Summary of Key Points
This article takes the collapse of the celebrity couple bloggers Xia Mei and Wang Yangyang as an entry point to analyze the fundamental reasons behind the downfall of internet celebrities (the narrative error of mistaking "digital pets" for "role models"). It provides a set of "textbook-level" strategies for repairing public opinion, deconstructs the commercial complementarity logic of these couple bloggers, and predicts future trends in internet celebrity personas. Finally, it offers practical tips for ordinary people on how to collaborate with handsome men and beautiful women to make money. The article revolves around three core concepts: "internet celebrity positioning," "public opinion management," and "commercial synergy," explaining the underlying rules of the internet celebrity industry in simple language.
1. The Root of the Collapse: Don't Mistake "Digital Pets" for "Life Mentors"
What is the essence of an internet celebrity? According to the author, it's a "digital pet"—that is, people follow you for entertainment and emotional value, not because they want to learn how to live from you. The collapse of Xia Mei and Wang Yangyang wasn't due to revealing photos (which wouldn't have caused such a big stir), but rather due to a mistake of overstepping their bounds:
- They established the persona of "major female protagonists" and even suggested that beauty could be used as a tool for success, treating themselves as role models for others to emulate. But the question is: Can ordinary people really make significant money like them by being couple bloggers? No.
- It's like Tong Jincheng (the pioneer of this trend); people watch his flirtatious content for fun, but if he were to claim, "You can do the same," he would be immediately criticized by those who lack his luck and opportunities. In short, you can be a source of entertainment, but don't pretend to be a mentor, or you'll invite your own downfall.
2. The "Clever Tactics" for Repairing Public Opinion: Divide and Conquer
The author outlines a plan for Wang Yangyang to salvage her reputation:
- Step 1: Sincere apology + Blame the "dreams"
Xia Mei is made to appear on screen saying, "Being a major female protagonist is a dream for many girls, but I lied; I'm not the real one, and I offended the real ones." This lowers her stance and gains sympathy.
- Two Parallel Approaches: Redemption + Curiosity:
- Redemption: Utilize the popularity of "Hello Xia Mei" to interview genuine "minor female protagonists" (ordinary girls who achieved success on their own) and help them realize their dreams with traffic and money. The accompanying narrative is, "I can't be a major female protagonist, but I want to help more courageous girls achieve theirs." This shifts the focus from her as a scammer to a rescuer.
- Curiosity: Create vlogs about the pitfalls faced by beautiful women (such as unfair contracts, unspoken rules), and tie in feminist theories like Simone de Beauvoir or Saeko Inoue to make it a "women's growth" topic, thereby drawing female audiences and diverting negative attention.
- Merge and Confuse: After 10 episodes on the redemption approach, merge the two threads and use marketing accounts to claim, "She went from scammer to a real major female protagonist, helping a delivery girl open a restaurant..." At the same time, Wang Yangyang can hire male trolls to criticize herself (in a humorous way) and leverage her depression as a strategy to split public opinion (some will criticize, while others will sympathize), effectively deconstructing the negative sentiment. After half a year, she can regain business opportunities.
3. The "Golden Formula" for Couple Bloggers: Complementarity Leads to Success
The combination of Xia Mei and Wang Yangyang is a prime example of commercial synergy in the internet celebrity world:
- The sensitive boy (Wang Yangyang) writes compelling copy, but on his own, it's either annoying or uninteresting.
- The beautiful but awkward girl (Xia Mei) has beauty but lacks creative content; her attractiveness can only be monetized in limited ways (e.g., modeling). When they start dating, a miracle happens: Wang Yangyang's writing gains value through Xia Mei's beauty, and Xia Mei's beauty finds deeper meaning through their stories. This combination creates a "1+1>2" effect.
The author also cites the example of a gender-reversed pair (a sensitive female writer and a handsome, awkward boy), where the boy's "hot nerd" persona is actually created by the girl, and fans are attracted to her personality. In the future, more such combinations (with creative writers from liberal arts backgrounds) will be popular in both romantic and commercial contexts.
4. Future Trends: Major Female Protagonist Personas Will Become Less Relevant
The author predicts that women are becoming more rational and won't accept a celebrity's persona without real substance. Many previous female celebrities built on the persona of "major female protagonists" or "strong women and weak men," relying on emotional value to attract followers, but this no longer works. Women will ask, "Did you really achieve this on your own? Can others replicate your success?" If the answer is no, the persona collapses.
Therefore, bloggers with unproven major female protagonist personas are likely to fail. Internet celebrities need to recognize their role as "digital pets" and not pretend to be life mentors.
5. Tips for Ordinary People: New Opportunities for Liberal Arts Students
If you're an ordinary person with writing skills (especially from a liberal arts background) and want to collaborate with handsome men or beautiful women to make money, try this:
- Private message attractive individuals and offer to help with planning and copywriting. Attractive people often lack the ability to connect with their audience; your skills can fill that gap.
- After collaborating, let the attractive person be the "face" of the account, and you handle the content. Once successful, each ad can generate several tens of thousands in revenue, offering both financial benefits and potential romantic opportunities.
This article uses the example of the couple bloggers' collapse to explain three fundamental principles: traffic generation, persona positioning, and commercial synergy. Whether you're an internet celebrity or an ordinary person, these insights can be highly useful.