Reboot the heyday

Chapter 3476 Is the name Douyin (TikTok) serious?

Everyone talks about how bad Chinese education is, but nothing is fairer than it.

Artistic talent may be overlooked, but mathematical talent will never be overlooked. And given the current state of the art world, let artistic talent be overlooked if they are.

Although Wang Taika was not good at math when he was in school, he still had great faith in the subject because he had seen people who were naturally good at math, and he couldn't help but admire them.

He believes that everything in the world is governed by mathematics. However, he feels that humanity's current level of mathematics is not yet at a point where it can grasp the science of chaos.

Chaos theory, simply put, is the butterfly effect. How do you calculate the chain reaction that occurs from the flapping of wings to a storm? There is a huge variable involved, which even supercomputers cannot calculate.

Data from the entertainment industry is often like chaos theory, resulting in inaccurate calculations.

A production team used big data analytics, following the most popular formula of the time, to shoot a TV series. But the reaction to the series after its release was completely unpredictable.

It might not be popular at all, but it might become popular because of one scene, or because of a supporting character. It might not be popular now, but it might become popular in a couple of years. The public's pursuit of trends is sometimes so strange; popular memes always have an element of chance.

Therefore, Wang Taika doesn't really trust entertainment big data. Using it as a reference is fine, but blindly believing it will only lead to losses.

This mindset led Wang Taika to consistently view those in charge of entertainment big data at various companies as fraudsters.

However, the man next to him, after getting drunk, realized that Wang Taika seemed to know nothing about these things, so he felt a sense of accomplishment from being a teacher and started to talk at length to Wang Taika.

To be honest, it gave Wang Taika a lot of inspiration, and they even exchanged business cards after the meal. The next day, after sobering up, Wang Taika started researching related companies and consulting firms, only to realize he was really out of touch; big data is developing at a very rapid pace.

Wang Taika did not act rashly. He consulted with professionals in his domestic company and readily accepted their advice. He then established his own professional data department and began to cooperate and invest with major companies in the field.

Although we missed the first wave of many initiatives, we were still among the earliest adopters. The achievements in big data have been put to good use in idol management and promotion, truly making the most of our resources.

Currently, short videos with voiceovers are quite popular in China, and this trend has begun, with more professional short video platforms gradually emerging. Although it's still in its early stages, it seems to have great potential.

However, major domestic companies clearly haven't paid much attention to short videos. They've focused more on video streaming platforms like Youku, iQiyi, and Tencent Video, as well as various live streaming platforms. The fierce competition among these live streaming platforms is currently the hottest topic.

In fact, Wang Taika's view on short videos is also one-sided. He just feels that having idols frequently produce long videos is a resource-intensive and thankless task.

However, if it's just a few seconds of everyday life or some dance clips, it's perfect for idols to create content.

Unlike South Korea, in China, the production of idol-related materials largely relies on fans figuring things out themselves, which is quite troublesome.

Therefore, after learning about these things, Wang Taika decided to invest heavily in short videos.

In fact, the company had already made plans in this area, but it had only been operating on a small scale before. Now that Wang Taika has given his approval, it is natural to start investing heavily.

Wang Taika treats this investment as "advertising expenses," aiming to create software similar to "Bubble" in South Korea.

Developing such software in China right now is unrealistic. Weibo already dominates all the traffic; there's simply no way to compete. Plus, given Tencent's well-known practices regarding social media content, they definitely wouldn't be interested. We're currently in the cooperation phase, so there are some things to consider.

Therefore, relying on short video content is one of the few solutions.

Wang Taika can bring in some of XB Entertainment's stars to drive traffic. He can also offer the copyrights to his dramas for free to platforms to attract viewers, which would certainly encourage cooperation. This is Wang Taika's entire plan. To be honest, Wang Taika isn't cut out for business; he lacks foresight and his company management skills are mediocre. However, his strengths lie in respecting talent and not interfering in company operations.

So the company has always been doing well, making money peacefully. For major company matters, Wang Taika is just a tool for signing contracts. He only takes initiative to handle insignificant, trivial matters.

For example, in previous collaborations with various companies, Wang Taika only represented the company to socialize and sign contracts. Even the establishment of a big data-related department was decided only after an internal company meeting. In reality, the plan had already been in place for some time; Wang Taika simply brought it forward.

The only thing that matters is short videos, which is entirely up to Wang Taika.

Currently, it seems that the development potential of short videos can't possibly surpass that of long videos. Therefore, this matter appears to be a trivial one, giving Wang Taika complete control and allowing him to have a rare moment of absolute power.

"What's this called, TikTok?"

"How do I shake it? Which one is yin? I even use it to boost my virility! This can't be some kind of shady app, can it? But at least the icon doesn't look that cheap."

Wang Taika looked around and found that the names of these short video apps were all incredibly varied. Many of the names even sounded suggestive of pornography.

If you click in and take a look, most of the short videos are either vulgar, pornographic, or both, with all sorts of silly jokes, like the online videos you watched when you were in school.

"Otherwise, how could I have made such a decision all at once? This matter is really not something that can be discussed openly."

Wang Taika sighed, tossed the documents onto the table, and said, "I feel like I made a mistake. Putting idol content on these platforms is clearly a bad fit. By the way, can I withdraw the investment?"

To be honest, I really want to run away, but it feels like it's not worth it.

But the staff member's words made Wang Taika's eyes go dark: "Sorry, the contract has already been signed. If we break the contract, we'll lose even more money."

"Fine." Wang Taika shook his head helplessly.

The money's already invested, and it's too late to regret it now. The money lost on short videos can be recouped by embezzling it when I go to South Korea.

In fact, Wang Taika is quite self-aware; he only regards short videos as an insignificant little project and an ordinary publicity stunt.

If this method works, all the better. If it doesn't, I still have so many shares in short video companies; I can sell them to cut my losses. This is more cost-effective than directly investing in advertising; at least I can recoup some of the losses.

Of course, no one could have imagined that this seemingly insignificant little decision would actually bet on future trends.

Sometimes life is like this: you may try to plant flowers, but they may not bloom; or you may plant willows without thinking, and they may thrive.

What makes a real man? It means that if you get involved in something, whether it's a person or a situation, you have to take responsibility for it!
At that moment, Pei Baicai sent a message on her phone: "I'm coming to find you."

Wang Taika immediately replied: "I'm not here!"

It's inserted, but I'll admit it next time!

(End of this chapter)