Weekend Slow Reading: Under the impact of traffic, no one can thrive alone!

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The whole thing started because some self-media published articles claiming that Nongfu Spring, which is also based in Hangzhou, had a "grudge" against Wahaha. They also claimed that "the first entrepreneurial income of Nongfu Spring's founder, Zhong Shengsheng, came from Wahaha" and that he was fired for hoarding goods.

On the evening of March 3, Nongfu Spring's high-level management responded intensively, stating that the rumors are not true. Before we discuss this matter, let's first understand a bit about Nongfu Spring and its founder, Zhong Shantant.

In the Chinese beverage market, the rise of Nongfu Spring is a remarkable phenomenon.

Under the leadership of Zhong Shantant, the brand has not only won the trust and love of consumers with its high-quality products, but also established its leadership position in the industry through a series of unique and innovative marketing strategies. Zhong Shantant understands the importance of brand image and market perception, so he has implemented a series of forward-looking marketing plans.

The most notable marketing activity was Nongfu Spring becoming a sponsor of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. This move not only significantly increased the brand awareness of Nongfu Spring, but also closely linked it with positive images of internationalization, health, and vitality. Through the global stage of the Olympics, Nongfu Spring successfully showcased itself to the world and gained widespread recognition and respect.

In addition to high-level sponsorship activities, Nongfu Spring has also adopted multi-channel strategies such as ground promotion and social media marketing to further expand the coverage of its brand. Zhong Shantant's careful planning and execution of marketing activities ensure that Nongfu Spring can effectively communicate with consumers and establish strong brand loyalty.

Facing the ever-changing market environment and consumer demands, Zhong Shantant did not choose to be complacent, but continued to drive Nongfu Spring to face challenges and innovations. He realized that with the increasing demand for healthy beverages among consumers, single bottled water products could no longer meet the diverse needs of the market. Therefore, Nongfu Spring began to expand its product line, gradually extending from the original bottled water to a variety of beverages such as tea, juice, and coffee.

This innovation is not only reflected in the diversification of products, but also in production technology, packaging design, and marketing methods. Nongfu Spring has improved production efficiency and product quality through continuous technological innovation. Through innovative packaging design, it better meets the aesthetic needs of consumers. Through innovative marketing methods such as social media marketing and interactive marketing, it effectively enhances interaction between the brand and consumers as well as brand loyalty.

Zhong Dandan's forward-thinking mindset and spirit of innovation ensure that Nongfu Spring always maintains a leading position in the fierce market competition. By constantly challenging themselves, Nongfu Spring has evolved from a single bottled water producer to a comprehensive beverage company. Its products are distributed throughout China and even in overseas markets, making it one of the benchmarks in the Chinese beverage industry. The story of Nongfu Spring is not only a story of business success, but also a story of continuous progress through relentless efforts and innovation in the market competition.

According to the information, in 2000, Wahaha formed an alliance with six large purified water companies, including Shanghai Zhengguanghe and LeBaishi, to jointly accuse Nongfu Spring. Zong Qinghou led Wahaha to file a lawsuit against Yangshengtang Drinking Water Company (the parent company of Nongfu Spring) in Shangcheng District Court of Hangzhou, accusing it of unfair competition. On June 8, 2000, Wahaha held a press conference during the day at Xihu State Guesthouse, while Nongfu Spring held a press conference at the same venue in the evening, resulting in a subtle confrontation.

In 2009, Nongfu Spring was hit hard by the 'arsenic-gate' crisis caused by a report from the Haikou Industrial and Commercial Bureau, which stated that the total arsenic content in their drinks exceeded the standard. At a critical moment, Zong Qinghou voiced support for Zhong Dandan, publicly expressing doubt about the testing results of Nongfu Spring. Zong Qinghou's move attracted widespread attention at the time. It was widely believed that both of them, as people from Zhejiang, shared the same spirit of Zhejiang merchants - diligence, innovation, unity, and integrity. This spirit enables them to understand and support each other on the business stage.

Recently, Nongfu Spring and Wahaha, as well as their founders Zhong Dandan and Zong Qinghou, have become the focus of public opinion. From mourning for Zong Qinghou, praising Wahaha, criticizing Zhong Dandan's entrepreneurial experience, to denigrating the Nongfu Spring brand, there has been an increasing number of disharmonious, irrational, and even rumor-spreading voices.

Zhong Dandan's defense is ineffective, and Nongfu Spring's response is also futile. The latest controversy has focused on mocking the 'Nongfu Spring donation of only 24,000 bottles of water' and launching fierce attacks on the 'Oriental Leaves (a tea brand under Nongfu Spring) packaging design elements that cater to the Japanese market.'A slightly rational consumer, after consulting authoritative sources and making a stable judgement, will determine that these two "charges" are baseless: public welfare has never been measured by the amount of money, and accusations of pandering to foreign countries and insulting China require solid evidence.

However, the vigilant public often cannot stop malicious internet trolls, and they may even be misled by skillful rumors that create chaos. This is similar to a blogger who, in January of this year, 'exposed the use of the Rising Sun flag pattern in a Nanjing shopping mall.' It appears to be filled with righteous indignation, but it actually distorts the facts and uses baseless evidence to gain emotional support from the public. The true intention is to turn patriotism into traffic and business.

In modern society, the pursuit of 'traffic first' has become increasingly common. With the rapid development of information technology, capturing attention has become the primary goal of many people, even if it means baselessly attacking and accusing companies and their founders. Nongfu Spring, once a leader in the Chinese beverage industry, has unfortunately become a victim of this public opinion vortex.

What exactly is the so-called 'crime' of Nongfu Spring?From commemorating its founder, to praising the brand, to criticizing Zhong Shanshan, and even questioning the overall image of Nongfu Spring, the series of changes are confusing. Some accusations, such as Nongfu Spring's donation of only 24,000 bottles of water to the Gansu earthquake, and the packaging design of its subsidiary, Dongfang Shuye Tea, being accused of 'pandering to Japan,' these seemingly reasonable criticisms are actually lacking in evidence. Genuine public welfare should not be measured by size, and the interpretation of a brand's cultural appeal requires more cautious and rigorous consideration.

These unfair treatments are essentially a harm to Nongfu Spring. This harm goes beyond the damage to the brand's image and extends to the stability of its suppliers, agents, and even the stock market. Such impact cannot be measured solely in monetary terms.

More importantly, this approach centered around traffic misleads consumers. In this era flooded with information, the public needs accurate and reliable information, not to be deceived by traffic-driven illusions. Consumers expect to have a true understanding of the products, services, and the social responsibilities behind them, rather than being bound by emotional biases.

Therefore, the "crime of traffic" should be a topic for us to contemplate. While pursuing attention, we should not lose sight of our original intention and sense of responsibility. What is needed is objective and truthful information, fair evaluation, and rational judgment, rather than being influenced by traffic and bias.

In this era of information overload, it has become particularly difficult to find the truth. Many behaviors that seek attention manipulate public emotions and fabricate facts to generate public opinion. This not only misleads the public, but also causes significant harm to target companies and individuals.

The pursuit of fairness and truth is our ultimate goal. What we urgently need is factual information, impartial evaluation, and logical judgment, rather than being swayed by biased views driven by traffic. For statements that lack sufficient evidence, we should not make hasty judgments, but approach every topic and individual with a rational and fair attitude.

In the journey of seeking the truth, we should not forget our mission. Finding truthful information, making fair evaluations, and achieving rational judgment are our responsibilities. We must not let the pursuit of traffic and interests lead us astray and forget our original intention.

In this age of information overflow, the values of truth and justice are even more important. We need to maintain rational thinking and face everyone and everything with a fair mindset. Only then can we find the light of truth in this complex world.