Founders increasingly pushing the brand in China
"Long time no see, I'm your old friend Liu Qiangdong..."
At 6:18 p.m. on April 16th, Liu Qiangdong, the founder of JD.com, made his debut in the form of an AI-derived “digital persona - Cai Xiao Dongge” on the JD.com App’s home appliances and JD.com supermarkets’ livestream rooms. The digital persona accurately portrayed Liu Qiangdong’s speech patterns, including his rapid speech and continuous tone, as well as reproducing his habitual gestures such as rubbing fingers and tilting his head. Additionally, Liu Qiangdong’s digital persona engaged with consumers by asking questions and interacting with them.
The number of views and likes in the livestream rooms illustrate the considerable traffic Cai Xiao Dongge brought to the livestreamings. When Cai Xiao Dongge went live (at 18:18), the viewership in JD's home appliances livestream room was around 3 million, and when it ended (at 18:50), it reached 11.5 million. The number of likes in the live broadcast room also far exceeded usual levels. If Liu Qiangdong himself were to appear in the livestreaming, the waves it would create would undoubtedly be much bigger.
Liu Qiangdong’s digital persona - Cai Xiao Dongge. Image from the JD.com app
Liu Qiangdong isn’t the only founder pushing the wagon in public. In recent years, entrepreneurs have been personally stepping forward to promote their brand’s products, and "founders becoming internet celebrities" has gradually become a trend.
On March 28th, a Xiaomi car launch event showcased the immense influence of Lei Jun - Founder of Xiaomi, in the automotive industry. With over a dozen trending topics and over 100 million views, the event sparked enthusiastic discussions across the internet, elevating Xiaomi's new car launch to the "Spring Festival Gala" of the tech world.
Xiaomi car launch event. Image: Lei jun's Weibo official account
After the Xiaomi car launch event, news that founder Lei Jun personally opened the car door for new owners sparked another round of discussions online.
On April 3rd, the first delivery ceremony of the Xiaomi SU7 took place at the assembly workshop of Xiaomi Automobile Factory in Beijing's Yizhuang. At the scene, Lei Jun, the CEO, took the initiative to shake hands and take photos with Xiaomi car owners, and personally opened the door for each car owner. His actions and gestures appeared very professional and attentive.
Netizens commented that this series of actions showed that Lei Jun not only values Xiaomi cars, but also respects his customers deeply. Lei Jun's humble and sincere image has also deepened consumers' identification and trust in the Xiaomi brand, enhancing their attention and willingness to purchase Xiaomi products. This has, to a certain extent, boosted the sales of Xiaomi products and the brand's overall competitiveness.
Xiaomi founder Lei Jun opening the car door for new customers of its popular EV. Image: RED/Xiaohongshu
Using the founder as a personal IP is gaining popularity as a branding strategy in China. Building a personal IP is conducive to creating a suction effect for traffic because their words, actions, and decisions can attract a large amount of attention and discussion, thereby enhancing the brand's influence and visibility. However, traffic does not necessarily translate into sales. Although high traffic may bring more exposure and attention, converting it into actual sales requires efforts from the company in product quality, services, brand management, and other aspects. If traffic is misused, such as excessive hype or false advertising, it may damage the brand image and consumer trust, thus negatively impacting sales.
