Two-in-one
After the Spring Festival in 1979, an advertisement appeared on TV. It was an advertisement for a kind of wine, a foreign brand. It was the first time to see an "advertisement" on domestic TV.
When Qin Yao saw the advertisement, her eyes lit up. She didn't expect that there would be an advertisement so soon. It seemed that she was not the only one who wanted to eat crab meat.
She called the TV station to inquire, and the person at the TV station replied: "It's useless to persuade them. These foreigners insist on making advertisements. There's nothing we can do. They said, just try to broadcast it and see the effect..."
The early days of reform were a time of great chaos. No matter good or bad, everyone said they would try them out, practice would test the truth, and in the end the good ones would be kept and the bad ones would be removed. We were all crossing the river by feeling the stones.
It is precisely because of this that there are many adventurers who are willing to try, and of course there are also conservatives who are complacent, and they are fighting against each other to move forward.
Why did TV stations need to broadcast advertisements in the past? Domestic products have no trouble selling. Now foreign products are coming in, and a wide variety of brands are also coming in. For just the same product, there are different brands from more than a dozen countries. It's dizzying and people don't know how to choose.
At times like these, the power of advertising is highlighted.
At that time, people at the TV station did not know the benefits of advertising. In a few years, advertising revenue became the largest source of income for TV stations. All kinds of businesses began to advertise, and the TV stations received so much money that they wanted to insert advertisements everywhere.
The effect of television advertising that year was mediocre. This was just the beginning. It was not until 1984 that the influence of television advertising began to rise rapidly. This was only because after 1984, the penetration rate of television in China increased rapidly, but it was only 1979. Most people who had televisions at home lived in provincial capitals such as Beijing and Shanghai.
"There are ads on TV now, so I have to speed up."
Throughout the 1980s, the influence of print media advertising definitely exceeded that of television advertising, and we had to seize this opportunity.
Qin Yao returned to the editorial department and asked someone to find out about the product brands that were currently entering the country. She quickly selected a round of them and first decided on a "watch brand".
CWC, a high-end watch brand from a Western European country, enjoys a high reputation internationally and is now trying to quickly open up the Chinese domestic market.
For foreign brands, the Chinese market, which has yet to be developed and cultivated, is a battleground, a piece of fat meat that everyone wants to take a bite of. Even if it takes a lot of effort, they will rush in. This is a blank consumer market of hundreds of millions of people! !
Even if it occupies one tenth of it, no! Even if it's just one percent, you can make a lot of money.
Quickly seizing and dividing the market has become the first priority for the development of these foreign brands. They are eager to open up the market and expand the influence of the brand. Speed is of the essence. By the time others have occupied the market, it will be too late.
In order to develop the brand and earn advertising fees, Qin Yao contacted CWC's domestic agent by phone and set a location at the Yangcheng Hotel to discuss magazine advertising cooperation at noon.
Qin Yao is very confident about this advertising cooperation. There is no reason for the CWC brand to refuse. Their lifestyle magazine has a monthly sales volume of millions and has a huge influence among young and middle-aged people. If a page is used specifically to advertise the CWC brand, the influence can be imagined!
"Manager Qin, can our magazine's advertisements really work? How much do we charge for advertising? Our magazines are only a few cents a copy. How expensive are these CWC watches? Just one of them is worth my annual salary. People who read our magazines are not rich people... Can anyone really afford it?"
Mao Lina's tone was full of lack of confidence. Their magazine had good sales, but the target audience was mainly young students who did not have much money in their pockets. Would it be effective to advertise foreign watches in the magazine?
Qin Yao: "Don't worry. Rich people here will pop up like mushrooms after rain. Look, is the port to Hong Kong Island open? People can come and go freely. Even the locals in Guangzhou have a few rich relatives living abroad."
"One leads two, two leads three, and they will soon become rich."
"Let's not talk about that. Have all the things that were confiscated been returned? Those that were not returned have also been discounted. I've heard that if there was gold in the family before, it was all converted into money according to the amount. At least there are hundreds or thousands of dollars. There are definitely many rich people in our country."
"Not to mention those big capitalists in the past, all of them invested in industries overseas. Now that the external channels are open, those industries are back in their hands. The dividends over the years alone are not small..." Qin Yao was reminded of this by the story of his third sister-in-law Xie Hongni's family. Although there are few families like Xie Hongni's, the absolute number should not be low when looking at the whole country.
For many people, the economic opening up was a time for starting from scratch; but for others, 1979 was a time when they could get rich overnight without doing anything.
The wealthy relatives from overseas are back!
You can now claim overseas properties!
…
"Manager Qin, you are right." Mao Lina nodded doubtfully. It was not that she did not believe Qin Yao's words, but that she did not believe in the effect of advertising. Could this advertisement make rich people buy high-end T watches?
Okay, even if their magazine sells millions of copies, advertising will be useful - but will the brand believe it? Is he willing to spend money on advertising?
"Manager Qin, are we just the two of us going to talk?"
Qin Yao turned around and glanced at Mao Lina. She had been observing this little Mao for a long time. She found him to be serious and down-to-earth, and also very capable. However, he was easily nervous and timid, lacked confidence, and was timid and a little petty. That was why she wanted to bring little Mao to see the world.
"...Manager Qin?" Mao Lina swallowed and couldn't help but take a half step back.
Qin Yao went to the telephone room and called Qiao Jie over. She decided to take Qiao Jie with her. "Can you speak English?"
"Yes!" Qiao Jie puffed out her chest. Compared with those other half-baked ones, Qiao Jie could listen and speak. There were few who were better than her.
There are many people in the editorial department who can understand English newspapers, but few who can speak them fluently. Qiao Jie is a bold and thick-skinned person who is not afraid of making mistakes. She has a little more confidence than others.
"Qiao Jie, come with us to discuss advertising cooperation."
Qin Yao looked at Qiao Jie with admiration. Qiao Jie's appearance and self-confidence made her a natural negotiator. She was on par with others in terms of momentum. Letting her join in would at least help to improve her image.
Mao Lina said, "Manager Qin, it's just the three of us? Do you want to find another gay man?"
"No need, you are familiar with the information, just tell Xiao Qiao again, it's just the three of us this time."
When they arrived at the Yangcheng Hotel, Qin Yao and Qiao Jie walked in front, not showing any fear. Mao Lina followed behind with a file bag in her arms. She couldn't help wanting to go to the bathroom. It wasn't cold that day, but she couldn't help shivering.
This is the first time she meets and deals with foreigners. How should she start?
Four people came to the CWC brand watch store, all men, two of them were foreigners, and the one next to them, who was wearing gold glasses, was a translator. The tall man at the lead didn't expect that there were three women coming. A hint of surprise flashed across his glasses, and then he smiled slightly.
Mr. Smith was very gentlemanly and humorous in his conversation with women. Qin Yao sat in the middle, with Qiao Jie and Mao Lina sitting on both sides. She had a confident smile on her face, while Qiao Jie was even more proud, with her chin raised, like a proud peacock.
Qin Yao first introduced the relevant data of the magazine: "This is the sales volume of our magazine in the past six months. You will not find any paper media in China that is more suitable for advertising than our magazine. It is absolutely worthwhile for CWC watches to advertise in our magazine."
"Here are the specific cooperation matters and plans..."
After a brief discussion, several people from the CWC brand basically agreed to the cooperation. The only thing that needed to be negotiated now was the advertising fee.
"How much is Manager Qin's offer?"
Qin Yao sat there steadily, Qiao Jie looked ahead without changing her expression, and Mao Lina was nervous. She knew that the previous TV advertisement had cost 100,000 yuan, and they would definitely not lose money by bidding 100,000 yuan. They could earn 100,000 yuan by just advertising on one page. This... This was just robbing money!
When this number is mentioned, it feels like they are a group of robbers who are here to rob money.
You can make so much money from just one advertisement. If you take on more advertisements, the magazine's revenue will increase several times. Can these people agree to this?
"Three hundred thousand, three installments in a row, one hundred thousand each."
As soon as Qin Yao finished speaking, Mao Lina's heart tightened, while Qiao Jie on the other side froze.
Qiao Jie had only read the cooperation documents and was not aware of the subsequent quotation. When she heard the word "three hundred thousand", fireworks exploded in her ears.
She has never seen three hundred thousand in her life!
"Manager Qin, let's discuss the cooperation in detail..."
When the other party said this, they had agreed to the price. There was no bargaining or back and forth, and we went straight to the specific cooperation.
After the price was agreed upon, everything else was simple. It was mainly the brand side that made requests, and Qin Yao agreed to them as long as they were not excessive, but she also gave the other party a lot of suggestions.
"Manager Qin, it's a pleasure to work with you."
“It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
After discussing the matter, they had a pleasant meal and parted ways after the meal. Qin Yao and the other two walked out of the restaurant. Mao Lina almost flew up holding the file bag. The deal was done. Are all foreigners so stupid and rich?
Qin Yao regretted, "If we had known that the other party would agree so readily, we should have asked for 450,000, 150,000 per installment."
"Manager Qin!" Mao Lina's hands were shaking and she almost knelt down to Qin Yao. Fifteen hundred thousand, she really dared to say that!
The cooperation was reached so quickly, it must be that their offer was far lower than the other party's expectations, so the other party agreed directly without even thinking about it or even having the interest to bargain. Of course, maybe the other party thought the price was very reasonable.
The point is that it is unreasonable!
In the past, even if their magazine sales reached a million per month, their monthly profit would be at most 200,000 or 300,000 yuan. Now, with just one advertisement, it's amazing that it can directly make up one-third of the profit!
"Xiao Mao, don't underestimate the power of advertising. They won't lose money by buying our advertising space. Times have changed. Our magazine's main profit in the future will depend on advertising."
For the future, traffic is king, and for the present, "traffic" is also king.
"Xiao Mao, the most valuable thing in the world is people's attention. If our magazine can attract more people's attention, we can make more money from it."
Mao Lina seemed to understand: "Attention? Attention can also make money? I don't quite understand, Xiao Qiao, do you understand?"
Qiao Jie, who was standing by, was glanced at by her. She came to her senses and almost fell down. She was supported by Mao Lina, muttering, "Three hundred thousand, three hundred thousand, is this three hundred thousand?"
Qin Yao and Mao Lina looked at each other: It turns out this guy hasn't come to his senses yet!
"Qin Yao, is the deal really done?"
Qin Yao: "Maybe we will lose money, but it doesn't matter. There are many places in our journal where we can advertise. Look, there is also the column for recommending good things. We can contact some small brands."
"There are few domestic entrepreneurs now, and they are all in the initial stage. In the future, there will be many more factories that start their own businesses, and they all need our magazine to advertise."
Mao Lina couldn't help but ask: "How much money can we make?"
"Just wait and see!"
Qin Yao was in a good mood. After she separated from Mao Lina, she whispered to Qiao Jie, "Don't talk nonsense when you go back. Three hundred thousand is not a lot of money. If we brag about it outside, it will be like we have never seen the world. I heard that the development zone invests hundreds of millions of dollars at any time. We are nothing compared to that."
The advertising fee of 300,000 yuan is really nothing. The foreign investors who come to the mainland to invest and build factories spend tens of billions or even hundreds of billions to buy land and build factories. They do this for the cheap labor and the vast consumer market in the future.
Don’t think that people in the 1980s were very frugal. Although they were frugal in daily life, they were willing to spend money on “big items”. The money they saved was used to buy color TVs, refrigerators and televisions. It was no problem for them to save up for a big item in a year or half a year.
Of course, the reason why people spend money so happily is that housing pressure is relatively low at the moment. Most units allocate housing, so people don’t have to take out 30-year loans or spend ahead of time. Everyone saves money and uses it to buy big items.
"Manager Qin, you're right. We can't appear so unworldly." Qiao Jie nodded.
Qin Yao: "We have to keep our fortunes quiet so that we can live long. It's enough for those close to us to know about it."
"If you can keep your mouth shut, I'll transfer you to the advertising group, and we'll go out and talk about advertising business in the future."
Qiao Jie couldn't help but open her eyes wide.
Qin Yao smiled: "I think you are quite suitable."
It's true that Qiao Jie is a really suitable guy. He's good at foreign languages and can put on airs. If he can control his mouth, he'd be a good candidate for negotiating cooperation with foreign parties.
"I'm suitable!" Qiao Jie grabbed Qin Yao's hand excitedly.
Qin Yao opened her hands and said, "Then let me tell you, when facing a customer, it is just like facing a reader on the other end of the phone. You should give him the warmth of spring. Of course, you must fight for every penny on the price."
Qiao Jie nodded: "Don't worry, I will definitely keep my mouth shut!"
*
This time, Qiao Jie really kept her mouth shut and didn't say anything in the family compound. She went to work in high spirits every day and proudly told Meng Xian that she had changed jobs.
She was wearing a decent business suit, her hair was neatly combed, she looked energetic, her eyes were full of light, and her tone was full of pride: "I am going out to discuss business and advertising now... Even if I tell you, it's still something you don't understand."
Meng Xian felt depressed and wondered if his good days were over. Can’t feel your wife’s loving touch on your face anymore?
"You do your best."
Qiao Jie: "Don't worry, I have a successful career now. When I return to the compound next year, I will make those people envy me to death."
Qiao Jie just wanted to seize the opportunity to work and win face for herself. Face is something that is better earned by oneself.
She had accomplished nothing in the compound before, and had not married until she was old. Gossiping women came to care about her every day, saying that she had played a good hand badly. Her married cousins secretly laughed at her for being spoiled by her parents, saying that her good days were over and no man would want her in the future...
These cousins are the funniest. At first they shamelessly said that they were her father's nieces and wanted to be introduced to military officers. Later they all made fun of her and said that she would never be able to get married.
Inspired, Qiao Jie chose Meng Xian. Except for his appearance and family background, Meng Xian was excellent in all other aspects. After she married Meng Xian, her cousins were so angry that they gritted their teeth, which made Qiao Jie very happy.
In terms of family background, Qiao Jie always felt that Meng Xian was not worthy of her, but in terms of personal conditions, she was not worthy of Meng Xian. If not, why would those cousins be jealous of her marrying Meng Xian?
Even so, one year after marriage, Qiao Jie still felt suffocated. Marrying Meng Xian shut others up, but she still relied on men. Meng Xian wanted to divorce her, and she couldn't afford to lose face. She would definitely be ridiculed by those women, who would say that she had played a good hand so badly that she couldn't even keep a man.
In this marriage, even though she has the upper hand in every aspect, she is actually the one who fears divorce the most.
Apart from her arrogant attitude, she had nothing left... But now she is much better. She can talk about her work and she is doing well without this man. She has even negotiated a big deal worth hundreds of thousands!
However, at this time, when Qiao Jie looked at Meng Xian again, she felt that he was much more pleasing to the eye than before.
It was only after she started working that she began to admire Meng Xian's abilities. Meng Xian was able to get to where he is today largely due to his personal abilities. Qiao Jie had to admit that he was a very good man. Even though he did not have a handsome appearance, he had his own unique charm.
You're already married...just live like this.
Even if they were to get divorced, she was not afraid. She did not think Meng Xian really liked her, he was just taking advantage of her conditions. They each got what they needed, and when Meng Xian became more powerful in the future, he would not be so polite to her.
"Why do you have to fight with them..."
Qiao Jie threw herself into her work seriously. Meng Xian began to feel doubtful and indescribable panic. He felt that Qiao Jie didn't need him anymore. He knew what he meant to Qiao Jie. He was just a prop to save face.
Now Qiao Jie is working hard and working in the editorial department. She is talking about advertising cooperation. She has plenty of bragging rights. Does she still need him as a prop to save face?
If they quarrel again, this woman will definitely have the confidence to divorce, and the divorce will really happen...
No matter how much Meng Xian wanted to get rid of Qiao Jie because of her temper, he felt upset now that the couple was really getting divorced.
Qiao Jie has a good family background, is pretty, and has a good job now. Even if she divorces him in the future, she might be able to find a handsome young man!
As for him, a second-time marriage, it would be difficult for him to find a girl with a good family background and good looks.
Is it right or wrong to let Qiao Jie work in the editorial department?
He may change his temper, but he may end up letting the duck that belongs to him fly away.
No, he had to find Gu Cheng again and ask him to talk to his wife and ask her not to let Qiao Jie be too cocky. The previous job of answering the phone was good enough.
*
After four or five in the afternoon, it is time for free physical exercise. Meng Xian chose to find Gu Cheng at this time. After five o'clock, he will go to the kindergarten to pick up the child. At this moment, he is probably running. He runs five to ten kilometers every day to warm up.
When Meng Xian saw Gu Cheng, the guy had already finished running five kilometers and was sitting on the lawn to rest. The sun was shining obliquely, and the football field was covered with green grass. Half of it was illuminated by the sun, turning a playful golden color, and the other half was in the shadow, a deep green.
Gu Cheng sat in the shade of the grass, next to the runway and a big tree on the edge. The sunlight filtered through the treetops, casting golden fragments on the ground. The breeze was blowing, and the scenery was spacious and pleasant.
He had his back to Meng Xian, one leg stretched out and the other bent, his left hand on his knee, holding a black leather notebook, and in his right hand a pencil, writing and drawing on the notebook.
Hearing the noise, Gu Cheng turned his head and saw that it was Meng Xian. He pursed his lips slightly, without covering his face, and continued to draw in the notebook in his hand.
To him now, Meng Xian was like a dessert after a meal. He could eat it or not. Eating it would make him feel happy.
"Old Gu, you are so leisurely." Meng Xian sat on the side, supporting himself on the grass with his hands, and glanced at the man in front of him. The other man had short hair and a simple training suit. Because of his long legs, the pants did not fit him well, revealing part of his ankles. According to his visual estimation, Gu Cheng was wearing pants that were several sizes larger than his. His legs were really fucking long.
Gu Cheng said calmly: "I am lucky."
He narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at the grass in the distance illuminated by the sun. He truly agreed with the words he said. Compared with his previous work in the fleet, studying in school was truly a rare and peaceful period.
I can go home every day, pick up my kids from school, and hold my wife in my arms at night... This is a life I couldn't even imagine a few years ago.
It will be rare to have such a period of time in this life, at least before retirement, and he only hopes that time will go slower.
"Yes, yes, I really envy you."
Gu Cheng raised his eyes and said, "Can you change your words? It's not sincere."
I always have the same dessert after meals, it's too sweet and greasy.
This Meng Xian has had enough. He never comes to visit someone for no reason. Why is he coming to see him again?
"I mean it sincerely. You don't understand my worries. If I were as handsome and capable as you, I wouldn't have to worry about my wife running away with someone else."
Gu Cheng immediately closed the book, sat up straight, and asked warily: "What do you mean?"
Could it be that a young and handsome colleague has come to my wife's editorial department?
Meng Xian was stunned: "..."
Gu Cheng's reaction was like that of a big cat lying on the grass and licking its paws lazily. The moment it saw its prey, its eyes instantly widened, and it looked ready to attack, with a vigorous sense of power flowing throughout its body.
Naval officers like them, especially those in their current positions, have grown older and their physical requirements have declined. They usually neglect physical exercise, but it is rare for someone like Gu Cheng to still maintain such a large amount of muscle. At least Meng Xian does not have that.
Come on, judging from his vigilant look, this guy couldn’t be more afraid that his wife would run away with someone else than him, right?
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