157. Sunset Dinner

Chuqi became energetic again, sat up straight and said, "Then let's highlight the origin of their raw materials and production lines?" Lingling clapped her hands in agreement and said, "Yes, make a documentary for them to show their strict sense of product craftsmanship, and show that this small bottle of ketchup is supported by a huge corporate chain behind it. Don't give competitors a chance. Every procedure must be shown. Only Henmino can do it to the extreme." Shaoyao said embarrassedly, "But documentaries are generally not popular. People who like to watch them will suspect that the brand is beautifying the facts, and people who don't like to watch them will feel a sense of distance." "So we have to play the warmth card." Lingling stood on the ground. Inspiration came and was unstoppable. She paced back and forth. Inspiration seemed to flow surgingly with the swaying of her body. It felt like the inspiration that had been locked in her mind was pouring out all at once. She suddenly stopped and said, "What if the slogan for the Hemino documentary was 'Our recipe is my mother's secret recipe?' Wouldn't that bring us closer to our users?" Chuqi said admiringly, "Exactly. 'Our recipe is my mother's secret recipe.' That would perfectly highlight the care put into the product, while also saving mothers the burden and conveying a warm and heartfelt message of filial piety." Lingling continued, "This is just the beginning of this marketing campaign. Next, I'm planning a ketchup drawing competition. We'll generate buzz on social media platforms and have several popular celebrities share their ketchup drawings on Weibo. We need to constantly create the unknown within familiar environments, creating a rhythmic flow of excitement. But we need to ensure that the brand doesn't lose its central position throughout the campaign. We need to constantly build suspense and retain users' attention." Shaoyao liked Lingling's idea but also expressed concern, based on her job responsibilities: "This might spark controversy about food waste, and I'm afraid our competitors will seize this opportunity to launch a massive counterattack." Ling Ling said, "No, that won't happen. Our registration terms and conditions require all contestants not to waste ketchup. They must eat up all the ketchup used for painting. Our commercials also want to feature scenes of families happily enjoying each other, painting, and then dipping their ketchup into French fries to eat. Also, our commercials can't leave the impression that ketchup is only meant to be enjoyed with French fries. We also want to develop multiple dishes that feature ketchup, and the cooking process must be simple. If it's too complicated, no one will learn." "You just mentioned the ketchup painting competition, and then what?" Chu Qi interrupted her as she was drifting off...

Chuqi perked up again, sat up straight, and said, "Then let's highlight their raw material production areas and production lines?"

Ling Ling clapped her hands in agreement and said, "Yes, make a documentary for them to show their rigorous approach to product craftsmanship. And show that this small bottle of ketchup is supported by a huge chain of companies. Don't give competitors any chance. Show every step of the way. Only Hemino can achieve such extremes."

Shaoyao said awkwardly, "But documentaries generally aren't very popular. People who like them tend to suspect the brand is embellishing the facts, while people who don't like them feel a sense of distance."

"So we have to play the warmth card." Ling Ling stood on the ground. The inspiration came unstoppable. She paced back and forth. The inspiration seemed to flow violently with the swaying of her body. It felt like the inspiration that had been locked in her mind was pouring out all at once.

She suddenly stopped and said, "If the slogan for the Hemino documentary was 'Our recipe is my mother's secret recipe,' wouldn't that bring us closer to our users?"

Chuqi said admiringly, "That's right, 'our formula is my mother's secret recipe'. This perfectly highlights the care put into the product, while also saving my mother the effort and conveying a warm and filial piety."

Ling Ling continued to talk non-stop, "This is just the beginning of this marketing campaign. Next, I'm planning a ketchup drawing competition. We need to generate buzz on major social media platforms, and then have a few popular celebrities share pictures of their ketchup drawings on Weibo. We need to constantly create the unknown within a familiar environment, releasing excitement in a rhythmic manner. But we must ensure that the brand doesn't lose its eye-catching position throughout the campaign. We must constantly create suspense and reinforce user attention."

Shaoyao really liked Lingling's idea, but she also expressed concerns due to her job responsibilities: "This might spark controversy about food waste, and I'm afraid competitors will take advantage of this opportunity to launch a fierce counterattack."

Ling Ling said, "No, they won't. Our registration terms and conditions require all contestants not to waste ketchup. They must eat up all the ketchup used for painting. Our commercials also feature scenes of families happily enjoying each other, painting, and then dipping their ketchup into French fries to eat. Furthermore, our commercials can't leave the impression that ketchup is only meant to be enjoyed with French fries. We also need to develop multiple dishes that feature ketchup, and the cooking process must be simple; if it's too complicated, no one will learn it."

"You just mentioned the ketchup painting competition, what next?" Chuqi interrupted her thoughts and asked.

Ling Ling continued, "We have to specify the size of our painting plates. We can't use plates that are too large. This way, we can only use portions that a family can finish in one meal, so they won't be criticized as wasteful. Once professional contestants enter the scene, we can't give them too much room to play by allowing them to use plates of unlimited size, as this will limit the participation of ordinary people. Our limited scenario is that before a family reunion and a meal, a child or an adult who retains their innocence creates a picture with ketchup on an empty plate while bored and waiting."

Shaoyao said: "Indeed, limiting it to this scene can lower the threshold, increase the fun, and may attract more people willing to participate."

Chuqi immediately said, "Then let's divide all the contestants into groups, amateur and professional."

Ling Ling thought for a moment, then shook her head and said, "We do need to divide them into groups, but they can't be so boring. Let's split them into an adult group and a child group, called 'Big Kids' and 'Little Kids'. The criterion for winning isn't who draws the most realistically, but whose painting is filled with the most love."

Chuqi suddenly had an idea and said, "The word 'thick' is a good word!"

Ling Ling immediately got her point and said, "Yes, love is strong—the tomato sauce is strong. The strong tomato sauce also represents the brand's love for its customers. Through the quality of the products, the joy of painting, and the joy of family reunion and dining, we achieve a connection of love."

Shaoyao tilted her head and asked, "This completes the logical closure of the entire incident. What's the final reward?"

Ling Ling put her hands in her pockets, thought for a moment, and said, "Those who participate in our event must be interesting people, so we can't have overly mundane rewards. We'll select 365 works from across the country and have their works printed on glass ketchup bottles. The winners can choose any date within 365 days based on the order of their winnings to have their works printed, and they can display them on the outer packaging of the bottles. We'll also sign a royalty contract with the client for the painting, paying the client a certain amount for each copy sold. The contract can be valid for one or three years, depending on the advertiser's cost-benefit analysis. How do you think it is?"

Faced with Ling Ling's question, Chu Qi and Shao Yao were completely unable to respond, because their eyes were already starry, and they huddled together in place with nods of approval like two newly opened kawaii blind boxes.

Ling Ling, however, thought further: "I want to make the final award ceremony more ceremonial. I believe that the winners and their families will become lifelong users of Hemino."

*~*~*~*~*~*~

Ling Ling's entire plan was efficiently implemented, and with her current role as Vice President of Creative, she was able to mobilize even more resources, ensuring the event went very smoothly. The Ketchup Drawing Competition received significant exposure on leading social media platforms, and Hemino leveraged its international influence to generate buzz and help ignite the event.

On the day of the final award ceremony, Ling Ling personally participated in the entire process. In order to ensure the visual effect of the large screen, she walked around the huge venue countless times: running to the front to check the brightness, running to the back row to see the smallest words, and running to the most remote corner to check the viewing angle.

Whenever Ling Ling browses through the innocent and playful paintings of the "Little Children" group, she can't help but think of the child she once carried. If he had been left behind, perhaps he could now use his clumsy hands to paint a childish painting. When she's alone, she always thinks of Yu Chuanbei. They've been through so much together, both happiness and hardship. She realizes that no man can ever replace his place in her heart.

But men who are keen on challenging difficult events will still be eager to try.

Fang Tuowu invited Ling Ling to his office for dinner.

She was once again led by Fang Tuowu to sit at the balcony dining table. Outside the window, the sun was setting, its afterglow dappled across the sky garden. They sat opposite each other, a French meal on the table.

Ling Ling could tell every detail here was meticulously designed, though she wondered if it was by Mr. Fang himself. For example, this sunset dinner was a much more elegant affair than a candlelight dinner; and this French meal, even when cold, was no less delicious than when fresh from the pot.

Fang Tuowu's eyes fell on the pavilion in the sky garden outside the window, and he said, "I didn't expect that we have known each other for so long. Every time I sit here to have a meal, I see the rainbow roof of the pavilion that you painted back then. Sometimes it feels like it was yesterday, and sometimes it feels like it was in my previous life." Fang Tuowu said this affectionately.

Ling Ling, however, said with the same shy attitude as the last time she came to his office for breakfast, "I was young and too impulsive."

"Haha, if it weren't for your creative impulse, I wouldn't have immediately decided that I must have you." Fang Tuowu smiled heartily and gestured for her to eat.

"Thank you, Mr. Fang, for your appreciation." Ling Ling deliberately used humble courtesy to remind the other party of the distance between them.

"There's no need for this between us," Fang Tuowu said.

Ling Ling was eager to find a work-related topic to dispel the ambiguity that permeated the dinner.

"Mr. Fang, I've just become the creative vice president and there are still many things I haven't done well. Thank you for taking the trouble to give me some guidance." Ling Ling said as she took a small bite of a mushroom that didn't suit her taste.

Fang Tuowu said calmly, "Ever since you took this position, you've received good reviews from those below you. You've received the fewest complaints from me among all the other vice presidents I've ever had. Almost none."

Ling Ling smiled shyly and said, "As a manager, not being criticized by my subordinates isn't necessarily a good thing. I'm still familiar with the situation and don't dare to take rash actions without understanding the situation. But once I have a firm grasp of the situation, I will still implement some reform measures, which may arouse some dissatisfaction. When that happens, I'd appreciate your help, Mr. Fang."