Dong Mingzhu and Meng Yutong: a traffic chess game of reconciliation live broadcast

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Spicy Chopped Pepper

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This article is from WeChat official account: Chopping Pepper Spicy, by Ya Na, and the picture is from Visual China

Article Summary

Dong Mingzhu and Meng Yutong achieved the same frame through the live broadcast of "Century Reconciliation", attracting 2.92 million viewers and creating 5 million sales. The two went from being mentorship partners to the resignation controversy and then reconciling, reflecting Gree's exploration of the youth market and the reconciliation of intergenerational relationships in the workplace. In the live broadcast, Dong Mingzhu responded to the controversy over the "Healthy Home" strategy and the questioning of Rose Air Conditioning, and revealed the direction of successor selection. At the same time, she used traffic to promote Gree's diversified layout and 618 marketing ambitions.

•    The effect of "reconciliation" live streaming traffic: Dong Menghe's live streaming achieved 2.92 million views, with sales increasing tenfold and topping the home appliance list, realizing Gree's youthfulness and drainage.

•    Dong Mingzhu's attitude has changed: from publicly criticizing Meng Yutong to actively inviting reconciliation, demonstrating entrepreneurial inclusiveness and attempts to resolve intergenerational conflicts.

•    Gree's strategic adjustment: Promote the "Healthy Home" whole house intelligent home appliance strategy, weaken the air conditioning label, and lay out offline experience and interactive space with young users.

•   ❓ The successor puzzle continues: Dong Mingzhu claimed to have 3-4 potential candidates, and during the live broadcast, the exposure of executive Lu Luqun increased, but the controversy surrounding the candidate being labeled as an internet celebrity remains unresolved.

•    Wang Ziruo's controversial role: Former "channel reform leader" left due to comments and debt turmoil, highlighting the difficulty of balancing Gree's traffic and practical work.

•    Balancing interests and traffic: The settlement has been questioned as a marketing show, but both sides have taken advantage of each other to enhance commercial value. Gree has gained attention from Generation Z, and Meng Yutong has strengthened IP endorsement.

Have you changed? Have your thoughts changed

Still learning, thinking always needs to progress

A live broadcast called 'Long Time No See' once again brought Dong Mingzhu and Meng Yutong, the former 'master disciple CP', together.

On the evening of May 23rd, Gree Chairman Dong Mingzhu and former secretary Meng Yutong held a century long reconciliation event called "Long Time No See" in the "Gree Mingzhu Selected" live broadcast room. This sudden live broadcast of the merger has attracted millions of netizens to come and watch. On social media platforms, some netizens joked and posted, "Forward this Meng Yutong, the former leader will come to you immediately to reconcile

This live broadcast of the great reconciliation of the century did not feature tense confrontations or emotional tears, only a few casual greetings. Seemingly ordinary, it received 2.92 million views, with sales skyrocketing to 5 million and reaching the top of the "Everyone's Electronic List".

Behind this data is Gree's exploration of the youth market and a gentle dialogue about intergenerational relationships in the workplace. Dong Mingzhu's "elder style admonition" and Meng Yutong's humble response have gradually precipitated controversy and traffic into reflections on growth; The frequent mention of the "Healthy Home" concept in the live broadcast room and the controversy over rose air conditioning subtly reveal Gree's exploration of a balance between perseverance and innovation.

Perhaps this' reconciliation 'is not about winning or losing, it is more like a mirror reflecting the complex mentality of traditional manufacturing giants who want to seize the trend of the times while not letting go of their own pride when they turn around.

1、 Shaking hands and making peace in the CP live broadcast room of "Mingzhu Yutong", a century long reconciliation

Four years ago, Meng Yutong gained the appreciation of Dong Mingzhu in a variety show called "We Are New to the Workplace" and successfully joined Gree. At that time, Dong Mingzhu expressed full confidence in Meng Yutong, a junior, and threatened to cultivate him into the "second Dong Mingzhu".

Dong Mingzhu's remarks quickly made Meng Yutong the object of admiration for contemporary young people. Meng Yutong also deeply respects Dong Mingzhu's position as secretary. She once wrote in her diary, 'Learning from Mr. Dong is more effective than ten MBA programs.'. ”

Recruiting Meng Yutong as the "successor" and forming a master apprentice CP is essentially a bold attempt by Dong Mingzhu to seek diversified changes for Gree Electric Appliances.

At the end of his year at Gree Electric, Meng Yutong officially started live streaming sales in Gree Electric's official live streaming room. Although his sales performance did not explode, it was not easy to compare with similar live streaming rooms at the same stage. The first 4-hour live broadcast sold about 620000 yuan, and then Meng Yutong often appeared in the live broadcast room to promote products.

In 2022, Meng Yutong gradually reduced his appearance frequency in the live broadcast. The account name of Tiktok "Pearl Yutong" was changed to "Gree Pearl Selection", and the group photo avatar was replaced with Dong Mingzhu's personal photo. This change was regarded as the iron evidence of the rift between the two. Until April 2023, Dong Mingzhu officially announced that Meng Yutong would no longer serve as a secretary and stated that she loves live streaming more than secretarial work. The implied meaning reveals disappointment with Meng Yutong's self media account operation outside of work.

In May 2023, Meng Yutong officially resigned from Gree under the pretext of "applying to study abroad". However, news of his dismissal for disciplinary violations spread widely due to his frequent absenteeism from work during his tenure at the company, participating in business activities and taking on personal tasks. After talking to him at the company, he continued to engage in related activities without improvement.

At the end of that year, Dong Mingzhu publicly rebuked Meng Yutong, stating that as a secretary, she couldn't even write an article and had become an internet celebrity through the Gree platform, playing a bad role in the company. She could no longer tolerate such people appearing at Gree Electric.

After leaving Gree, Meng Yutong, with the title of "Top 500 CEO Secretary", has developed smoothly on the road to becoming an internet celebrity. According to public reports, the price of advertisements on Meng Yutong's account increased directly to 200000 yuan per piece after leaving, earning tens of millions of yuan in just six months. At present, Meng Yutong has 2.184 million fans on his Tiktok account and 1.47 million fans on his Xiaohongshu account.

The story of Dong Mingzhu and Meng Yutong, from meeting and getting to know each other, to the resignation controversy, and then to "going home for dinner", has transformed from an inspirational script of entrepreneurs searching for successors to a feud between entrepreneurs and workers, with dramatic tension. However, compared to the tough criticism attitude two years ago, Dong Mingzhu's attitude towards Meng Yutong has now eased a lot.

The opportunity for the two to reconcile this time was on the day of the 520 festival, three days before the live broadcast began, when Meng Yutong shared his chat records with Dong Mingzhu on his social media account. She said, "After two years, I received a WeChat message from my former boss, like a big stone in my heart finally falling to the ground... There can't be no female boss in this world

Dong Mingzhu also explained in the live broadcast that she was concerned about Yutong's recent state and worried that her career would encounter a bottleneck. She took the initiative to care for her and invited her to "go home for dinner".

Faced with this sudden century reconciliation, some netizens expressed confusion and doubts. Regarding this, Zhu Lei, the marketing director of Gree, responded to netizens on Zhihu by saying, "There is no planning, no KPI. Mr. Dong misses her and wants to talk about her growth in the past two years. ”

However, this live broadcast of the great reconciliation of the century was not as peaceful as imagined. Dong Mingzhu still showed her decisive speaking style in the live broadcast room, but her wording was much more tactful.

During the live broadcast, Dong Mingzhu admitted that Meng Yutong had not been able to withstand the temptation of superficial phenomena in society and believed that endorsement and advertising could increase income. However, in reality, she lacked a long-term vision and lost more value in life. Between her words, there is a sense of regret from elders towards younger generations. "Yutong is just a child to herself, to be criticized, to be cared for, and to be tolerant and accepting," she said with a slightly gentle tone. "You can't say her values are not right, but at least she made a slight mistake." Meng Yutong quickly defended herself, "My values are quite right.

In response to the highly publicized "resignation controversy" incident, Dong Mingzhu said, "The last time you were asked to leave, you did make a big mistake. Because we have to follow the rules, we must follow principles in our work. Emotions are another matter. Outside of work, we should talk about emotions and care, but at work, our principles are very strong. So in the past two years, I think she must have felt a lot too

When asked by netizens in the live broadcast room whether Meng Yutong will return to Gree in the future, Dong Mingzhu said it's impossible.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, we entered the theme of this live broadcast, live streaming sales. According to Feigua data, the "Gree Pearl Selection" live broadcast room had a viewership of 2.92 million that night, with a peak online audience of over 30000 people. Its sales revenue reached 5 million yuan, which was ten times higher than usual, and its sales performance once ranked first on the "Everyone's Electronic List". In this live broadcast, Gree's listed products include air conditioners, refrigerators, hot water kettles, beauty devices, and other products.

Most of the netizens who came to watch the 'Century Reconciliation' expressed their satisfaction with it. Most netizens believe that this is an "advanced marketing" campaign, which not only showcases Dong Mingzhu's entrepreneurial style, but also demonstrates her strong inclusiveness in actively repairing relationships. Especially after public criticism, Dong Mingzhu is still willing to give young people opportunities, reflecting the "warmth of elders" and the resolution of intergenerational conflicts in the workplace. Meng Yutong's humble response and grateful attitude are seen as positive examples for young people to handle workplace relationships.

She won't be bad anywhere, but Gree gave her an opportunity and seized it. She doesn't necessarily have to go back to work, but she also needs to know how to take advantage of the situation. This girl is simply a role model for us, capable of compromise, strong business ability, high emotional intelligence, and strong ability to withstand pressure, "said a netizen who supports Meng Yutong.

However, a few netizens have expressed doubts, believing that this is a show driven by traffic, and jokingly saying that "there is no enemy in front of interests".

But overall, this joint live broadcast is a showcase of maximizing profits for both Gree and Meng Yutong. Gree has attracted more Generation Z consumers through the young traffic of Meng Yutong, and Meng Yutong has once again used the Gree platform to enhance the commercial endorsement of his personal IP.

2、 Behind the great reconciliation of the century, Dong Mingzhu wanted to 'respond to everything'

Throughout the entire live broadcast that night, the camera focused more on Dong Mingzhu than on the reconciliation with Meng Yutong. In addition to explaining the product, she once again responded to recent doubts about herself and Gree from the outside world.

Firstly, to address the doubts about 'Dong Mingzhu Health Home'.

In February of this year, Gree officially launched the "Dong Mingzhu Health Home" strategy. On March 13th, Dong Mingzhu Health Home officially opened its first store in Beijing. Dong Mingzhu stated that in the future, Dong Mingzhu Health Home will reach 10000.

The core purpose of Gree Electric's strategy is to promote the diversified product layout of Gree Electric and reduce the dependence of Gree's performance on the air conditioning business. Zhu Lei, the marketing director of Gree Electric Appliances, has publicly stated that "Dong Mingzhu Health Home" represents smart home appliances for the whole house, which helps to break the perception that "Gree is just an air conditioner".

And during the two-hour live broadcast that night, the scene of the live broadcast room switched multiple times, from the living room to the kitchen and then to the refrigerator display hall, except for the lack of display of the air conditioning scene. This move also implies that Gree wants to break the inherent perception of the outside world that Gree only sells air conditioning.

In addition, Gree's vision for the "Dong Mingzhu Health Home" is to create an offline experiential center by integrating live streaming sales with offline experiences, and to leverage Dong Mingzhu's personal IP traffic to guide the newly upgraded offline specialty stores; On the other hand, we hope to upgrade our terminal stores to attract more young people to come into the store for communication. In the future, we will also open up a fourth space like Starbucks for young people to work in the store.

However, this strategy has been roast by many people. Many people expressed their disapproval of Gree's excessive use of Dong Mingzhu's personal IP, and some netizens ridiculed that this move was like changing the name of WeChat to Ma Huateng's chat room, Tiktok to Zhang Yiming's projection hall, and Xiaomi's home to Lei Jun's Miaomiao House.

In response to the doubts raised by "Dong Mingzhu Health Home", Dong Mingzhu responded with a domineering tone, saying, "Anyone who knows Gree will stand by me." She said that she has been advertising for Gree for more than ten years, saving more than ten billion yuan in advertising costs.           

During the live broadcast that evening, Dong Mingzhu once again publicly responded to the controversy surrounding Dong Mingzhu's health home. She stated that Gree specialty stores mainly sell air conditioning, but the biggest feature of Dong Mingzhu's health home is that the entire home is filled with Gree electrical products. The core significance of Dong Mingzhu Health Home lies in the word "health". Dong Mingzhu Health Home creates an ideal and healthy home for consumers to experience offline, with the focus on allowing consumers to intuitively feel whether the product can bring health.

Dong Mingzhu used windless air conditioning as an example to explain the importance of a healthy experience. She shared her experience attending a conference abroad during a live broadcast, stating that the venue had to wear windbreakers to keep warm due to direct air conditioning. Making people healthy is the mission of the manufacturing industry and also the responsibility of enterprises. To win the market, we must speak with our products. In her opinion, the core advantage of Gree air conditioners lies in technologies such as "windless health" and "wind doesn't blow you". Every product made by Gree must be related to physical health, as health is the essence of life.

We don't live for ourselves. Today, we have made Gree world-class. It can be said that the best air conditioner is Gree. "She said that seeing the Gree logo in many foreign places excited her." The word Gree represents our Chinese manufacturing going global

Secondly, in response to the comments on Gree's "Rose Air Conditioner".

When this "rose air conditioner" was born, many netizens roast that it was "ugly and rustic". But Dong Mingzhu remains steadfast in her aesthetic sense. She stated that although some people have expressed doubts about her aesthetics, thinking that she is "tacky", she still believes that there is a group of people who really like this product. I don't know why there are always people online saying that Gree's rose air conditioner is not good, but in fact, rose air conditioners not only need to be customized in advance, but they are also out of stock.

In the live broadcast room, she also expressed her vision for the second generation of rose air conditioners, stating that the new generation of products may make the entire air conditioner look like a rose and become a piece of art placed at home.

As a representative of Chinese female entrepreneurs, Dong Mingzhu has always been known as the "Iron Lady". Her decisive and stern attitude, as well as her tough words, have been the impression of her by the outside world for many years. After working at Gree for 35 years, she rose from grassroots sales to become the chairman of Gree. Now, the three words Dong Mingzhu have become integrated with Gree. For 71 year old Dong Mingzhu, this is both a blessing and a significant source of public pressure.

But "speaking frankly" has always been Dong Mingzhu's style of doing things. The outside world has questioned Gree's excessive reliance on the three words "Dong Mingzhu". Dong Mingzhu always hits back bluntly. As early as when she took over Gree in 2001, she publicly stated, "Without me, Gree would be finished

Although Dong Mingzhu's numerous high-profile remarks have caused quite a stir in public opinion, she continues to bravely express her opinions. Dong Mingzhu once responded in an interview, "We must advocate that everyone speaks the truth and dares to fight against bad behavior, so that this society can be more harmonious. Compromise is not a method, and appeasing others is not a method either

My friend Ye Tan once advised Dong Mingzhu to accept it, but she found that this tactic was ineffective for her. She used to achieve success through this set of logic, so she wouldn't easily change. Most people will change themselves due to external changes, but there is a group of people who won't. She will maintain some of the most core things, which in her opinion are related to innocence, "Ye Tan once said.

However, perhaps with age, Dong Mingzhu has become relatively gentle in recent years and has also begun to show signs in her marketing strategy.

It is worth mentioning that Dong Mingzhu previously faced backlash from the entire online public opinion for "never using overseas returnees because there are spies among them". At this critical moment, choosing to shake hands and make peace with Meng Yutong, a future "returnee" who is about to study abroad, is also a reshaping of Dong Mingzhu's public image.

3、 Who is the next successor of Gree?

The reunion of Dong Mingzhu and Meng Yutong has also sparked discussions online about the successor of Gree.

In February of this year, Dong Mingzhu discussed with Yu Minhong on the program "Zhuojian" that she had found a successor for Gree and there were three or four potential candidates. These candidates were assigned to different positions for training, and the key was to screen the most suitable candidates for Gree's future development through practice.

Talent cultivation has also been a key focus of Dong Mingzhu's attention in recent years. Regarding the standards for talent cultivation, she stated at the first extraordinary shareholders' meeting of Gree Electric Appliances in 2025 that age and qualifications are not measurement criteria. Gree Electric Appliances' future talent cultivation concept is to have innovative ability, sense of responsibility, and courage to strive.

When it comes to the "successor of Gree", we cannot ignore another internet celebrity "Wang Ziroom" who joined Gree before and after Meng Yutong.

Wang Ziruo and Dong Mingzhu got to know each other even earlier. In 2016, they met through the entrepreneurial program "I am the Founder", and at that time, Dong Mingzhu was an entrepreneurial mentor. In 2021, Gree entered a transitional period of channel reform and the development of new online retail models. Wang Ziroom resigned from his position at the self created technology media ZEALER and joined Gree as the "channel reform leader". But his position at Gree is quite awkward, as he is neither an executive nor has decision-making power, and he has to report everything to Dong Mingzhu.

During his three-year tenure at Gree, Wang Ziroom's words and actions were also controversial, being ridiculed as "promoting performance art". As the person in charge of channel reform, the "Cloud Network Batch" model promoted by Wang Ziroom was criticized by many for its direct impact on the interests of traditional distributors. At that time, some distributors predicted that he would resign within two years. During a public interview, Wang Ziruo sparked a huge public opinion by making statements such as "I have never seen my payslip" and "I only want to be closer to Dong Mingzhu".

In August 2024, a subpoena from Nanshan District Court in Shenzhen not only burdened Wang Ziroom with 33.83 million yuan in debt, but also pushed Gree to the forefront, which became the trigger for his resignation.

But it cannot be denied that Wang Ziroom's various "performance arts" have indeed brought traffic and topicality to Gree. Recently, according to multiple digital bloggers and industry sources, Wang Ziroom is planning to return as a blogger. Today, Wang Ziyou's microblog and Tiktok account are still the founder and CEO of ZAKER, with 1864000 and 237000 fans respectively.

To some extent, the image of Meng Yutong and Wang Ziroom as "internet celebrities" who have gained popularity is just a stereotypical impression of Dong Mingzhu's selection of successors from the outside world. Who can truly shoulder the heavy responsibility, Dong Mingzhu has a balance in her heart.

During last night's live broadcast, when explaining the kitchen utensils section, the female executive sitting to the left of Dong Mingzhu was another "candidate" whom Dong Mingzhu had high hopes for, Lu Luqun, also known as the "Iron Lady".

Lu Luqun has worked in the e-commerce department of Fangtai and the retail home appliance business unit of JD.com. After joining Gree, she rose to fame through a battle to defend her Hebei distributors. Not only did she successfully stabilize her relationships with Hebei distributors, but she also helped Gree gain more market share. After this battle, Lu Luqun officially proved himself in front of Dong Mingzhu and became the sales director of Gree Home Appliances Business Department.

However, despite being a veteran in the home appliance industry for many years, Lu Luqun's public visibility is not high. Industry insiders have analyzed that bringing Lu Luqun into the live broadcast room is also indirectly seeking exposure opportunities for him.

Overall, behind the century long reconciliation between Dong Mingzhu and Meng Yutong is a battle to protect the reputation of Gree and Dong Mingzhu, as well as a counterattack for Gree's restructuring of the home appliance market.

Whether it is choosing the "Century Reconciliation" before 618 to increase market attention, or repeatedly mentioning the preferential policies of national subsidies for home appliances in the live broadcast room, all demonstrate Gree Electric's ambition to fight fiercely for 618.

If the reconciliation with Meng Yutong can bring more consumers to Gree, it will be the best outcome.

This article is from the WeChat official account: Chopping Pepper Spicy, written by Ya Na

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Chun Shilang

Chun Shilang

Blocking Dong Mingzhu's video is annoying

9 hours ago

two hundred and thirty

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Sniff friend J1jYs

Sniff friend J1jYs

Perhaps it was a traffic planning project from the beginning

2 hours ago · Yunnan

00

HENDRY

HENDRY

There are no eternal enemies, freedom and unchanging interests!

4 hours ago · Gansu

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Smelling friend h4pH2

Smelling friend h4pH2

A person in their 70s who is reluctant to let go of their position of power.

7 hours ago · Zhejiang

fifty

Sniff Friend BK6MP

Sniff Friend BK6MP

There's no need to fire the secretary, and you can't inherit the family property

7 hours ago · Beijing

forty

Under the sun

Under the sun

No position, it's all business

8 hours ago · Beijing

eighty

I'm so scared alone

I'm so scared alone

5 million sales, it seems that the effect can be achieved! No matter how big the grudge is, it's not worth mentioning in front of money

9 hours ago · Beijing

thirty

Sun Moon Shuanghua

Sun Moon Shuanghua

Meng: I can be the successor again, Kai Xun

10 hours ago

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Sniff friend D05s6

Sniff friend D05s6

Complex workplace relationships, where are the challenges of enterprise transformation?! Um...

12 hours ago

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