The rise of Millet

The rise of millet, the layman saw the myth

4 years, from an obscure little company, developed into a valuation of 10 billion U.S. dollars, more than 2,500 employees, including mobile phones, televisions, TV boxes and other products line of new companies, according to different channels of statistics, millet mobile phone in the domestic smartphone market share, has been rapidly catching up with Huawei, ZTE, such as the traditional large mobile phone, Also will years of accumulation of brand OPPO, Gionee and so on behind.

2013 two quarter smartphone shipments, millet over Apple, data source: Canalys

In the traditional industry under the eyes, from the disdain of millet, to the surprise of millet, and then to the puzzled millet, millet, seems to have become the strange label of this era, and the founder of Millet Lei, also be regarded as the legendary man like jobs.

Here, we do not want to brag and ridicule the similarities and differences between millet and traditional mobile phone manufacturers, but completely in a multi-year Internet product services research and development and operators of the angle, from the internet point of view, the reverse analysis of millet, perhaps, you find that the so-called Internet phone so much.

What did millet do?

What did millet do? Can make the traditional handset manufacturer to feel the endless chill, also let countless users pursue? From the traditional manufacturing and marketing perspective, saw too much of the innovation of millet, and these innovations, subversion of traditional industries, but also destroyed a variety of traditional managers of the three views, in all sorts of puzzled, visual millet crazy growth.

Below we use a one-to-one approach to the practice of millet and the corresponding internet source practices, let you deep detection of millet is how to deeply replicate the Internet practices, and this contrast, can also be used in your own products and markets, to find new ways and directions. This shift is the transformation of the Internet in traditional industries.

Revealing one: Brand positioning-the most existential position

Millet：

Mobile phone brand positioning, manufacturers have been trying to portray consumers in the mind, such as business mobile phones, music mobile phones, women mobile phones and so on, and Millet has jumped out of this circle, positioning as "enthusiasts mobile phone", this beyond the gender, age, region, class of the God-stick-level positioning, but popular. In addition to founder Lei is cell phone enthusiasts, millet mobile phone can be free to brush ROM to meet the needs of enthusiasts, what else makes this enthusiast's positioning of the millet mobile phone?

The answer is direct to the heart of the positioning, this precise positioning is not simply from the use of requirements and scenes, but in-depth from the user's psychological and life state, to seek the current social consumers in the heart of the pursuit.

Enthusiasts, this positioning can make him in a friend, students, family highlight his personality, we can imagine such a user portrait, a city in order to survive the busy work of the small white-collar, leisure time to take out their own millet mobile phone, show their own machine for a number of adjustments and configuration, explain the clear and clear, Let those little white girl surprised nod, and then he will be at night a bar to millet forum and like-minded friends to explore a variety of performance indicators, this moment, the high cost of living can be temporarily put in the brain, let him get the gap of pleasure. And more people, and will not have a fever to this extent, they are more enjoy, their own and enthusiasts in the same mobile phone, this feeling, like Liu Xiang are wearing Nike, the bottom of my heart is a long-lost sense of existence.

Internet：

Millet positioning way, has been the survival of the Internet, we are here to tell two examples:

The main stranger social "Mo Mo", Mo mo App in the IOS/Android shelves, the speedy growth to tens users active, QQ, micro-letter, rice chat and many other social software, why can have so strong vitality? The reason is the location of the difference, like the song "Only Love Strangers", let deep in the steel cement in the city people, in the world of strangers to find their own sense of existence, this kind of depth analysis and subdivision of the crowd, locked their own target users, and brand positioning also followed.

Another example, the main entertainment voice service YY, Tencent in a variety of social tools under the attack, but abruptly survived, and live quite well, after the completion of multiple rounds of financing and went to the United States listed, but also because of its precise positioning, such as video chat room, through a moderator to host the program, Play songs and other ways, we can give the host flowers to prove the host's acceptance of the degree, so that both the host and the participants through this interactive way, found the reasons for their existence, and this kind of leisure and entertainment positioning to be unable to discard the stickiness, but also left engraved in the heart of the brand.

Summary：

Alive, is to find in this society more and more difficult to find the sense of existence, whether it is millet enthusiasts, stranger strangers or YY player exchanges, have shown the unique positioning of the Internet products, the Internet beyond the basic functions of traditional products to adapt to the original positioning method, Back to the emotional and psychological needs of consumers, naturally more easily through such positioning to seize the hearts of people to build their own brands.

The secret one: Millet enthusiasts positioning VS strange stranger Dating Location

The secret of the two: get the world of cock silk

What is cock silk, the surface is a crowd of the ego dwarf, but actually face the social pressure, a weak and persistent struggle. Such a crowd, is the vast majority of our society today, but also the largest group of creative consumer miracles, long tail, has been the absolute protagonist of the market. And millet, precisely with the right market positioning and price, seize this part of the crowd, with enthusiasts to cater to their self-esteem, with low-cost high matching to meet user needs.

Millet：

In 2013, the red-meter phone set off a frenzy of snapping at a 799 price, QQ space in cooperation with Tencent scheduled activities, 30 minutes on the production of 1 million of the reservation, the final opening of the purchase 1 minutes 30 seconds sold 100,000, in the millet partner Li Vanchang, in the scheduled to reach 1 million, had to and QQ Space Partners to stop the reservation, otherwise the volume will be much higher than this number.

At the same time, the positioning of the millet TV 2999, but also let the traditional TV manufacturers to fall below the glasses, according to the television from research and development to the channel of all the cost calculation, in any case can not do such a price, and millet, but did, it is such a price, let the cock silk for the scream, after screaming, or a code difficult to seek and buy wildly.

Internet：

The internet is always the world of cock silk, no cock silk, can not achieve today's Internet, here we look at the game of online games, to red tens of millions of users of the "journey" as an example, the game is well-known entrepreneurs Shi Yuzhu led the team carefully built a large multiplayer online game, the game at the same time the highest online to reach the size of millions of people , the income scale is too early billion, but in fact, the game really pay the rate of penetration in fact only a few percent, the vast majority of users together with the high handsome fronts, paid users to work, but also set up virtual social relations, in the game in the form of family, gangs, the state to manage, In addition to the game set up a hierarchical game guild to manage, and formal this virtual structure, forming the most stable virtual social relations.

Lead silk is not a simple disunity, but effectively let cock silk interaction between the formation of a stable structure and management, and then introduce a high paying Gaofu for deep excavation, so the imagination of the market space expands indefinitely, which is why in the journey generated a pay tens of millions of of gamers.

Summary：

For most people to use, has always been one of the elements of Internet products, free and low-cost, just open the key to the door, as long as the user to maintain the stickiness, let the back of the market full of reverie, because the Internet products, has never been one-time, followed by a continuous flow of content and services, is the real sustainable profitability.

Revelation Two: Millet low price high match for cock silk user VS completely free journey achievement Shi Yuzhu's wealth Dream

Secret three: The Hunger Marketing in the activation code

Millet：

Can sell mobile phone without channel? This is the traditional handset manufacturers can never imagine, and millet but magic break the law of this many years, through the way of online sales, the mobile phone sold to the north and south. Although Huawei, OPPO and other manufacturers have imitated their own shopping malls, but the performance is mediocre. F code, booking, snapping up has become the habit of millet consumers, 2013-year double 11, millet to 550 million of the sales miracle to refresh the day of the cat's single shop single day sales records, perhaps no one can surpass this record, unless Millet himself to challenge themselves.

What attracts users from the line to the line, timed to sit in front of the computer, accurate snapping millet products? That's the way to advance the activation code, each commodity is tight, if the speed is not fast, the time card is not allowed to rob a millet cell phone, in Beijing, unexpectedly to understand the millet company employees to get an F-code become fashionable, and Taobao also has a variety of millet product Activation code pre-sale.

Internet：

Millet new selling law to confuse the traditional mobile phone manufacturers, and this is the Internet to play rotten marketing way, 10 years ago, the online games industry began to use this "hungry" way to attract the attention of players and enter.

To NetEase's latest agent Blizzard's "furnace Stone legend" game, for example, through the early stage of a large number of publicity and bedding, aroused all the depth played Blizzard products players concern, NetEase gradually open the game in the process, is the use of this activation code, step-by-Step release of the activation code, in the player group formed a "one yard difficult to find" Situation, but also developed to not netease one in the release activation code, but in the major game media sites are jointly issued, but still most players can not get activation code. At the same time in Taobao, game trading and other sites, have a variety of sellers to hundreds of yuan to sell a game can be free to enter the activation code, which is the rare for you bring the user sought after. Even use this game to go with other products to pull netease, such as NetEase news client, notebook products.

Such benefits not only attract the attention and participation of players, but also accurately prepare the server, network and other infrastructure, ensure that the server is full, and reduce the waste of IT infrastructure.

Summary：

Activation Code of Hunger and thirst marketing, seemingly a simple way of marketing, in fact, including a full range of operations, including the establishment of Word-of-mouth, online sales channels (how to activate the use and purchase) of the construction and other aspects of the cooperation. A deeper step, so that a small number of people first to use up, to meet the owners beyond others of that sense of superiority, but also let Up-and add a stronger feeling of envy, this one after, ignited is the purchase of the desire to have.

Secret Three: Millet F-code reservation after the hunger and thirst marketing VS online games "stone legend" batch release activation code

Revelation Four: The fan economy

The word "fan" comes from the entertainment industry, those in order to pursue the star in mind, the behavior of the believers who traveled far and do not eat, for the Internet business elite opened a new way of marketing, and millet, fans of the molding and use, is unprecedented success.

Millet：

Many companies claim that their products also have countless fans, just as Huawei has been shedding pollen and OPPO has produced an O powder, but what is a true fan? In fact, a very simple question can be judged, your product launch, fans are willing to pay to participate? Millet did this, and the ticket is not cheap, relative to 2000 yuan of millet mobile phone, 200 yuan of tickets have been priced expensive, but not only someone to attend, but also people from the field to Beijing to attend.

In addition, millet in the April 16 of each year, the founder of the Millet Vermicelli Festival-Rice Noodle Festival, different cities across the country set up a millet vermicelli with the city, the fans spontaneously automatic millet product exchange, this interaction, but also brought new social and word-of-mouth spread, so that these people around the millet products together, Formed a new circle of friends, naturally when Millet has new products and services, they will still be the most loyal users.

Internet：

In the world of Internet games, fans are always creating new wonders, based on the founder of Millet Jinshan Software for example, its core profit game studio West Hill and Seven, is the pearl of the online games industry, its "sword nets 3" and other products have been attracting countless players, so there are players willing to spontaneously walk together, Not only on the network with the CosPlay, more in the real world, play the role of their own, the player through their creative design, stitch sewing out a set of expensive game characters costumes, disguised as a game of various roles, only for a variety of game activities on the scene a show style.

Coincidentally, Tencent games each year will host the National game Carnival games, players from all over the country came to Shanghai such a metropolis, their own money to buy tickets, live hotels, is to be able to see the new release, Master Duel, and this ticket, generally not ordinary people can buy, But must be in a certain game to reach a certain level in order to be eligible to buy.

Summary：

The future of society, in the consumer market is constantly subdivided, if you can find 1000 core fans for your product, it has been successful, and how to maintain the relationship between these fans, determines whether to go farther, millet fully restore the Internet practices, and create their own fans of the economy.

Revelation Four: Millet annual fan Festival VS Jinshan gamers at the game Summit CosPlay

Revelation Five: Everyone is a product manager

Product Manager, is a product of the total planning and designers, is the soul of the product, despite this, in some traditional companies, still do not have a clear positioning of product managers, and in the practice of millet, product manager's responsibility and awareness, has spread to every corner.

Millet：

Who should be the first product manager to lead?

It's boss!.

Relative to the traditional functions of managers/managers, Millet founder Lei is a product manager, in the Millet cell phone/MIUI ROM research and development process, Lei is always the first to experience and think whether to achieve the due experience, is not the product experience to achieve the ultimate. As we all know, lei itself is an electronic equipment enthusiasts, in his Jinshan era, the board members of the mobile phone is almost lei sent, the reason is Lei non-stop to buy a variety of mobile phone experience, found that experience is not good to others. In millet, in addition to the Product manager and boss, each employee is a product manager, including research and development staff/customer service, etc., because every person who has access to the user, can get user feedback, and these feedback is to improve the user experience opportunities.

Internet：

What about the internet bosses? Known as the Tencent system of MA, often in the middle of the night to pull up the micro-letter group, pick out the problems of different products, this kind of stand in the product point of view to experience the problem, more powerful than Ching management more useful, because this let the team is convinced, such as in the very hot micro-letter game just released, pony even Points in Hong Kong found a functional problem, inviting the team to repair immediately. Business Montana Shi Yuzhu, but also through the night of a few hours of experience in the process of the game, found that the lack of products, and then seek to plan the team to respond immediately. Another example of Tencent QQ space, QQ space in 2013 launched a very distinctive feature, called a watermark camera, users can be photographed before sharing, in the photos with beautiful words to express the idea of the time, and this wonderful idea, comes from an ordinary research and development engineers, and this function, Also in the interior of Tencent as a prize for innovation.

Summary：

Everyone is a product manager, not to all the transformation to do product managers, but we have to keep a region in the brain, to store our products sense, which is actually the hearts of users, to maintain user thinking, transposition thinking, if I am a user, product experience what is the problem? How should it be improved?

Revelation Five: Millet Chief product manager Lei VS Tencent Invisible Chief product manager ma

Secret Six: Do not do one-time, content pay, produce sticky

Traditional consumer electronics products, always one-time sales, the product sold to users, only when the product problems, only in the repair time to contact users, and Millet's internet play is the opposite, sell products, just the first step, followed by the product to establish a connection between the user's channel, Through the continuous flow of content and services to attract users, and then dig out the new revenue points, this is the Internet people hang on the mouth every day "sticky."

Millet：

What makes the 47-inch TV set at 2999, this makes all traditional TV manufacturers difficult to understand, according to the development of millet TV inside news, Millet is the first intention and skyworth cooperation, when millet proposed such a price and higher configuration, for Skyworth, simply can not accept, because this depends on the hardware cost low price, Then content and derivative services are charged in a way that skyworth unheard of. So this cooperation is also accused of premature death. Although Skyworth follow the wake up to do the so-called Internet TV, but has been a period of late.

Why is millet doing this? is in the Internet everything is free of the slogan, to close to or even below cost price of the way to sell, access to market users, perhaps some people will say, hardware is so cheap, how can users spend money on content, value-added services to pay? This is the Chinese user you do not understand.

Maybe look at the internet below and you'll understand.

Internet：

The biggest difference between Chinese netizens and European and American netizens is that they like free content, since the first day of the internet to enter China, the Internet for the Chinese people is free, such as news, movies, music and so on, even if the Chinese players to accept according to the time to pay the online game, Mr. Shi Yuzhu changed the play, The game becomes free, and players can pay to buy a variety of props in the game.

With hundreds of millions of users of QQ, for example, an ordinary instant messaging software, with a free threshold to recruit a large number of users, and around this QQ platform of many products, are also free mode, such as QQ space, QQ music, video, games and so on, and free behind is, Each product provides a deeper level of service, and these high-level services has become the core profit point, QQ space as an example, when ordinary users to upgrade to the yellow diamond users, can be in the album capacity, Friend Access records and other aspects of the expansion. And users are more receptive to this personalized, visible consumption.

We can also see what's behind this from a gamer, for example, leisure dance games "QQ dazzle Dance", players can buy their own virtual image and props in the dance to equip their own image, so that they look more beautiful, so this player will scrimp and buy thousands of pieces of the game in virtual clothing, In real life, she is only a three-tier city nurse, wages are only 2000 yuan.

That's the magic of content-paying.

Summary：

Experience economy comes from service economy, only by continuously providing new services and content, can we continue to provide new experience, and this persistent stickiness, bring is to stop, and ultimately lead users to pay for premium content, and once a pay, will produce a continuous effect, forming a steady stream of cash flow.

Revelation Six: Millet TV breakthrough built-in content mall VS free dance games QQ Dazzle Dance virtual image sales

End language:

The reason for writing this article is that the past two years too many people on the behavior of millet puzzled, remember and Shenzhen, a traditional mobile phone manufacturer of the management of chat, the other side always use "unexpected" to describe the various play millet, in fact, this is only a kind of information asymmetry under the effect of amplification, because, these play, It's just a universal game of hundreds of successful internet products.

The secret of the so-called millet, perhaps is the secret of the Internet. If you want to create a precedent with millet, we have to do is to the Internet thinking and practice into the traditional industry.