Lei Jun: Now, whenever I hear the word 'marketing', I feel a bit nauseous
Xiaomi Corporation founder Lei Jun discussed the price increase of the new generation SU7 during a live broadcast, stating that due to rising costs, they cannot increase quantity without raising prices, and he hopes for understanding from netizens. He expressed his aversion to small-character marketing, believing that marketing is a neutral term but has led to misunderstandings about Xiaomi's image as a technology company. He mentioned that being called a "marketing master" is a misunderstanding and hopes the marketing industry receives the respect it deserves. Lei Jun also addressed the issue of losing over 200,000 followers, stating that this is just a 0.6% change, caused by poor conditions and fewer video updates
On the evening of January 7th, Xiaomi Group founder, chairman, and CEO Lei Jun started a live broadcast.
When discussing the price increase of the new generation SU7, Lei Jun stated: "The new generation SU7 has made significant progress inside and out. Given the overall surge in costs today, it is difficult to increase quantity without increasing price, and we have added tens of thousands in configurations, so it is definitely not feasible. I hope friends can understand, of course, I see more comments feeling that this pre-sale price is very reasonable."
Lei Jun talked again about small character marketing: "I have been scared by small character marketing, so I now require them to strive for accuracy. If netizens feel something is wrong, they should immediately complain and urge changes."
Regarding the label of "marketing master," Lei Jun recalled that this label originated from an entertainment program in 2013 or 2014, where two teams competed, one led by him and the other by Liu Qiangdong. The opposing team discussed not to compare marketing with Lei Jun, reasoning that he could sell hundreds of thousands of phones, and this statement was later amplified.
"Now, whenever I hear the word 'marketing,' I feel a bit nauseous. If competitors say Xiaomi's marketing is good, it is mostly slander or malicious." Lei Jun admitted that what he said in the program was just to create an effect and was meant as a joke, not expecting it to be used by competitors and rivals.
"To be honest, I think marketing is a neutral term. If marketing is done well, it is obviously a compliment under normal circumstances. But for someone like me, an engineer, to say that Xiaomi relies solely on marketing, you should think about it."
Lei Jun also joked, "Many people say it's not that Xiaomi's products are good, but that Xiaomi's marketing is good. Are you buying Xiaomi's products or Xiaomi's marketing? So next time I see Dong Ge, I must ask him to help clarify this rumor; Dong Ge's marketing is also very good. So should we stigmatize the word marketing together? Look around the world, how many people in China are engaged in the marketing industry? I believe friends in the marketing industry will definitely not agree. Can all colleagues and friends in the marketing industry help me?"
Regarding losing over 200,000 followers in a month, Lei Jun responded: "Indeed, I have lost some, but it is actually only 0.6%. I have been slandered a lot in the past six months, and my state has not been good. I haven't filmed many videos, so losing some followers is quite normal."
In addition, Lei Jun stated, "Most of my Weibo posts are written by myself. I often write a bunch in the morning and then post them during a meeting." Lei Jun said, "It may give everyone the misunderstanding that I seem to live on Weibo and Douyin every day, but my daily schedule is particularly busy. I usually post when I am resting or bored during meetings." Lei Jun then added, "Boredom is not right; it happens quite rarely."
Image source: Live broadcast screenshot
Xiaomi's public relations head Xu Jieyun appeared during Lei Jun's live broadcast. In response to the previously controversial KOL incident, Lei Jun stated: "Xiaomi has conducted a very serious investigation and has discussed and handled it carefully with the management team." The public relations department indeed did not handle this matter well, but I would like to say a fair word for them. For the past eight or nine months, Xiaomi has been under intense negative scrutiny, and the public relations team is exhausted. I hope the Mi fans can give them a chance to make amends." Xu Jieyun apologized again during the live broadcast, stating that they indeed made a mistake.
On the morning of January 7th, Xiaomi officially announced the new generation SU7 and opened for pre-orders, which will be launched in April.
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