Why did Huawei choose Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse? Expert interpretation of the brand logic behind it

Tech 2023-10-19 05:02:44 Source: Network

Reporter Huang Bowen, Editor Liang XiaoRecently, Huawei has gained a lot of attention - first with its new Mate60Pro adopting a "go public before release" strategy, which has attracted widespread attention. Then, with its collaboration with Celes, the Wenjie New M7 has been selling well, with a total of 60000 units in its first month of launch

Reporter Huang Bowen, Editor Liang Xiao

Recently, Huawei has gained a lot of attention - first with its new Mate60Pro adopting a "go public before release" strategy, which has attracted widespread attention. Then, with its collaboration with Celes, the Wenjie New M7 has been selling well, with a total of 60000 units in its first month of launch. In terms of brand actions, Huawei is also constantly receiving heavyweight news.

After Liu Dehua was officially promoted as the brand ambassador for ULTIMATEDESIGN in September, on October 16th, Huawei's terminal Weibo released a warm-up poster announcing that the "folding experience officer" of Huawei MateX5 was Nicholas Tse. Netizens have expressed that with the dual insurance of Nicholas Tse and Andy Lau, it is difficult for Huawei phones to be "far ahead" this time.

Why has Huawei been continuously seeking celebrity endorsements or product experiences recently? Why did you choose Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse? What is the brand logic behind it? In response, the Brand Value Research Institute conducted written and telephone interviews with renowned scholars in the field of branding, Professor Chen Ming, Director of the Marketing Department of the School of Business Administration at South China University of Technology, and senior brand experts and founding partner Pang Rui of Zhansheng Communication.

Chen Ming believes that Huawei's search for celebrity endorsements or product experiences indicates that it will pay more attention to the humanization, emotional integration, and deep integration with consumer lifestyles of future technology products. This change not only enhances the diversity of brand value, but also increases the connotation of the brand in terms of emotional and social value, thereby enhancing market influence.

In Pang Rui's view, Huawei has multiple considerations when choosing Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse, both of whom have gone through the test of time and are well-known celebrities with high compatibility with their products. Andy Lau gives people the feeling of being steady, positive, and emotional, more suitable for endorsing the extraordinary master series with traditional styling and powerful functions; Nicholas Tse is younger, more trendy, and more topical, suitable for the MateX5 with foldable screens, fashionable designs, and diverse functions

Inviting celebrities is an inevitable result of Huawei's brand transformation

JohnsonThe main purpose of collaborating with foreign celebrities is to explore overseas markets.

Chen Ming believes that Huawei's high-profile invitation to celebrity endorsements or product experiences has a deep-seated brand communication motivation.

Huawei has always stood tall in the market with a tough and tough image, highlighting the attributes of high-tech products, such as unique design, powerful performance, and cutting-edge technology. The brand relatively lacks humanized affinity, "he said, And this brand event indicates that Huawei is placing more emphasis on the humanization and emotional integration of future technology products, as well as the deep integration with consumer lifestyles. This change not only enhances the diversity of brand value, but also increases the connotation of the brand in terms of emotional and social value, thereby enhancing market influence. This is an effective strategy to achieve the transformation from product to brand

Image source: Visual China - VCG111297181042

In Pang Rui's view, this is an inevitable result of Huawei's brand transformation. Huawei has gradually developed from a B-end enterprise mainly engaged in telecommunications equipment to a C-end enterprise covering multiple fields such as mobile phones, computers, and automobiles. In this process, Huawei needs to establish a more friendly, professional, and innovative brand image in the public. Inviting celebrities is an effective means of brand communication and shaping

The highlight of choosing Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse in terms of adaptability

On the one hand, both the MateX5 and Mate60RS extraordinary masters are high-end products of Huawei's Mate series, which can be considered as "high-end in high-end". According to the introduction on Huawei's official website, Mate60RS is an extraordinary master who embodies the ultimate aesthetics, craftsmanship, and innovation. As for the MateX5, it is a brand new folding flagship with a starting price of up to 12999 yuan.

On the other hand, when choosing celebrities, brands usually consider multiple dimensions, such as adaptability, safety, and compatibility. Huawei's invitation to Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse also has multiple considerations, as many people have analyzed: the "Hua" character in Andy Lau's name can resonate with Huawei's brand concept of "China is promising"; Andy Lau grew from Longtao toFilm EmperorThe experience is also full of the meaning of "extraordinary master".

Pang Rui analyzed from another perspective: "As ChinaHong KongThe celebrities, Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse, have both Chinese cultural heritage and international influence. They can attract the Chinese community and open up overseas markets such as Southeast Asia, which is in line with Huawei's internationalization strategy

Image source: Weibo @ Huawei terminal screenshot

Pang Rui believes that there are both similarities and differences in the compatibility between celebrities and products. The commonality lies in that they have all gone through the test of time and are well-known celebrities, "he said." The difference lies in that Andy Lau gives people the feeling of being steady, positive, and emotional, more suitable for endorsing the extraordinary master series with traditional styling and powerful functions; Nicholas Tse is younger, more trendy, and more topical, suitable for folding screens, fashionable designs, and versatile MateX5

Chen Ming explained that seeking celebrity endorsement or endorsement for a brand is a means of using secondary brand leverage to create brand assets, and special attention should be paid to the matching degree between celebrities and the brand. At the same time, the brand associations of celebrities themselves must also be positive and trustworthy, forming a strong appeal and influence on the target consumer group.

From this perspective, it is very wise for Huawei to choose Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse. These two celebrities have achieved great success in art and have little negative news. They are also enthusiastic about public welfare and can deeply influence consumer groups of different ages, preferences, and needs, "Chen Ming said.

Press conference or microfilm: The selection of appearance format should consider both celebrities and products

In addition to differences in adaptability, the two celebrities also have different appearances: Andy Lau appeared as a mysterious guest at Huawei's product launch; Nicholas Tse is linked on official Weibo and disseminated through micro movies.

In Chen Ming's view, Andy Lau's appearance at the premiere reflects consumers' potential psychological pursuit of high gloss moments, making Huawei's brand image highly aligned with consumer expectations; Nicholas Tse's appearance in micro movies is very flattering, and he is in sync with the lifestyle of contemporary young people, which can perfectly win their favor.

Pang Rui interpreted the differences between the two forms. Andy Lau emphasized his emotions and vision more at the press conference, using the phrase 'not born extraordinary, but daring to be extraordinary' to express his common philosophy with Huawei. This is a metaphysical promotion method suitable for a stable, mature, influential artist and a traditional, high-end, and reputable product, "said Pang Rui.

Regarding Nicholas Tse's appearance style, Pang Rui believes that it emphasizes more on functionality and fashion, showcasing the various features and advantages of Huawei's folding machine through a microfilm. This is a promotional method that emphasizes practical effectiveness, suitable for a relatively young, trendy, and topical artist, as well as an innovative, experimental, and even somewhat 'controversial' product

The "endorsements" of celebrities and entrepreneurs have their own roles and mutual influence

It is worth noting that as a star enterprise, Huawei itself has received much attention and is full of topics. To a large extent, Huawei executives such as Ren Zhengfei, Meng Wanzhou, and Yu Chengdong can also be considered as Huawei's "brand spokespersons".

For example, at the Huawei Autumn Full Scene New Product Launch on September 25th, Yu Chengdong mentioned the high-frequency phrase "far ahead" from previous press conferences, and the audience kept shouting "far ahead". The term 'far ahead', as a widely circulated 'meme' on the internet, has brought huge topic and traffic to Huawei's brand communication.

Image source: Weibo @ Yu Chengdong

So, how do you see entrepreneurs or executives becoming brand spokespersons? What are the differences between them and celebrities?

The endorsement of celebrities is more of a 'try it out' approach, which is done at a certain time, product line, or region; while the endorsement of entrepreneurs is a bit like 'unlimited responsibility', strongly related to the entire brand or company, "Pang Rui said." Stars and entrepreneurs cannot replace each other's role, they are each having their own role and influencing each other

In Chen Ming's view, a brand ultimately belongs to both customers and the public, and brand elements include spokespersonsbestStay away from corporate elements, including business operators. Any element of a business carries an inherent commercial attribute, and consumers reject it from the bottom of their bones. Unless entrepreneurs themselves have become consumers' spiritual beliefs

Daily Economic News

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