On May 3rd, a Chinese netizen shared that Xiang An Xiang An Meko fruit tea was being sold in Japanese stores. Cup sleeve with slogan A cup satirizing Japan's release of radioactive wastewater in Chinese and Japanese. The cup's sleeve has messages such as “Japanese politicians should drink radioactive contaminated water” and “0.1% of the land is contaminating 70% of the ocean.”
On May 4th, Economic View launched a Weibo topic. #FragranceWaterJapaneseSupermarket (Mukou Biao Biao mocks Japan for releasing radioactive wastewater in a Japanese store) The video quickly became a top trending topic.
On the same day, Xianglin News posted on its official Weibo account:My staff is amazing!“(My staff is the best!)” The post acknowledges that the incident was a personal act by one of its employees, but supports and praises her actions.
Early in the morning on May 5th, Chairman Aoba said at the airport,Welcome the return of Xiangpiaopiao warriors!“Welcome, Sho Pyo Pyo Warriors!” he said, greeting the employees who had returned from Japan. In the evening, Sho Pyo Pyo's president participated in a live stream session, 100,000 yuan ($13,767) will be paid to employees.
National patriotism and nationalistic sentiments were successfully stirred up among the general public. On May 4th and 5th, Over 10 million Netizens flocked to the livestream session of Xiang Piao Piao's official flagship store on Douyin. To further enhance the patriotic atmosphere, the popular anti-Japanese war drama “LiangSword“ (Battoujutsu) was performed during the live stream, and the presenter and the audience wereComrades” (Comrade).
The store's daily sales soared 400-fold, from 2,500 yuan ($344) to 1 million yuan ($137,673).
May 6, Xiangpiapio stock The limit has been reached The opening price was 19.21 yuan ($2.64) per share and the closing price was 19.21 yuan ($2.64) per share. On May 7, the stock price surged 9.9% intraday to reach its highest price since July 2023.
However, things quickly changed. On May 5, a Chinese netizen living in Japan suggested that the whole incident might be fake. was denied Based on comprehensive reports from multiple media outlets and contact with Japanese supermarkets and Koan An, the company sells Meko tea in the same cup sleeve. Conclusion This series of attention-grabbing stunts was a form of false patriotic marketing.
From May 8th, Xiao Biao's stock price began to rise. Drop It rose sharply to 11.17 yuan ($1.55) on July 24. The number of viewers of livestream sessions also plummeted.
False stories are deliberately created using targeted content, storytelling and dramatisation techniques in an attempt to go “viral” on social media.performance“Counterfeits can be more convincing than reality and can even manipulate people's perceptions and motivate them to take action.”
In the case of Xiang Biao Biao, the performativity of counterfeiting was amplified through consumer nationalism and patriotic marketing.
Consumer Nationalism
Over the past few decades, Notable changes The nature of people's political lives has changed, with informal and semi-private engagement playing a greater role in political influence as expressed through lifestyle choices and consumer behavior. Political ConsumerismPolitical inclusion is now known as a form of political engagement expressed through consumer decisions and behavior. In other words, people intentionally buy or avoid products or services for political reasons.
Political consumerism is primarily Two formatsBoycott and “Buycott”. Boycott means refusing to buy certain brands or products in order to punish a company for undesirable behavior. Conversely, buycott means deliberately choosing a brand or product from a company that is ethically responsible or has positive practices.
Consumer nationalism is Subtype An example of political consumerism is the way in which national identity is expressed through the rejection of foreign brands and products in favor of domestic brands and products, where purchasing decisions are driven by nationalistic sentiments.
for “Nationalist Consumer” or “Citizen ConsumerIn this market, the brand or nationality of the product becomes the main characteristic of the product, while other factors such as quality and price become less important.Literal and figurative“Consumption goes beyond the use of physical goods, but also includes the stories and communications surrounding brands and products.”
Fake Fuel Patriotic Marketing
Boycotting foreign goods also means boycotting domestic goods, which naturally leads to patriotism. Domestic brands often incorporate patriotism into their advertising, hoping to attract and support the “citizen consumer.”
However, in recent years, New Marketing StrategiesDisguised as “patriotic marketing”, this technique has emerged and gained popularity in China, with the primary goal of making quick profits, utilizing fabricated dramatization tactics to relentlessly spread extreme xenophobic narratives and manipulate the patriotism of the Chinese people.
In addition to the Xiang Biao Biao case, there are several other cases of self-media influencers in the financial industry. Huang ShengHuang amassed a large number of middle-aged and elderly followers through crude “patriotic” stories posted on his Weibo and WeChat accounts, and then used fraud to defraud them of their money. Ponzi scheme On his P2P platform.
In January 2023, Huang Sentenced He faced the maximum sentence of three years in prison, suspended for five years, and a fine of 200,000 yuan ($27,535) for illegally absorbing public funds.
Implications
We do not want to promote narrow-minded nationalism. Patriotism is not a business tool to gain attention, generate online traffic and make profits, nor is it a tool to manipulate public sentiment, reinforce xenophobia and cause social unrest.
It has been pointed out that: Commentary According to an article in the People's Daily that an anti-Japanese war TV drama has a “false” view of history and an absurd plot, commercial interests should not take precedence over adherence to ethical principles and professional standards.
Another recent commentary Regarding the knife attack on a Japanese school bus in Suzhou, the People's Daily said it was unacceptable and unacceptable for individuals to incite xenophobia or post hateful comments.
Demonizing foreign products is not the same as patriotism. Foreign companies in China are local businesses that contribute to local employment and economic development. Blindly boycotting foreign products will also hinder the healthy development of Sino-foreign trade relations and the expansion of the global market for “Made in China” products.
As early as 2005, the Chinese Foreign Ministry expressed its hope that Japan would adopt a “correct” attitude toward historical issues, and I didn't They want to politicize economic and trade issues between the two countries.
Patriotic marketing is opportunistic, garnering short-term profits by deceiving and morally kidnapping consumers. against the nature of businessMore and more Chinese consumers are realizing that blind support for domestic products does not necessarily imply patriotism.
by 2023 McKinsey China Consumer ReportThe main reasons why Chinese consumers choose domestic brands are not just affordability or patriotism, but superior quality and innovative features. More and more Chinese consumers are prioritizing the price-performance ratio over the origin of the brand.
To become a truly competitive brand in domestic and global markets, companies must rise to the challenge of foreign brands and place greater emphasis on improving product quality, customer service and innovation.
In the end, false patriotic marketing only reduces heroes to zero.
