Rather than merely 'planting grass', brands should focus on 'planting trees'-building long-term value

Today, the way brands are built has changed. The language of communication between brands and consumers has changed. The values, attitudes, and cultural decoding of brands have changed. But the role of a brand has not changed—in fact, branding has become more important than ever. People must pay attention to building real brands instead of blindly chasing traffic and short-term success everywhere. That approach is unsustainable and fleeting.

So, what is a brand? In some ways, a brand is a premium. It allows you to sell at a higher price than the industry average. Some may argue that many internet products are sold cheaply, even for free. But don’t fool yourself—look at the whole iceberg, not just the tip. What you receive for free isn’t truly free; in other aspects, you’ll be paying a premium—for services, experience, or emotional value. That’s branding.

Moreover, a brand must become symbolic to a certain degree—an indispensable part of consumers’ lives. That’s why building a brand is essential.

In the information age, with the explosion of mobile phones and smart devices, and the continuous evolution of media channels, we now have an abundance of information and increased bandwidth to transmit that information. Our ability to communicate with customers has become more efficient than ever.

But in practice, the more we engage in large-scale “grass planting” (a metaphor for product seeding or influencer-led soft marketing), the lower the conversion rate becomes. We must learn how to plant grass strategically—to attract attention and interest. When others are planting grass, you need to go beyond that. What’s the point of planting a patch of grass if it withers in a few days?

When others are planting grass, you should be secretly learning how to plant trees. If others plant grass, you plant trees. What is the value of a tree? It grows tall and strong—enduring and impactful.

How do you plant a tree? Planting grass is based on a product’s features—its immediate value, which can be easily copied. But the core requirement of a brand is having something that others can’t easily replicate.

For example, does your product or brand have a clear cultural identity? Do you carry deep values? These values and cultural expressions shouldn’t be artificial—they must come from a place of sincerity, rooted in the founder’s vision and the business model of the brand.

Emotion, culture, and values are the roots of the tree. Without these foundational roots, all we can plant is grass. If all you can say about your product is that it's “fun,” “unique,” or “valuable,” then that’s shallow and unconvincing.

Even though drinking alcohol among young people today is not easy to market, some alcohol brands have succeeded by tapping into the modern social desires and loneliness that youth experience. They position alcohol as a catalyst for conversation, a medium of emotional expression—a language of connection. That’s how they reach this audience. That’s what tree planting looks like.

The first level of “planting grass” is the product’s core functionality.
The next level—planting trees—is a philosophy of product and brand.

So what’s beyond grass planting? I want to emphasize: I possess emotions and values, and more importantly, the product itself should express the authentic beauty of humanity. This level of understanding becomes a powerful psychological weapon—a way to strike at the hearts and minds of others.

When others plant grass, I plant trees, the core of a tree is emotion, culture, and value. If your brand doesn’t have these, then it’s not a true brand—it’s just a label without value.