ArticleBizTime: A Commercial Back (2)
The fear of Liu Xiang's popularity fading away led brands to drop Liu from their ads anyway even though the cost would be huge. However, a survey by CTR right after Liu Xiang's withdrawal from the Olympics showed 85% of the people were still willing to support Liu Xiang, and more than half surveyed could accept his withdrawal. But 67% of the respondents said they would still consider buying the goods that Liu Xiang represented. Some belived dropping Liu Xiang would be the biggest blow to the companies themselves.
Ye Maozhong, the CEO of Yemaozhong marketing
Inc.
Chinese people always sympathize with the weak. The hero got hurt and fell to the bottom. Some people dropped him. It does not cater to the traditional Chinese culture.
Some companies DID continue supporting Liu Xiang. Although they changed their ads, they kept him as spokesman. The morning after Liu Xiang quit the Olympics, NIKE had a new ad ready. It said 'Love sport even when it breaks your heart.' The ad drew a lot of public attention.
Irene Cai, AT
Kearney
Saying they have no loss was not correct at that moment. It depended on the company.
Experts point out companies like Nike must have been well prepared for Liu's expected victory at the Bird's Nest. And they say ads that would use the winning moment must have been at least partly done. But due to Liu's withdrawal, companies suddenly had to produce new versions to replace the originals. And this was the extra cost to those brands that continued to have Liu as an endorser. But, as far as the brand value, those brands actually gained.
Sun Yanfeng, Reporter
Companies that continued to support Liu Xiang are apparently the winners at this point because of his successful comeback. But other companies believe they did the right thing when he withdrew, because no one could have guaranteed Liu's continued popularity. The question is, could such a loss have been avoided from the beginning?
Sun Yanfeng, Reporter
Liu Xiang's story of injury and recovery not only emphasized the importance of crisis management, but also reminded many companies about making the right decision in selecting a sustainable spokesperson. Is there any way to avoid a loss from the very beginning?
Despite his popularity, some branding experts believe Liu Xiang is not the perfect match for every company. Only those products or brands that match his personality can bring continued success even if something unexpected happens.
Zhou Yuanzhu, Director of SH
institute of Corporate Culture &
Brand
Nike is a sports brand and Liu Xiang is a model and super star in Chinese sports. Coca Cola represents passion or young people's energy, which Liu Xiang deeply reflects. The popular culture image of Liu Xiang perfectly matched their company culture.
In addition to sports and beverage brands, Liu Xiang has endorsed more than 10 other products including automobiles (Cadillac), health and beauty products (Amway), cigarettes (Baisha group), menswear (Firs clothes), dairy products (Yili), and financial (Bank of Communications) and postal services (EMS service of China Post). And the question is--do all of these brands have relevance for Liu Xiang? To find out the answer, we called a former marketing manager from Yili, who doesn't want to be named.