Friends, Baidu's public relations drama has been quite addictive these days, hasn't it?
Without further ado, this morning, the screenshots and chat records seen by the Negative Reviews King in the circle of friends were more numerous than Xia Hei's hair.
Even when writing articles in the evening, I heard a sensational piece of breaking news: Qu Jing has resigned.
Gossip aside, through this incident, the Critic has discovered a phenomenon.
It turns out that the trend of becoming an internet celebrity has quietly spread to numerous bosses and executives in various companies.
Have you noticed that in many short videos nowadays, people like to give themselves various titles: founder of a certain brand, former vice president of a big company, head of marketing, net worth in the billions.
When they speak, they always use the most firm and confident tone, expressing seemingly sharp but long-repeated viewpoints.
The identities of these people are not made up. So why do videos of executives from different industries and companies all look like they were produced by the same factory?
Because—
Amidst the wave of everyone wanting to become internet celebrities, "helping executives become internet famous" has long been a business, forming a complete industry chain.
This time, the sickle fell on the sickle itself. Here's what happened. The day before yesterday, the Critic spotted some gossip, saying that Qu Jing wanted to make short videos after taking Brother Can's trading course, and went a bit crazy.
Let's not worry about whether this gossip is true or false. After reading it, you might have a question:
Who is Can Ge?
To be honest, I, the critic, don't know either. After entering these two words in the search engine, I actually gained a clearer understanding of myself:
I am really broke.
Can Ge, originally called Hai Can Ge. Some netizens revealed that he used to sell big cherries, sea cucumbers, and bird's nests in the early days. Later, he switched to short videos and transformed into a "phenomenal IP."
He's got a bunch of labels on him, like the ancestor of matrix gameplay and the ceiling of commercial monetization.
In plain language:
Can Brother not only knows how to play with traffic but also excels at monetizing it.
On short video platforms, there are countless accounts like Can Brother's, with tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of followers.
Now the platform can't be found, image source network ▼
The videos posted by these matrices are mainly various slices of Can Ge's conversations, most commonly, videos of him talking with members of his Entrepreneur Alliance.
The Entrepreneur Alliance, originally called the "Private Board of Directors."
The purpose is to gather a group of recognized individuals, break down barriers between industries, promote cooperation, and create wealth together.
The rumored entry fee is between 50,000 to 80,000, not low, but many are willing to pay, after all, it's all about connections. The bosses' ideas are also good, having reached the limit in their own business, they can latch onto the thighs of other big shots in there, improve their recognition, which is quite worthwhile.
However, what Cang Ge values is not just one private board of directors.
What he wants is for these top executives, as well as the top executives in front of their mobile screens, to come to him for IP.
This is also the main point that Cang Ge wants to convey in most of his videos.
When Cang Ge's video starts, it often begins with a show of wealth.
For example, the founder of a luxury car dealership claims an annual sales revenue of 2.7 billion and customers borrow millions without hesitation.
The founder of a home furnishing company claimed to have a net worth of 2 billion. Previously, a cabinet replica of the Forbidden City was priced at 380 million.
Look, I'm telling you, I just can't relate to Mr. Can. We're just not in the same world.
If you feel a slight gap between yourself and them, after reading the beginning, you might think: Man, where am I lacking compared to them, why are they so wealthy?
Don't worry, Mr. Can understands you.
After showcasing their achievements, Mr. Can will immediately ask the guests how they did it. The answer is nothing but being diligent and sticking to these age-old principles.
Hey, the key is coming up next.
Many people, as they talk, start emphasizing one thing, as if revealing a money-making secret: you have to do short videos, you have to create IP.
For example, the founder of a luxury car brand mentioned that before doing short videos, he made over ten billion in a year. But after doing short videos, he made over twenty billion in a year.
Originally, it took ten years to reach over ten billion.
Now, with just one or two years, they achieve this kind of growth.
The founder further stated that now the whole family is making short videos.
If it weren't for the fact that the Golden Retriever in the family passed away last year, it would have also come over to shoot short videos.
In short, a thousand words condensed into one sentence:
Short videos are great, seize the opportunity.
There are plenty of hints and even explicit segments alike.
A certain ten-year fitness coach and company founder started making short videos from scratch, gaining 800,000 followers and successfully monetizing 3 million in just 3 months.
Seeing how effective others are, are you itching to build your personal brand too?
But if you're a complete novice, what should you do?
The answer is simple: get a running mate like Can Ge for your IP.
In the industry, having a running mate for your IP is like outsourcing.
Can Ge proves that his team's running ability is strong and reliable.
In the video where Can Ge talks to the fitness coach, he praises the coach for doing well. After just 3 months in the short video industry, the coach now earns 100,000 RMB every day.
After enough praise, Hai Ge changes the topic and asks: Why choose us?
It means it's time to praise him.
The coach also speaks, saying that choosing Can Ge is trusting Can Ge. Can Ge has a very deep understanding and insight into short videos, much higher than the average person.
Look, with just a bit of praise, everyone understands, it has to be Brother Can.
Similar examples include:
A post-90s entrepreneur, owning an 800-square-meter luxury store, claims that it was seeing Brother Can that inspired them to start making short videos, leading to their gradual rise.
By now, you should be clear:
Whether it's Can Ge's short videos or the "offline trading course" hinted at in the gossip, the message is the same for the target customers:
If the restaurant lacks foot traffic, make short videos; if sales performance is below par, make short videos; if the target customers are hard to find, make short videos.
Short videos are the panacea for various industries facing bottlenecks. Once you become a top influencer, will your company still struggle to sell its products?
In short, creating short video IPs is the way to go. Join me for the run, no mistake!
Of course, we are not singling out Can Ge; he just happens to be the most prominent figure in this field.
There are many bloggers in the same line as Can Ge, such as internet-famous principals, Big Bear, and even companies near the negative review guy's neighborhood doing the same thing.
The question arises: How much can consultants earn from accompanying high-level executives in building their personal brands? And how do they assist these executives in developing their intellectual property?
Interestingly enough, the Criticizer happened to know a seasoned professional, Y.
After a long conversation, it became clear that this is already a very well-established assembly line process.
Y mentioned that many bosses seek out potential clients through alumni associations and networking events. They invite influential figures to give lectures, essentially aiming to educate executives on the benefits of cultivating their personal brands.
Once the executives are interested, they engage in business discussions to outline specific goals and prices.
Typically, the consulting fees range from 100,000 to 130,000 RMB per month, for producing 12-16 videos for the executives.
After the contract was signed, the support team sprang into action. This support team consists of a director and a photographer, with the photographer even being shared among several directors.
The director is responsible for finalizing the topics with the executives and writing the scripts.
You might say, even the script is outsourced, so aren't the executives' personas all fake?
To this question, Y's answer is "quite the opposite".
The character must be authentic, as this is a long-term project, and even the best actors cannot fake it for so long.
Most importantly, the executives are not fools. They know that whoever speaks the words owns the viewpoint and bears the risks, so they will control the content and viewpoints.
For instance, when expressing a certain viewpoint, there must be a fitting example; one cannot simply make things up.
Even the executives have their own ideas and often do not just "follow orders." It is common for the script to undergo major changes before shooting, with constant adjustments and revisions during filming being a regular occurrence for the support teams.
The videos we see often reflect the values of the executives themselves.
So if a big shot messes up, perhaps we can't blame the outsourcing team.
After the video is released, if the results are good, the director not only contacts clients for distribution, spends money on exposure, but also reviews the topic selection, the first 5 seconds of the script and editing, and then produces videos in the same pattern.
Using the title to establish a persona, using viewpoints to solidify the persona, if the effect is good, distribute and replicate.
This is the whole process of what is known as IP running alongside.
After understanding the whole process, the critic couldn't resist asking about the salary. After some calculations:
Excluding the salaries of two employees and various miscellaneous expenses, the boss of the outsourcing company can earn sixty to seventy thousand a month. And that's just for one IP. Imagine if they were handling several, or even a dozen IPs at the same time?
I must say, that's really raking in the cash!
Does this count as "harvesting leeks"? Y says no. He also has some high-level client accounts that have taken off, starting to sell courses for monetization. This approach is recognized by the big shots because it has been verified, supported by data, and indeed feasible.
Although the ideal is lofty, the Critic feels that there are many real-world issues. For example, Y told me, "The topics are all borrowed from each other."
The producers will use IP positioning to find benchmark accounts (peers) and then refer to their topics. In fact, this approach easily leads to mechanization of scripts, making them all the same, no wonder the short videos that the Critic encounters all seem to have the same taste.
When it comes to being an internet celebrity, the challenges are far more than meets the eye. While being authentic and true to oneself is the most genuine approach, it may not always be what the audience wants to see. Teams have to brainstorm tirelessly to find explosive angles, craft a strong persona for you as a bold leader or independent queen, sprint down the path of popularity, and drift further away from your true self. In the end, living as an actor.
Even if you become an internet sensation, soaring to great heights, able to command attention.
Yet, it's like a human pyramid, with many people beneath you; any misstep on your part can lead to a disastrous fall.
Moreover, there's a company backing you, and negative impacts spread like a chain reaction, causing more damage as they unfold.
The success of an account doesn't just rely on outsourcing; it also requires talent and charisma. Understanding the current direction of online public opinion and the mainstream trends is crucial.
To connect with the masses, one must first emerge from within them. Not all successes can be replicated.
Author: Hedgehog
Editor: Mangshan Ironhead
Cover: Xuan Xuan Pictures, Data Sources:
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