Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 61 (Part 2)
Translated by Pure (ko-fi)
Edited by tingting
Chapter 61.2 Lin Jingzhe felt as if he had fallen into a maze.
Lin Jingzhe's suggestion was that it was necessary for a lawsuit to be filed and fought. For a long period of time to come, the domestic market rules were quite chaotic. Copycats emerged endlessly, copyrights were rarely enforced, and businessmen sought nothing but profit. If the Haitang Food Factory silently endured being bullied this time, there will only be more and more people pushing their noses on their faces in the future.
The lawsuit not only had to be fought, but they also had to poke the perpetrator's sore spots. But at the same time, they must not delay Haitang’s Bean Paste to the market.
But at this time, the brand named ‘Honored’ had already seized their opportunity and was one step ahead. They picked a flattering name and quickly entered the principal markets in Yan City, spreading its reputation and popularity. The most important issue now was to figure out how to gain recognition of consumers as Haitang Bean Paste lost the advantage of being the first brand to launch.
Lin Jingzhe didn't expect Gao Sheng to pinpoint the problem so quickly. After thorough discussion with his club members, the suggestion they concluded with was to advertise.
And not just an ordinary advertisement. Gao Sheng pushed for a ‘go big or go home’. He suggested they invest a sum of money and directly hire a few well known actors to shoot a few TV commercials.
This was the early 1990s, television had not yet been fully popularized throughout the country. Most businessmen didn't even understand the concept of advertising, let alone appearances on TV directly.
So not to mention Mother Zhou, even the well-informed Wang Quan hesitated after hearing his suggestion.
But Gao Sheng was conversant, not only did he make this suggestion, but he also knew which TV station was preparing to launch a new TV series. Aware that this series was scheduled to be broadcast at the end of the month, he was preparing the investment promotion.
If they want to advertise on television, the TV station must be contacted as soon as possible. However, Wang Quan himself was hesitant.
There weren’t many TV stations available on domestic television. He also knew a thing or two because of his work. Those short and small advertisements cost nearly a thousand yuan a day when broadcasted in prime time! This is a considerable expense at the moment, it would cost them tens of thousands a month!
Was it really worth it, for a trivial thing like bean paste?...
Mother Zhou hesitated even more. It’s TV they’re talking about!
When she was in Liyun Town, she didn't even dare to think about buying one. Now that their life was better, this tiny want of hers was fulfilled. With a TV at home, she could watch news and TV dramas, but she had never imagined appearing on television!
Gao Sheng also did not have full confidence on this matter. So when facing the stiff hesitation of the elders, he couldn't help but feel uneasy.
In order to increase the feasibility of his suggestion, he inquired about the situation of the upcoming TV series and compiled all the information into a portfolio. After reading it, Wang Quan became more and more skeptical— all the actors were newcomers, most of whom were students, and none of them were well-known. The drama was not produced in Hong Kong Island either, but the TV station's promotion fee was still very high. Thirty thousand a month!
Although the TV station promised that the advertisement will be broadcast during the breaks of the TV drama, who knew if this series would be popular? Although the investment fees and requirements of the other popular TV dramas played during prime time were far higher, Wang Quan didn’t know if it was worth the risk.
The advertising fee of tens of thousands of yuan a month was too heavy a burden for a small factory that had yet to establish a foothold. Although everyone did not lack the money, as a single vacation for them can total more than this, but business expenses were different. Every penny must be spent wisely. And so, the meeting halted into a momentary deadlock.
Lin Jingzhe opened the portfolio that had Wang Quan question in every possible way. The frown line on his forehead immediately eased, because he saw many very familiar names.
In fact, Lin Jingzhe didn’t often watch TV series, but there are always a few productions that were regarded as classics. The ones which were mentioned by the audience countless times in the decades after its initial broadcast. The <Legend of Jianghu> in the portfolio was considered such a classic. In the future, this series will be broadcasted on television almost every summer vacation time. Even Lin Jingzhe was lucky enough to catch a few clips of the series. By then, those young faces in the rustic film screen had already become the most active superstars in the domestic entertainment circle. <Legend of Jianghu> was the piece that made them collectively famous. Lin Jingzhe heard that it had caused quite a sensation in the year when it was first broadcast. Whenever the press mentioned this film, they usually described the situation as ‘a crowd of thousands[1].’
The national recognition was so high that Lin Jingzhe was familiar with more than two-thirds of the actors listed under the title of the series.
While he was surprised, Lin Jingzhe couldn't help feeling amused. It turned out that this group of people, who would later dominate the entertainment circle, experienced a time when the investment fee for their later famous work would be questioned.
Wang Quan was still trying to calculate everything. How much the profit was for a jar of bean paste, how much they should invest in promotions, the amount of possible audiences their ads could target, and whether these audiences were willing to contribute to the factory's sales of bean paste.
In the early nineties, the advertising industry was more immature than a toddler. Like a month old baby in its swaddle, still learning to babble.
After being constantly questioned, Gao Sheng also felt that his approach was a little too aggressive, so allowed himself to be ridiculed without much rebuttal.
Lin Jingzhe, who usually didn't talk much in this kind of meeting, closed the thick portfolio. He then threw the stack of documents on the table with a thud.
The sound of the impact attracted everyone's attention, and even Wang Quan, who was busy calculating, raised his head.
Just when Gao Sheng thought Ling Jingzhe was about to reject his proposal, the latter asked, "Mr. Wang, when did you start your TV and DVD manufacturing factories?"
Wang Quan was stunned for a moment. "It's the end of 1985."
"Then you should have accurate market data." Lin Jingzhe asked, "From 1985 to 1990, what is the average growth rate of your shipments?"
"This..." It was hard to tell what Wang Quan was thinking of, but he suddenly frowned slightly.
"Then what about the period from 1990 to 1991?"
Wang Quan put down the calculator in his hand and began to contemplate seriously.
"Were there any obvious changes in the months from the beginning of 1991 to the end of this year?"
Wang Quanhan laughed, "It's not just an obvious change. Our TV shipments in the past five months have already exceeded the sum of the previous year’s."
Wang Quanhan quickly understood and sighed towards Lin Jingzhe, "Indeed. Though I can’t guarantee the smaller towns, the TV coverage in Yan City should have grown multiple folds than in previous years."
He looked at Mother Zhou again: "Mrs. Ding, why don't we try…and.. record one?"
Before Mother Zhou could speak, Gao Sheng's eyes lit up, "Are you really shooting?"
Mother Zhou didn't know much about this aspect. Seeing that the two shareholders agreed, her position was shaken for a while. "This... I don’t know much about this area. I’m not opposed to shooting commercials, but who should we ask for the shoot?"
A classmate next to Gao Sheng said excitedly, "Why don't you find Li Xueli? She is currently the most popular among Hong Kong stars!"
Gao Sheng obviously disagreed, "Li Xueli is very popular, but that also means her fees will also be very high. I heard that her salary for a movie is in the millions."
Everyone immediately began to suggest different candidates. Though they all wished to choose a superstar who could give their bean paste an unforgettable image, they were unwilling to fork out a high commission.
"How about this?" Lin Jingzhe put forward a brand-new idea amidst the debates. "Since we are buying an advertising lot in a TV series, how about we just use the group of newcomers from the crew? Most of them are still students, so their asking price will definitely not be too high. When the TV series is broadcasted, the audience will see familiar faces, and this could increase their intimacy with our brand. Wouldn't it kill two birds with one stone?"
Lin Jingzhe could almost imagine the appearance of those familiar faces, who would later appear in high-end endorsements and international luxury goods, holding their own humble bean paste in a down-to-earth manner.
*******
No matter how anxious he was, the 5th inevitably arrived. It happened to be on a Saturday. Shen Juanying called in the morning, asking Lin Jingzhe what food he wanted to eat at night, so that she could ask someone to prepare it in advance.
On this rare occasion, Lin Jingzhe rejected her, only saying that he had other important matters today.
Shen Juanying was very surprised. Their family's weekly dinner appointment lasted for so long, and Lin Jingzhe seldom missed it regardless of the weather. Therefore, she was very curious and couldn't help thinking, "Did Auntie do anything that displeased you?"
Lin Jingzhe was very satisfied with the tacit distance between him and their family, so hurriedly replied: "No, no, I really made an appointment with my friend ahead of time."
"You already made an appointment?" Hearing this, Shen Juanying couldn't help but tease, "Are you in a relationship?"
Lin Jingzhe didn't refute her. He just apologized to her with a smile on his face, and hurriedly hung up the phone amid Shen Juanying's curious questioning.
When Xiao Chi called to pick him up, Lin Jingzhe had already been roaming the mall for an entire afternoon.
He was worried about what gifts to bring. During this time, he ordered a couple of items from Hong Kong, but he kept feeling as if it was lacking and he had not prepared enough. But after his grand shopping spree, Lin Jingzhe started to worry that he was making a scene of a regular friend's visit. He didn’t want the cat to come out the closet because of this, thus he was in a dilemma.
The trunk of Xiao Chi's car was stuffed to the brim, and the back seat was also piled up with a variety of things. Along the way, Lin Jingzhe looked out the window frequently. The car drove down a familiar road, but soon passed the fork that led to Shen Family's house. It was a straight drive for a seemingly long time before they made a turn at the corner, this area was where he seldom set foot in. For various reasons in his previous life, Lin Runsheng and the others did not take him to any gatherings during the New Year's.
Because it was just past rush hour, the sky was a bit dark, and the afterglow of the setting sun hit the courtyard at the end of the road. The building was not much different from other residential homes in the area, but Lin Jingzhe could feel the rigidity emanating from it.
So when he got out of the car, Lin Jingzhe was so nervous that he even forgot how to take off his own seat belt. It was Xiao Chi who grabbed his wrist and unbuckled the seat belt for him.
Lin Jingzhe saw through the windscreen that there were three figures standing at the door of Xiao Family's house, looking in the direction of their car. Among them were two faces that he was familiar with. The young girl was very beautiful, but her demeanor was cold. The two middle-aged people in the back looked to be husband and wife, standing hand in hand, with surprisingly serious faces.
This was exactly the same as Xiao Chi's family he originally imagined. But–
As for... As for waiting at their front door to greet him?!
Wasn't their standard a bit too high?!
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Footnote:
[1] a crowd of thousands - meaning when the show is aired, everyone would show up to watch the new episode.
