The Rise of China's Homegrown Brands — and Why They Matter | Roger Hu | TED

翻译人员: Evelyn LIAO 校对人员: Sue Lu

Picture a boardroom in China.

想象一下在中国的董事会议室。

What do you see?

你看到什么？

Well, big changes are coming.

好吧，巨大的变化即将到来。

In the next decade,

在接下来的十年中，

you will start to see much younger faces filling up these spaces.

你会开始看到许多年轻的面孔。

I'm not just talking about China's international giants.

我说的不只是在中国的国际巨头公司里，

I’m talking about China’s small- and medium-sized local businesses.

还包括中国的本地中小型企业。

With 100 to 500 million US dollars in revenue.

这些企业营收为 1–5 亿美元。

There are local giants in beverage, snacks or fashion.

是遍布饮料、零食或时尚行业的本地巨头公司。

As we speak,

在我们说话这会儿，

there are 50-, 60- and 70-year-old founders

那些 50、60、70 岁的创始人

who are getting ready for a boardroom transition.

正在为董事会交接做准备，

And a whole new generation will rise to power.

而全新的一代即将上台，掌握权力。

Why does this matter, you might ask.

你可能会问，为什么这很重要。

Because competition is only about to get fiercer in China,

因为中国的竞争只会变得更加激烈，

and the new masterminds behind these businesses

这些企业背后的新策划者

are also eager to take their family businesses onto the global stage.

也渴望将其家族企业推向全球舞台。

I live in China.

我生活在中国。

I spent the last 10 years consulting with Chinese companies,

在过去的 10 年里， 我一直在为中国公司提供咨询，

and I've worked with over 50 chairpersons.

并与 50 多位董事长合作过。

From my conversations with them and the broader data,

从我与他们的对话 以及更广泛的数据中，

I can tell you that those local players

我可以告诉你，这些本地企业

are gradually gaining market share across many industries.

正在许多行业中逐渐扩大市场份额。

So why are these local companies suddenly more competitive?

为什么它们突然变得更具竞争力呢？

One big reason is that these new leaders look nothing like their parents.

一个重要原因是这些新兴领导者 与他们的父辈截然不同。

They grew up with greater access to the internet.

他们的成长伴随着更便利的互联网。

They left China to study business in the US, the UK, Australia,

他们曾在美国、英国、澳大利亚、

Canada and Singapore.

加拿大和新加坡学习商业。

They are multilingual.

他们会多种语言，

They have advanced degrees.

拥有高等学历。

They can tap into their vast networks of professional services,

他们可以利用其庞大的专业服务网络、

private equity and venture capital.

私募股权网络和风险投资网络。

And now they are coming home to take over their family businesses,

现在，他们返乡接管家族企业，

catapult them onto the world stage

并将企业推向世界舞台，

and change the face of business in China forever.

永远改变中国商业的面貌。

Here is what you can expect.

以下是你可以期待的。

Number one, fewer copycats and more innovation.

第一，更少的模仿者，更多的创新。

In the 1970s and '80s,

在 1970 年代和 80 年代，

many entrepreneurs were cash-strapped.

许多企业家资金短缺。

To succeed fast,

要想快速取得成功，

let's just say imitation was the sincerest form of flattery.

这么说吧，当时模仿是最真诚的恭维。

If you saw someone selling energy drink,

如果你看到有人在卖能量饮料，

you'd launch your own energy drink.

你就会推出自己的能量饮料。

However, this new generation knows that copycatting is a dead-end model.

但是，新一代知道 模仿只会走进死胡同。

They are figuring out how to kickstart innovation in-house

他们就想办法通过竞争

through competition.

启动内部创新。

For example,

例如，

I worked with a snack company who was struggling with sluggish sales.

我曾和一家零食公司合作， 他们当时正苦于销售疲软。

Their research and development process was just not working.

他们的研发根本不见效，

They developed a lot of new flavors

虽然开发了很多新口味，

but nothing truly innovative.

但没有真正创新的口味。

Until the second generation came up with a surprising idea.

直到第二代管理者想出一个奇招，

They split this large R and D team into two smaller teams

将大型研发团队分成两支较小团队，

to compete against each other.

让小团队相互竞争。

The team with the winning product would get a share of profits.

研发出获胜产品的团队将获得利润分成。

When one of the teams talked with their consumers,

当其中一个团队与消费者交谈时，

they realized there is an unmet need.

他们意识到消费者需求未得到满足。

Their beef jerky packaging was difficult to open,

因为他们的牛肉干包装很难打开，

and the beef was too long and too tough.

而且牛肉干太长太硬了。

The consumer felt self-conscious eating it in public or at work.

消费者不太敢在公共场合或工作时吃。

So the team redesigned the packaging

因此，该团队重新设计了包装，

and made the jerky smaller and softer.

并把肉干做得更小、更柔软。

This design won the blind test

他们的设计赢得了盲测，

and was launched to the market,

并投放市场。

where it enjoyed great sales,

新产品市场销量很高，

especially in the company's original flavor jerky.

尤其是该公司原味的肉干。

And the winning team got five percent of all the profits

获胜的团队获得了 5% 的

that exceeded the original target.

超过预期利润目标的那部分利润。

Since the new generation launched this new system,

自从新一代领导者推出创新体系，

new products have generated over 40 percent

新产品创造了

of the company's annual sales revenue.

公司年销售额的 40％ 以上。

Number two,

第二，

smart investments in bold ideas.

对大胆创意的明智投资。

Many first-generation entrepreneurs in China succeeded through grit,

中国许多第一代企业家凭借勇气、

through experience and through keen market intuition.

经验和敏锐的市场直觉取得成功。

They didn't have an MBA or professional team to fall back on.

他们没有 MBA 学位 或专业团队可以依靠。

When it came to making big decisions,

在做出重大决策时，

they often went with their gut.

他们通常会凭借直觉。

Of course, failure wasn't a bad teacher either,

当然，也会从失败中吸取教训，

but this new generation can think like an objective investor.

但新一代则能像理性投资者一样思考。

I worked with a plant-based beverage company

我曾和一家植物基饮料公司合作，

whose founder had always sold their drinks to restaurants,

该公司的创始人一直将饮料出售给餐馆，

never direct to consumer.

从未直接出售给消费者。

But when COVID hit the restaurants, their sales plummeted.

但是，当新冠疫情影响到餐馆时， 公司的销售额直线下降。

The second generation knew they needed a change,

第二代管理者知道他们需要变革，

even if change was hard.

即使变革很难。

So she first founded an investment committee

因此，她首先成立了一个投资委员会，

and then announced open auditions to fund new business ideas.

然后宣布公开选拔并资助新的商业创意。

The winning idea would get funding,

胜出的创意将获得资金，

but financial performance would be quarterly reviewed

但财务业绩将由投资委员会

by the investment committee.

每季度进行一次审查。

One sales manager suggested switching from large glass bottles

一位销售经理建议将产品从大玻璃瓶

to smaller paper carton packaging.

改为较小的纸盒包装，

They'd market them to mothers as a nutritious breakfast drink

打造成营养早餐饮品推给宝妈一族。

with kid-friendly flavors like sesame, like jasmine.

配以适合孩子的口味， 比如芝麻味，比如茉莉味。

When it launched, within three months,

产品推出后不到三个月，

the new drink ranked into the top three plant-based milks

就在主要电子商务平台上

on major e-commerce platforms.

名列植物基牛奶产品前三。

With this investor mindset,

凭借这种理性投资思维，

the new generation is helping team members become the CEO of their own ideas.

新一代正在帮助团队成员 成为自己创意的 CEO。

And number three,

第三，

businesses will expand into the entire ecosystem.

将生意扩展到整个生态系统。

In an age of scarcity,

在资源匮乏的时代，

first-generation entrepreneurs focused on doing one thing

第一代企业家会专注于做一件事，

and doing it right.

并且把它做好。

But the new generation grew up with internet giants

但是，新一代在互联网巨头影响下长大，

who have built massive digital ecosystems:

这些企业建立了庞大的数字生态系统：

vast interconnected networks of e-commerce,

既由电子商务、物流、

logistics, social media, payment, etc.

社交媒体、支付系统等组成的庞大互联网络。

They don't just do one thing,

他们不只做一件事，

they do nearly everything.

而是做几乎所有事情。

I worked with a livestock producer

我曾与一家畜牧生产商合作，

whose founder focused on rearing the highest quality pork and poultry,

其创始人专注于饲养最优质的猪和家禽，

and they were very successful.

他们做得非常成功。

But the second generation is thinking way bigger than raising livestock.

但是第二代管理者想的远不止饲养牲畜。

It's only the first step in a very long value chain.

饲养牲畜只是漫长价值链的第一步。

What if they expanded downstream?

如果他们向下游扩张会怎样？

They could get into meat processing

他们可以进入肉类加工领域，

and develop their own line of sliced ham,

开发自己的切片火腿、

sausage and jerky.

香肠和肉干生产线。

They could even invest in companies that buy their meat products,

他们甚至可以投资那些 购买他们肉类产品的公司，

like dumpling brands.

例如某些饺子品牌。

By thinking about the entire ecosystem,

通过思考整个生态系统，

from farming to food and even to retail,

包括从农业到食品到零售，

they can simplify the supply chain,

他们可以简化供应链，

spend less, earn more and expand faster.

减少支出，增加利润并加快扩展。

All three of these examples show what's possible

这三个例子都能说明，

when the future second-generation leaders take over Chinese businesses.

当未来的第二代企业家 领导中国企业时，会发生什么。

They’re not just looking to imitate

他们不只是想模仿，

but to create and lead their own ecosystems

还想创建和引导自己的生态系统，

and be bullish on every growth opportunity.

看好每一个增长机会。

These new leaders don't shy away from competition.

这些新领导者毫不回避竞争。

In fact, they embrace it

实际上，他们欢迎竞争，

and push change vertically and laterally.

并从纵向和横向推动变革。

And they don't take no for an answer.

而且他们不会轻易放弃。

To compete internationally,

为了在国际上竞争，

we might even see a new wave of major multinational companies

我们甚至可能看到 新一轮大型跨国公司

emerge from China.

从中国涌现。

So don't be surprised

因此，不要感到惊讶

when China's boardrooms have a lot less gray hair in the coming years.

如果未来中国的企业董事会 少了很多白发人。

China's future has never looked more colorful.

中国的未来从未像现在这样丰富多彩。

Thank you.

谢谢。