Perhaps even JD.com did not expect to suffer "two blows" right at the start of Singles' Day - one from the Zhang Zetian incident and the other from the Yang Li incident.

If the Zhang Zetian incident was an accidental blow to JD.com, then the Yang Li incident was the first public relations crisis JD.com encountered after the start of this year's Singles' Day.

Although the matter ended with Yang Li's public apology, it undoubtedly set a bad precedent for JD.com during this year's Singles' Day.

Through these two incidents, we can not only see the increasing caution of current internet companies but also the intense competition that persists even in an interconnected internet industry.

We will not discuss the Zhang Zetian incident today but will instead analyze the negative impact of the Yang Li incident on JD.com, thereby examining the series of problems and challenges currently faced by the internet industry.

If we analyze the reasons behind the Yang Li incident, there is actually a main thread to it.

Namely, the intense backlash from JD.com users triggered by Yang Li's slightly biased views and the subsequent series of reactions.

Although the incident ended with JD.com's apology and a pledge not to work with similar actors in the future, this incident seems to reveal more problems, especially the increasing number of new challenges faced by companies in public relations.

I

When the Yang Li incident began, people in my social circle started complaining. They only knew about "feminism" but were surprised to learn about "masculinism".

In other words, Yang Li's views harmed JD.com users, especially male users, triggering a fierce backlash. Although this argument has some merit, simply attributing it to a battle between "masculinism" and "feminism" is superficial.

Through this Yang Li incident, we need to see more clearly that the Singles' Day under interconnection has seen the intense competition for traffic among major e-commerce players.

The reason is that, on the surface, JD.com's choice of Yang Li as its spokesperson hurt the hearts of many male users. However, at a deeper level, if competitors use this as an excuse and escalate it, JD.com may not only face the backlash of "masculinism" but also risk losing users.

Precisely because of this, we can say that while the Yang Li incident appears to be a public relations crisis for JD.com on the surface, it is actually a manifestation of the intense competition JD.com is facing.

For JD.com, the real issues it should address may not just be those faced during previous Singles' Days but also the series of problems encountered as the competition for traffic enters a white-hot stage of development.

From this perspective, the Yang Li incident is more about the competition among e-commerce players, especially as the competition for traffic enters a white-hot stage.

For JD.com, choosing a down-to-earth actor as a spokesperson is not wrong. Choosing a more neutral spokesperson who is widely accepted by users may be the key to avoiding mistakes as the competition for traffic enters a white-hot stage.

II

If the competition among e-commerce players, especially for traffic, has entered a white-hot stage of development, ultimately fueling the continuous escalation of the Yang Li incident, then how companies like JD.com choose spokespersons from the perspective of users rather than just the company itself may be a profound lesson.

During the period when the Yang Li incident escalated, more insider information about JD.com was uncovered. If we summarize these insights, they are undoubtedly based on the perspective of the opposition between men and women.

This includes the composition of JD.com's workforce and the faster promotion of women compared to men within the company, among other things.

By delving deeper into these so-called insights, we can discern a clear main thread: all of these insights are stoking the divide between men and women and putting JD.com in a precarious position.

While we may not know the exact reason why JD.com chose Yang Li as its spokesperson, choosing a relatively neutral spokesperson who is widely accepted by all parties is undoubtedly the right choice for JD.com and other e-commerce players.

It must be said that stand-up comedians like Yang Li are indeed popular among many users, and their opinions can even resonate with users, driving them to consume more. However, we must also recognize that stand-up comedy today faces various challenges.

For stand-up comedy, which is currently in the eye of the storm, choosing them as the spokesperson for a company, especially a well-known one, requires careful consideration from multiple angles.

From this incident, we can see that for companies like JD.com, choosing spokespersons requires more consideration from the perspective of users rather than just the company itself.

When we truly consider this issue from a more comprehensive and multidimensional perspective rather than just the company's own, we may find that choosing Yang Li as a spokesperson was not a wise decision.

Therefore, if we were to summarize and define the Yang Li incident, it undoubtedly provided JD.com with a vivid and practical public relations lesson.

III

In fact, as Singles' Day enters a new stage of interconnection, we can already sense a different atmosphere.

If we were to summarize and define this atmosphere, the inability of major e-commerce players to maintain their established ecosystems and Continuing one's own position through previous methods of competition is undoubtedly the most accurate depiction.

As the Yang Li incident began to escalate, especially when it started to have an increasingly negative impact on JD.com, we must also recognize that competition in the e-commerce industry has entered a new phase.

In the past, e-commerce players could rely on building high walls and digging deep moats to maintain their market position. Now, as the walls are torn down and the moats filled in, users can now freely move between different e-commerce platforms. A public opinion event like the Yang Li incident could significantly affect an e-commerce platform's overall Singles' Day strategy.

Through the Yang Li incident, we need to see more clearly that the previous development models of e-commerce players are gradually failing, and a new competitive model is emerging.

For e-commerce players like JD.com, they need to do more than rely on building high walls and digging deep moats to maintain their position. Instead, they need to establish their unique differences, focus more on the essence of e-commerce, and pay closer attention to changes in user needs.

In the past, the platform-centric market has gradually been disrupted. For e-commerce players like JD.com, finding a development model that truly suits them in this new chaotic landscape, especially one that attracts more traffic and facilitates more transactions, rather than simply continuing previous development models, may be the key to ensuring their continued growth and entering a new phase.

Conclusion

If we were to summarize and define the Yang Li incident, "betraying" JD.com is undoubtedly an apt description.

Through this incident, we should not just discuss the incident itself but also consider the messages it conveys.

For JD.com, the Yang Li incident tested its new public relations strategies in a practical setting;

For the e-commerce industry, the Yang Li incident reflects the reality that competition in the e-commerce industry has entered a new phase, and the competition for traffic has become intense.

Singles' Day has just begun, and JD.com has already suffered "two blows".

This reveals JD.com's inadaptability to the new competitive landscape of interconnected e-commerce and underscores the dawn of a new era in the e-commerce industry.