21. Kang Er Shou's Enduring Success: The Brand Journey of Third-Generation Weight Loss Products

22. Weight loss health products: How can you see a rainbow without going through wind and rain?

-Looking at the enduring success of Kang Er Shou as an example of the "hot" and "cold" trends in the weight loss and health supplement industry.

The weight-loss health supplement market is the most tempting piece of the entire health supplement market. Many manufacturers are eager to grab a slice of this "cake," resulting in a constant stream of new weight-loss health supplement products. The market is flooded with a dazzling array of brands and functions, leaving consumers overwhelmed. Advertisements for all kinds of weight-loss health supplements are also ubiquitous, making it difficult to choose. However, a closer look reveals that very few weight-loss health supplements can truly withstand market scrutiny and gain consumer acceptance. Apart from a few brands like Kang Er Shou that have established a clear brand advantage, the entire market is essentially in a state of chaotic, fragmented competition. This undoubtedly casts a shadow over the future healthy development of this product market. The future of the weight-loss health supplement market is a matter of great concern.

What is the current state of the weight-loss health supplement market? What issues are consumers concerned about? How do consumers rate weight-loss health supplements? With these questions in mind, reporters conducted interviews with consumers in more than ten cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, and Tianjin. Among the interviewees, 72.6% were women and 27.4% were men. 33.2% had experience with weight loss, and about one-third of the interviewees (38.7%) believed they needed to lose weight. This shows that obese people constitute a very large consumer group. The potential of this market is enormous, which is a key reason for the enduring success of the weight-loss health supplement market. 23.1% of consumers expressed a desire to buy weight-loss health supplements but were worried about side effects and product quality. This significant proportion of interviewees indicates that quality issues and market chaos have directly impacted consumer purchasing motivations, becoming a serious obstacle to the healthy development of this product market. This situation should be given serious attention; otherwise, we risk repeating the mistakes of previous years when health supplements lost public trust and sales plummeted. Meanwhile, 89.8% of consumers believe that there are a number of weight-loss health products with significant weight-loss effects and excellent product quality. Among them, 87.1% of interviewees believe that Kang Er Shou slimming tea has a high reputation, good weight-loss effects, and gives consumers peace of mind when purchasing it. The interviewees' recognition of Kang Er Shou slimming tea ranks first among all weight-loss health products, indicating that this product has won the full trust of consumers and has become the "leader" in the weight-loss health product market, the undisputed number one brand.

Because of the huge market potential for weight-loss health products, some companies exploit consumers' eagerness to lose weight, disregarding national laws and regulations. On the one hand, they adulterate their products, even using ingredients prohibited by the Ministry of Health, causing significant harm to consumers' health. Despite repeated investigations by national health departments, a few companies, driven by profit, continue to violate these regulations. On the other hand, some weight-loss products use numerous false advertisements to confuse consumers, impacting established brands, deceiving consumers, and misleading the market. For example, the American weight-loss product "Slimming Sauce" sold by the Haci Group was advertised in Beijing newspapers using an unapproved name and scope, resulting in penalties from relevant departments. In contrast, established brands like Kang Ershou, amidst the chaotic market, resolutely defend their market position with quality, brand image, and effectiveness, demonstrating their strength as the leading weight-loss brand and standing firm in the ever-changing market.

Obesity is defined as a weight exceeding the standard weight by more than 20%, mostly manifested as excess fat. The goal of weight loss is to eliminate excess fat and achieve a normal weight. From the perspective of weight loss mechanisms, there are four main pathways: First, high-intensity exercise to burn excess fat, which is quite difficult in real life; exercise equipment falls into this category. Second, drug-induced diarrhea, using drugs like rhubarb to induce diarrhea and create a false weight loss effect; its harm to the body is self-evident. Third, food suppression, reducing fat intake by suppressing appetite; Western medicine often uses this method, which also has significant side effects. Fourth, the healthy fat-burning method, converting excess fat into energy for consumption, which is beneficial to health and achieves weight loss. This method, developed by the Kangerse Institute, is a pioneering weight loss method with international leading technology and a new approach. It is considered a completely side-effect-free weight loss method among weight loss drugs and health products. Therefore, its introduction sparked a new wave of weight loss both domestically and internationally.

Our investigation of the weight-loss health supplement market revealed that products can be broadly categorized into three types: First, weight-loss devices, which primarily use physical methods to burn excess fat, but are inconvenient to use and have slow effects. Second, weight-loss supplements containing Western medicine ingredients, most of which have been discontinued due to potential harm during the weight-loss process, such as fenfluramine, desalkylfenfluramine, and amphetamine. Third, weight-loss supplements made from natural Chinese herbal medicines. These products embody the essence of traditional Chinese medicine, burning excess body fat without harming the body, lowering blood lipids, and even helping to treat fatty liver without affecting normal eating habits. Kangershou is a prominent example of this type of product. As a result, Kangershou has consistently ranked first in market share for several years, according to statistics from the National Bureau of Statistics and other departments, and is exported to European and American markets. This demonstrates the product's popularity among consumers and its strong market reputation.

In fact, the dramatic rise and fall of the weight-loss health supplement market has long concealed a profound crisis: the pharmacological issues of weight-loss products have not been truly resolved, nor have the problems of side effects during use been addressed. The World Health Organization has set strict requirements for weight-loss products, the main point being that they should not produce side effects on the human body and should not interfere with normal eating habits. The internationally recognized principle of weight loss is "no diarrhea, no anorexia, no fatigue." In reality, weight-loss products that meet these requirements are extremely rare. Therefore, a large number of Western medical experts do not believe in weight-loss products without side effects. This is partly due to their prejudice against weight-loss products and their limited knowledge of weight-loss products in traditional Chinese medicine, but it also sufficiently illustrates that truly high-quality, side-effect-free weight-loss products are pitifully scarce. Chinese weight-loss products, represented by Kang Er Shou, have abandoned the Western medical approach to weight loss. Breakthrough progress has been made in developing weight loss and health products using traditional Chinese medicine, fundamentally solving the pharmacological problem of weight loss products not producing side effects. For example, Kang Er Shou weight loss tea has been verified by authoritative institutions such as the China Health Care Technology Association. Kang Er Shou weight loss tea can produce enzymes that break down fat, converting excess body fat into energy. Therefore, Kang Er Shou's market leadership stems primarily from its leading weight loss theory, which can be said to be unique in the world of medicine.

my country's weight-loss health products have evolved to the third generation. The first generation appeared in the early 1990s, and some of these products were found to contain diuretics and other harmful ingredients. The second generation had shortcomings in weight-loss treatment, such as requiring strict dieting, strenuous exercise, or the use of extremely uncomfortable weight-loss devices. This clearly contradicted internationally recognized weight-loss principles. Consumers quickly discovered these product defects, so although some products were once popular, they quickly disappeared and failed to gain a foothold in the market. The third generation of weight-loss products, represented by brands like Kang Er Shou, proposed a method of eating well, reducing waist size, and promoting health, which not only attracted consumers but also fundamentally solved the problems of the first two generations of weight-loss products, gradually winning consumer trust and developing a huge potential market. After nearly a decade of market competition, a large number of low-quality and unreliable products have been squeezed out of the market. The few well-known brands that survived the fierce competition have seen their sales performance soar year after year. In 1998, Kang Er Shou alone held a 23.1% market share nationwide, ranking first in both product awareness and brand recognition. This demonstrates the significant brand effect in weight-loss health products, signifying the quiet arrival of the brand-driven era for weight-loss products. Although new brands and products continue to emerge in the weight-loss product market, they haven't significantly impacted established brands. This illustrates that building a brand effect in weight-loss products requires a solid quality foundation, effective weight-loss results, and a prolonged period of market testing. Recently, some weight-loss products have been using the "imported" label to deceive consumers, exploiting the foreign-worshipping mentality of a small segment. However, foreign weight-loss products have almost reached their limits and are turning to the Chinese market. Blindly believing in imported weight-loss products is clearly self-deception. For example, some weight-loss products considered substandard in the US are not only exorbitantly priced in China but also of shockingly poor quality. According to China Radio International, AHP, the world's largest pharmaceutical and health products company, has caused harm to 6 million Americans with its "Rita" weight-loss drug. A woman in Texas died of a heart attack after taking AHP's weight-loss drugs. These products have been criticized by many consumers. In addition, another influential weight-loss product used the name and image of a famous TV host in false advertising to mislead consumers. This behavior has severely damaged the market reputation and industry image of weight-loss health products, and has had a significant negative impact on the future development of the weight-loss market. Currently, cracking down on counterfeit and substandard products in the weight-loss health product industry has become an urgent matter.

The market is both ruthless and compassionate. When a product fails to gain consumer acceptance, it will eventually be eliminated; when a product wins consumer favor, it will be treated like royalty. Ultimately, however, it comes down to product quality. When interviewing people about the effectiveness of weight-loss products, 80.5% indicated that Kang Ershou's weight-loss effects were extremely significant. Among similar products, none could surpass it. This is because Kang Ershou's remarkable weight-loss effects are based on its solid foundation in traditional Chinese medicine's weight-loss theories. The United States has been researching weight-loss mechanisms since the 1950s, and weight-loss consumption reached a staggering $34 billion in 1998. As a result, American pharmaceutical experts asserted that no truly effective weight-loss product had yet emerged in the US. American consumers experienced a strong sense of disappointment with weight-loss products. Just when the international weight-loss field seemed to be in a dead end, Kang Ershou's outstanding achievements in weight-loss theory and practice not only brought a glimmer of hope to weight-loss research and the weight-loss product market but also attracted the attention of the global medical community. Professors at Harvard Medical School in the United States personally experienced excellent weight-loss results after using Kang Ershou weight-loss products. Further human trials and genetic research revealed that Kang Ersuo possesses a unique weight-loss mechanism, leading them to decide on its vigorous promotion in the United States. Dr. Sophie Broukard, a pharmacologist from the University of Paris, pointed out after conducting research experiments on Kang Ersuo: "The fundamental solution to weight loss lies in China." The Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences also highly valued the research findings on Kang Ersuo. After a one-month experimental study on 40 obese individuals, West China Medical University found that Kang Ersuo could reduce fat by 96%. This undeniable fact sufficiently proves that Kang Ersuo's weight-loss effect has reached an internationally leading level.

Although the weight loss and health supplement market is constantly changing, one fundamental principle remains constant: quality is paramount. By adhering to this principle, one can navigate the fierce competition in the weight loss product market and maintain market dominance. The success of Kang Ershou profoundly illustrates this point. my country's weight loss and health supplement industry has traversed a long and winding road, and there is still much to explore and forge ahead. Only by viewing the present as the starting point for the future can the weight loss and health supplement industry have a bright future.