This director is vindictive.

Chapter 608: Whose leeks-cutting technique is the best?

Tesla did have problems with its brake design in the past, and it was criticized for it.

The issue of the rice car accident is somewhat similar to that of the rice car accident.

Now it's a case of fortunes changing.

"Are there more problems with domestically produced cars lately? Actually, it's not that there are more quality issues, but rather that there are more eyes watching!"

Chen Mo tapped the table and analyzed, "Think about it, when Tesla's brakes failed in the past, wasn't it always met with a barrage of criticism online? But why is it that when it comes to domestic cars, it gets blown out of proportion?"

Liu Yifei, peeling an orange, chimed in: "Because everyone has higher expectations for domestic brands now!"

"The enemy!"

Chen Mo snapped his fingers: "But there's a key point here—CEO Lei's 'real-person marketing' is really too ruthless!"

He pulled out his phone and swiped up a screenshot of Lei Jun's live stream: "Look! He personally test drove the new car at the launch event, responded to car owners' complaints live on the spot, and even filmed vlogs for after-sales repairs—wow, his presence is stronger than that of top internet celebrities!"

Yang Mi suddenly burst out laughing: "Isn't this just like a micro-business? The boss personally posts pictures of customers every day?"

"Even more outrageous than WeChat sellers!"

Chen Mo pulled up a data chart: "Nine out of ten posts on Xiaomi Auto's official Weibo account feature Lei Jun's headshot. Now, when netizens mention Xiaomi Auto, their first reaction isn't how awesome the car is, but 'Lei Jun's favorite son!'"

Fan Binbin seemed to be thinking: "So everyone goes to Boss Lei when something happens?"

"That's not the case!"

Chen Mo mimicked a netizen's tone: "'Didn't you say during your live stream that self-driving cars were as stable as a rock? What's the meaning of crashing me into a tree now?'"

She pointed to the recent trending topics and said, "Look, even when the windshield wipers don't work, they tag Lei Jun. Do they really think he's some kind of wishing well?"

"Overly realistic marketing is like drinking poison to quench thirst!"

Chen Mo hit the nail on the head: "Tying the boss and the product too tightly turns the boss into an internet celebrity, and the product into a mere peripheral item. Look at Apple—"

He pulled up a list of Steve Jobs' public appearances over the years: "The old man only makes an appearance at a product launch every year, and otherwise keeps a low profile, focusing on R&D. Lei Jun, on the other hand, seems to want to go live every day to teach car owners how to change tires! Who else should netizens turn to if not him?"

To be frank, this is largely related to the marketing of rice and the sales methods of cars.

It's no exaggeration to say that among all domestic brands, Lei Jun did the best in the past when it came to using the CEO's personal brand image for brand marketing!

However, this is a double-edged sword.

Back then, although Steve Jobs also did personal branding marketing, he didn't go to such extremes. He didn't constantly appear in front of the public to promote his own products.

But Lei Jun is different. He was better off a few years ago, but in recent years, he has been making frequent public appearances because of his car manufacturing business.

He is now a public figure through and through.

His number of followers on short video platforms is higher than that of many top celebrities.

However, as the business expands, various problems inevitably arise. With so many problems, it's impossible to solve them perfectly every time, so even the smallest flaws are magnified many times over.

Take Chen Mo's case, for example. It wasn't a big deal in itself, but he's a public figure!

"Then what about the phone? Why is it an Apple, not a top-of-the-line phone, or a cheap Chinese phone?" Yang Mi suddenly raised her hand and asked.

"That's a good question!" Chen Mo smiled.

Actually, compared to cars, the problem with mobile phones is more prominent.

"The same kind of leveraging marketing, but Yaoyao Lingxian is even more ruthless than rice! So ruthless that you have to put the words 'Yaoyao Lingxian' on everything."

"Have you seen that product launch event that went viral a while ago, where the phone's sound could shatter a glass?" Chen Mo asked with a smile.

"Uh, yes, we've seen it!" Several women raised their hands.

"What do you guys think?" Chen Mo asked, suppressing a laugh.

"Forehead"

The women looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The main reason is that there aren't that many phones that are 'far ahead'! But they were held back by themselves! Phones don't have that many cutting-edge technologies, so what can they do? They can only try to create the conditions! The result was a huge blunder! What was once a source of genuine pride in being 'far ahead' has now become a meme." "Netizens are complaining, 'Are you selling phones for the elderly? You can't say you don't have the technology, but this thing is really useless!'"

"Of course, that's not the most crucial point! The most crucial issue is closely related to the changes in domestic brands in recent years!" Chen Mo said.

"Take instant noodles for example. Back then, Elephant relied on its national brand sentiment and focused on employment opportunities for disabled people, which revived the brand."

But what about now? "Mostly a bag of noodles, mostly a bucket of noodles—good heavens, the quantity is the same! 'Mostly' is actually just a trademark! It's safe to say it's severely damaged public morale," Chen Mo shook his head.

"Furthermore, many short videos are now complaining that while foreign brands have been squeezed out, domestic brands are ripping people off even more! They're raising prices in all sorts of ways, like phones—the same configuration, three times the price!"

"Take Coca-Cola for example. The prices of domestic beverage brands are now ridiculously high. In fact, Coca-Cola, which was once considered a 'luxury' product, has seen the smallest price increase in recent years!"

Chen Mo shook his head and said, "So, I'm not doing this from the perspective of a capitalist; I'm making this choice from the perspective of a consumer."

While Chen Mo was chatting and analyzing with the women, public opinion began to shift without them even realizing it.

Interestingly, from the beginning when many people questioned Chen Mo, now these people are almost completely overwhelmed by the overwhelming voices.

Below the trending Weibo topic #TheTruthAboutChenMo'sProductSelection#, netizens spontaneously launched a "Mirror to Reveal the Truth About Domestic Products" campaign, and the style of the popular comments suddenly changed:

"Some manufacturers should first explain why their 'born for fever' phones end up burning your thighs in summer, even though they're supposed to be hand warmers in winter? [Image: A Xiaomi phone's thermometer shows 48℃]"

"Look at the power efficiency of Apple's A-series chips, shouldn't some of those 'PPT chip manufacturers' be ashamed?"

"Far ahead, always shouting 'far ahead,' but what's the result? It's that your prices are far ahead, isn't it?"

"This time, we're siding with Chen Mo. He doesn't manufacture cars or phones. From a shareholder perspective, he owns shares in the company. So, he's purely standing from the consumer's point of view."

"That's right. It's not that we don't support domestic products, it's just that we really can't afford to anymore. After all, when we spend money, we're buying happiness, not to end up feeling angry!"

"A certain car manufacturer has received over 10,000 complaints about brake noise. If Chen Mo were to actually give away this car, wouldn't that be disrespectful to his fans? [Link: Car Quality Network Complaint List]"

"Hilarious! Last year's spontaneous combustion rate statistics were completely wiped clean by public relations efforts, and now they're blaming Chen Mo for being unpatriotic?"

"These past few years have already been tough enough, and now a bunch of domestic brands have skyrocketed in price, making them unaffordable, really unaffordable!"

"Even reputable brands are starting to abandon their conscience. How can people support them?"

"Cola is already the cheapest drink, with prices back to what they were ten years ago, while domestic beverage brands have increased their prices several times over. When it comes to ruthlessly exploiting consumers, our own people are the most ruthless!"

A well-known blogger has published a long article analyzing "the truth behind the Chen Mo phenomenon"!
"Domestic Products Become 'Domestic Harvesters'? From Lei Jun to 'Far Ahead,' the Truth Behind Excessive Marketing and Exploiting Consumers!"

Supporting domestic products used to be the most basic sentiment among consumers, but now it has become a fig leaf for some brands to arbitrarily raise prices.

While Tesla was being condemned across the internet for its braking issues, domestic car manufacturers were covering up their quality defects in the name of "national pride."
While Lei Jun transformed into an "internet celebrity CEO" and went on a sales spree, the number of complaints against Dami Auto quietly increased on the car quality website.
When "far ahead" goes from a technological breakthrough to a marketing slogan, consumers realize that the most ruthless scythe is often hidden in the packaging of "supporting domestic products".
From personally test-driving new cars at launch events to responding to consumer rights issues via livestream, Lei Jun's personal brand is deeply intertwined with Dami Auto. This over-reliance on the boss's personal charisma means that if product problems arise, consumers will direct their anger at the "spokesperson." As the marketing focus shifts from "cars" to "people," is R&D investment being squeezed out by livestream traffic?
The Bubble of "Being Far Ahead": From Technological Confidence to Self-Indulgent Marketing?

"Far ahead" was once the pride of Chinese technology, but now it has become material for consumers to make jokes.

A brand's launch event, which used the gimmick of "shattering a glass with a mobile phone," backfired, exposing the embarrassment of "creating black technology for the sake of black technology"—creating "pseudo-demands" without innovation.

Even more ironic is the price: for phones with the same specifications, domestic brands are priced at 1.5 times that of Apple, yet they are labeled as a "patriotism tax."
Coca-Cola's price hasn't increased in ten years, while domestic beverage companies have doubled their profits, prompting netizens to angrily denounce: "What used to be a nostalgia appeal is now a tax on intelligence!"

Finally, a "truth serum" for domestic products: Why are consumers turning against them?

Recently, under the Weibo hashtag #TheTruthAboutChenMo'sProductSelection#, netizens spontaneously listed "Seven Deadly Sins of Domestic Products":
Exorbitant Prices: Using the name of "national brand" to inflate prices, the same configuration is sold for three times the price. Fans claim that the leading technology deserves the leading price!

Double standards for quality: Export products have higher standards than domestic products (e.g., the overseas version of the same car model uses steel with reduced strength in the domestic version).

Anti-intellectual marketing: such as instantaneous braking at 200 km/h, automatic turn signal shutdown, and high-frequency vibrations from a mobile phone that can shatter a glass, etc.

Worrying after-sales service: The frequent after-sales problems recently can be called the biggest sin of domestic brands. Car owners are sued instead of taking delivery of their cars, creating a new spectacle in the consumer world!

False advertising: The most typical case is that the "mostly half a bag" of a certain instant noodle brand is actually a trademark word game!
In conclusion, the controversy surrounding Chen Mo's fan meeting ultimately turned into widespread online criticism because pent-up resentment was finally released.

As consumers, we support conscientious domestic products, not 'profiteering from the country'! When brands shout 'bringing glory to the country' while treating their fans like韭菜 (a metaphor for exploiting consumers), Chen Mo's 'exposure' has become an outlet for public opinion—true patriotism is about enabling compatriots to use affordable and high-quality products, not about paying for vanity.

From Tesla to Lei Jun, from "far ahead" to "half a bag," the essence of this farce is:

The enemy of some domestic products has never been foreign capital, but their own greed.

When "national sentiment" becomes a reason for price increases, and when "business owners becoming internet celebrities" masks product shortcomings, consumers will ultimately vote with their feet. After all, no one wants to be a "coin in a wishing well"—thrown in and only to hear a bang.

(End of this chapter)