In the rapidly evolving world of e-commerce, a provocative question has emerged: does brand power still matter when consumer attention is increasingly driven by fleeting interests? This debate, sparked by marketing expert Gong Fanggang's observations about the "dissolution of brand power" in interest-driven e-commerce, has ignited intense discussions about the fundamental nature of digital commerce.
The e-commerce landscape has transformed dramatically in recent years, with new concepts like traffic dividends, IP effects, and interest-based e-commerce constantly emerging. Each new marketing trend brings with it questions about the relevance of traditional brand building. Some argue that established brand-building methods have become obsolete in this new era of digital engagement. But is this truly the case?
The Illusion of "Beginner's Luck": Fleeting Success Stories
Gong's concept of "beginner's luck" perfectly captures a common phenomenon in today's e-commerce ecosystem. This term refers to the preferential treatment new entrants receive from platforms eager to attract participants - including traffic allocation and resource support. Whether on early platforms like Taobao or current giants like Douyin, newcomers often experience rapid initial success, with sales and follower counts skyrocketing.
However, this success is typically built on platform advantages rather than genuine competitive strength. Like standing on a giant's shoulders, the view may be impressive, but once that support disappears, so too does the advantage. The myth of overnight success can create dangerous illusions, leading some to underestimate traditional marketing methods and overestimate their own abilities.
When the initial advantages fade, companies without strong brand foundations often collapse just as quickly as they rose. The e-commerce landscape is littered with examples: once-dominant Taobao brands, viral IPs, and fast-moving consumer goods that capitalized on new media trends. How many maintain their former vitality today?
Biology teaches us that rapidly developed life forms are often the most primitive. Similarly, sustainable business success requires long-term thinking. Companies that rise quickly on platform advantages but fail to convert those temporary benefits into lasting competitive strengths are destined to be short-lived phenomena.
IP vs. Brand: The Paradox of Trend and Tradition
The rise of IP (intellectual property) marketing represents one of the most significant recent trends. Successful IPs - whether characters, stories, or images - can rapidly capture consumer attention and generate substantial value. Disney's stable of characters, from Mickey Mouse to its princess lineup, demonstrates the power of strong IP.
Yet IPs often have limited lifespans, vulnerable to shifting market tastes and preferences. As management expert Shi Wei astutely observed, "IP is fashion, brand is a lighthouse." While IPs can produce short-term explosions of interest, only strong brands provide lasting direction. Companies should view IP as a tool for brand building rather than a replacement for it.
Just as fashion allows for varied personal expression while ultimately revealing individual style, IP marketing should serve to highlight a brand's core values and cultural essence. These fundamental qualities represent the true foundation for long-term success. Companies with deeply established brands can thrive even without relying on trending IPs.
From Opportunity to Capability: The Path to Sustainable Business
For entrepreneurs, capitalizing on "beginner's luck" can provide crucial early advantages. But the real challenge lies in converting these temporary benefits into stable channels and lasting brand loyalty. The essence of business management involves transforming opportunity-based success into capability-based success.
In the internet era, where new opportunities constantly emerge, many companies chase after every trend. While this approach might yield short-term gains, it rarely produces sustainable results. Market trends shift constantly, and businesses focused solely on chasing the latest phenomenon without developing core competencies inevitably get left behind.
Sustainable success requires developing fundamental strengths rather than simply mastering superficial techniques. Like martial arts training, flashy moves alone won't suffice - true mastery requires developing internal discipline and strength.
Symbiosis, Not Revolution: The Timeless Nature of Commerce
The internet age has brought constant talk of "revolution" and disruption. Yet commerce fundamentally operates on principles of symbiosis rather than revolution. Traditional stores, brands, advertising, and platform traffic all continue to evolve and coexist, forming a complete commercial ecosystem.
This resembles a thriving forest containing diverse plants and animals that depend on each other to maintain ecological balance. Early forms of user-generated content have reemerged in new formats like social media. While Alibaba benefited from early e-commerce advantages, new challengers like Pinduoduo and Douyin have forced adaptation.
Interest-based e-commerce possesses strong explosive power to capture attention, but consumer interests constantly shift. The greatest challenge lies in distinguishing between temporary phenomena and lasting consumer needs. By the time many companies analyze their declines after initial success, consumer attention has already moved elsewhere.
Brands: The Foundation of Lasting Competitive Advantage
Rapid growth comes easily; true maturity proves difficult. Explosive popularity can be achieved, but stability remains elusive. The internet frequently creates miracles of sudden success, but these often disappear just as quickly. As expert Jin Huanmin metaphorically observed, these are like crabs that "die as soon as they turn red."
Internet propagation follows a consumer-to-consumer (C2C) model, where decentralized sharing can produce centralized phenomena under platform amplification. But interests change and platform support fluctuates. Companies that experience sudden success must quickly stabilize and strengthen their business-to-consumer (B2C) communications.
One entrepreneur achieved category dominance on a platform before abandoning the effort when the initial advantages disappeared, finding sustained traffic acquisition unsustainable. This case illustrates how startups must capitalize on early opportunities but transition to mature operating systems for lasting success.
As platforms mature, companies must develop offline channels to secure stable traffic. While the internet excels at creating breakthroughs, traditional methods offer greater stability. Most established brands missed early internet opportunities, typically becoming late adopters of digital strategies - yet they remain the steadiest performers.
The beneficiaries of early advantages have largely disappeared, while these traditional players continue operating successfully. The internet can produce miracles, but rarely sustains them. While digital strategies excel at offense, traditional methods remain essential for defense.
In the era of interest-based e-commerce, the importance of brands remains undeniable. Rather than chasing temporary traffic advantages, businesses should focus on the fundamentals of building lasting brand value. Strong brands serve as stable cognitive symbols and the foundation for enduring competitive advantage.