[Interview] VAZO Gao Wenhan: Inheriting The Classic Genes of ZIPPO is a Product Culture That Cannot be Reproduced

Inheriting the classic genes of ZIPPO results in a VAZO product culture that others cannot reproduce.

On June 15, 2022, the "2022 6th E-Cigarette Industry Standard and Compliance Conference and the E-Cigarette Export Trade Development Conference" hosted by the ECCC was held in Shenzhen Baoan, JW Marriott Hotel. During the conference, 2FIRSTS was able to interview Gao Wenhan, Marketing Director of VAZO Greater China. He said that the inheritance of classic American genes is a VAZO product culture that cannot be replicated by others.

Ninety years ago, because a friend only had a cheap lighter, George Bresdale's invention was introduced. The world's first ZIPPO lighter was born in the United States. ZIPPO gradually became an international brand that swept the world, not only representing a product, the classic, lasting and trustworthy brand culture conveyed by ZIPPO, has also become a cultural synonym around the world.

In 2019, as a product of ZIPPO's successful crossover, VAZO inherited the orthodox ZIPPO American gene in product tone. ZIPPO ignited the flame of VAZO. On ZIPPO's own brand accumulation, it fully integrated into Chinese cultural attributes. Since entering the Chinese market, it has maintained a rapid pace of development.

There is Only One ZIPPO Gene, That is Difficult For Others to Reproduce

For a long time, the domestic product market competition has been very fierce. VAZO has always adhered to its brand personality, refused to be stereotyped, and focused on building brands and products. Each product has its own background. Gao Wenhan said: "VAZO's advantage lies in its unique brand style, IP co-branding, design and supply chain level; for example, it co-branded with Japan's "EVA Neon Genesis Evangelion". This anime has a large number of fans around the world and has a high status. It is also a classic. This product used three-dimensional carving technology in production, and invited the original Japanese artist to participate and provide suggestions for revision.”

VAZO is also unique in that the supply chain used by some products is not the supply chain of the traditional e-cigarette industry, but other industries such as jewelry. Gao Wenhan introduced to us: "There is a product that is co-branded with the Czech jewelry brand Precios, the product has a total of 55 pure natural zircon imported from the Czech Republic. Our cooperation is a cross-border joint cooperation with the orthodox jewelry industry. At the same time, each product has a number on the side, and the number 4 is deliberately removed in order to consider the Chinese market; this product is limited to 800 sets nationwide, and the purpose of launching these products is for us to see how extreme of a product we can make.”

Going in the Direction of International Development, the Starting Point of Everything is Compliance

It can be seen from the selection of various co-branded products that, like ZIPPO, VAZO is good at integrating international resources and integrating cultures around the world. Similarly, every industry has its own order, and if you want the brand to develop in an orderly and healthy manner, Gao Wenhan said: "At present, the core key word for VAZO's future development in China is compliance, ensuring that all products comply with national standards, so as to reassure consumers and make a little contribution to the industry."

In the process of domestic development, VAZO has experienced online bans, epidemics, and rapid capital entry, leading to blind expansion of the industry. In this regard, Gao Wenhan concluded: "We try our best to improve the quality of each store and protect the existing dealers. Even if the pace is slow, we must ensure that our partners are safe and can go on for a long time. VAZO has always had a long-term view