“毒打”说教翻车，桃李面包何以至此？

Core Viewpoint - The recent controversy surrounding the marketing campaign of Tao Li Bread highlights a disconnect between the brand's messaging and consumer sentiment, leading to significant backlash and a decline in brand reputation [1][3][10] Group 1: Marketing Missteps - Tao Li Bread's advertisement for its "Egg Mooncake" included the phrase "life's beating," which was perceived as condescending and led to public outrage, prompting the company to retract the ad and apologize [3][5] - The company's marketing strategy appears to prioritize aggressive advertising over product quality and consumer experience, as evidenced by a 40.38% increase in advertising expenses to approximately 42.96 million yuan, while R&D spending decreased by 30.81% to about 10.66 million yuan [5][7] Group 2: Industry Context - The domestic baked goods industry is expanding, yet it remains fragmented, with the top five companies holding only 26.3% market share, indicating a highly competitive environment that necessitates product differentiation [5] - Tao Li Bread's revenue for the first half of 2025 is projected to be 2.611 billion yuan, reflecting a year-on-year decline of 13.55%, while net profit is expected to drop by 29.7% to 204 million yuan [5] Group 3: Consumer Sentiment and Brand Values - The disconnect between Tao Li Bread's marketing approach and the values of younger consumers, particularly Generation Z, is evident, as they favor brands that communicate with empathy and authenticity rather than condescension [7][9] - Successful nostalgic marketing typically evokes positive emotions, while Tao Li's use of negative language in its campaign undermines the emotional connection between food and consumers [9][10] Group 4: Brand Governance and Future Directions - The incident reveals systemic failures in brand governance, risk assessment, and value alignment, suggesting that Tao Li Bread must prioritize product quality and consumer respect over marketing gimmicks to rebuild trust [10]