Fan marketing is not uncommon, but Yanjing has set a good precedent in the beer industry

On May 19, Yanjing Beer held a one-of-a-kind Fans' Night event in Beijing, bringing the series of "Yanjing Beer Super Brand Day" activities that started on May 10 to a thrilling peak. The event gathered nearly a hundred fan representatives from across the country, and top executives including Yanjing Beer Party Secretary and Chairman Geng Chao, General Manager Xie Guangjun, and Deputy Party Secretary Lan Shanfeng were all present. Yuan Yue, Secretary-General of the Beer Branch of the China Alcoholic Drinks Association, as well as founders and brewmasters from well-known craft breweries like Peiping Machine, Qiyexiangshan, Laopai Craft Brewing, and Ruhr Craft Brewing also joined the celebration. During the event, Yanjing's executives mingled with fans, playing games together, and a majestic motorcycle parade featuring dozens of Harley-Davidsons unfolded a spectacular audio-visual feast that blended beer culture with the allure of motorcycles, fully embodying Yanjing's "You" culture. Many fans expressed their surprise at the scale of the event and how valued they felt, saying that as ordinary consumers, they were truly delighted.

It is understood that this is another strong initiative following the live-streaming appearances of Yanjing's star executive team. Some media commented that state-owned enterprise executives who can set aside their airs and have fun with fans are the best way to build brand image. Fan marketing is nothing new, but Yanjing has set a good example in the beer industry.

A two-way journey pushes Yanjing Beer's "Fans' Night" to its climax

This Fans' Night consisted of two parts: a visit to Yanjing's Beijing factory, allowing fans and media guests to get a close-up look at Yanjing's quality, and then the evening carnival where everyone could experience the passion of beer. After touring the production workshop, one fan remarked, "Yanjing Beer tastes great for a reason. These workshops, equipment, ingredients, and processes are the foundation of Yanjing Beer. Seeing it firsthand makes me love Yanjing even more!"

This "two-way journey across mountains and seas" pushed Yanjing Beer's Fans' Night to its climax. The presence of Yanjing's entire executive team also made fans feel the weight of genuine respect. As Deputy Party Secretary Lan Shanfeng said in his speech, "This is a two-way journey across mountains and seas, and a joyful gathering of the Yanjing Beer family. With dreams as our horse, we live up to our youth; the future is bright, let's share our passion together!"

Deputy Party Secretary of Yanjing Beer, Lan Shanfeng

As the event began, Zhang Xinxin, the 2020 annual champion of "Star Avenue", ignited everyone's passion with her sweet voice. In the "Fan Sharing" segment, four loyal fans took the stage to share their feelings about Yanjing Beer. One said that Yanjing Beer represents culture and nostalgia, a memory of their generation, like an old friend. Another said Yanjing Beer has become younger and more fashionable, with new products greatly loved by friends, and they will always support it.

2020 Star Avenue Champion, Zhang Xinxin

The event also featured a special "Executive Discussion" segment, where Yanjing Beer executives interacted with fans on topics such as production, R&D, sales, and service, giving fans a glimpse of a Yanjing in transformation. An older fan remarked with heartfelt emotion, "I've been drinking Yanjing beer for decades and my love for it hasn't changed, from the 'Big Green Stick' (Yanjing Fresh) to U8. In the past it was about joy, now it's about emotion. Good products always have our support."

It's worth noting that a couple about to get married was also there, and Yanjing Beer prepared flowers and a cake to celebrate them. The groom-to-be said they had traveled from Henan, both Yanjing fans. When they first received the invitation, they were surprised, shocked, and delighted, seeing it as a chance to have a mini "honeymoon" in Beijing. It was not only an unforgettable experience but also a deep connection with the brand. Yanjing Beer's "customer-centric" promise is not an empty slogan—they could see and feel it.

In addition, the event featured wonderful artistic performances, and Yanjing Beer fulfilled its promise by awarding fans certificates for "Yanjing U8·365 Days of Unlimited Enjoyment" and held on-site lucky draws to give back to fans to the greatest extent.

A new T5 exploration in the beer industry, testing the feasibility of a domestic beer fan festival

This "Fans' Night" is a new T5 exploration for China's beer industry and a major move in Yanjing Beer's 2024 marketing ecosystem. With consumers at the center and the "You" culture at its core, Yanjing continuously creates hot topics and highlights, maintaining brand vitality and attracting fan attention. It adjusts and innovates its product structure based on market feedback, thereby integrating production and sales, unifying services, and transforming from a purely manufacturing enterprise into a comprehensive service-oriented enterprise.

The latest performance report shows that in the first quarter of 2024, Yanjing Beer achieved revenue of 3.587 billion yuan, up 1.72% year-on-year, and net profit of 103 million yuan, a surge of 81.73%, marking a strong start to the year. This comes on the heels of 2023, when Yanjing Beer hit a record-high revenue of 14.213 billion yuan and a net profit of 645 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 83.02%. Yanjing Beer continues to maintain efficient, high-quality growth, and both its speed and approach are invigorating the entire industry.

Yanjing Beer's achievements are inseparable from its consumer-centric approach and innovative marketing models. At the beginning of 2024, they capitalized on the Spring Festival to champion beer culture marketing. Campaigns such as "My Story with Yanjing" story collection, the launch of handwritten-blessing cans, virtual human Lunar New Year edition TVCs, and partnering with Beijing TV's Spring Festival Gala made Yanjing the brightest star during the holiday season, successfully kicking off the first wave of promotion.

And this Fans' Night is not a stand-alone event. Starting from the 510 Brand Day, Yanjing Beer launched a series of activities, including 365 days of free enjoyment of Yanjing U8, online live-stream sales, brand e-commerce flash sales, and the May 19 Fans' Night, once again demonstrating Yanjing's vitality and sincerity to consumers. This helped solidify the brand's place in consumers' minds, echoed the Spring Festival marketing, and prepared for the upcoming peak-season marketing campaign, building a marketing ecosystem and once again leading the development of the beer industry.

Yanjing Beer Party Secretary and Chairman Geng Chao stated, "Yanjing Beer is not only an industrial enterprise but also a service-oriented enterprise. Our most valuable asset is our users. Therefore, we must vigorously develop the fan economy, align with the market, stay in sync with consumers, continuously explore and convey the value Yanjing Beer shares with them, focus on product quality and user experience, and truly occupy the minds of consumers. We are committed to making beer for Chinese people, by Chinese people."

It is reported that Yanjing Beer will continue to roll out fan-centered marketing activities, empowering sales with service, and consolidating its consumer base through word-of-mouth and fan recommendations to achieve new breakthroughs. At the same time, Yanjing hopes that this Fans' Night event can serve as an exploration of a user-centric development model for the entire beer industry, thereby boosting industry confidence and leading the sector forward.

Industry experts point out that good products are the basic guarantee for a company's survival, while good service is the prerequisite for its development. Without service, there are no users; without users, a company has no future. Yanjing Beer may have pointed in a promising direction, and it is hoped that this will turn out to be an excellent answer.