Haier's long-standing gap strategy originated from Mao Zedong's The Art of War: the forces that are at a disadvantage, on defense and on interior lines in overall strategy can and must strive to gain advantages in local campaigns and battles, carry out attacks and become exterior lines. Today, the case of Haier refrigerator selling well in the United States is a classic version of the transformation from military warfare to commercial warfare.

At the end of last century, under the situation that the competitive environment in the domestic home appliance market was harsh and consumers were "in short supply", Haier began to vigorously promote the internationalization strategy, went directly to the highest-end market in the world and entered the United States as a "gap product". Today, Haier has become a home appliance brand recognized by American consumers, and has begun to establish a glamorous new image that China products are no longer "low quality and low price" branded products. Everything develops for a reason, not naturally from the beginning. Similarly, the success of an enterprise must have its difficult development process, and the success of Haier's gap strategy eloquently illustrates this point. The basic point of Haier model can be traced back to the early 1990s. When others are importing technology and blindly engaging in OEM and export, Haier began to export under its own brand. Facts have proved that Haier's brand development has pushed the whole business operation mode to a brand-new stage.

Why did Haier dare and be able to create its own brand (OBM) from the beginning, instead of OEM? The most fundamental point is not the advantages of individual links such as capital, strength, technology and R&D level, but the subversive innovation and creation of the overall business model. In my opinion, Haier's brand-new excellent business model is a kind of originality of "marketing and consumption" paradigm type.

Generally speaking, its mode has at least the following characteristics:

1. Accurately defines the ecological basis of the "business and consumption" unit and grasps the general path of lifestyle evolution.

In my opinion, every enterprise and its customer base are connected by fish and water-operators and consumers live and die together, and the expenses of "marketing" and "consumption" are integrated into a "marketing" unit. At first, when Haier exported to the American market, it was found that there was little demand in the American market below 160 liter, and big international companies like ge and Whirlpool didn't invest too much energy to explore the market. Haier found this new market opportunity in in-depth market research, that is, the consumption pattern of consumer groups is quietly reversing. With the decrease of American family population, small refrigerators are becoming more and more popular; At the same time, the small refrigerator is more respected by singles and international students, but this small refrigerator is a gap product that was not produced by world-class brand builders at the beginning. Haier seized this move and began to concentrate its superior forces to fight annihilation, focusing its firepower below 160 liters and firing on the global market. Haier's computer desk refrigerator quickly swept the American university campus after its listing, and quickly occupied 50% of the American market. In the end, it is proved that Haier refrigerator has won the recognition of the new generation in the United States with its differentiation strategy in the market segmentation of life and demand itself. Until the first batch of college students joined the army, they still named Haier refrigerator.

2. Accurately deduce the demand pulse of marketing "core user objects" and accurately grasp the specific target customer groups.

In other words, Haier has established an integrated relationship of business-customer interaction closely related to the younger generation in the United States from the perspective of real life details.

First, my living habits tend to use small instead of big. In American society, many bachelors and international students, from their living habits, do not have much demand for the capacity of refrigerators. As a person, there is not much food to store; Moreover, for international students, most of them live in student apartments, and the demand tends to be convenient and applicable small refrigerators, so they are not "cold" about big refrigerators.

Second, the conceptual dependence on the big refrigerator has not yet formed. For the younger generation, they have just started to own their first apartment or are building their first home and buying their first refrigerator, and have not yet formed a solid purchase-use model of household appliances. At this time, it is easier to enter their new consumption concept. As a result, Haier's strategy of positioning young refrigerators not only won the market smoothly, but also became the first choice brand for the new generation in the United States.

Third, GE and Whirlpool don't pay attention to it. Due to the long-term influence of the inertia thinking of the 2∶8 law, in the American market, most mainstream products are concentrated in refrigerators above 160 liters. For big-name home appliance companies like GE and Whirlpool, what they value is the huge profits brought by mainstream products. But it is precisely because they don't care too much that Haier discovered and effectively grasped their important link-new customer base-new market, and gradually developed into an independent brand with high international reputation in China, creating the first choice brand for young American consumers.

3. The formation of localized "marketing" value chain

Establish a factory in South Carolina, build a complete value chain, and form Haier's most thorough localized "marketing and consumption" system in the United States. Haier refrigerator is not satisfied to survive in the cracks, but tries to open up the unique market in the United States, and at the same time, scientifically and effectively creates the trinity localized Haier refrigerator brand. In fact, Haier refrigerator has adhered to the policy of exporting under its own brand since the day it was exported. By dealing with overseas experts, we will constantly improve our own quality. From 65438 to 0998, Haier established its own design departments and information centers in Los Angeles and Silicon Valley. A year later, Haier Trading Co., Ltd. of the United States was established, and then South Carolina was selected to set up a factory, completing the "trinity" strategic layout of landing in North America. Subsequently, Haier refrigerator began the road of creating a brand in the United States amid domestic doubts.

4. Transition to high-end (product) "marketing and consumption"

After eight years of hard work and local forging, we finally produced and listed the top-end super-large-space French and American variable-temperature double-door refrigerators in the refrigerator industry, which became a world-leading landmark product and listed in the second largest chain store in the United States. After the product went on the market, it not only won the promotion of the second largest chain store in the United States, but also was praised as the flagship product of "entering the era of temperature change" by the mainstream American media USATODAY. The introduction of super space variable temperature French and American refrigerators has not only become a landmark product leading the global refrigerator industry, but also marks the success of Haier's localized business model innovation in the United States. At the same time, the South Carolina government specially sent a congratulatory message to Haier Refrigerator Factory in the United States to congratulate Haier on its achievements.

5. Comprehensively and deeply promote the integration of "marketing and consumption"

At the famous KBIS exhibition in the United States, Haier's original high-end refrigerator attracted great attention from local mainstream brands. Haier's independent original R&D capability and Haier's brand-new marketing model that directly creates demand for American consumers have begun to threaten established home appliance manufacturers in Europe and America. At present, Haier refrigerator has become a signboard for South Carolina government to attract investment. In the view of the South Carolina government, Haier refrigerator has become an excellent brand of Americans themselves.