If brands were ships sailing through competitive waters, trending topics would be the wind. While riding these winds of public attention can provide temporary speed boosts, over-reliance on trend-chasing risks steering brands off course into the vortex of fleeting popularity. A recent case in China's consumer market perfectly illustrates this dilemma.
I. The Incident: How a Makeup Controversy Created Opportunity
The storm began when Chinese cosmetics brand Florasis faced intense backlash over its eyebrow pencil pricing. A 0.07-gram pencil priced at 79 yuan (approximately $11) meant consumers were paying more per gram than gold. The public outcry against what they called "domestic beauty rip-offs" grew louder when Florasis's response failed to calm the situation, instead fueling the controversy.
Enter Feng Hua, a heritage Chinese personal care brand that saw an opening. Quickly launching a 79-yuan haircare bundle with bold claims like "only 0.02 yuan per gram," Feng Hua directly contrasted its value proposition against Florasis's premium pricing. The strategy worked spectacularly in the short term. On Douyin (China's TikTok), Feng Hua's official store videos went viral, with the hashtag "Feng Hua business war" accumulating 220 million views and topping trending charts.
II. The Numbers: A Short-Term Success Story
The immediate impact was undeniable. Feng Hua's live-stream sales skyrocketed, with its Douyin store reaching 4.23 million total sales by September 13. In just two hours, orders surged by 17,000 units, translating to approximately 510,000 yuan ($70,000) in sales based on average product prices. Concurrently, viewership on Kuaishou (a rival short-video platform) grew tenfold from baseline numbers.
These metrics demonstrate the potent short-term gains possible from trend-riding marketing. However, the crucial question remains: Can this attention be converted into lasting brand value?
III. Industry Backlash: The Hidden Costs of Viral Marketing
Not all observers celebrated Feng Hua's strategy. Industry professionals criticized the campaign's fundamental premise—comparing completely different product categories (haircare vs. color cosmetics) solely on price-per-weight metrics. This approach, they argued, risks commoditizing products and training consumers to prioritize price over quality or innovation.
One particularly scathing comment from a beauty executive called Feng Hua's campaign "an embarrassment to the industry," highlighting how such tactics might erode overall category value.
IV. Strategic Shortcomings: Beyond the Hype
Beneath the surface of viral success, Feng Hua's campaign reveals common pitfalls in Chinese brands' marketing approaches:
1. Unclear Product Positioning: Feng Hua's traditional product lineup lacks differentiation in China's crowded personal care market. Without distinctive innovation, price becomes the primary selling point.
2. Aging Brand Image: Despite successfully engaging younger consumers through this campaign, Feng Hua's overall brand perception remains tied to its heritage status rather than contemporary relevance.
3. Overreliance on Tactical Marketing: The brand's strategy leans heavily on price promotions and trend-jacking rather than building lasting consumer relationships or brand equity.
V. The Bigger Picture: Sustainable Growth for Chinese Brands
The Florasis-Feng Hua episode offers broader lessons for China's domestic brands seeking to compete with international rivals:
1. Quality as Foundation: Product excellence must precede marketing narratives. Chinese brands should invest more in R&D and quality control.
2. Design Differentiation: Beyond functionality, aesthetic innovation helps brands command premium positioning.
3. Authentic Storytelling: Cultural heritage and brand provenance can create emotional connections when communicated authentically.
4. Customer-Centricity: Building loyalty requires consistently excellent user experiences beyond transactional relationships.
VI. The Copycat Effect: When Everyone Chases Trends
Following Feng Hua's example, other heritage brands like Lotus MSG (a condiment company) launched nearly identical 79-yuan bundles. This imitation highlights a dangerous industry tendency toward marketing homogeneity—where differentiation disappears as everyone jumps on the same viral bandwagon.
VII. Conclusion: Why Long-Term Vision Matters
The Florasis controversy and Feng Hua's opportunistic response collectively demonstrate that while viral moments generate impressive metrics, they rarely build enduring brand value. In China's rapidly evolving consumer market, brands must resist the siren song of short-term traffic in favor of sustained investments in product excellence, distinctive branding, and genuine consumer relationships.
Ultimately, consumers reward brands that consistently deliver value beyond pricing gimmicks or social media moments. For Chinese brands aspiring to global relevance, the path forward lies not in chasing winds of trends, but in charting their own strategic course.