Niu Qun, an honorary magistrate of Mengcheng County in east China?s Anhui Province, put his arm around Ma Ku, the vice-president of one of the world?s largest grass seed companies, to pose for photographers before the two signed a joint agreement on land development in Mengcheng County.
?Just call this picture ?Old Bull Head and Horse Face,?? said Magistrate Niu, referring to a Chinese legend surrounding a couple hideous henchmen for the king of the underworld, one with an ox head and the other a horse face.
Fortunately, this so amused Vice-President Ma that he signed up the magistrate to be a representative for his company, further enhancing the prospects of Mengcheng County through its ?celebrity representative? Niu Qun, who -- when he isn?t making deals for Mengcheng County -- is one of China?s most popular comic entertainers.
Niu is known for his expertise in ?cross-talk,? a kind of Chinese play on words, and in this case he was making a joke at the expense of names of the two men: Niu -- which means cattle in Chinese -- and Ma -- which means horse.
It was Niu?s name that first helped make the connection between him and Mengcheng County, the biggest cattle-producing county in China which each year produces about 600,000 heads of cattle. Through its Five Continents Production Company, the county sells over half the herd and has an annual output of beef that hits some 1,210,000 tons. Despite this -- and that ?Five Continents? products once won a gold medal at the Hong Kong Food Expo -- Mengcheng County?s beef products were not faring as well as they might because of a lack of promotion.
That?s when the Five Continents Company sought out Niu -- who happens to loves cattle and has a real interest in the cattle industry -- and managed to corral him into becoming its celebrity spokesman.
In October 2000, the first beef products under the ?Brother Niu? brand name with a portrait of Niu Qun on the package appeared at the Shijiazhuang National Sugar and Wine Products Fair. Wholesale buyers snatched them up, purchasing over 300,000 yuan (US$36,290) of beef and signing for more than 100 orders.
News of the success of the ?celebrity effect? did more than hearten the Five Continents Company. On hearing about it, government officials of Mengcheng County quickly decided to invite Niu Qun to work as an honorary magistrate for the county.
On December 29, 2000, Niu Qun took up the magisterial post of Mengcheng County with a vow to help this biggest cattle-raising county in China shake off poverty.
?If I do this, it will be in earnest,? Niu said.
And he wasn?t kidding.
Days before he took the post, when he was still in Taiwan, Niu telephoned the government of Mengcheng County to register a Chinese Cattle Website. Later -- in March 2001 at the Chengdu National Sugar and Wine Products Fair -- Magistrate Niu drew media attention when he promised he would personally guarantee the quality of beefs produced by the Five Continents Company. This also drew attention from food vendors who signed orders for ?Brother Niu? beef products worth over 20 million yuan (US$2,419,345) at the fair.
Further, Magistrate Niu developed a marketing strategy of promoting ?China?s No. 1 brand of beef? and invited Yu Xiaorong, a respected specialist with the China Packaging Association, to design a logo for the Five Continents Company. Thanks to Yu?s work, the company made significant advances in its sales operations.
The Five Continents sales network now covers over 30 provinces all over China as well as some foreign countries such as Malaysia, the Republic of Korea, Russia and Italy. The monthly sales volume exceeds 50,000 boxes, which is 2.5 times of that of the corresponding period from the year before. The company?s annual sales profits went from last year?s 7 million yuan (US$846,771) to over 35 million (US$4,233,854). Retailers are now approaching the company whereas before the company had to push its own product.
People in Mengcheng?s commercial circles think the secret to Brother Niu?s success in building a brand image is that he has consumers? trust. This middle-aged guy, outstanding in performing arts, is also looked on as an upstanding individual. Above all, he is widely known and acclaimed, and it is far better to have him as a celebrity promoter rather than spend tens of millions of yuan in advertising.
?Celebrity is wealth; celebrity is power,? said Liu Yirang, an official with the government of Mengcheng. His words are supported by what?s happening now in Mengcheng. Cattle-related businesses are mushrooming in the county. Mengcheng now has many public-owned enterprises engaging in processing of beef and ox hide. Besides these, private businesses dealing with cattle products seem to have spread to every street and alley in the county seat.
Today, ?Brother Niu? beef products are selling well all over China, even as their prices soar. Niu Qun?s current goal is for Five Continents to attain an annual sale of 100 million yuan (US$12,096,725) and to pay an annual tax of 10 million yuan (US$1,209,673) in three years. It is safe to predict that through ?the untiring strategizing, directing and canvassing of ?Old Bull Head,? the cattle economy of Mengcheng will continue to prosper.
(中安网 [Anhui News Website] by Zhang Xuchu and Xu Chunfang, translated by Chen Chao for china.org.cn March 27, 2002)
