Gao Shenning: Discussion on risk management of interactive marketing from "KFC Second Kill door"

"In KFC stores called McDonald's takeout," This is the consumer of KFC "seconds to kill the door" response. April 6, 2010, KFC China launched the "value of Tuesday" seconds kill activities, 64 yuan to go with the whole family barrel as long as 32 yuan can be hand, the instantaneous detonation of the national purchase enthusiasm. As the number of participants beyond the KFC is expected, when consumers go to buy to be told the coupon is invalid, KFC gave the reason is that some coupons non-KFC official offer, so the cancellation of exchange activities. So "value Tuesday" Face "Black Tuesday", KFC in the consumer's one scold sound, accumulated many years of brand image collapsed.

What is a "second kill"?

"Second Kill" originally originated from the network game "Red Month", refers to a recruit to kill the enemy. Later, being interpreted as a player PK or fighting with monsters, the other side is too strong, in the player has not had time to fight back and escape space, the situation, the moment was killed, generally refers to the use of force attacks, commonly known as the second Kill.

With the information high-speed, more and more enterprises will "second kill" as a new network marketing means, more for the Internet trading platform. Network business in a predetermined period of marketing activities, significantly reduce the price of the activities of goods, buyers as long as the successful acquisition of this product in this time, they can use ultra-low prices to buy the original very expensive items. This form of promotion to the consumer mentality, and the number of participants in the event will be many, businesses can attract consumers quickly to the store, both to achieve sales, but also to carry out merchandise publicity. It is because of the excessive number of participants at the same time, even within a second after the event officially started, all the active goods have been snapped up, so this activity is called the second kill activity. From the first Taobao try, to the later like every customer prudential products such as online shopping sites have such similar activities, thus evolving to real estate, automobiles and many other fields. But the second kill has a single instantaneous transaction, identification and participation rights of the only corresponding characteristics.

Taobao on September 25, 2009 8 o'clock in the evening staged a "second kill door" incident. When the 6 anniversary of the celebration of Taobao, the site carefully planned the "one Yuan seconds kill" activities, goods are worth thousands of yuan of digital products, are priced 1 yuan. However, in the evening 8 o'clock activities began before the beginning of a netizen found that "one yuan seconds to kill" The merchandise has been secretly transferred, until 20 points after the activity of the page to return to normal, and even more strange is that all goods are a certain number of accounts at the same time taken. This behavior by netizens directly as a "fraud", it is understood that the night to participate in the second kill Taobao number reached 50 million, so denounced the instant spread all over the net every corner, to Taobao caused a great negative impact. After a few months, KFC again staged a second kill door incident, is worse, just a few days Baidu search "KFC seconds to kill the door", the Web page up to millions.

Count the fruit behind the KFC million bill

· Disregard of the power of communication between internet buyers and internet

The rapid development and wide application of Internet is regarded as a microcosm of China's economic and social development. Since 1994 China began to contact the Internet, so far netizens have exceeded 400 million, internet penetration rate of nearly 30%, 09 net users reached 108 million, the annual growth of 45.9%, online shopping consumption amount of 250 billion yuan, accounting for social consumer goods retail total of 2%. The huge consumer and purchasing power of all the merchants tell the powerful charm of the internet, but also to the Internet marketing activities put forward higher requirements. However, "spread, wildfire" this kind of transmission quantity intrinsic calculation way, still dominate many enterprises, but the Internet's birth makes the transmission quantity has nearly 10 times times, the hundredfold increment effectively.

Lack of awareness of the new marketing method of "second kill" there is no strict restrictions on the number of activities, "this coupon needs to print trial, copy effective" activities of the rules, are inexplicable to tell the marketing activities of KFC, at most can only be "applause" rather than "million bowl of gold"! KFC is ignoring not only the Chinese consumer and purchasing power, but also a "second kill" for the power of Chinese Internet communication.

· Lack of flexible activity coping mechanisms

In the economic sense, network users are still "consumers", but from the marketing point of view, network users and traditional media users have a qualitative difference, network users are not only the recipient of information, in a larger sense they are the information of the manufacturing and dissemination. Now the consumer is no longer a doll-style of observation, but from the beginning of the director of the network activities of each process, which is the charm of interactive marketing network, a high degree of interactivity, greatly stimulate the enthusiasm of the consumer participation. At the same time, make the network public relations activities of most enterprises planning case must have multidimensional operability and maneuverability.

Generally speaking, when the manufacturer in the design of the online activities, need to consider the level of participation level two, and the actual majority of enterprises have taken into account how to increase the level of communication, because of the lack of awareness of interactive marketing and the design of the activities of self-confidence, often overlooked is the participation of active how to respond to the level. KFC "Seconds to kill the door" is the latter, in the activity of the prediction of the effect of a greater access, but the impact of its expected economic benefits, never thought of is participation so active, not in advance to formulate a crisis plan, they have to unilaterally stop activities, This kind of way to the state of affairs is very irritating to the consumer, make the end also lost the "applause", the brand image collapses.

· Lack of active and effective crisis PR

In the web2.0 era the network has become a corporate crisis PR trigger and amplifier: under the force of the network, the elite media era to the grassroots media era, from the network of enterprise crisis; With the advent of the Earth Village era, everyone is an actor, everyone has the right to choose, everyone, so that the crisis has been expanding. Enterprises need to use professional crisis public relations vision to look at the problem, but also strengthen the network media monitoring to strengthen their own network crisis PR ability.

We have no way to prove the false coupons, and this is due to the negligence of the planning work of the prophase activities. But a simple, crude "refusal to sell" should not be a way for multinationals to deal with the crisis. Almost a week after it happened, officials simply apologized and did not mention how to solve the problem. As a well-known multinational enterprises, in the crisis how to "endanger the machine" is their good means, but this incident is so retarded, we have to exclaim: "Multinational companies have not admit time!" "We are looking at KFC second kill Gate incident from brand reputation to consumer goodwill both crashed."

How to use Internet to promote marketing

The internet has long been not a complementary way of traditional media communication and is not a niche marketing tool, the network is profoundly changing the consumer lifestyle and consumption habits, increasingly sophisticated network marketing has begun to dominate the marketing program of enterprises. Nearly 400 million netizens this huge consumer group, as well as the year 250 billion yuan consumption level is through the Internet many kinds of interactive marketing means influence and guide the enterprise each step choice. Companies should also be aware that "the allure of the Internet is also at risk", while carefully compiling various income-generating programmes.

Network Marketing has become an important way for enterprises to expand and promote products and services and enterprises to formulate strategic development goals indispensable factors, the effective development of network marketing is better to meet the interests of enterprises and consumers an important channel. However, influenced by many factors, enterprises also face the risks of technology, credit, law and market. Especially the unprecedented opening of the network market, the increasingly fierce competition makes the enterprise network marketing risk than the traditional marketing activities greatly increased. How to evade the network marketing risk has become a new problem to be solved urgently.

· Understanding risk and managing risk

The Network marketing risk refers to the network marketing activity process, due to various unforeseen uncertainties caused by the impact of the net marketing of the actual income and expected income a certain deviation, which has suffered economic losses and the opportunity to obtain additional benefits, the corporate brand image and reputation of an impact. The Network marketing risk has the objectivity, the variability, the complexity and the contingency characteristic, the enterprise should focus on the following several points carries on the risk management:

1 feasibility analysis and evaluation of enterprise Network Marketing

For the enterprise itself and products, integration of traditional media and new media marketing strategy, the formulation of scientific marketing strategy, the implementation of effective marketing management is the overall idea of network marketing. The enterprise must carry on the analysis and the monitoring plan before carrying on the network marketing to the overall strategy, the market dynamics, the event development direction as well as the risk and the potential income. Only according to the environmental factors and internal operating conditions of the production and operation of enterprises, it is possible to lead the enterprises to avoid the risks successfully.

2 increase the network of public opinion monitoring and timely understanding of business related public opinion trends

To guard against possible risks in network marketing, on the need for timely monitoring and understanding of network public opinion, any decision must be based on scientific and effective public opinion on the basis of the current more and more enterprises began to try network marketing, the lack of talent and the basic hardware input less, resulting in a communication program "Pat Forehead" The phenomenon is widespread, the supervisor formation factor is bigger. The trend of Internet public opinion is an excellent reference factor for enterprises, increase the premise of the network investment must have good public opinion monitoring ability and analysis and judgment ability, now has a relatively complete public opinion monitoring company, enterprises can according to their own needs, choose suitable for the development of the public opinion monitoring Agency company, the maximum to do " The enemy ", so as to be victorious!

3 Internet means of communication with reference but not replicable

Because the network marketing in the domestic rise time is not long, most enterprises are in the exploration stage, to new tools and new means of use, the market is in the breeding stage. For the new case study, can be in the manufacturer brand and product dissemination process to play a better reference role, but the use of the Internet has decided that he does not have the ability to replicate. Network crowd of large and disorderly make accurate transmission and point to spread trapped in the dilemma, this makes the mass consumer products especially suitable for network promotion, especially the rapid elimination of products. and high-end consumer products, such as automobiles, real estate, luxury goods, can only stay at the level of brand communication and nurture the consumer phase, the direction of product dissemination needs more level of consideration. For the risk awareness and management of such situations, we can study and learn good communication tools and methods, but not simply replicate and transplant relatively successful and risky cases. And for itself already exists the risk of communication means, need to be cautious! 4 investment of the cost of the risk to start from the effect

When more and more enterprises realize the charm of the Internet, blindly increase the network budget, which undoubtedly makes the young Internet market is impetuous and irresponsible, starting from the enterprise level, each cost of investment must see the effect of the expected, from the point of view of the site, each customer cost of the launch, Must be a precise click, and from the Third-party agencies, to the attitude of the customer is responsible, do not waste every penny, in order to ensure the effect of communication to achieve the premise of the expected, reasonable to earn a profit is not too. It is because of the young Internet, enterprises in the network on the blind and lack of feasibility evaluation of communication programs, making more and more enterprises into KFC "seconds to kill the door" dilemma.

· How to design event marketing for enterprises

Along with the continuous development and innovation of the network interactive technology, the Government, the enterprise any party needs to obtain the populace approval and the support the interest body, all uses the Internet and the audience to carry on the various forms interactive exchange. Online campaign is a more common form, he not only borrow the conventional network topic hype, viral transmission and the later deduction of Word-of-mouth marketing to carry out a simple brand awareness and understanding of the publicity, but also at the level of brand reputation gradually and consumers to carry out deep brand building interaction.

Online campaign refers to a specific period of time, around a specific theme, integrated use of a variety of network interactive technology, with netizens to carry out in-depth interactive brand activities. A successful online campaign can cause public hot discussion, become the enduring success case, often take the current social hot spot as the background or the manufacture hot spot event as the background, has gradually developed into the current mainstream event marketing form. To achieve this effect, it is necessary to develop careful planning in the context, theme, form, platform, diffusion and one or more aspects of each aspect. First, the choice of the background must conform to the focus of the social mainstream, in order to achieve the effect of occasion push. Second, a good theme not only depends on the choice of the background, the demand of enterprise information transmission, but also deeply consider the consumers ' interest orientation. Third, the planning of a strong interactive form of communication and selection of High-quality network communication platform.

· Based on successful management of risk: Wahaha loving support and teaching

"Our school was also badly damaged in the 512 earthquake ... I hope you can contribute to the education of our school, the disaster area ... August 2009 a letter from Lu Guang, Aba County, Sichuan Province, Songpan County, Zhenjiang Guan Wu Li Cun Primary School The Wahaha group was touched by the earthquake-related letters sent to the Wahaha group by the teacher. Then the Wahaha group launched an emergency "take care of the pointer, holding up the hope of tomorrow," the public action, for the whole society to recruit the first number of volunteers 100, to Sichuan, Guizhou poor areas for a one-year teaching action, and each provide 20,000 yuan annual subsidy. Wahaha will focus on the promotion of the Internet, with media reports, according to statistics, in the recruitment plan after the launch, there are nearly 4,000 volunteers enrolled, hot scenes comparable to the civil Service test, and subsequently selected 100 volunteers in Sichuan and Guizhou branch in the process, but also through the Internet to pass the teaching information.

But this commonweal activity has not ended, affected by the 1 anniversary of the Wenchuan earthquake, this activity has affected the hearts of millions of people, in Wahaha selection of volunteers during the daily hot. Farewell the first group of volunteers, in order to revitalize the education of the disaster area, in order to the people's heart, Wahaha once again launched an emergency plan, the second group of volunteers, and also give each of the 20,000 yuan per person annual subsidy, all of this is from a real people's heart. In this regard Wahaha's corporate social responsibility image has greatly increased. So far, we only need to login to the forum, can feel the volunteers and children touched the moment. In this case, the Wahaha side not only in the earlier period of increased dissemination, so that more volunteers to participate in the event, the most commendable is the face of more than expected participation, decisive increase in the number of volunteers, this makes wahaha in this communication to achieve a double win.

Event Marketing includes manufacturing events and occasion events, in the face of sudden major social events, as long as the use of ingenious, not only can achieve the good effect of corporate brand promotion, but also to make due contributions to society. Wahaha "took care of the pointer, hold up tomorrow hope" of the public action, through the opening of the Forum this way, not only to volunteer a good communication platform, but more importantly, through the commercial nature of the site with high air cooperation (advertising, prefecture maintenance), cleverly avoid speculation, rendering and irrigation, Endless postings and other human factors, for the latter to provide a good reference. During the activity, Wahaha unexpected is the Chinese people unprecedented high public welfare heart, so Wahaha emergency change plan and carried out a second round of volunteer selection, the workload homeopathy increased by one times, but also faced with the increase in costs, but they do not have the logical choice to stop recruiting, because they understand " Wahaha chose to undertake the public and the disaster area Love Bridge, this bridge is to hold up the Motherland tomorrow Hope education cause. With the rapid development of the information age and the process of new media, we are pleasantly surprised to find that all kinds of marketing activities are becoming more and more vigorous with the new media. This scene of prosperity is no longer a PR person to speak from the rehearsal, but "public relations set up, the public opera." This is undoubtedly a higher standard for PR people and PR activities.

Enterprises or public relations companies should fully understand the power of Internet communication, and formulate effective risk management plan, because this is no longer your own game. For their own products, consumers and communication channels of research and prediction, is the activities of the program can be carefully planned, organized, implementation of the premise.

In the face of the Internet, we should always remember that the next step is not to the company's will for the transfer of activity strategy to follow the audience's interactive feedback to adjust constantly, and "commitment" of the cash, forever is the brand image standing, the audience follow the premise of the enterprise. (the original published in the "Sales and Marketing" June 2010 issue Management Edition. Communication and interaction Please add msn:gaosn@msn.cn, or do microblogging interaction: Http://t.sina.com.cn/gaosn