Xiaomi's catchy advertising slogan "Are you Ok" "RUOK" has been registered as a trademark
Just a few days ago, Xiaomi founder Lei Jun announced on Weibo that, at the request of "Mi Fans," Xiaomi 9 phone cases printed with "RUOK" have begun mass production and are about to be launched. At the same time, netizens discovered that Xiaomi had applied to the State Intellectual Property Office to register a series of "RUOK" trademarks in February this year.
Those familiar with Xiaomi know that the phrase "ARE YOU OK" is actually a catchphrase of Lei Jun's. In 2015, when Lei Jun attended a Xiaomi product launch event in India, he communicated with Indian "Mi Fans" in English, but his English had a strong Chinese accent and his language was relatively simple. He even said "ARE YOU OK" twice, and not quite correctly. As a result, Chinese netizens ridiculed Lei Jun for speaking Chinglish. A netizen named Mr. Lemon edited several sentences Lei Jun spoke at the press conference into a song in a ghost style, titled "ARE YOU OK?" The song then spread widely online, becoming a viral hit. Currently, it shows over 16 million views and nearly 140,000 comments on Bilibili.
Lei Jun was very magnanimous about the ridicule, making fun of himself on Weibo, frankly admitting his poor English and saying he would study harder. He also took the ghost video on Bilibili in stride, saying, "It's all in good fun." Later, Lei Jun used "are you ok" as a catchphrase, humorously saying it in many occasions, always bringing the house down. After the song became popular, Xiaomi added it to the built-in ringtone library of its phones, renaming it "Following Lei Jun's Groove." Now, they've registered "RUOK" as a trademark and printed it on phone cases, a clever marketing move. As one netizen put it, "Lei Jun's butchered English, after being remixed, is worth tens of millions in advertising fees."
Humorous self-deprecation always makes people feel closer than self-aggrandizement. Lei Jun readily accepted the label of poor English, and magnanimously used it for self-mockery, instantly closing the distance with consumers. Those who consider themselves poor in English felt particularly close, with many netizens even describing Lei Jun as "cute," saying, "Mr. Lei is so cute." Correspondingly, people also developed a stronger sense of intimacy and identification with the Xiaomi brand. Lei Jun's accidental hit "are you ok" has accumulated more popularity for the Xiaomi brand, truly becoming Xiaomi's most successful advertising slogan. Dear card friends, are you ok?
