Chapter 66

Let's leave aside Zhao Hai's frustration for now.

Hu Zhenzhen was completely satisfied.

Contrary to Zhao Hai's expectations, Hu Zhenzhen hired so many extras not just to target him.

The dragon-slaying scene is definitely over.

However, Jianghu Film and Television only had this one film, Dragon Slayer, to film. After finishing Dragon Slayer, Lu Ye took over Hu Zhenzhen's advertising short drama.

When Mr. Ji's new products for the next quarter were released.

Every year around this time, Mr. Ji releases a new commercial.

This is Hu Zhenzhen's first year taking over Mr. Ji's case, and many people are watching this matter closely.

If Mr. Ji's new products decline in quality, the blame will inevitably fall on Hu Zhenzhen.

Only by firing the first shot can we silence the criticism.

Therefore, this quarter's commercials are particularly important.

This was like running right into Lu Ye's palm.

Having worked in commercials for so many years, he has a wealth of experience in the industry, even more so than in television dramas.

Hu Zhenzhen wanted him to recommend a director for an advertisement, and he immediately volunteered.

"Why bother looking for anyone else, Mr. Hu? I can handle it."

Lu Ye assured Hu Zhenzhen, "Don't worry, Ms. Hu, I guarantee that Mr. Ji's advertisement this quarter will surpass Ms. Chanel's."

The two luxury brands are long-time rivals.

Every year when new products are launched, it's a time of competition.

Ms. Chanel has probably been preparing for this whole thing since Mr. Ji changed bosses, just waiting for this moment to make her move.

"Then it's up to you."

The film is currently in post-production, with special effects being added. Lu Ye happened to be free these past few days, so he was able to take some time to shoot an advertisement for Mr. Ji.

Once the special effects were finished, and it was time to edit and adjust them again, Lu Ye was too busy to find the time.

The advertisement was filmed in a short time, and the post-production time was also short.

The buzz surrounding the dragon-slaying trending topic had barely died down when Hu Zhenzhen came back with Mr. Ji's advertisement.

Since it is a luxury item, its positioning is clear.

Hu Zhenzhen had no intention of changing the brand's tone, but since she had become the boss, the advertising couldn't remain unchanged.

This difficult problem was then handed over to Lu Ye.

He was indeed a genius in advertising, and he fulfilled Hu Zhenzhen's requirements quite well.

Mr. Ji is a brand from France, and its previous brand advertisements have always carried a romantic French flavor.

Most of the time, advertisements depict the encounters and ambiguous relationships between gentlemen and ladies.

Audiences are already used to this style, so making drastic changes all at once will inevitably make people feel uncomfortable.

Lu Ye's arrangement avoided this kind of sensory abruptness to the greatest extent.

He maintained the same style, only shifting the timeline back a century, defining the era of commercials as a time when royalty ruled.

The social environment at that time was also very feudal, and most men and women followed the system of arranged marriage.

Lu Ye's story is very simple.

elopement.

The love between a noblewoman and a man from the lower class is a flower that blooms from the tightly closed doors of the aristocracy against the backdrop of feudalism and rigidity.

When the girl fled, she took home decorating cosmetics with her.

Mr. Ji's logo was cleverly incorporated into the shot, which also highlights the brand's vitality.

Cosmetics have a large market, and even though they are considered luxury goods, their prices are still within the range that ordinary people can afford.

Therefore, relatively speaking, cosmetic advertising has undergone fewer changes.

On the contrary, he added a lot of local elements to his high-end brand customization.

This is also related to Mr. Ji's designs this quarter.

Thomas once went to the mountains to find inspiration when he was designing.

He has traversed all the world's most famous mountains.

This naturally includes the most famous high mountains in China, and the Taima people who live in the mountains are one of Thomas's sources of inspiration.

He has a long skirt with a pattern designed by the Taima people.

Since they used traditional ethnic costumes from China, they naturally wanted to incorporate their own culture into the advertisement.

For this advertisement, Lu Ye specially took the crew to the Taima ethnic group.

The theme this time is the spirits of the high mountains.

A young girl from the Taima ethnic group became the protagonist of the advertisement. The haute couture dress fit her perfectly, radiating a wild beauty.

The advertisement sparked immediate discussion.

Originally, trending topics for advertisements were bought, and Hu Zhenzhen was prepared to spend the money.

She bought the number 5 trending topic.

The trending topic received unexpectedly high attention.

Director Lu Ye's films are simply too beautiful. Whether it's a noble girl from France or a girl from the Taima ethnic group in China, they are all stunning in his lens.

People always like beautiful things.

They always like to pursue beautiful things, and this principle applies not only to courtship but also to shopping.

Hu Zhenzhen had anticipated the booming popularity of cosmetics.

To her surprise, this haute couture dress also became the object of everyone's scramble.

There are just too many rich people in country Z.

Although this dress is expensive, it is indeed beautiful and has captured the hearts of many wealthy Chinese women who never buy haute couture.

Hu Zhenzhen's fan group was also screaming for this advertisement.

Anyone who managed to snag one, I'll pay a premium for it!

[I'm so angry! I never buy haute couture normally, but now even if I wanted to, I couldn't compete with others. Who knows, there were only 100 of these dresses!]

Hehe, I bought it!

[Sisters, are you considering taking the exam? I'm willing to pay double or even triple the price!]

【No wonder, I had to ask someone to order it from overseas; buying this dress was so difficult!】

A price tag of nearly a million is simply too high for ordinary people.

But for wealthy and leisurely second-generation rich kids, it's also a number that they can fight for love.

The already expensive dresses became even more sought after by wealthy women in Country Z, driving up the price even further.

However, there is no room for scalpers to get involved in these high-end goods.

Even if someone had their eye on the dress, they couldn't buy it, let alone resell it at a higher price.

These wealthy women who couldn't buy the dresses could only turn to Hu Zhenzhen's Weibo account and beg her to increase the number of dresses available.

[Please, Sister Hu, when the TV series "Dragon Slayer" comes out, I'll make sure the whole company watches it. Just add a few more Taiyi dresses to the order!]

[Sister, I really need this dress! I'm the only one in my group of girlfriends who hasn't bought it yet. When can I place an order?]

[My money's burning my hands, please, Sister Hu, immediately sell me the dress and take my money!]

The demand is overwhelming.

Even Xiang Wei called to ask her.

"The Taiyi skirt is very popular lately. Are there any left in stock in China?"

Hu Zhenzhen was genuinely surprised that her call was about this matter, and gave a helpless laugh.

"Don't even mention it, even my one was taken by someone else."

Upon hearing this, Xiang Wei also laughed.

"With such a large market, Mr. Hu should let Thomas work overtime and produce a few more items."

It's not that Hu Zhenzhen didn't want to.

"Thomas has his own ideas, and according to him, there will only be this many of these versions of the Tai skirt."

Xiang Wei was somewhat disappointed. She casually swiped her fingers a few times, preparing to find an opportunity to buy one at a higher price later.

Unexpectedly, Hu Zhenzhen changed the subject.

"However, he said he would release the design drafts for the shorter version and make an unlimited quantity."

Hu Zhenzhen sent photos of the dress that was already being made to Xiang Wei.

Xiang Wei's vision changed instantly.

The haute couture dresses from Tai are very beautiful, but they also have their drawbacks.

In the cold, high mountains, the skirts are all thick and not suitable for summer wear.

But the shorter version is different.

While retaining the beauty of dresses, it also gives everyone the opportunity to wear them out in the summer.

Xiang Wei didn't stand on ceremony and said directly, "This time, you can save me one set, right?"

"Of course," Hu Zhenzhen readily agreed. "I'll send it to you as soon as the factory is finished."

Hearing her words, Xiang Wei felt instantly relieved.

"By the way, have you found a streaming platform for your TV series yet?"

This is what Hu Zhenzhen has been busiest about lately. "Not yet."

"I know the director of Xigua TV. Would you like me to introduce you?"

At that time, television stations still had a strong influence, and the best channel for premiering TV dramas was still television broadcasting.

It takes about a day for online platforms to show the content of the TV series.

Hu Zhenzhen also wanted to find a TV station with high viewership ratings.

The key point is that the timing of "Dragon Slayer" was somewhat coincidental, as it just happened to coincide with the launch of the main TV series of the year by two established companies, Jiaren Media and Xingqianli Film and Television.

In such a competitive environment, it becomes much more difficult for Hu Zhenzhen to secure a prime-time evening slot.

According to her understanding, the top four TV stations in terms of viewership have already booked prime time slots and signed contracts with two other film and television companies.

Whether it's Jiaren Media's "Urban Lawyer" or Xingqianli Company's "Sword Immortal Lu Li," these are the top choices that these TV stations are vying for.

On the contrary, the very popular "Dragon Slayer" did not have an advantage in this step.

Television stations are not too influenced by online opinions; they have their own standards of judgment.

Using a relatively unknown martial arts film as its first project during such a crucial prime time slot is far too risky.

If the bet is lost, the viewership will drop for a month or even two months.

Few station directors are willing to bear such consequences.

Even if Hu Zhenzhen is very rich, it will be difficult for her to sway these people on this matter.

She then changed her mind and decided to give up on those top-rated TV stations and instead look at those with mediocre ratings.

Watermelon TV ranks second among all TV stations.

Hu Zhenzhen had already inquired about it and contacted their station director.

"I've already been politely declined, so I won't trouble you any further. I've already thought it through."

When Xiang Wei heard that she had an idea, she didn't say much.

After hanging up the phone, Hu Zhenzhen arranged for the TV series to be submitted for review.

This step only takes a little time; given the content of Dragon Slayer, there's almost no chance of getting stuck.

What Hu Zhenzhen needs to do is take advantage of this time to finalize the TV series she wants to collaborate on.

She then took out a list of TV station ratings from the previous few months, looked at it from left to right, and ticked one of the TV stations.

Lotus platform.

Its ratings have hovered around tenth place for years, but this year it made a pretty interesting variety show, and finally climbed from the teens to eighth place.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. As soon as the three-month variety show ended, things quickly went back to normal.

Given the current situation, they actually need good dramas that can boost viewership the most.

However, the most promising dramas, "Urban Lawyer" and "Sword Immortal Lu Li", have already been booked by TV stations with high ratings and good profits.

Lotus TV needs a hit exclusive drama to break through the competition.

That's exactly what Hu Zhenzhen valued.

She asked someone for the contact information of the head of Lotus Platform and called him herself.

Hello, who is this?

"Hello, I'm Hu Zhenzhen," Hu Zhenzhen said, directly inviting the person out.

The station director's position is sensitive, and he is unwilling to eat at overly expensive places.

Hu Zhenzhen personally flew to F City, where the TV station was located, found a small restaurant, booked the entire place, and treated the station director to a meal.

If it weren't for privacy, the station director wouldn't even be willing to book this place.

It was only after Hu Zhenzhen repeatedly emphasized that there wasn't much money that she reluctantly agreed.

"The reason I asked you out today is to discuss the prime-time slot in November. It seems the station hasn't signed any drama contracts yet. Does the station manager have any targets in mind?"

The movie "Dragon Slayer" generated quite a bit of buzz recently, and Li Da had heard about it too.

Now that Hu Zhenzhen has brought this up, he naturally understands that it means she wants to cooperate with their Lotus Platform.

"Mr. Hu, Lotus Channel's ratings aren't very high. I wonder why you chose us?"

Out of curiosity, Li Da asked a question first.

He is, after all, the station director, and he has to be responsible for the station's affairs.

Hu Zhenzhen understood her, after all, Lotus's ratings had indeed been poor recently.

If she hadn't had the idea of ​​finding a different path, Hu Zhenzhen wouldn't have chosen Lotus TV as her premiere platform.

Do you want to hear the truth?

After Li Da nodded, she continued, "Because this is a win-win deal."

"Besides prime-time TV dramas, I would also like to have in-depth cooperation with you."

Upon hearing Hu Zhenzhen's words, Li Da's interest was piqued, and his doubts diminished considerably.

If "The Dragon Slayer" is really as good as the internet hype makes it out to be, then Hu Zhenzhen's choice of Lotus Terrace is purely a form of poverty alleviation.

If such a huge pie suddenly fell from the sky, no one would dare to eat it.

But if Hu Zhenzhen has other ideas, then it's a different story.

If Jianghu Film and Television wants to cooperate with TV stations, it would indeed be better to go to TV stations with lower viewership ratings.

Li Da fully understood her thoughts.

He was a pragmatic person and did not feel humiliated by Hu Zhenzhen's idea; on the contrary, he saw it as a good opportunity.

I'd heard long ago that Hu Zhenzhen was rich.

If Lotus Platform can get on her big ship, their future investments in variety shows will be secured.

With that thought in mind, Li Da's smile became much warmer.

What exactly does this deep cooperation include?

"Things related to TV dramas, variety shows, and publicity."

Hu Zhenzhen's statement was too general; a simpler summary would be appreciated.

In short, it can be summed up in three words: "comprehensive".

"As you know, Jianghu Film and Television is a new company, and it's inevitable that there will be doubts about the quality and ratings of its TV dramas."

Hu Zhenzhen chuckled as she said this, but her eyes held only confidence.

Looking at her, Li Da inexplicably felt a surge of confidence as well.

"Since Mr. Hu has declared that he wants to produce high-quality products, I certainly believe in your abilities."

He rarely complimented Hu Zhenzhen.

Hu Zhenzhen could certainly understand such a straightforward gesture of goodwill.

Since the station director has made this statement, it means that we can continue to discuss the next steps.

"Thank you for your trust, Master Li."

She smiled and replied, then kept her mouth shut while the waiter served the food.

That's how small restaurants are; the private rooms have a large round table, which isn't very convenient for discussing business.

Hu Zhenzhen sat one seat away from the station director, maintaining a distance where they could see each other but not get too close.

Chen Kai stood guard at the door for the two of them, right at the food serving area.

The waiter had never seen such a strange seating arrangement before. He glanced at them a few times as they came in, muttering to himself.

"How come these two are pushing each other out, even pushing the other person to the doorway?"

Hu Zhenzhen had sharp ears and heard it, glancing at Chen Kai.

The housekeeper remained attentive and responsible, unaffected by the waiter's words, and even proactively helped rearrange the dishes on the table.

Only after everyone had completely left did he give Hu Zhenzhen a wink.

Make the boss feel at ease discussing business.

"I'll be frank, Director Li, Dragon Slayer is definitely a great show. I'm confident and prepared to launch a publicity campaign."

"If you sign a contract with me, I can at least guarantee that Dragon Slayer will not lose to the other two dramas that are being fought over."

Li Da knew which two movies she was referring to; this was no secret in the industry.

"Does Mr. Hu really have such high hopes for slaying dragons?"

Hu Zhenzhen nodded and smiled, saying, "I know you have concerns. How about this, I can provide a betting agreement with Lotus Terrace."

"Lotus Channel's prime-time slot in November is set to 'Slay the Dragon.' If the ratings break 4, I'll consider it a win, and for the next two years, Lotus Channel's prime-time slot will prioritize broadcasting martial arts dramas."

Is there really such a good thing?

Li Da was stunned and couldn't react for a moment.

Aren't both of these beneficial to Lotus Platform? Hu Zhenzhen didn't gain any advantage at all.

"What if the ratings are only 4?"

"I want to be the sole title sponsor of the variety shows on Lotus Terrace."

Goodness, is Hu Zhenzhen here specifically to take care of them?

Li Da couldn't help but have his doubts.

Even if Hu Zhenzhen wins this bet, Lotus Platform will still benefit greatly.

A hit drama with a viewership rating of over 4, and the rights to broadcast other high-quality dramas.

President Hu practically fed the food directly into the lotus platform's mouth, while Li Da dared not open his mouth to eat.

"This betting agreement probably needs to be revised."

Hu Zhenzhen thought that this still wouldn't move him, so she took the initiative to increase the offer.

"I heard that Lotus TV is currently seeking investment. How about this, if the ratings don't exceed 4, I will fully sponsor three of Lotus TV's variety shows for a year."

This is no small sum of money.

Li Da's heart pounded as he listened.

If this deal is successfully completed, the future development of Lotus Platform will be secured.

With Hu Zhenzhen's financial backing, these three variety shows are bound to become hits, as long as they aren't absolutely terrible.

With several great variety shows and decent dramas, does Lotus TV really have to worry about low ratings?

Li Da couldn't wait to sign the contract, but he couldn't make the decision alone; he needed to discuss it with the senior executives.

Judging from his expression, Hu Zhenzhen knew that the matter was pretty much settled.

"Alright, Director Li, I hope we can have a pleasant cooperation."

Li Da ate his meal without tasting it, and after it was over, he rushed home.

He couldn't wait any longer and, disregarding the time, contacted several leaders at the station directly.

After discussing it with everyone late into the night, Li Da, fearing that Hu Zhenzhen might regret it, gave her a direct answer late at night.

When the message was received, Hu Zhenzhen was taking a rose milk bath.

Upon seeing the WeChat message from Master Li, I forwarded it to Chen Kai.

"I took the signed copy of the contract to Director Li, otherwise he probably won't be able to sleep well tonight."

After sending the voice message, I curled up in the warm milk.

And it was indeed as she thought.

Li Da felt he was now at a crossroads in his destiny; the next step would be to lead Lotus Platform to rise again and have the opportunity to be promoted and make contributions.

So excited that he couldn't sleep, he opened a bottle of wine and drank it all by himself.

When Chen Kai knocked on his door, Li Da was having a good time drinking.

Upon hearing Chen Kai's purpose, he sobered up considerably and quickly welcomed him in.

"Director Li, both contracts are here. You just need to sign and stamp them."

What happened next left Li Da somewhat dazed.

He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the contract next to his pillow after he had completely sobered up the next day.

After the initial tension comes pure excitement.

"It's done! It's really done this time!"

No one is more excited about the TV series "Slaying the Dragon" than Li Da.

He eagerly awaited the moment, and finally, half a month after signing the contract, he received the master tape of the Dragon Slayer.

Before it aired, Li Da took a look with great anticipation.

After watching just one episode, his feelings were already mixed.

It's not that the TV series is bad; on the contrary, the first episode of Dragon Slayer was so good that Li Da was so conflicted.

He originally thought the TV series had no hope of breaking 4 ratings and was ready to welcome Mr. Hu's investment.

But after seeing the quality of the TV series, his opinion changed.

With such quality and such a compelling storyline, how could it possibly be no match for those two shows?

Li Da already had the answer in his heart.

In today's market, a viewership rating of over 3 is already considered a hit, a rating of 4 is basically a blockbuster, and if it exceeds 6, it's a huge hit.

Li Da hadn't seen a TV series with such high ratings in a long time.

He couldn't help but feel hopeful. With the success of "Dragon Slayer," perhaps their Lotus TV could truly compete with those channels with high ratings.

He always felt inferior to the director of Xigua TV, but he finally got his chance to hold his head high!

Li Da didn't have time to look behind him and handed the master tape directly to the staff.

"Make sure to arrange the publicity properly, so that the audience knows that Dragon Slayer will be broadcast on our Lotus Channel tomorrow."

Hu Zhenzhen is very direct in her actions.

Since she couldn't get prime-time slots from those high-traffic TV stations, she simply gave Lotus Channel the sole first-run rights.

Instead of paying more for streaming rights on online platforms, she opted for a non-exclusive option, which would have been less expensive.

The downside of this choice is that the platform's promotional efforts will be much smaller.

However, the corresponding benefits are also obvious.

No matter which website you're on, you can find the TV series "The Dragon Slayer" by opening any video-watching app.

As for the propaganda campaign, it started a week ago.

Jiaren Media and Xingqianli Film & Television are not small companies; they have always been willing to spend money on publicity.

Hu Zhenzhen was also very willing to part with it.

The two companies' attempts to suppress her online trolls and impose restrictions were utterly ineffective against her.

Hu Zhenzhen's products are all helping Tu Long advertise.

People may be annoyed by TV commercials and choose to turn them off, but people still need to go to the supermarket to buy things.

The advertisement for the dragon-slaying story was displayed on the packaging of Baihua Milk, so even if you just glanced at it while passing by, it would leave some impression.

Unlike the other two companies that launched massive online campaigns, Hu Zhenzhen's online promotion did not reach the point of going viral.

Offline, however, the TV series "Dragon Slayer" can be seen appearing in various corners of life from time to time.

This war without gunfire didn't last long; it ended on November 3rd.

"The Dragon Slayer" is finally going to premiere on Lotus TV.

On the day of the premiere, Hu Zhenzhen's fan group was more active than usual.

[I've already told my employees to get ready. Anyone who posts a picture of the dragon-slaying scene tonight will receive a 100 yuan bonus.]

[I've also done my promotion; bus advertising slots have been arranged in H City.]

[Damn it! I still lost to everyone. I thought I was strong enough by inviting my aunt and uncle to watch Dragon Slayer together.]

[You guys have such great connections! I'm not like that; I only showed it to the 500 workers in our factory.]

You're really good at being ordinary.

After a few words of banter, it was time for the premiere.

These young people, who rarely turn on the TV anymore, unanimously turned on their TVs and switched to Lotus Channel.

The atmosphere was quieter than ever before.

A group that usually gets 99+ messages in five minutes didn't even get two messages in an hour.

After an episode ended and commercials started, the group chat completely exploded.

[Wow! Shout after me: Sister Hu is awesome!]

[Martial arts! Who understands it?! I haven't seen a decent martial arts novel in three years!]

You only realize how few words you have when you need them; only one awesome phrase can conquer the world.

Within minutes, the network seemed to come to life.

A group of netizens took advantage of the advertising break to indulge their desire to share and started surfing the internet.

Their presence is everywhere – on WeChat Moments, Weibo, and in private and group chats with friends.

There was only one topic.

"Friend, look at the dragon slaying scene! It's amazing!"