After a while, I finished singing a song. CC and Wei Manwen clapped for me. I walked over to them and asked the question that had been on my mind: “How come you both came together?”
CC replied, “We just happened to meet at the alley entrance. Teacher Wei bought some hangover medicine for Roben, and as for me, I just arrived in Suzhou from Shanghai. I couldn’t wait to come and congratulate Roben. I watched his concert video afterward; he really nailed the rock vibe and captured the essence of rock music. No wonder he’s called the new godfather of rock in the industry!”
It turned out that CC and Wei Manwen meeting up was indeed a spontaneous encounter. I glanced at Roben, curious about how he would respond to CC’s specially delivered congratulations, but Roben merely flicked the ash from his cigarette and said a very平淡 “Thank you.”
A hint of disappointment flickered across CC’s face, but she quickly smiled, clenched her fist, and said “Keep it up!” to Roben. However, how much pain and helplessness lay behind that smile, only she herself truly knew. At that moment, I genuinely hoped that Roben would marry Wei Manwen soon. Perhaps only then would CC finally let go of Roben and pursue her own happiness.
…
The next afternoon, I met Fang Yuan as agreed in a teahouse opposite Zhuomei. I didn’t even have time to properly enjoy a cup of tea before I got straight to the point and asked him, “Have you started planning Zhuomei’s Christmas event program?”
Fang Yuan replied with a troubled expression, “The event plan is indeed in the works, but it always feels like it lacks impact and is unlikely to create a frenzy of purchases… We both come from a planning background, so you should understand that reaching twice the turnover of Baoli Department Store without creating a buying frenzy is basically impossible.”
I nodded slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, “Actually, we already have a direction for the planning. After all, first-tier luxury brands won’t usually generate a buying frenzy, so the focus of this planning should be on the quasi-first-tier and second-tier brands… As for the first-tier luxury brands, I suggest handling them with separate events. You could form two dedicated teams to work on the planning for the two different levels of brands; that would be much more efficient…”
“This… I think that’s feasible. What other good suggestions do you have?”
“Next comes the promotion after the event plan is ready. I think this promotion is even more important than the event itself. After all, on Christmas Day, the promotional intensity of the two shopping malls won’t differ much. Therefore, the key to making a difference is how to accurately convey these promotional messages to consumers through the right promotional channels.” I paused and continued, “We actually have a unique advantage in this regard. From what I know, Jian Wei’s advertising company currently controls most of the mainstream advertising channels in Suzhou. If we can reasonably utilize these advertising channels, we can definitely achieve our sales targets on Christmas Day.”
Fang Yuan nodded and said, “I agree with that, but let’s be realistic—we can’t just use Jian Wei’s advertising channels for free. If we use them on a large scale, we don’t have that much advertising budget.”
“I’ve thought about that too. We can exchange Zhuomei’s resources for equal advertising resources from Jian Wei’s company. First of all, Zhuomei is located in the most prime spot in the city center, which itself is a great advertising resource. At the same time, the footfall is sufficient. The stairwells and even the corridors inside the mall can be developed into advertising resources. We can hand over the development and usage rights of these resources to Jian Wei’s advertising company, who can then operate them. After all, they have so many clients, like real estate developers, who would definitely be interested in such advertising resources. These can then be converted into advertising revenue, right?”
“The idea is pretty good, but Jian Wei’s company would still need to do secondary development before these resources can be used as advertising platforms. It seems like Jian Wei would be at a disadvantage…”
I clicked my tongue and said, “You’re just too pragmatic. Other advertising companies might not accept such an exchange plan, but considering that we’ve been friends with Jian Wei for so many years, there should be some personal feelings involved… Besides, if Zhuomei’s own advertising resources are developed well, it might not be a losing proposition for Jian Wei’s company either. I actually think that Jian Wei’s company can act as a platform for integrating resources, and then allocate these integrated advertising resources to the most suitable clients, which would be a win-win situation for all parties… As Zhuomei’s marketing vice president, you surely understand this, especially for real estate developers who highly value Zhuomei’s high-end customer base. They would be more than happy to see Zhuomei’s underutilized advertising resources developed and made available for their use. Therefore, if Jian Wei’s advertising company can successfully act as this resource integration platform, it would not only demonstrate their company’s capabilities but also set a classic example in the advertising industry.”
“That makes sense, but between you and me, who should approach Jian Wei about this?”
“You should do it…”
In the past, Fang Yuan might have teased me about who exactly should approach Jian Wei, but he clearly wasn’t in the mood for that now. After lighting a cigarette, he once again wore a thoughtful expression. Judging from the current situation, the Christmas event would definitely be a huge chess game, requiring him, as the responsible person, to manage every detail meticulously.
After a while, he spoke to me again, “Let’s take it a step further. Once we’ve secured the advertising channels, we still lack a highlight that can attract public attention—a point that can decisively outshine Baoli Department Store. This highlight could be an independent event or an organized activity. Have you thought about this?”
I nodded, “Since I took the initiative to come to you, I’ve considered all the aspects, but whether or not they’re feasible still needs to be discussed with you and, of course, approved by other senior executives at Zhuomei.”
Fang Yuan looked expectant as he said to me, “Go ahead, I do have some authority over Zhuomei’s marketing.”
I organized my thoughts slightly before speaking to Fang Yuan, “Since you’ve categorized the marketing highlights into independent events and organized activities, I’ll provide you with a framework for both… First, let’s talk about the organized activities. Recently, I’ve been following the new car launches from various car brands, and both Porsche and Mercedes-Benz are launching new models around Christmas. Here’s my idea—we can collaborate with them, and Zhuomei can provide the venue for their new car launches. According to past practices, on the day of the launch, these brands will definitely invite their brand ambassadors to attend the event. These ambassadors are all top-tier celebrities, which will definitely boost the atmosphere of Zhuomei’s event. In addition, these high-end automotive brands have a strong appeal to high-end customers. Therefore, holding new car launches in Zhuomei, which follows a high-end strategy, would be a mutually beneficial business collaboration… Now, let’s talk about independent events…” I took a sip of tea to moisten my throat before continuing, “You might not know this yet, but Leyao and her fiancé Cao Jinfu have agreed to star in the short film specially tailored for the ‘Artistic Journey’ project. So I’m planning to hold the short film’s launching ceremony at Zhuomei. I believe that with their popularity, which consistently dominates the entertainment headlines, they will definitely draw enough attention to Zhuomei on that day… This can serve as a highlight for an independent event.”
Fang Yuan exhaled heavily and said, “If both of these can be realized, then on Christmas Day, it would be almost certain that Zhuomei Shopping Center would outshine Baoli Department Store. In Suzhou’s department store history, there has never been a precedent for three top-tier stars appearing simultaneously in the same shopping mall. Especially Leyao, who has been out of the public eye but still constantly makes headlines, can attract even more public attention, not to mention Cao Jinfu… The event highlight is definitely strong enough. Such a lineup is even extravagant for a mall in a second-tier city!!”
“So, combined with the powerful advertising resources of Jian Wei’s advertising company, we still have a chance to achieve our pre-set sales target on Christmas Day.”
“Yeah, Leyao is your friend, so I’m not too worried about her side. But inviting Porsche and Mercedes-Benz to hold their new car launches at Zhuomei might be a bit difficult, considering they haven’t collaborated with Zhuomei before.”
“You don’t need to worry too much about that. After all, businesses are profit-driven. Given Zhuomei’s status as Suzhou’s top-tier high-end department store, they have no reason to refuse our invitation. Moreover, Zhuomei has already invested a lot of resources into promoting this joint event. By piggybacking on Zhuomei, they can save a significant amount on advertising costs alone. More importantly, they will also gain the highlight they desperately need for their marketing…”
Finally, a trace of relaxation appeared on Fang Yuan’s face. He put out his cigarette in the ashtray and said to me, “Alright then, I’ll work with my team to develop a complete event plan as soon as possible and then discuss it with you again… However, what we’re discussing now are just some peripheral aspects of marketing. Regarding the core sales strategy, you should also help me think about it. Ideally, it should be a sales strategy that our competitor Baoli Department Store cannot replicate, so that we can ensure success.”
I nodded and said, “I’ll do my best… Let’s keep in touch.”
“Okay…” Fang Yuan responded, and then looked worried again as he said, “Right now, Zhuomei is really in a difficult period. Judging from the current situation, it’s only a matter of time before Weiran’s ZH Investment Company withdraws its investment… This will really hurt Zhuomei. I wonder if General Manager Mi can withstand this huge pressure and successfully take Zhuomei public?”
My heart was filled with anxiety. I took a deep drag from my cigarette and said, “There’s always a way out. Let’s just focus on what’s in front of us for now.”
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