Times have changed. Rule #1 for survival: Become a media company first.

1. The Twilight of the 4P Myth: Products and Prices Are No Longer Moats

A regular customer, Mr. Zhu, came in today to have meat sliced and mentioned he wants to open another restaurant. I almost immediately advised him to think twice—unless you have a unique skill that scores 80. But this edge no longer comes from a family recipe or unbeatable value; it means you must first be a media company, and only then a product company.

As marketing professionals, we once held the 4Ps framework as our guiding principle. But the harsh reality is that China has no shortage of great products; overcapacity now demands global expansion. Price wars have driven margins down to razor-thin levels, rendering so-called "killer features" ineffective. Online and offline channels may appear well-connected, yet foot traffic on each path continues to decline. When product, price, and distribution are all flattened to the extreme, former competitive moats have overnight become standard entry barriers.

II. The Fatal Blind Spot: Traffic Isn't Shrinking—You're Just Invisible

Having served countless F&B peers, I've watched their stores rise and fall, sometimes abruptly. Did they fail to engage every team member? Was there a lack of unified thinking? No. What they lacked was a shared consensus made tangible for the new era.

The fourth P—Promotion, which is the ability to communicate with customers, has become incredibly expensive and critical today. Traffic is the new prime real estate. You may have a great product, a fair price, and a prime location, but if your customers never know you exist in this ocean of information, it's all self-indulgence. The prerequisite for closing a deal is recognition; the prerequisite for recognition is repeated visibility. The core challenge now isn't how to sell, but how to ensure the right people see you frequently and at low cost.

3. Empower Everyone with Media: Illuminate Every Bit of Value Through Content

"Engage all in operations and align mindsets"—this concept must be redefined today. It no longer means simply striving to serve excellent food and service; it now means every team member must become a competent multimedia professional.

Times have changed. We can no longer wait to fail on the old path. We must leverage media to amplify our presence. Use content to spotlight the craftsmanship behind our products, use storytelling to explain the value of our affordable prices, and maintain consistent visibility to activate both our online and offline store locations. Future enterprises will either build an in-house media team that generates its own traffic or be crushed by exorbitant external traffic costs. Make media a survival skill. Only then can we use the light that pierces through information noise to illuminate our own path. Times are changing; we must evolve with them. Let media shine a light on our products, our competitive pricing, and our stores—online and offline.