中國涼茶之死：加多寶與王老吉的雙輸戰爭

曾幾何時，涼茶是中國飲料市場當之無愧的霸主，年銷量數百億元人民幣，甚至讓可口可樂都感受到前所未有的壓力。然而短短十年間，這個擁有百年歷史的品類從巔峰跌入低谷，加多寶與王老吉兩大巨頭的長期糾葛，不但未能將涼茶推向世界，反而讓整個品類走向凋零。在這場激烈的商業戰爭中，沒有一方是真正的贏家。

涼茶原本只是嶺南一帶的民間藥飲，用來清熱解毒，過去街頭小攤販一碗僅售兩元。2003年，加多寶（當時仍使用「紅罐王老吉」名義）以一句深入人心的廣告語——「怕上火，喝王老吉」，將涼茶從區域性的民俗飲品推向全國市場。這是一場定位上的革命，加多寶將涼茶從「藥」轉化為日常「飲料」，淡化苦澀藥性，強化「解火」的生活場景，成功進入火鍋、燒烤等餐飲渠道，打開消費入口。

2008年汶川地震，加多寶慷慨捐款一億元，迅速樹立起「國民品牌」的形象。到2012年，涼茶年銷突破兩百億，超越可口可樂，站上中國飲料市場的巔峰。那段時期，涼茶堪稱本土飲品的驕傲，是中國消費品牌崛起的重要象徵。

然而，涼茶的衰落，也正是從這個巔峰時刻開始。導火線來自一場漫長的商標大戰。作為商標持有方的廣藥集團與實際營運方加多寶，原本互利共贏，但自2010年起，廣藥突然中止合作並收回「王老吉」商標，迫使加多寶改名，雙方關係徹底破裂。此後，兩大品牌展開無差別的市場廝殺，不僅廣告語、包裝風格、配方內容全面對抗，連「紅罐」的使用權也訴諸法院。雖然判決允許雙方共享紅罐設計，但消費者已無法分辨孰是孰非。

從「10罐涼茶7罐加多寶」到「涼茶始祖王老吉」，雙方砸下數十億元的廣告戰卻無助於市場擴張，反而讓消費者感到疲勞與反感。價格戰也隨之升級，頻繁的促銷與打折使得利潤空間被壓縮，經銷商利益受損，信心盡失。最終的結果是雙方皆傷，加多寶因高額廣告費與賠償金陷入資金鏈危機，多次傳出工資難發、工廠停擺；王老吉雖保住商標，卻無法逆轉市場疲軟的頹勢，涼茶品類整體進入衰退期。

表面看來，涼茶之殞是品牌內耗的惡果，但更深層的原因在於品類本身的老化與時代斷裂。首先，涼茶的使用場景過於單一，集中在「去火」這一概念，難以觸動年輕一代的多元需求。與此同時，新式茶飲、氣泡水、椰子水等健康趨勢興起，讓高糖量的涼茶顯得過時與不健康。其次，涼茶過度依賴傳統餐飲與超市渠道，對便利店與電商平台佈局不足，導致在零售場景變化中失去先機，被元氣森林等新興品牌迅速搶佔貨架與流量。

2022年，中國涼茶市場的整體規模已跌至150億元，不到巔峰時期的一半。王老吉雖推出無糖版與氣泡涼茶，但市場反應平淡；加多寶則面臨資金困局與內部管理危機，接連傳出停工消息。這個曾經被譽為「中國飲料之王」的品類，如今正被時代所遺忘。

加多寶與王老吉的對決，本有機會如可口可樂與百事可樂一般，透過良性競爭共同做大市場，鞏固消費者對涼茶的信任與依賴。然而，雙方選擇了最激烈也最自毀式的打法，不惜一切代價削弱對方，最終卻讓整個品類走向沉淪。這場看似針鋒相對的商戰，其實是一場失敗的共舞。

涼茶的沉淪為中國消費品行業留下寶貴啟示：品牌可以競爭，但不能傷害消費者的認知；營銷可以燒錢，但不能替代產品創新；商戰可以輸贏，但不能讓整個行業陪葬。如今，涼茶成為中國商業史上最典型的「雙輸」案例。它的崛起，是一次營銷奇蹟；它的衰落，是內耗與保守思維的終極寫照。或許未來某日，涼茶能以嶄新形式再度回歸市場，但那個「怕上火就喝×××」的黃金時代，已一去不復返。

The Death of Chinese Herbal Tea: The Pyrrhic War Between JDB and Wong Lo Kat

Once hailed as the undisputed king of China's beverage market, herbal tea once achieved annual sales of tens of billions of RMB and even posed an unprecedented threat to Coca-Cola. However, in just a decade, this century-old category has plummeted from its peak into decline. The long-running entanglement between the two giants—JDB (Jia Duo Bao) and Wong Lo Kat—failed to bring herbal tea onto the global stage. Instead, it dragged the entire category into decay. In this fierce business war, there were no true winners.

Herbal tea originated as a folk medicinal drink in the Lingnan region of southern China, traditionally used to reduce internal heat. In the past, street vendors would sell it for just two yuan a bowl. In 2003, JDB (then still using the “Red Can Wong Lo Kat” brand) launched a memorable advertising slogan: “Afraid of getting too hot? Drink Wong Lo Kat!” This was a revolutionary repositioning move that transformed herbal tea from a medicinal tonic into an everyday beverage. It downplayed its bitter medicinal taste and emphasized the use-case of “clearing heat,” successfully integrating into food scenes like hot pot and barbecue, opening a broad consumption market.

In 2008, JDB donated 100 million RMB during the Wenchuan earthquake, establishing a patriotic image as a “national brand.” By 2012, annual sales of herbal tea had exceeded 20 billion RMB, surpassing Coca-Cola to become the market leader in China’s beverage industry. During that golden era, herbal tea was a source of national pride and a symbol of the rise of Chinese consumer brands.

However, herbal tea’s decline began right at this peak. The fuse was lit by a protracted trademark war. Originally, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical Group (owner of the Wong Lo Kat trademark) and JDB (the actual operator) had a mutually beneficial partnership. But in 2010, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical suddenly terminated the partnership and reclaimed the “Wong Lo Kat” trademark, forcing JDB to rebrand. The relationship broke down completely, and from that point on, the two brands engaged in all-out warfare.

They fought over slogans, packaging, formulas, and even the rights to the iconic red can design, which eventually ended up being shared due to court rulings. But for consumers, the line between the two became increasingly blurred.

From “7 out of 10 herbal teas are JDB” to “the original Wong Lo Kat,” the two companies spent billions on aggressive advertising campaigns that failed to expand the market. Instead, consumers became fatigued and resentful. As price wars escalated, constant promotions and discounts eroded profit margins, hurt distributors’ earnings, and shattered confidence. The result was mutual destruction: JDB, burdened with massive advertising costs and compensation payments, suffered a financial crisis marked by wage delays and factory shutdowns; Wong Lo Kat retained the trademark but couldn’t reverse the market downturn, and the herbal tea category entered an overall decline.

At first glance, herbal tea's downfall seems to be the result of internal brand conflict, but deeper causes lie in the aging of the category and a generational disconnect. Firstly, herbal tea’s usage scenarios were too narrow, mostly centered on the concept of “clearing heat,” which couldn’t resonate with the diverse needs of younger consumers. Meanwhile, new trends in healthy beverages—like bubble tea, sparkling water, and coconut water—made the high-sugar content of herbal tea seem outdated and unhealthy. Secondly, herbal tea heavily relied on traditional restaurants and supermarket channels, lacking sufficient presence in convenience stores and e-commerce platforms. This left them vulnerable during shifts in retail habits and allowed new brands like Genki Forest to quickly capture shelf space and consumer attention.

By 2022, the total market size of herbal tea in China had fallen to 15 billion RMB—less than half of its peak. Wong Lo Kat introduced sugar-free and sparkling versions of its tea, but consumer response was lukewarm. JDB faced financial turmoil and internal management issues, with repeated reports of suspended operations. This once-crowned “King of Chinese Beverages” now seems forgotten by the times.

The showdown between JDB and Wong Lo Kat had the potential to become a healthy rivalry like that of Coca-Cola and Pepsi—where mutual competition could have expanded the market and strengthened consumer trust. Instead, both chose the most destructive path: to undermine each other at all costs. In doing so, they brought down the entire category. This seemingly fierce commercial battle turned out to be a failed duet.

The fall of herbal tea leaves a valuable lesson for China’s consumer goods industry: Brands can compete, but not at the cost of consumer trust. Marketing can burn money, but it cannot replace product innovation. Business battles can be won or lost, but the entire industry should not be collateral damage.

Today, herbal tea stands as the most classic “lose-lose” case in Chinese business history. Its rise was a miracle of marketing; its fall, a reflection of internal strife and conservative thinking. Perhaps one day, herbal tea will return in a reinvented form—but the golden era of “Afraid of heat? Drink XXX” is gone for good.