He handed the folder to Fu Ming and said, "Take a look at this promotion plan, and tell me in detail what you encountered while running around for promotions. Let's brainstorm and finalize the draft today."
Fu Ming took the folder from Fang Yang, his hands still trembling slightly. He had thought things were going to go wrong, but unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better. Middle-aged men are really vulnerable. This entire crew was supported by middle-aged men, and they had poured countless efforts into it. When they received a call from the company asking them to disband on the spot, they all cried their eyes out, thinking that the movie would be abandoned.
Fu Ming read the document carefully, scrutinizing every word. When he finally saw the glaring figures for the total budget, he still couldn't believe it. The film, with a total investment of less than 50 million, had promotion expenses of more than 200 million. The huge difference made Fu Ming almost breathless, as if he had been struck by Lady Luck.
Handing the folder to Fang Yang, Fu Ming took a deep breath and slowly calmed himself down. He pulled out an A4 sheet of paper from his bag and handed it to Fang Yang. "Actually, at first, we were doing quite well. People in Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces are very receptive to this kind of film. When they saw us doing promotional work, the locals were very happy and said they would definitely go to support us when the film is released."
Fu Ming took a deep breath. "The results in Yunnan and Guangxi were quite good, just as President Fang predicted. But after arriving in Chongqing, things changed drastically. Under the impact of traffic stars, our film fell into a situation where no one cared. That's why I called back to ask for instructions and see what the company's opinion was."
"Have you both reflected on why you were welcomed in the previous places, but things changed so drastically after you came to this mountain city?"
Fu Ming closed his eyes and pondered for a while. "In terms of economic development, Fujian, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces are definitely much better than Chongqing. Logically speaking, the more developed the economy, the less people believe in ghosts and gods. However, I was born and raised in Guangdong Province and I know that in coastal areas, people have great faith in ancient Chinese culture. This is related to geographical location and dynastic changes. Since ancient times, coastal areas have been relatively remote and have many mountains and dense forests. They have been less influenced by the culture of the Central Plains and believe more in the legend of mountain spirits. They also admire martial power and believe that martial power can eliminate all evil spirits."
Fang Yang laughed and said, "You mean that coastal areas are less influenced by the various cultures of the Central Plains, and they have many high mountains and dense forests, so they understand some unnatural phenomena as supernatural phenomena, believe in exorcising them with force, and are more accepting of supernatural stories and martial arts dramas, right?"
Fu Ming nodded, "That's roughly the idea. Especially in Guangdong Province and Hong Kong Island, people particularly admire Guan Yu, believing he can ward off evil spirits and demons. They also value feng shui. That's why your novel 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' has a wide audience here. Many people are talking about the book. When we're doing promotional appearances, many people ask when the movie will be made."
Fang Yang laughed and said, "This is an unexpected surprise. But according to what you're saying, supernatural tales should be very popular in rural areas because there's a market for them. The more remote the place, the more of these kinds of legends there are. On the contrary, in big cities, where there's plenty of yang energy and a dense population, these kinds of stories might just be legends, and people would just treat them as a joke. Is that right?"
"Mr. Fang sees things very clearly. That's roughly the situation. As for the specific reasons, we won't go into them. We're only concerned with whether there's a market for it. At least in my opinion, there is a market, and the audience base is very large. Moreover, our film is mainly based on comedy, with not many horror elements, making it suitable for most people."
Fu Ming still had great confidence in the film itself. However, when he was promoting it in Chongqing, he saw that other venues were packed with people, while his own venue was deserted. This led to the phone call that greatly undermined his confidence.
Yang Huajin and Chen Chen both came from the countryside, so they naturally knew about rural life. The faint glow of a firefly could be mistaken for will-o'-the-wisp, and a tattered mat turned upside down by the wind at night could be mistaken for a mat ghost. It was all because of the lack of information.
"The county-level market is the key focus, and then we can extend to the city level. For first- and second-tier cities, we can mainly use WeChat official accounts. What do you all think?"
Yang Huajin offered his opinion, looking at everyone present. This was also Fang Yang's opinion, but coming from Yang Huajin, it didn't sound like a decisive statement.
"I think this plan is feasible. What do you think, Director Fu?"
Chen Chen has always stood by Yang Huajin in crucial moments, and he was the first to vote in favor at this time.
“Yes, I agree.” Ma Wenhua had already heard Fang Yang talk about this yesterday. Apart from the fact that the funds exceeded the initial budget, there were no other problems.
Zhong Zhifeng was the drafter of the plan, so he had no say at this point. The key person now is Zhao Liang, the executor of the plan. If Zhao Liang is also fine, the documents can be distributed to various places and the plan can be implemented directly.
Zhao Liang raised his hand and said, "I think that since we've already advertised in third- and fourth-tier cities and county-level cities, we might as well do the same in first- and second-tier cities. After all, there are only about forty or fifty first- and second-tier cities combined, which won't have a big impact on the overall budget. Moreover, this plan needs to be issued to the headquarters in the first- and second-tier cities, and then these cities will issue execution orders to the lower levels. It would be somewhat inappropriate to bypass these headquarters."
Fang Yang and Yang Huajin exchanged a glance and nodded. "According to Manager Zhao, it is indeed a bit inappropriate. It's as if we have a problem with these headquarters cities. Let's just add them in then. It really won't cost much more. Minister Zhong, please redo the budget and then go through the procedures to submit it to Manager Zhao. Manager Zhao will be responsible for the specific implementation, and your promotion department will provide coordination and supervision."
Zhao Liang raised his hand again and said, "Minister Zhong, why don't you send one person from each province to supervise this? Our guys in the cinema chain have never done this before. This is a good opportunity for them to learn so they'll be more experienced next time they encounter something like this."
Zhong Zhifeng laughed and said, "I couldn't be happier. This is the first time we've worked together with another department. This is a good opportunity to gain experience, and it will be much easier next time."
Seeing that Zhong Zhifeng had already agreed, Fang Yang had no objection. To be honest, Fang Yang was a little worried if Zhao Liang were to take on the responsibility alone. After all, it was his first time doing promotion, and whether he could adapt was still a question. With a large group of experienced people under Zhong Zhifeng joining the team, at least they wouldn't be flustered and miss the opportunity.
"Then let's go with your plan, Director Fu. Is there anything else you'd like to add?"
Fu Ming waved his hand, "This is already the best solution. Our entire crew can relax a bit. If you two need our crew's cooperation, please feel free to ask, and we will definitely do our best to help."
Zhong Zhifeng laughed and said, "If you really have ideas, we certainly won't hold back. You control the front-line resources, and we still have a lot to learn from you."
Everyone laughed, but Yang Huajin was the only one in the entire venue who felt the pain. Such a large promotional expense was unprecedented for Yuewen Entertainment Media!
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