Huayu: From charlatan to great entertainer

Chapter 612 The Very Sweet Duo Advertises, Competitors' Year-End Despair
Society as a whole has entered the era of large-scale online marketing. Whether it is a century-old brand or a rising private enterprise, all of them regard "proactive and innovative marketing" as their core strategy.

This trend, which profoundly changes the rules of business, was not only spurred by the internet technology revolution, but also propelled to new heights by industry leaders like Wenjie.

The Spring Festival Gala also needed to be competitive, which led to the creation of "I Want to Go to the Spring Festival Gala." The program broke the mystery of the Spring Festival Gala's previous "closed-door" production process by bringing some of the selection process to the forefront, allowing the audience to witness how grassroots contestants or local troupes go through layers of competition to finally obtain the qualification to "go directly to the Spring Festival Gala."

For viewers, this is a "prequel to the Spring Festival Gala" that lasts for several months, greatly extending the period of popularity and providing ample warm-up for the New Year's Eve feast;
For the station, it was a successful attempt at "opening up the Spring Festival Gala," which not only incorporated folk talents but also injected fresh blood and buzz into the gala. It was also an excellent form of brand marketing, making the gala preparation process itself a popular variety show.

Thus, the previously unknown "Very Sweet" duo appeared amidst the flurry of comments on Zhijie Video, which had just been launched.

"Oh, it's so sweet! Great! Great! They're all naturally beautiful!"

"The last time Liu Yifei appeared on the Spring Festival Gala was when she was 16 years old. Now she's a mother of two. My youth!"

"This group could also be called the Fairy Friends Circle, similar to Yang Mi's Teddy Sisters Group and Wang Fei's Class 3-2, but it's more clean and upright than them, without any messy scandals or hype."

The program opens with host Sa Beining's highly recognizable, clear, and enthusiastic voice:
"Good evening, everyone! Welcome to this episode of 'I Want to Go to the Spring Festival Gala'! I'm Sa Beining!"

"Today, we have three heavyweight actresses from mainland China as our guests! I believe that viewers who have seen the preview clips have already guessed who they are, and are just as excited as those watching on TV and in the comments section of Zhijie Video!"

"This is the first time these three have appeared together on our program, let alone a CCTV program, so I must follow the usual practice and formally introduce them to everyone—"

He turned to the side, gracefully gesturing to his side:
"Welcome Ms. Jing Tian, ​​an outstanding actress from mainland China. Her representative works include the youth idol drama 'Meteor Shower' and the currently airing historical drama 'Nirvana in Fire,' which has sparked a nationwide drama-watching craze! Of course, her brief but memorable portrayal of the Painting Fairy in the epic drama 'The Book of Peace' was also a highlight!"

The camera then focused on Jing Tian, ​​who was dressed in a smart black women's suit and smiled as she nodded to the camera.

Sa Beining paused briefly before continuing his introduction:

"The second one is Ms. Su Chang! She is also a very popular actress in mainland China. She has a wide range of roles, from the cute fox Xiaoyu in the ancient costume myth "Lotus Lantern", to the silly girl in the science fiction comedy "Magic Phone", to the youth romance films "You Are the Apple of My Eye" and "Secret", and even the Hollywood blockbuster "Inception". Every appearance brings a brand new surprise to the audience!"

Su Chang smiled gently and exuded an elegant air as she waved lightly at the camera.

"This last one is someone everyone is equally familiar with," Sa Beining said, his voice rising with undeniable familiarity. "Let's welcome Ms. Liu Yifei!"

"Her representative TV dramas, such as Zhao Ling'er in Chinese Paladin, Lu Xueqi in Jade Dynasty, and Xiaolongnu in The Return of the Condor Heroes, are all classic roles that are deeply rooted in people's hearts and can be called the youthful memories of a generation!"

"This year's 'The Book of Peace' has sparked a craze for watching dramas in China, Japan, South Korea, and even Europe and America! Her portrayal of Gu Nan has not only captivated Asian audiences, but also allowed global audiences to see the profound heritage of Chinese history and culture and the unique charm of modern narratives through this character!"

"In the film industry, she has also achieved remarkable results. From the sci-fi epic 'A Home Away' and the historical epic 'The Sky of History' to the pure love classic 'Under the Hawthorn Tree', she has constantly broken through her own limits and proved her strength with her works and awards!"

Sa Beining concluded, "First of all, thank you all for coming!"

"Thank you! Hello, viewers!" The three women greeted the audience and then began their conversational interview.

The host, holding up cue cards, said, "Here are some of the most frequently asked questions from the Weibo comments after the program preview. The most common question is about the origin of the 'Very Sweet' duo. Which of the three of you would like to explain it to everyone?"

Xiao Liu nudged her best friend Da Tiantian, signaling her to speak. Compared to her and Su Chang, Jing Tian needed to be featured on this kind of show more, so she deliberately asked her to say a few more words.

"Um, that's how it is." Jing Tian adjusted her earpiece. "Actually, this isn't really a group in the formal sense of debuting. It's just that two years ago, when Sister Qianqian was recovering after giving birth, we often danced and exercised together at her house. That's how it started."

Sa Beining is good at setting the mood, and of course he knows what the audience cares about most. He asked curiously, "The three of you are all very young. Jing Tian is a little younger than Yi Fei, right? Judging from how you address each other, it seems that you have a lot of opportunities to get together."

"Yeah, that's right, I often hang out at her house." Da Tiantian covered her mouth and chuckled.

Where is Su Chang?

Before Su Chang could speak, Xiao Liu interjected with a sarcastic remark: "Originally, Tang Yan would also come along, and Tong Liya would occasionally join us, but later everyone got busy with work and it became less frequent."

"But Su Chang is different. She's started dating and she's stopped talking to us friends."

Su Chang laughed and scolded, "Nonsense! Do you think we're all like you?"

She looked intently at the CCTV anchor who was watching the spectacle but couldn't get a word in edgewise: "This part must be cut. The claim that the richest man's wife is persecuting my reputation is complete slander. She's talking about herself!"

"You don't know what Liu Yifei was like when she was in love..."

"Ahem!" Xiao Liu cleared his throat with a strong warning: "Let's get down to business. Today's topic is the Spring Festival Gala, okay?"

Da Tiantian and Su Chang both gave her a disdainful look. Sa Beining said regretfully, "It's a pity that this episode isn't live. Otherwise, chatting with the live comments would be really interesting. You guys could spill all sorts of gossip even if I don't say a word."

"Let me give you an official explanation!" Liu Yifei laughed, "It's because I started getting back in shape after giving birth the year before last. At that time, the Korean wave was really popular in China. My mother was also a dancer when she was young, and sometimes she would sigh—"

"Hey? They danced beautifully. But many elements of dance in our country are also very beautiful, but unfortunately we see them less and less now. Classical dance is even more difficult to be performed."

Xiao Liu counted on her fingers: "That year I stayed at home taking care of the children and recovering. Later, Changchang, Tiantian, Tangyan, and Liya often came to visit me. My mother would make up a few simple movements for us to practice together as a form of exercise."

She gestured to Jing Tian: "Tian Tian graduated from the Beijing Dance Academy, and Ya Ya originally came from the Xinjiang Provincial Dance Troupe. The rest of us are just mediocre, but after practicing for a long time, we've become somewhat decent."

Sa Beining, drawing inferences from this, asked: "So your little group is missing two people this time? Shouldn't it be 'Sugar is Very Sweet'?"

Liu Yifei explained: "Mainly because performing on the Spring Festival Gala is quite a task, I can't be too timid. Tian Tian and Chang Chang don't have much work at the end of the year, and I'm also filming in Huairou. We can practice together for 2-3 hours every day. It's been more than a month, and there's still a month until the final performance. It should be fine."

"If we don't dance too badly this year and get criticized, maybe there will be a chance for the five of us to reunite in the future, haha!"

Sa Beining started to play tricks, turning to Jing Tian: "So I'll interview the most professional one, who do you think danced worse, Yi Fei or Su Chang?"

"Haha! Her!" Da Tiantian blurted out, immediately drawing a playful glare from Liu Yifei.

"Sissi seems to have grown a little taller after giving birth, and her body proportions are even more perfect, but it's actually harder for her to control her center of gravity when dancing. Also, she's been working out to improve her core and explosive power for action scenes this year, so her muscle lines are very beautiful. However, her movements like shoulder rotations and hip thrusts are a bit stiff."

"You can't have your cake and eat it too; these things are all normal."

"Could you give us a little hint about your dance style this time?" Sa Beining brought up the next topic.

With the confidence of a professional dancer, Jing Tian said, "This time we chose a vibrant modern dance style, but it is very different from the current popular girl group dances."

She leaned forward slightly and gestured earnestly as she explained, "We won't deliberately emphasize sexy or alluring movements; the overall tone is healthy, sunny, and infectious."

"The most distinctive feature is that the choreography incorporates many elements of classical Chinese dance, such as body movement, circular steps, and variations of cloud hands and palm strikes. You will see a very oriental sense of line and rhythmic beauty in the dynamic rhythm."

Sa Beining laughed and said, "Was it Yi Fei's mother's idea?"

"Yes, she is one of the choreographers." Xiao Liu nodded. "Ultimately, the idea came about through collaboration between us and a professional choreographer we invited from a national-level troupe."

Xiao Sa started using the top female star in the Chinese entertainment industry to attract viewers to the show: "Liu's mother is a dancer, and I believe many fans have heard of her. The production team happened to get a video of the mother and daughter practicing dance from a fellow TV station, and we're showing it to everyone."

A blurry clip from a TV program showed the mother and daughter, but their striking resemblance and elegant demeanor still caught the eye.

"Haha, you can even find this? It's been a long, long time."

How old were you around then?

Liu Yifei hummed in agreement: "I was 15 or 6 at most. I was practicing dance with my mother when the TV station came to interview me and filmed some behind-the-scenes footage."

"What a heartwarming and beautiful scene! Now that Yifei has her own daughter, will fans be lucky enough to see you two on stage together in the future?"

"You'll have to ask the child's father about that." When Xiao Liu mentioned her family, she couldn't suppress her smile: "At present, our childcare is mainly handled by Teacher Lu, who has returned to his ivory tower."

“We’ve actually discussed this issue at home. In Lu Kuan’s words, whether it’s dancing or painting, the main purpose is to cultivate one’s character and exercise the body. He hopes that the children will have some hobbies to entertain themselves so that their lives are not too monotonous and boring.”

"As for whether or not to use their parents' professions as the standard, we will not force them."

Sa Beining exclaimed, "Director Lu is truly exceptional. It's rare to find someone with this level of wealth and status... how should I put it, a master! At least in my opinion as a film enthusiast, he's reached the level of a master. Very few people can achieve this..."

Even the famous commentator was a little unsure how to describe it. He paused briefly, seemingly searching for the most accurate expression.

"The fact that he is so clear-headed and places family life and children's education in such a pure position shows that he values ​​family very much."

Da Tiantian said with emotion, "Teacher Lu is indeed the most family-oriented father I have ever met, especially considering his success in his career. Sister Qianqian's two children are also very close to their father."

"She's often jealous," Jing Tian said, covering her mouth and chuckling, gesturing to Xiao Liu beside her.

The latter calmly shook his head: "I don't agree. They are still closer to me."

"Eh~" Su Chang finally found an opportunity to mock her best friend, "I can attest that what Tian Tian said is true. In short, every time I go there, all I see is the baby clinging to her dad, and she's always the one chasing after him begging for his attention, haha!"

Xiao Liu stubbornly insisted, "That's because I'm filming during the day, and when I'm not teaching, I spend all my time with the kids and playing with them. Of course, we're closer, which is normal. They even called me 'Mom' first!"

Sa Beining and the fans in front of the TV listened to the richest man's family anecdotes with big smiles. "It seems that Director Lu attaches great importance to his children's education. It reminds me of the children's author Zheng Yuanjie in China."

“Yes, he values ​​it highly and enjoys the process.” Liu Yifei said with a smile, “He said that the length of a director’s artistic life ultimately comes from the depth of his understanding and perception of life.”

To outsiders, it seems hard to imagine that Asia's richest man and a world-class artist, amidst such a busy work schedule, would take the opportunity to return to school to spend as much time as possible with and educate his child before the age of three.

But only she knew the truth: the story that began in the early 80s under the Jinling Yangtze River Bridge made him cherish this family immensely. This seemingly ordinary family happiness had once been the most unattainable luxury for him. (Chapter 361)
This far surpasses any empty fame and fleeting wealth.

For the once lonely time travelers, being able to watch their children grow up safely and hear them call them "Dad" and "Mom" is the richest reward life can give.

Sa Beining briefly explored the richest man's family anecdotes before moving on to another important purpose of the day. "Friends, thank you to the three of you, especially Yi Fei, for sharing your heartwarming and interesting family stories. This harmonious atmosphere, which values ​​family happiness, is the most touching embodiment of the 'family harmony culture' that our Chinese nation has cultivated for thousands of years, and it is the warm and affectionate foundation etched into our bones."

He then changed the subject, his tone becoming more cheerful and expectant:
"At the same time, with only one month left until the most important traditional festival of the Chinese nation, on behalf of the Spring Festival Gala production team, I would like to solemnly introduce to everyone a brand-new way to play this year's Spring Festival Gala, an innovative interactive segment that allows Chinese people all over the world, no matter where they are, to participate in real time and share the joy of the festival!"

"That's right! Just as we announced, this year on New Year's Eve, we will be working closely with Wenjie Holdings to launch a nationwide interactive event on WeChat called 'Shake to Win Red Envelopes'! A total of 5 million RMB in cash red envelopes will be given away to all of you watching on TV during the Spring Festival Gala broadcast in multiple rounds!"

???

No, you're serious, washing machine!
When Sa Beining clearly uttered the words "500 million" and "cash red envelope" in the Zhijie video, the barrage comments exploded exponentially, as if a depth charge had been dropped on him.

"Five hundred million? Shake it? You need a mobile phone! There are probably only 1 billion people with mobile phones nationwide, that's 50 cents per person!"

"I love Boss Lu's unreasonable capital; he's so arrogant!"

"The world's largest gambling game has been born!"

"Little Ma: I'll offer 10 billion!"

"Mom! Buy me a phone right now! The latest Android phone with HarmonyOS!"

"@Zhang Xiaolong, hurry up and release a tutorial! I feel like I'm going to win a hundred million!"

"They're definitely going to push Alipay to us! I bet five cents the final step will be guiding us to Alipay to collect money!"

Sa Beining, who was presenting the pre-recorded segment, could have guessed the reactions from the live chat after the show aired, so he proceeded to explain the gameplay step by step. Otherwise, if such a complex interactive segment were only revealed on New Year's Eve, most viewers would be at a loss, and the marketing effect would be greatly reduced.

Sa Beining turned to the three female guests and smiled, "Talk is cheap. To ensure that audiences across the country can enjoy the festivities on New Year's Eve, we'll have a live demonstration right here today! Please welcome our technical expert, Yi Fei, to demonstrate the first step: finding the entrance!"

The camera immediately zoomed in on Liu Yifei, who smiled as she took out a simple yet stylish smartphone from her handbag.

Keen-eyed viewers immediately noticed that this was not the currently popular iPhone 4 or Nokia N8; the faintly visible logo on the back and the unique texture made it the latest Android flagship phone from HarmonyOS.

The camera lingered on this moment for several seconds, but what both Wenjie and CCTV's marketing arrangements could not avoid was that when viewers are faced with such a face, it is actually difficult for them to concentrate on anything else.

Let alone a mobile phone, even wearing jewelry would be a struggle.

Liu Yifei skillfully unlocked her phone, tapped the WeChat icon, and lightly patted the screen. "First, we open WeChat, then tap 'Discover' at the bottom..."

As she operated the device, her phone screen was simultaneously projected onto the large screen in the studio using technical means, allowing all viewers to see it clearly.

"Look, there's a 'shake' icon here, click on it."

A dynamic interface filled with Spring Festival elements appeared on the screen, with the words "Spring Festival Gala Interactive Zone" clearly visible on the bright red background.

"This is the special entrance prepared for the Spring Festival Gala! It will be even more lively here on New Year's Eve."

The actress, who was trying her best to promote her husband, looked at her best friend imperiously and said, "Come on, you two dance a little, do a few moves, and I'll demonstrate."

The two women succumbed to her tyranny, and the three of them, laughing and joking, demonstrated the "shake" function, accompanied by Sa Beining's introduction:

"Imagine a 'very sweet' dance show is playing on TV right now. What would happen if viewers shook their phones at that moment?"

Liu Yifei cooperated by gently shaking her phone, and a beautiful animation immediately popped up on the screen, followed by the message: "Congratulations, you have shaken out Liu Yifei's New Year's greetings!"

She smiled at the camera and said, "Look, you might even receive a personal New Year's greeting from me! You can even generate a greeting card to send to your friends."

"No matter which actor or singer you like, you can shake your phone to send New Year's greetings during their performance, as long as it is authorized by the Spring Festival Gala and Wenjie."

"During any program broadcast, please pay attention to the prompts in the lower right corner of the TV. You can participate at any time, and red envelopes will be distributed at fixed times."

Liu Yifei shook her phone again, and the interface quickly switched. A virtual red envelope exploded on the screen, displaying the message, "Congratulations! You have received a cash red envelope! Please go to Alipay to check it!"

"WeChat will complete its new version update this week, and Alipay will be integrated into the app." She added, "The red envelopes you receive, whether they are a few cents or a few dollars, will be directly deposited into your Alipay account. You can use them to buy things in the Wenjie Mall or withdraw them to your bank card, which is very convenient."

This step clearly demonstrates the complete closed loop of directing WeChat traffic to payment and e-commerce ecosystems. The main reason is that QR code technology is still under development; otherwise, the payment function and terminals could have been directly transferred to WeChat.

Liu Yifei concluded by pointing to the "Share with Friends" button on the screen: "After you receive a red envelope, you can also click here to share your good fortune with your family or friends, so everyone can share in the joy!"

He then shared the red envelope with Su Chang and Jing Tian, ​​who took out their phones to demonstrate how to receive it.

Smooth, successful, novel, and interesting.

Such a feature is seen by audiences of this era as a revolutionary experience and a blatant display of technological wealth.

For the vast majority of netizens who are still accustomed to SMS interaction and webpage lottery, the novelty and fun of "shaking" based on gravity sensing and real-time network connection once even surpassed the monetary temptation of "grabbing red envelopes".

"Holy crap! You can just shake your phone and steal money? What kind of high-tech is this?!"

"This is forcing me to switch to HarmonyOS! My Nokia is good for cracking walnuts, but it seems like it can't be used for shaking!"

"Does that mean I have to hold up my phone and shake it the whole time on New Year's Eve? Will my mom think I'm crazy?"

"Does this thing use a lot of data? I'll have to get a data plan!"

A barrage of comments erupted, and today's program concluded with host Sa Beining's closing remarks.

"Technology empowers tradition, adding surprise and interaction to family reunions. Stay tuned for New Year's Eve, where we'll shake our phones together to shake for good luck and welcome a more engaging and fulfilling Spring Festival!"

"See you next time, viewers!"

With just one month to go before the Spring Festival, Wenjie's WeChat marketing has suddenly opened up new avenues for the industry once again.

The decision to launch the "shake-to-win" red envelope marketing campaign at this time also took into account practical implementation factors, mainly two points:

Number of smartphone users and 3G users.

2010-2011年是智能手机普及的高峰期，2010年中国智能手机出货量约6000万部，同比增长60%以上。至2011年初，国内智能手机保有量已逼近1.5亿部。代表机型为2010年6月发布的iPhone 4，以及基于Android 2.x系统的中兴、华威、连想的千元智能机；
Meanwhile, by February 2011, when the Spring Festival Gala was held, 3G commercial use in China had been underway for two years, with a total of 47 million users, mainly concentrated in cities and among middle- and high-income groups, largely overlapping with smartphone users.

At the same time, Wi-Fi is becoming increasingly popular in homes, universities, offices, and public places in first- and second-tier cities.

All of this provided the necessary conditions for this marketing surprise.

The day after the program aired, Wenjie Media Group launched a full-scale offensive, with press releases featuring headlines such as "Wenjie spends 5 million yuan on red envelopes, Spring Festival Gala interaction enters the era of 'shake'" and "Wenjie joins hands with Spring Festival Gala to innovate tradition, WeChat's 'shake' creates a digital New Year custom," which swept across major portal websites and financial and technology sections.

Meanwhile, a batch of in-depth analysis articles written by industry insiders and tech and entertainment bloggers were quickly published, interpreting the technical principles of "shake" and analyzing the ecological strategy behind the 5 million yuan red envelope campaign, turning public curiosity into discussions about the technology and new gameplay, and completing the first round of concept popularization.

Online, the splash screen ads and pop-up notifications on apps such as WeChat and Wenjie Mall have all been replaced with the eye-catching slogan "Shake to win 5 million yuan," directly directing traffic to the event page.

On Weibo's trending topics list, hashtags such as #SpringFestivalGalaShake# and #Wenjie5MillionRedEnvelopes# were consistently at the top. In response to potential technical hurdles, Wenjie quickly released a series of user-friendly tutorials and short video guides on official channels, teaching step by step "how to download and update WeChat" and "how to bind Alipay".

Whether it's Tencent's QQ or Alipay, this combination of the Spring Festival Gala, WeChat, and Shake is like a sudden, unexpected blow to them, right before the Lunar New Year.

Tencent's core advantage lies in QQ's massive social network and user stickiness. Q-Message originally aimed to replicate QQ's success and build a new social barrier on mobile devices.

However, Q-mail directly upgraded the battlefield from social communication to real-time contextualized interaction of social interaction, payment, and entertainment. When people across the country were downloading WeChat, activating their accounts, and binding their payment accounts in order to "shake for red envelopes," Q-mail's simple chat function seemed extremely thin.

Alipay, on the other hand, is in an even worse position. It was already at a disadvantage due to various marketing efforts in the early stages. Now, the difficulties facing Ma Yun are like an insurmountable chasm. She really wants to grit her teeth and combine Alipay with QQ!
For Wenjie, choosing to launch the campaign a month before the Spring Festival was a precise timing that capitalized on the golden period when Chinese people have strong year-end spending desires, frequent social interactions, and a long holiday as a buffer.

By the time the opponent figured out the tactics and tried to organize a counterattack of equal scale, it was already too late in terms of time, from negotiation and preparation to technology development.

Since the start of this New Year's Day holiday, WeChat's daily new registered users and activity levels have surged exponentially, while the number of new users binding bank cards to Alipay has set an astonishing record.

New users are no longer experiencing slow, organic growth, but rather a massive influx of users with clear objectives. Once these users join, they are locked in by their social networks of family, friends, and colleagues, making migration extremely costly.

Meanwhile, PaymentTong has completed its mental upgrade from "e-commerce payment tool" to "cash account for all".

In order to withdraw their cash rewards, a large number of new users had to complete the card binding process. This step directly connected the payment platform with bank accounts, laying a huge user base for Wenjie's subsequent expansion of financial business.

After the "Ask the World" 5 million yuan red envelope campaign and the "Very Sweet" couple topped the trending searches, the previously patient fans of Liu Yifei finally got the perfect opportunity to retaliate and quickly launched a meticulously organized counterattack on platforms such as Weibo and Tieba:

"Hilarious! She's been hailed as a capital queen just because she went public once, but her husband casually gave away 5 million yuan in red envelopes to the whole country? I beg you fans of stinky sheep, stop embarrassing yourselves. If you can't win an argument, you just block people, right?"

"The name 'Teddy Sisters' is really fitting; it's a bunch of little bitches kept by coal mine owners entertaining themselves!"

Of course, Yang Mi's fans strategically hid their opinions, saying strange things like "Your husband spent 5 million to get you on the Spring Festival Gala."

However, they quickly lost ground to the words spoken by Chen Linchun, the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala, in an interview, such as "I am very happy to invite three domestic actresses, including Liu Yifei, to the Spring Festival Gala to bring youthful vitality and New Year's blessings to everyone," and began to strategically hide.

The internet age is full of fun. With the rise of Asia's richest man and the nationwide anticipation for the debut of the "Very Sweet" cool girl group, Lunar New Year's Eve is drawing ever closer.

On February 2, 2011, in Studio 2 of CCTV, the live broadcast of the Spring Festival Gala for the Year of the Rabbit was in full swing and was about to begin.

(End of this chapter)