Most people in China were taught the story of the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment by Italian scientist Galileo Galilei (1564-1642), where the Renaissance polymath threw a lighter and a heavier lead ball from the top of the tower and both ended up dropping at the same speed, thus revolutionising the idea of gravity. This time, Lei Jun, founder and CEO of Chinese tech company and automaker Xiaomi went viral on Chinese social media for throwing a watermelon from the rooftop of a Xiaomi factory.
Why? Because the melon was painted with what the company calls a “bulletproof” coating and emerged completely unscathed after being thrown 3 times by Lei. Netizens asked in the comments if the melon was still edible, to which Lei replied: “You won’t be able to open it with an axe.”
- #雷军6楼扔西瓜 Lei Jun throws watermelon down six storeys: 5.49 million views on Rednote, ranking number 2 on the Hot Spot list
- #雷军6楼扔西瓜 Lei Jun throws watermelon down six storeys: 72.69 million views on Weibo, ranking number 11 on the Hot Search list
Lei Jun is quickly becoming one of China’s top influencers and most beloved entrepreneurs. Xiaomi is not only posting “best-in-history” financial results but also conducting very effective marketing for its EVs, including through Lei’s personal account, providing great examples of “CEO marketing.”
Need to boost your China strategy? Dao Pro delivers bespoke insights on marketing, innovation, and digital trends, direct from Chinese sources. Find out more from our Dao Strategy Team here.
