“A story of “zhi yin” and VOYAH NIGHT, by Chang Yan

In my impression, the term “zhi yin” has always been a complex and universally relatable concept due to two different “imagery.” One comes from the story of Boya and Ziqi in “Liezi Tangwen,” in which the bond between the two artists is described as “as close as the mountain and river.” It has become the most sophisticated and elegant expression for empathy and soulmates. The other stems from a magazine called “Zhi Yin,” which was launched in 1985. This emotion-themed magazine presented “tragic love stories and celebrity anecdotes” to position itself against the elite culture, forming a unique style known as the “Zhi Yin tone.” However, people often have contrasting impressions and labels regarding the annual user activities of car companies: done well, it can showcase the brand values and deepen the customer relationship, forming a competitive barrier that rivals envy. Done poorly, it can make people feel like conformists who just go through the motions. Surprisingly, these two seemingly irrelevant stories came together at the VOYAH NIGHT user event of Voyah.

As it turns out, I did not know that the encounter between Boya and Ziqi took place in Wuhan until I arrived there. I also learned that the editorial office of “Zhi Yin” magazine is located in Wuhan, and that the headquarters of Voyah are near the landmark of this well-known story. The theme of this VOYAH NIGHT was “Zhi Yin talks Voyah,” which became a fascinating story worth exploring.

Can I take a longer route?”

When I arrived at the airport and departed for the hotel, I was surprised to find a Voyah FREE car waiting to pick us up. It’s not uncommon to provide this type of service at luxury brand events, after all, it’s all about elegance. But what really surprised me was the driver’s request: “Can I take you on a longer and more scenic route without going through the tunnel? It will take an extra 20 minutes.” This type of request is not often heard, and we were taken aback. However, we accepted and began our journey.

Not long after, I was even more surprised to find that the driver was actually a chief engineer responsible for Voyah’s vehicle platform.# Markdown Text in English

And I was amazed to find out that this car is actually the private car of a staff member from Voyah, because I saw the new car registration in the glove compartment, it was only registered on October 9th and was “requisitioned” by the company a week later.

This “importance” is two-dimensional: employees value the company and the company values users.

And it was during this “detour” of 20 minutes that I had the opportunity to gain a new understanding of the various scenery of Wuhan, which I had learned about since primary school, during my point-to-point business trips. In my childhood memories, driving guests to tourist spots was a very enthusiastic and genuine social tradition of our previous generation, but our generation always wastes these opportunities for communication with the excuse of being “too busy”.

During the easy and unhurried ride, I also had a more natural experience of the mass-produced Voyah FREE, such as the truly powerful massage seats.

From the very beginning, this event had a different flavor.

Five Pictures on the Parking Lot

The entire event took place on the “Zhiyin” cruise ship.

The entire VOYAH NIGHT launch event, which you have probably learned a lot about by the time you read this article, was held on a pier on land, and all of the spectators – including users, the media, and employees – stood on one side of the ship’s deck.

The best low-level positions were all given to the invited Voyah users, and it is worth mentioning that unlike many brands that claim to hold user events, but actually focus more on media attention, only less than a quarter of the media invited by Voyah were present.

Of course, being at a higher level also has its advantages, as I can search for the stories I need from a more comprehensive perspective.

Voyah’s presentation covered a lot of content, from end-of-year OTA updates and the comprehensive construction of charging networks to the ability to receive generous points daily for delayed delivery and the invitation of enthusiastic car owners to tell stories about their collective creation experiences, all of which were very interesting.

But what really caught my attention was this incident:Voyah has announced the introduction of personalized parking space services, which means that your parking space can be spray painted with five different designs, which not only eliminates the traditional appearance of a single parking space, but even when your car is not there, the parking space can still display its “personality”.

What I am curious about is how this project started.

Voyah CBO Zhang Xin explained that the original idea came from a user who was going to give his car as a birthday gift to his wife when he received his first car. He asked the Voyah staff if they could make the delivery site more personalized and add some designs to the parking space.

After completing this project, Voyah felt that this was a very interesting demand, so they turned it into a standardized product.

I think the initiation process, execution speed, and decision results of this process are a sample that reflects the brand connotation of Voyah.

The second car without outline

After so many brand baptisms, we have become accustomed to seeing some heavy products at this annual event.

Like the next car.

So as the press conference approached its end, I held my breath, turned on my phone camera, and prepared to capture the news of the new car’s debut.

As a result, there were only two lines of bare text on the PPT: the second model of Voyah, officially debuted at the Guangzhou Auto Show.

That’s right, just like that. Forget about any scenes with flashing lights and dry ice, or a disguised car emerging from behind the screen. Even the simplest outline of a car was not displayed on the screen as long as a ship.

This left me a bit stunned, not only losing confidence in Voyah’s engineering department, “Is the car still not ready when the release is so close?” but even showing some contempt for the PPT production department. How can such an important content be dismissed with just two lines of text?

Later, I found out that the PPT had been changed on the last day and all the content about the car that was originally on it had been deleted.

The reason was also “strange”. Voyah CEO Lu Fang said: for new products, users have the first right of appreciation.

Therefore, this car will first communicate with users for display, and even provide users with a priority and exclusive appreciation channel at the auto show.

I didn’t guess the end of this press conference.## We’re Already on the Same Boat

It wasn’t until after the launch event that I realized that the Zhiyin ship was a real boat.

Because suddenly I was told that the boat was about to set sail.

Being aboard a ship creates an unparalleled sense of unity, where everyone is heading towards a common destination in a relatively independent environment, time and space merging into the same rhythm, woven together into a story by the air currents and river waters.

Then I realized that Zhiyin wasn’t just a boat.

As a stage drama, the official website describes it as both a memory of Wuhan and a long-lost soul in people’s hearts.

By borrowing the boat, the scenery, and the river, Lan Tu graphically expresses its own demands.

In addition to creating a deeper memory of Wuhan and Lan Tu, Lan Tu hopes to establish a profound emotional connection with its users.

Soon after the performance ended, the voices of Lan Tu car owners began to dominate the entire ship, echoing classic pop songs on the roof deck, while their performers and singers were all real Lan Tu car owners.

On this slightly cold night, standing on the deck, you will find that all the iconic buildings on both sides are filled with Lan Tu lights.

I saw that Lan Tu referred to itself as a “teacher,” which is said to be an internal policy to encourage equality and respect by avoiding leadership titles such as “CEO.”

I also saw that the names of each car owner were printed on the walls, and although my opinion may not matter, I believe they felt very warm inside.

In the subsequent interview, Lan Tu CEO Lu Fang said three times, “We and our users are already on the same boat,” which was the most important statement I remembered.

Indeed, we are already on the same boat.

This article is a translation by ChatGPT of a Chinese report from 42HOW. If you have any questions about it, please email bd@42how.com.