Recently, Yu Chengdong, CEO of Huawei's consumer business, said in public that Huawei's intelligent driving system "Zhijie S7" has surpassed Tesla's FSD in performance after testing, becoming the "world's best" intelligent driving system. This remark is inevitably reminiscent of another distinctive marketing term that Yu Chengdong has used before - "far ahead".
Yu Chengdong's exaggerated marketing style has indeed attracted widespread attention and heated discussions. Some people think that his approach is somewhat like the "traffic patriotic performance artists" in the self-media industry, such as Sima Nan, Zhang Weiwei and others. They are all good at tying "patriotic" elements to personal interests in order to gain public attention and favor.
By hyping up the concept of "patriotism", these people were able to occupy the moral and emotional high ground and easily attract the attention of the masses. At the same time, they are also good at using some extreme and exaggerated rhetorical techniques, such as "far ahead" and "clear the field", so as to enhance the propaganda effect.
It can be said that these "traffic patriotic performance artists" are undoubtedly a kind of "take-it-or-leave-it" and imitation of Yu Chengdong's marketing methods. For example, Zhang Weiwei recently publicly mentioned that "China is already far ahead", further exaggerating Yu Chengdong's "far ahead" in an attempt to seize the limelight of public opinion.
However, unlike these self-media big Vs who make a living from "mouth cannons", Yu Chengdong, as an executive of an industrial company, his remarks undoubtedly have more practical influence. As a representative of China's national brand, Huawei's "patriotic" posture is also more acceptable to the public.
To some extent, Huawei's use of "patriotic" elements in marketing is not too excessive. For a national science and technology company that continues to grow and develop under heavy pressure from the United States, it is not impossible to properly emphasize patriotic feelings.
But at the same time, we also need to be wary of this tendency of "patriotic marketing" to go too far and degenerate into mere commercial hype. After all, while the concept of "patriotism" is very contagious, if overused and commercialized, it can cut its purity and make people feel that companies are just using patriotic sentiment to make money.
Yu Chengdong's claim that the performance of Huawei's intelligent driving system is "the best in the world" is undoubtedly a direct challenge to Tesla's FSD. To a certain extent, this expression of "world's first" has broken through the provisions of the Advertising Law and may violate the legal boundaries of unfair competition.
After all, in such a mature market as the automotive industry, it's hard to really and absolutely claim that your products are "the best in the world". Such publicity will undoubtedly cause dissatisfaction among other manufacturers and even lead to legal disputes. Therefore, in the market competition, enterprises should still pay attention to objective facts and avoid exaggerated statements.
In addition, we must also take into account that similar slogans of "world first" are easily hyped and misinterpreted by other "mouth cannon artists". Just as Zhang Weiwei did, he easily elevated Yu Chengdong's "far ahead" to the level of "clearing the field", trying to seize the commanding heights of public opinion.
This means that even if Huawei really reaches the industry-leading level in some technical indicators, once it is over-exaggerated by others, it is easy for people to feel "bluffing". This is undoubtedly an adverse impact on a hard-working enterprise like Huawei.
There is no doubt that Huawei, as a representative of China's national brand, does contribute to the public's goodwill and recognition to a certain extent. But at the same time, we must also be wary of the risks that "patriotic marketing" may bring.
First of all, if the emotional factor of patriotism is used excessively commercially, it is easy for people to feel that it has lost its true flavor and has become a tool for making money. As mentioned above, the reason why some self-media influencers can attract attention is largely because they are good at using patriotic sentiment for personal gain.
If Huawei also embarks on a similar path, it is likely to give the outside world a negative impression that "patriotism is to make money". This is undoubtedly contrary to the brand image that Huawei has been promoting.
Second, overemphasizing "patriotism" may also hinder companies from establishing a more professional and technology-led brand image. After all, it is difficult to make an enterprise invincible forever by relying only on the slogan of "patriotism". On the contrary, we should win the trust and goodwill of consumers through real product and technological innovation.
Moreover, the concept of "patriotism" itself is measured. Over-commercialization of it can give the impression that companies are doing "political shows" in an attempt to hype up the hype rather than focusing on real advances in products and technologies. This will undoubtedly weaken the credibility and influence of enterprises.
In general, patriotic marketing is a double-edged sword. If properly grasped, it can indeed be an effective means for enterprises to enhance their brand image and enhance public recognition. But if it is not used properly, it may do more harm than good, let the company fall into the quagmire of "patriotic hype", and affect the overall evaluation of the public.
To sum up, we can see that in this marketing war of "far ahead" and "the best in the world", there are not only the marketing demands of the company itself, but also the hype of some self-media big Vs.
For a representative national enterprise like Huawei, it is undoubtedly understandable to appropriately emphasize patriotic feelings. But the key is how to do so without losing the professional image of the technology brand.
On the one hand, Huawei should insist on using real products and technological innovations to win the recognition of consumers, rather than relying too much on "patriotism".
As a representative national science and technology enterprise, Huawei should naturally express its enthusiasm and pride in the motherland at the appropriate time. But at the same time, it should also understand that if it relies too much on "patriotic" sentiment to prop up brand marketing, this may bring some hidden dangers.
First, overemphasizing patriotism risks overpoliticizing Huawei's image, giving the impression that it is more of a "political statement" than focused on the products and technologies themselves. This is obviously contrary to the image of Huawei as a technology leader that it has been pursuing.
Second, if Huawei blindly tries to seize the commanding heights of public opinion through "patriotic" slogans, it will easily be "overtaken" by other people with "mouth cannon skills". As mentioned before, Zhang Weiwei easily exaggerated Yu Chengdong's "far ahead" into "clear field far ahead". This will undoubtedly weaken Huawei's persuasiveness in terms of technical prowess.
Finally, over-reliance on patriotic sentiment may also make Huawei's brand positioning too homogeneous. After all, as a high-tech enterprise, Huawei should ultimately take its scientific and technological strength and innovation capabilities as its foothold, rather than positioning itself as a purely "patriotic enterprise".
Therefore, Huawei needs to better balance the relationship between patriotism and professional image in brand promotion. On the one hand, there is no problem in properly expressing love and pride in one's homeland, which helps to enhance the public's sense of identity. But on the other hand, it should also focus on its own strength in technological innovation and product advantages, so that consumers can truly feel that Huawei is a technology brand that leads the future.
Only by doing this can Huawei truly remain invincible in the fierce market competition. It must not only maintain its identity and social responsibility as a national enterprise at all times, but also continue to consolidate its technology brand status, so as to win the long-term trust of consumers.
In general, in this "far ahead" and "world's first" marketing process, we have seen the excessive use and hype of the concept of "patriotism" by some corporate executives and self-media influencers.
To a certain extent, this practice touches the boundaries of law and morality, and it is easy for people to feel "vulgar" and "excessive". Therefore, when conducting brand marketing, enterprises should still pay attention to maintaining objectivity and rationality, and avoid relying too much on "patriotic" emotions to gain attention and favor.
On the contrary, they should pay more attention to the actual competitiveness of the product and technology itself, so that consumers can truly feel the professional strength of the enterprise, rather than blindly emphasizing their patriotic feelings. Only by doing this, can enterprises remain invincible in the fierce market competition for a long time.
After all, for a true national brand, patriotism is certainly a valuable virtue, but it should be a natural expression of emotion, rather than a gimmick that is overused and commercialized. Only by doing this can companies like Huawei truly win the respect and trust of the public.