What would happen if Jobs opened a milk tea shop?

In a speech given by Jobs, his understanding of product lines and marketing is highly consistent with the current performance of the new tea market.

Good products are no longer the only competitiveness in the industry.

I admit that the title of this article today has some headlines.

Before that, we discussed whether to use titles such as "This speech of Steve Jobs is worth seeing for tea drinkers", but it was not too exciting. So, please forgive us for being simple and rude.

Why did you suddenly think about "Jobs making milk tea". First, there are many entrepreneurs or successful people who regard Jobs as an idol in the industry. They are not only fascinated by his thinking, but also people pay tribute to him in dressing up.

Another reason is that Jobs’s speech after returning to Apple’s understanding of product lines and marketing is highly consistent with the current performance of the new tea market.

So if their idols did the same thing, what would happen? This kind of conjecture is cool if you think about it.

What did Jobs say?

This speech is from 1997, after Jobs returned to Apple, he gave a speech on the new advertising video. The core content of this promotional video is Jobs's new thinking on corporate strategy.

01 Cut off 70% of the products in the product line diagram

In 1997, when combing through Apple's product line in the next few years, Job found that there were many unreasonable points, which were mainly reflected in the lack of focus due to too many information points.

Therefore, 70% of the products in the product roadmap were cut off, so that the energy was concentrated on 30% of the essence. And add new elements, hoping to lead Apple in a new direction.

On the eve of the outbreak of new tea drinks, around 2010, the catering and baking markets started a trend of streamlining products, and the concept of explosive products also became popular from this moment. Braised chicken, cheesecake, durian crisp, etc. are all products of this period. The emergence of these single-category catering and baking in large numbers makes the strategic policy of focus prevail in the new category.

Looking at tea, 2014 also began the process of simplifying the product menu. In the past, beverage menus of 60 or even more categories were streamlined one by one in the tea industry, and the main targets of streamlining were unsalable products in tea shops.

In the new tea drinking period, the menus of brands such as Heytea and Naixue are even more eye-catching. The total number of resident products in the menu is about 22. Compared with about 60 early tea products, the drop is nearly 2/3, about 70%.

02 Taking customer preferences as product development orientation

Jobs believes that Apple's innovation speed in distribution was not enough at the time. For example, the product has 2-3 months in the manufacturing supplier’s warehouse and 2-3 months in the distribution channel. This requires them to think about what consumers like 4-6 months in advance. .

Therefore, it is necessary to streamline products and reduce inventory in channels. Get feedback on preferences from consumers, and then respond quickly.

This is also very similar to Xinchayin.

Although the product menus of new tea brands have been streamlined, it does not mean that they will no longer launch new products, but has spawned an increase in seasonal products and seasonal limited products. For example, bayberry, lychee, mango, and strawberry are all seasonal in many new tea brands.

The advantage of this is to ensure the quality and sufficient supply of each fruit raw material. On the other hand, because the product has a planned sales cycle, inventory can be reduced accordingly on the raw material supply side and the store side, which will also help chain brands to reserve enough space for new hot products in the market for research and development and push.

This is what Jobs said, looking for consumer preferences, and then respond quickly. However, if the tea chain lacks supply chain and new planning, it is easy to cause unnecessary waste due to inventory problems, or it is difficult for new products to awaken consumers' passion for buying and touch their deep-seated needs.

03 Use marketing to convey the core values ​​of the company

Marketing is about values.

In a complex and noisy world, it is difficult for many companies to make the public remember the company. This requires companies to clearly disseminate the things they want everyone to remember.

For Apple, these communication points are not computer processing speed, storage space, or advantages with competitors, but corporate values.

For example, the early dairy industry in the United States spent 20 years convincing the public that milk is good for health, but it could not hide the embarrassment of the decline in sales. After launching the "Did you drink milk" marketing campaign, sales increased. It is worth noting that specific products were not mentioned in the advertisements, and the products were not even allowed to appear.

Another example is Nike. Nike did not deliberately promote air cushions or compare with competing products, but paid tribute to athletes and sports.

In addition to good products, Apple also hopes to innovate with a group of passionate people to make the world a better place. This is its core value.

So in the end, there is the slogan Think Different used from 1997 to 2002, and a one-minute classic video that pays tribute to creators and changers.

In the new tea era, tea chains have also begun to change their marketing methods.

For example, in the description of the product, the taste and flavor are weakened, or even not mentioned, it is more to describe the origin, scarcity, and value of the raw materials, so that consumers can consume because of the uniqueness of the product.

For example, create a variety of themed storefronts or surrounding areas, and add Chinese cultural elements at the same time, so that the rising national style culture and national confidence can be echoed in the store, so as to attract people who are interested in it.

For example, the pictures in product posters or WeChat tweets are no longer the same as in the past, just a combination of a cup of product and raw materials, but a model that meets the characteristics of the product or brand values ​​for interpretation. Through the shaping of product personality, in order to achieve resonance with similar consumers.

Upon careful observation, we will find that the slogan of many tea brands no longer refers to physical feelings such as health and deliciousness, but uses emotional and emotional terms such as cool, inspiration, and more fun to describe the brand. At the same time, these core words are combined with product design to finally achieve the effect of spiritual resonance.

Concluding remarks

Good products are no longer the only competitiveness in the industry, and have become the most basic standard for a good tea shop. Product differentiation is not only reflected in the raw materials and taste, but also in the image of the brand in the minds of consumers.

This is why similar products, and even products with similar practices, will have different prices in different brands. The difference depends on the brand values.

If Jobs followed his strategy and tactics to make tea, what do you think will be the result?