaomi's path to success. When Lei Jun released the Xiaomi car, he personally opened the door for the car owner and interacted with consumers with a humble attitude, which won high praise.
Daniel Zhang's attempts do not seem to have had the desired effect. In a live broadcast, some netizens asked whether Daniel Zhang would follow Lei Jun's example to open the door for the car owner.
Daniel Zhang replied that this was not a problem at all, and even promised that there would be a delivery ceremony at the next handover, and he would personally bow 90 degrees to serve the owner.
Many netizens did not buy it because Daniel Zhang had not had similar behavior before, which made people feel that his promise was not sincere enough.
Netizens also compared the sitting posture of Daniel Zhang and Lei Jun, pointing out that Daniel Zhang often stomped his legs during the live broadcast and looked quite casual, which was in sharp contrast to Lei Jun's humble image.
In the face of criticism and ridicule from netizens, Daniel Zhang then issued a response, saying that his waist was not suitable, and his legs were just to make him sit more comfortable.
He expressed his helplessness, saying that he was not good at acting and could not play every role perfectly like Lei Jun. He also mentioned that many people are referring to these people as "licking dogs" in comparison and ridicule.
Zhou Hongyi, the big boss of Nezha Auto, was very disappointed with Daniel Zhang's performance. He had hoped that Daniel Zhang could learn from Lei Jun and improve the company's image and sales.
Some support Daniel Zhang's candor and believe that he is at least not disguising himself, while more people believe that as a leader of a company, he should learn to better express and handle his public image instead of complaining and justifying.
This controversy not only damaged Daniel Zhang's personal image, but also affected the brand image of Nezha Auto. Many self-media and industry commentators have begun to pay attention to this phenomenon.
They pointed out that more and more executives in the automotive industry are choosing to do live broadcasts in person, which is a way for companies to try to get closer to consumers. The success of this approach depends largely on the executive's personality, on-the-spot adaptability, and how they interact with the audience.