1988: Back to the human world for a few years

Chapter 453 Strategy (3)

As the world's second largest advertising country, with annual advertising revenue exceeding 5.7 trillion yen, one can imagine how expensive media prices are in this tiny island country.

In this country where television, newspapers and magazines, and outdoor advertising share the market, outdoor advertising has once become the advertising choice for businesses with tight budgets due to the existence of various clever techniques. This also led to the streets of Tokyo being densely packed with countless advertising signs, just like Hong Kong in anime, forming a three-dimensional visual hierarchy of "up and down + front and back + left and right".

Of course, although this form of "small outdoor" advertising is relatively cheap, combined with the characteristics of the island country's "small country with few people", it can indeed gradually capture and accumulate some regular customers, allowing those lucky small businesses to gradually accumulate their own basic base; but it is obvious that if you are a fast-moving consumer goods brand targeting the mass market, and you actually want to increase your own popularity through this method, it would be as difficult as climbing to the sky.

Of course, nothing is absolute. If your budget is really tight, using cheaper outdoor advertising for promotion may not be an option.

And if your advertising content and form can be slightly refreshing, you may be able to achieve the results you want.

………………

Shinjuku Station.

In this place known for its daily traffic volume with the highest number of people in the world, 32-year-old Fumio Kawamoto walked out of the dark and dilapidated apartment, then forced himself to walk towards the subway station one kilometer away.

Click~
As a sharp metallic sound was heard, Kawamoto Fumio frowned and looked at the deflated beer can at his feet, then swept away the garbage everywhere on the street. Although the expression on his face was as calm as a mask as always, a layer of gloom quietly covered his brows.

The real island country is never what outsiders think it is.

This country, which is packaged as clean and hygienic through countless filters and remote farming technologies, is actually still full of all kinds of garbage on the streets... In fact, places like Shinjuku Station are not only famous for its average daily flow of people, but also for its dirty and messy environment.

Similarly, in this country famous for its lifetime employment and seniority-based systems, just because you have a lot of seniority doesn't mean you'll be promoted. If working longer and harder really counts, then Fumio Kawamoto, who has worked in the company for nearly a decade, would have been promoted to the position of section chief, or at least a team leader. Why is he still a low-level clerk and has to live in a garbage-filled place like Shinjuku Station every day?
Ah……

Thinking of being far away in the countryside, they have been eagerly looking forward to going back to see their parents more often;
Thinking back to the graduation address book that I had not dared to open since graduation three years ago;
Thinking of those two women who just strolled through their lives in style and then walked away with a look of contempt;

I think of the company that began to drastically cut benefits and expenses due to poor management;

Thinking of the high prices in Tokyo that change every month and my meager salary that has not increased in half a year;

I thought of my shabby apartment that couldn't even fit an extra table.

I remembered that the landlord told me that the rent would be increased by 2 yen starting next month;

Thinking of all my savings that were trapped in the stock market;

Ah……

My life is such a failure!

The busyness and diligence of the white-collar workers in the island countries are often just an illusion created by laziness. Therefore, Kawamoto Fumio just leaned over and wiped the stains on his shoes woodenly, then walked hurriedly towards the subway.

The soul, however, has long since floated away into the sky.

………………

Anyone who has worked in the media knows that the more closed and restricted the environment is, and the more you have to divert your attention, the better the advertising will be; and vice versa.

Therefore, even though there were already a lot of salespeople on the streets handing out flyers early in the morning, or holding various activities, these seemingly exciting activities were just a breeze that passed by Kawamoto Fumio's ears. He had no interest in taking a second look at them, and would never stop his hurried steps for them.

Men in the island country live a very tiring life, and men at the lowest level as clerks live an even more tiring life. Every day when they are awake, the only time that belongs to them is the one hour in the morning used for commuting. How could they be willing to waste this precious "personal time" on these things?

But no matter how hurried his steps were, there would always be a time when he had to stop.

There is no choice, we have reached the traffic light.

Humans are a very strange kind of semi-passive creatures. When your body is forced to change its rhythmic frequency, your consciousness will naturally be withdrawn from its original state.

Therefore, Kawamoto Fumio, who had to wait for the green light, finally returned to reality from his original trance.

So, he was quickly attracted by the three strangely dressed "human-shaped billboards" at the traffic light intersection.

As mentioned before, in the field of outdoor media, the island country has some clever tricks. In addition to the most common method of handing out flyers on the streets, you can also see many people standing motionless on the roadside with a billboard hung in front and behind to do various kinds of publicity... This does not violate the law and is very attractive, killing two birds with one stone.

Although this method was quite attractive when it first appeared, its effectiveness has gradually declined over time... The island country's outdoor publicity is mostly based on naked promotional activities, and after seeing it so many times, it is no longer very novel.

However, the three "human-shaped billboards" that appeared in front of Fumio Kawamoto were somewhat different.

First of all, compared to those guys who just hang two simple paper cards on their bodies, the costumes and makeup of this human-shaped billboard in front of you are undoubtedly much more exquisite and eye-catching.

This guy, as if he was filming a time-travel drama in a modern city, was wearing a "great armor" (a relatively ancient type of heavy armor) and standing there motionless... You have to know, let alone reality, even in film and television dramas, the armor that appears is mostly the Hakumaki, Domaru, and Dase Guju. Three relatively rare great armors appeared at once. Not to mention Kawamoto Fumio, even the other people who were waiting for the traffic light together, all cast their eyes towards this human-shaped billboard with a few characteristics.

Tsk tsk, sure!

Look at the exquisite style and shape. This is either a collection contributed by an armor enthusiast, or a movie prop carefully prepared by a film and television crew!
Kawamoto Fumio first sighed that today's merchants are more and more willing to spend money, but his eyes involuntarily looked behind Da Kai.

The three human-shaped billboards were standing at a traffic light intersection in a 45-degree sideways posture, and the three human-shaped billboards were strangely wearing several thin haori (mandarin jackets) on their bodies. If things went as expected, the content of the advertisement should be behind the haori.

Eh? ? ?
Like most people, when Kawamoto Fumio saw what was behind the haori, he couldn't help but be stunned, and then a very strange emotion emerged in his heart.

Like most common human-shaped billboards, the back of this haori is also covered with text.

But unlike the common form, the text on the back of this haori is a row of ancient and artistic small seal characters, plus a line of Japanese that is obviously less beautiful;
Obviously, the row of small seal characters is the main body, and the line of Japanese is the translation.

Although this somewhat bullying way of comparison makes the line of Japanese characters look extremely low-brow, you have to admit that the row of small seal characters that look like carved totems instantly makes the ordinary feather ornament on the armor have the beauty of an ancient work of art, which is quite eye-catching.

only……

"The Boy Who Died: I'm most afraid of waking up drunk one afternoon, and occasionally walking on an empty road like I did when I was a kid, and suddenly someone jumps out at the intersection, and I quickly pretend to be serious."

Seeing such a puzzling sentence, Kawamoto Fumio, who had been living more and more like a walking corpse in the past six months, suddenly felt stabbed in the heart, and an indescribable feeling spread from the depths of his soul.

He tried to look away, but as if attracted by a magnet, Kawamoto Fumio involuntarily cast his gaze behind the second haori.

“Madman: It’s like a drunk swordsman carrying a broken wine jug, stumbling through this muddy world, but with a lonesome aura, passers-by avoid him and call him a madman—yes, I am that madman!”

hiss~!

After being silent for a while, Kawamoto Fumio's hands and feet suddenly began to tremble. He didn't know why this happened, but he always felt an inexplicable urge to break out of his body.

He quickly looked away and hugged the briefcase tightly to his chest, as if this could restrain the impulse deep in his soul.

He was afraid that he would lose control and start screaming and shouting on the spot... He had an urge to become that swordsman, but was afraid that he would become a madman in the eyes of others.

He finally suppressed the impulse a little, as if he was under some irresistible urge, Kawamoto Fumio couldn't help but look at the third haori.

“Du Kang: I don’t like many things, so I always remember the things that have warmed me… even if it was just a bottle of wine.”

Boom~!

A strong sense of sadness rose in Kawamoto Fumio's heart, and he stared at these seemingly plain words in a daze.

For a moment, he seemed to see another self, another helpless man who was forgotten by this big city and could only sit alone in a small apartment in a daze.

Is Mo Hua really exposed?
What you drink is not just wine, but stories?

Fumio Kawamoto stared blankly at the LOGO and slogan on the "human-shaped billboard" hand fan, and his smile was uglier than crying.

Damn it! Has the Chinese language always been so offensive?
………………

On this day, Fumio Kawamoto behaved completely differently from usual.

After just sitting there in the company for half an hour, he took the initiative to go out and do business.

This impressed his section chief, who thought that this veteran had finally figured it out and was going to work hard.

Little did he know that he thought he was a woken salted fish. He went out and worked hard, but as soon as he left the office, he headed straight for various crossroads.

As expected, at every intersection that had not been reported, there were eye-catching "human billboards" with big or belly-rolled figures standing in teams of three.

“When you are drunk, you will be sober”: When someone leaves you, don’t ask why. All the reasons you can think of are right.”

“Two Me: There are two me in the world, one pretends to be happy when sober, and the other is truly sad when drunk.”

"The Sober Coward: How many grievances must you have experienced to have such a submissive and good temper."

“‘Inconsistency’: You are strange. When you are sober, you disdain to associate with others. But when you are drunk, you realize that you are afraid of being different from others.”

"The Passenger": The most decent way for an adult to say goodbye is that you didn't answer my last call, and you also tacitly didn't call me back. From then on, there was only one person drinking alone in that pub."

"The Little One in the Soul..."

The biggest regret in the world is that the city is too big and your legs are too short; when you think you can drive around the city, you find that everything you want to see is at intersections where vehicles are not allowed to stay.

Therefore, even though Kawamoto Fumio ran around for a whole day under the slightly gray sun, he only read more than 40 pieces of advertising copy full of knife-like intent.

There had never been a moment when he felt so resentful. He resented that this Mohua Jinro from China was so poor, so poor that he couldn't even afford TV commercials.

But there had never been a moment when he longed so much for the shock that those lines of text could bring to him.

………………

At 7 p.m., Kawamoto Fumio, who always went with the flow, stood up, looked at his colleagues in the brightly lit department who were still busy with their heads down, and suddenly laughed.

"Beihe, are you done with your work? Do you want to go out for a drink?"

Today, Fumio Kawamoto gave people a different feeling. In the past, except for department gatherings, he always stayed on the sidelines and kept to himself, but now he took the initiative to invite his colleagues to drink after get off work.

Beihe stared blankly at this colleague who had entered the company with him and had worked at the grassroots level together for nearly ten years. If the man in front of him had not changed in appearance, he would have almost thought that the other person was someone else impersonating him.

"Okay, wait for me five minutes... let's go!"

Seeing the gloom between Kawamoto Fumio's brows which had somehow dissipated a lot and a sudden sense of relief appeared on his face, this colleague, the only one who could still speak a few words in the company, suddenly laughed.

More than half an hour later.

A pub quite some distance from the company.

Just as Beihe was wondering why this old colleague, who looked different from the past, would go to this unknown pub to treat him to a drink.

However, Kawamoto Fumio smiled mysteriously, then waved his hand and asked the waiter for a bottle of Mohua Jinro wine, which Beihe had never heard of before.

So, in Beihe's surprised eyes, a bottle of Jinro sake was brought up. It looked ordinary in appearance, but the front of the bottle was covered with a layer of tissue paper.

"Hebei, we have known each other for ten years without realizing it~"

Somehow, Kawamoto Fumio seemed to have more emotions today, and his tone was full of nostalgia, without any of the hypocrisy and mechanicalness of the department dinners in the past: "Thirty years have passed in the world, and the world is like bubbles... This layer of [false revelation] will be opened by you!"

Although it seemed a bit funny to hear such a half-truthful haiku coming out of Fumio Kawamoto's mouth, even Kitakawa, with whom he had a relatively good relationship, seldom felt such unguarded emotions from the mouth of this old colleague with whom he had known each other for ten years. He smiled slightly and did not refuse politely. He directly took the bottle, which was much smaller than the island country's native Jinro, with a capacity of only about 400ML, and then carefully tore off the layer of tissue paper at the front.

"friend"

After drinking this cup, can we be friends?

This is the beginning of the story.

After drinking this cup, can we still be friends?
I hope this isn't the end of the story.

Familiar Chinese small seal script, familiar Japanese counterpart.

Kawamoto Fumio stared blankly at the words on the bottle that had just been revealed, and suddenly laughed: "Beihe, you are really lucky!"

After saying that, he unscrewed the bottle of Mohua Jinlu and filled each other's glasses carefully: "Huaxia is right, this is not a bottle of wine, but our life... Come, Beihe, I'll toast you a glass... We have known each other for ten years, can we be friends?"

Beihe stared at him blankly, catching the gray desire in the eyes of this old colleague. He was suddenly infected by an inexplicable emotion and raised his glass: "Of course!"

They both drank it in one gulp, then looked at each other and suddenly laughed.

It's a very easy laugh, and it's a very liberating laugh.

The shop owner was awakened by the laughter. He looked up and saw that most of the people in the tavern had a bottle of Mohua Jinro in front of them. They were all intoxicated by this familiar, yet unfamiliar feeling of relaxation...

I couldn't help but sigh softly.

Ha ha,

Wine is like life... right?

........................

Two days later.

Bao Shuxian looked at the data report compiled by the staff in disbelief: "In just two days, the sales volume of Mohua Jinro exceeded 3 bottles, and the purchase intentions of various terminals and distributors exceeded 70 bottles?"

Although the sales volume of 3 bottles of Jinro liquor is a negligible number for an island country with a habit of drinking at night, in a place like Tokyo, the sales volume of 2 bottles in two days does not even reach the passing line.

But you have to know that Mohua Jinro Liquor is a new product that cannot be newer. Not only have Japanese people never heard of such a brand before, but even the first batch of terminals only included more than 400 taverns and dozens of community stores... There is no way. The Japanese have always been inclined towards the acquaintance economy, and the difficulty of entering the terminal channels is much greater than Chinese people think. If it were not for the help of the local snakes, even these terminals could not be laid out.

It can be said that any new product that lands in a hellish dungeon like Tokyo and can achieve sales of 3 bottles in the first two days is something to be proud of.

What's more, sales volume is only part of the story. The important thing is...

Other terminals and dealers came to buy after hearing the news!

Although no one has come to discuss agency yet, the new product has been on the market for only two days and there have been requests for 70 bottles, which is already an exaggerated number.

This means that the local market is optimistic about this product, so some people have come to us to conduct trial sales.

If the trial sales go smoothly, if nothing unexpected happens, someone will approach you to discuss agency or exclusive agency.

Thinking of this, Bao Shuxian sincerely handed the data summary in his hand to Zhuo Mali, and then exclaimed in admiration: "As expected of Minister Zhuo, with a cost of less than 2000 million yen, he has leveraged the market of Mohua Jinro... This ability is unparalleled!"

There is no trace of water in this statement.

Although those cutting-edge copywritings were thought up by Bao Shuxian and his team over the past six months, if Zhuo Mali had not gone against the majority and shot down all conventional television, newspaper and outdoor advertisements, and instead adopted the form of "human billboards" to carry out targeted communication to the group of ordinary male employees in the island country at the traffic light intersection, the cost of investing in this Jinro wine would have been more than ten times higher even if it could have become popular.

It can be said that this small outdoor advertising model is probably the smallest budget promotion method that Dahua Company could think of at the time... Even the armor was rented by Zhuo Mali from NHK TV station at a friendly price that was almost free. Except for the salaries of those promotional staff, Dahua Company did not spend much money on this matter.

This input-output ratio, which reached at least 1:40 that month, was really eye-catching.

Hearing Bao Shuxian's compliment, Zhuo Mali just smiled and said, "Advertising is just a means. Without the copywriting written by Director Bao, even if the exposure rate is maximized and the communication cost per thousand people is minimized, it will be useless... The communication rate does not represent the conversion rate. I am deeply touched by this."

At this point, Zhuo Mali became a little curious: "But what I'm curious about is, how did you, the insurance manager, come up with the idea of ​​using these depressing-looking sentences as copywriting? This is completely opposite to ordinary advertising slogans... To be honest, even I didn't expect these depressing copywriting to have such a good effect."

To be honest, the fact that Mohua Jinro began to show signs of explosive popularity in just two or three days was beyond her expectations.

You know, no matter what era it is, any advertisement will either promote how good their product is, how advanced it is, and how awesome the technology it uses, or simply promote how long their history is and how well-known they are;
This was the first time she had seen a product like Mohua Jinro Wine, which had "nothing to rely on" and featured a sharp copywriting.

Bao Shuxian looked somewhat proud when he heard this: "This is the direction set by Mr.... No, Mr. Yang."

After correcting the word "boss" in time, Bao Shuxian grinned: "Boss Yang said that when the conditions are met, mediocre people will compete with competitors in price, quality, and promotion... Instead of doing this thankless job, it is better to stand at a higher level and try to please and seize the minds of consumers. As long as the minds are affected and consumers resonate with you emotionally, other factors will not be that important."

Emotional resonance?

Zhuomali frowned in some confusion.

Bao Shuxian smiled and said, "Aren't there two books that are very popular in the island country these past two years? One is called "The Island Country Can Say No" and the other is called "No Longer Human".

"We all know the background of the first book, but the latter one, No Longer Human, was actually published as early as the 1950s. Its popularity has exploded again, which fully reflects the empty and confused mental state of the island people in the past two years."

"But the island nation is a country where face is paramount. Whether it is a company or an individual, no matter what you think in your heart, you always have to show a positive look in front of others. Therefore, no company or product dares to start with the culture of mourning to arouse the emotional resonance of consumers;"

"But we are a Chinese brand. The island nation has a different perspective and standard on our values. In addition, the Sino-Japanese Cultural Festival has created a cultural impact. Therefore, we can not only take the lead in promoting the culture of mourning, but also avoid any major problems... It can be said that we have taken all the benefits."

At the end, Bao Shuxian said with a sigh: "A group of people who are living in extreme depression have encountered a rare economic recession in the island country in decades. From originally having a glimmer of hope, they have gradually turned into no hope at all. The depression and frustration in their hearts are unimaginable for ordinary people, but society does not allow you to be depressed... At this time, one sad copy after another appears in front of you, gets into your heart, and resonates with you. It would be strange if you don't regard it as your own confidant or even your inner sustenance!"

Zhuomali nodded in understanding.

All aspects of the island nation's society carry a sense of fragmentation of a small country with a small population. Therefore, after just a week or so, she could clearly feel the island nation's strong-on-the-outside-but-cowardly mental state. This characteristic caused some props to resonate with her spirit, and even became an outlet for her emotions. Her consumption stickiness was extremely amazing.

Ok……

It is said that the nightclub public relations industry in the island country is also extremely developed, and the services it provides are very different from what I originally imagined. This must be related to this characteristic of the island people.

only……

I started preparing the relevant copy six months in advance.

Yang Mo's forward-looking planning and accurate prediction...

It's really deep and creepy!

A sense of awe welled up in her heart. Zhuo Mali took a deep breath and then showed a very casual expression: "By the way, where is Mr. Yang? I haven't seen him for a long time. Did he say when he will be back?"

Bao Shuxian has a very good personal relationship with Yang Mo. Being abroad, as a member of the exchange group and a subordinate, it is not convenient for her to directly inquire about Yang Mo's whereabouts, but Bao Shuxian may know it.

As expected, Bao Shuxian was not aware of the twists and turns in this. When he heard Zhuo Mali ask, he said without any defense: "Oh, Mr. Yang is still in Yokohama. I don't know when he will be back... But I guess he should be back soon!"

Yokohama?

When Zhuomali heard that this was the location of the largest Chinatown on the island nation, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

It is said that two days ago, Wang Yinuo also arrived in the island country somewhat abruptly, and also went to Yokohama. Could these two "old friends" be secretly planning something?

Thinking of this, Zhuomali sighed somewhat frustratedly.

Forget it, even if he is plotting something, it has nothing to do with me and he won’t let me know.

Who told me that I haven’t become someone’s confidant yet?

Just finish the work at hand first!

(End of this chapter)