Generation Z Artists

Chapter 336 Easily Take Down the Top Boss
The new director of the Japanese television station completely ignored his two colleagues, and just wagged his tail and smiled at Fang Xinghe.

Brother, look at me!

I'm the most perverted; I can accept any kind of gameplay!
The NHK director slammed his fist on the table and glared at him angrily: "You idiot!"

The Fuji TV director, with a stern expression, warned in a strong tone: "Tanaka-kun, don't make the choice to cut yourself off from the industry!"

Tanaka Ichijo bowed deeply and said, "Hi! I have received the lessons from my two seniors, and I sincerely apologize for my impulsiveness."

After bowing, he continued to fawn over Brother Fang: "Mr. Fang Xinghe, it seems that today is not a good time to continue our conversation. I need to go back and think about it some more. I look forward to meeting you again."

After saying this, he was the first to take his leave.

The NHK and Fuji TV directors looked at each other for a moment, each seeing the obvious signs of pain on the other's face.

Tanaka's attitude was very clear—he was determined to surrender, and his early departure today was simply because he didn't want to continue the conversation in front of the two of them.

"Ugh……"

With a long sigh, the two left the stage dejectedly.

Did they give up?

No, only NHK gave up. As a public broadcaster, they already faced strong restrictions under advertising laws.

Fuji TV, on the other hand, restarted negotiations the very next day, even faster than Tanaka.

"$1000 million in cash plus 35% for advertising—that's our bottom line!"

Faced with the “aggressive” Fuji, Fang Xinghe couldn’t help but laugh.

"So your bottom line is really easy to break..."

"How could you humiliate me like this? Fuji TV is the best drama broadcasting platform in all of Japan. From 'Tokyo Love Story' to 'The White Tower,' the glory we have built over decades cannot be tarnished in any way!"

The Fuji TV director was furious and spoke with righteous indignation.

"Add another 5% at most! This time it's really the absolute bottom!"

Fuji TV's constitution isn't very strong; it's nowhere near as tolerant as Nippon TV.

Tanaka Ichijo offered $1250 million in cash and 55 cents in advertising revenue.

In addition, after entertaining Fang Xinghe with a drink in a private room, Tanaka Tsuchiya knelt down before Fang Xinghe, weeping and wailing.

"Fang Xinghe, please help me! The situation at Nippon TV is at a critical juncture. If Fuji TV loses this opportunity, they'll only earn a little less money. But I... I'm the only one who's truly willing to be your dog!"

What the hell!

You're really weird...

Fang Xinghe was shocked by this guy, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed to make sense. This guy's behavior seemed outrageous at first glance, but it was actually very much in line with the nature of a high-level Japanese part-time worker.

The situation with Japanese TV stations isn't that bad; with so many years of accumulated users, they're not going to die.

But Tanaka is different; he's a complete jinx.

As the newly appointed station director in a time of crisis, Tanaka was originally a target manager pushed forward by the board of directors, and it was hard to say whether he could hold the position for two years.

Shortly after taking office, Nippon Television was embroiled in another news fabrication scandal in the middle of the year, sparking fierce criticism.

Currently, news programs on Japanese television have fallen to the lowest ratings among the six major television networks, and there are frequent calls online from angry young people demanding that they commit seppuku (ritual suicide) as an apology.

If they don't achieve something soon, Nippon TV might not collapse, but Tanaka's professional career will soon come to an end.

A line suddenly flashed through Fang Xinghe's mind: "Mr. Tanaka, you don't want to see your wife lose her current life, do you?"
He certainly didn't have that thought, but it just felt so damn fitting for the occasion that he couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, alright, Tanaka-kun, as long as you're willing to try your best, I'm happy to cooperate with you."

Fang Xinghe waved his hand and kindly reminded him, "Why don't you think about what other conditions you can offer within your authority?"

"Hi Yi!"

Tanaka rested his hands on his knees, his eyes darting around as he racked his brains, trying hard to think.

"Um... well... due to the rules, I don't have any immediate benefits to offer you, but if I can secure this position, I should be able to provide convenience for your company's projects in Japan in the future..."

Feeling that simply making empty promises was too weak, Tanaka continued to ponder, and before long, he actually came up with a solution.

"Ah! That's right! Our station has several long-term cooperative consumer companies. If I can secure the broadcasting rights for 'The Return of the Condor Heroes,' then I can persuade them to place advertisements before and after the broadcast time!"
Although I can't give you this money, I can contact them and offer you a few short-term, temporary endorsements!

Trust me, they'll be happy to buy your image rights and ride this wave of popularity!
Yes! Just a still or portrait from "The Return of the Condor Heroes" would be enough to sell for millions of dollars for each of them!

Seeing Tanaka suddenly become excited, Fang Xinghe asked leisurely, "How many?"

"Four...no! At least six!"

That's alright. On average, each family earns two to three million US dollars, which means they can probably make nearly 100 million RMB in income for free.

The key point is that this money is personal income, and it saves you time and effort.

"Alright, Tanaka-kun, I'm willing to lend you a hand."

Fang Xinghe picked up an untouched sake cup and slowly poured the sake into the sashimi in front of him, looking at Tanaka with a smile.

"Don't say things like that again. You're my good friend, how can you bark like a dog?"

Tanaka met those unsmiling eyes, and on a sudden impulse, he immediately barked, "Woof! Woof woof!"

If he had a tail, he would probably be wagging it very fast.

Tanaka felt no shame whatsoever for making such a humble and fawning gesture; on the contrary, he was particularly happy and delighted.

"Your Highness, it is a great honor to serve you as my dog! Is this something anyone can do? I, Tanaka Ichigo, am deeply honored!"

Tsk tsk.

Brother Fang shook his head, got up and left.

I often feel out of place with you guys because I'm not twisted enough... That's so fucking true.

However, to succeed in Japan (and profit from others), you do need a few good dogs.

Since Tanaka Ichijou is so well-behaved, let's give him a chance and satisfy him.

He can't handle big things, but leading the way is easy, right?

……

It was very easy; within just a few days, Tanaka, brimming with energy, finalized the broadcast contract for "The Return of the Condor Heroes" on behalf of Nippon Television.

Brother Fang very kindly gave his lackey a discount: $1200 million in cash plus a 55% cut.

You think it's just a discount of a mere $50?

No, no, no. Fang Xinghe first raised the price to 2000 million, which naturally gave the board of directors of the Japanese station a headache. Then Tanaka spent a whole day "bargaining" at the hotel and successfully lowered the price to 1200 million, earning unanimous praise from everyone at the station...

A charade? Who knew this was a charade? Who would believe Fang Xinghe would participate in such a charade?

So you see, what's wrong with being Fang Shen's dog?
With the contract signed and stamped, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" officially entered its promotional period.

The Japanese TV station didn't need to spend too many resources; the first wave of large-scale publicity achieved an explosive effect directly through the advertising bidding process.

Unprecedented! Fang Xinghe, wielding the Condor Heroes, brings a new model to TV drama advertising!

"A Bold Breakthrough! New Business Law for Integrating TV Series with Advertising Sparks Market Explosion!"

Breaking News! The bidding meeting for the advertisement of "The Condor Heroes" will be held tomorrow!

On the first day of the meeting, business headlines began to flood the internet.

When the bidding conference was officially held, the media that were granted access once again felt the value of the name "Fang Xinghe".

"The rules for this bidding process are as follows..."

Kadokawa Tsuhiko, as the host, announced several basic principles.

First, this bidding process is only tied to the broadcast of the TV series "The Return of the Condor Heroes", and not to Fang Xinghe himself.

Second, this bidding is limited to the Japanese version that will be publicly screened in Japan.

Third, the advertising space won in this bidding process is only valid for one year.

This means that the merchant purchased a one-year advertising slot in Japan for the Japanese version of the program.

Throughout the year, regardless of how Japanese TV stations handled "The Return of the Condor Heroes"—for example, broadcasting it on terrestrial television for the first time, then on a satellite pay channel for the second time, or reselling it to other channels—advertising slots had to always be tied to the series.

However, this does not mean that the bidding companies also have Fang Xinghe's endorsement status.

The play is a play, and the people are people. Inviting Brother Fang to participate in the event will cost a different price.

Of course, some rules are also very favorable to businesses. Fourth, the relevant advertising slots will become the main component of the broadcast of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" in Japan and will not be disrupted by the Taiwanese side.

The Japanese channel only has the broadcasting rights, not the editing rights. The advertising slots are completely integrated with the drama series, with no gaps in between. There are only 7 advertisements in total.

The time before and after the broadcast is not under Fang Xinghe's control; in any case, he has already captured all the most valuable time slots.

For businesses, a total of 3 minutes of ad time across 7 ad slots is an ideal outcome.

In Japan, popular dramas are usually broadcast weekly, with one episode per week.

For example, Fuji TV's "Getsu-9" drama, "Getsu" refers to Monday, the day of the month, and "9" refers to 9 pm, that is, a drama that airs every Monday night from 9 pm to 9:54 pm.

During the broadcast of Monday night dramas, there are usually 3 to 4 commercial breaks: after the opening scene (about 15 minutes later), during the two breaks in the drama, and before the end (before the final episode).

Each advertisement lasts approximately 2-3 minutes, with a total duration of about 10 minutes.

Chinese audiences will certainly find it hard to understand: Japanese dramas air one episode a week, each episode is 45 minutes long, and there are so many commercials in between. Don't viewers find it too tiring to keep up?

This is a completely different cultural logic.

Japanese audiences greatly enjoy engaging with, discussing, and appreciating the storyline, and they consider watching a drama together as an important social marker.

Therefore, weekly broadcasts are more suitable than daily broadcasts.

The biggest advantage of weekly broadcasts is that they generate a week's worth of discussion.

Viewers discuss the plot and speculate on what will happen next at work, school, and on social media, and the media also follow up with reports, which forms a powerful "fan community" and social currency.

On the other hand, Japanese dramas emphasize a fast pace, with plots that are usually very tight and almost devoid of redundant scenes.

Each episode has a clear core event and emotional climax, like a condensed movie chapter, making the week-long wait worthwhile for the audience.

During the gaps in the middle of each week, TV stations will broadcast trailers, behind-the-scenes footage, variety shows featuring the lead actors, and theme songs will be promoted on the charts. Magazines will also publish interviews and photo shoots, forming a comprehensive entertainment consumption chain.

Therefore, the impact of a hit TV series will be social, collective, and continuous.

The isolation of individuals in Japanese society has persisted for a long time, and the weekly broadcast of dramas can even be seen as their spontaneous resistance to this isolation.

Discussing movies, anime, and celebrities are the three magic weapons of Japanese social interaction, covering multiple age groups and adding some warmth to this otherwise indifferent individual society.

Workplace dinners and club activities do not possess these attributes.

Watching a show at a fixed time each week has gradually become a kind of ritual in life. This does not take up too much of the viewer's time, but rather serves as a regular form of mental relaxation.

Japanese audiences are not only looking for the act of watching itself, but also for a long-term, immersive cultural consumption experience with social attributes.

This is what makes Japanese dramas special.

As for the best broadcast time...

Currently, Fuji TV's Monday 9 PM dramas are the most popular, but this may not be the case in the future.

In a few years, the most popular shows will be TBS's Sunday 9 PM dramas.

The reason why Sunday night dramas outperform Monday night dramas is that Sunday nights are the time when the whole family is most likely to be at home together.

Watching a high-quality drama together as a family, discussing and chatting, is the most cost-effective and ritualistic way for Japanese families to relax.

The same drama, if broadcast on Sunday 9 PM and Monday 9 PM, will definitely have higher ratings on the former.

Therefore, "The Return of the Condor Heroes" will also air on Sundays, but not at 9 pm, but from 8 pm to 10 pm, with two episodes airing back-to-back.

It only inserts 3 minutes of commercials in the middle, which is completely different from the usual Japanese model.

Fang Xinghe made this decision for very clear reasons.

First, The Return of the Condor Heroes has too many episodes. Even though the Japanese special edition has been further streamlined and the plot has been compressed to the extreme, it is still 36 episodes long.

High-quality Japanese dramas typically consist of 10 to 12 episodes, airing for 12 weeks, or three months, which is long enough.

If The Return of the Condor Heroes continues to be broadcast weekly with single episodes, it would take 36 weeks to complete the series. This would be too risky and could easily exhaust the audience's enthusiasm for discussion.

18 weeks, exactly 4 months, one month longer than a typical Japanese drama, is a more appropriate cycle.

Secondly, airing two episodes per week will generate more discussion, and more behind-the-scenes footage can be broadcast during the week, which can fully offset the disadvantage that Fang Xinghe cannot frequently travel to Japan.

Other celebrities work tirelessly every week during the peak of a show's popularity, actively participating in various activities to generate and sustain buzz. Fang Xinghe doesn't have that much time in Japan, so he compensates with content. The effect might be slightly less, but it's still better than a single broadcast with no buzz at all.

Third, by simplifying the plot and inserting only 3 minutes of commercials in the middle, the completion rate of the commercials will naturally increase.

During the commercial breaks in traditional Japanese dramas, most families will temporarily change the channel, go to the bathroom, or do something else. In short, the probability of watching commercials while sitting in front of the TV is not high.

A 45-minute episode with 10 minutes of commercials is indeed too long.

This results in even the most popular TV series having relatively low prices for in-episode commercials.

Japanese advertising law places great emphasis on efficiency. Advertisers know that viewers won't watch the whole thing, so their advertising goals are naturally low. They simply hope to leave a lasting impression through intensive bombardment, without expecting any conversion rate.

However, Fang Xinghe's business methods are completely different.

There's a 30-second title sponsorship ad before the show starts, four 30-second ads in the two-minute interval between episodes, and two 15-second ads after the show ends, sandwiched between the next episode previews.

Because the time is too short and the number of commercials is too small, if the plot is really exciting, then there is a high probability that viewers will stay glued to the TV and watch the commercials.

That means 7 advertisers have exclusive access to 2 hours of prime time on Sunday evening.

The effect of advertising is naturally incomparable.

So, after thoroughly understanding Fang Xinghe's new business law, these wealthy patrons developed a gambler's mentality and began to bid generously.

If it were just businesses with demand bidding, that would be fine, but there are three troublemakers mixed in here.

The first major troublemaker was Intel.

Yingzi clearly didn't need this kind of TV commercial, and the group that came to Japan to attend the conference wasn't even a proper marketing and public relations team, but a large tour group on paid vacation, yet they were still the first to speak up.

"Title sponsorship, $1000 million!"

Those merchants who genuinely needed the product suddenly had a jolt of realization, turned to look at the grinning Intel tour group, and were furious.

The second, thick, churning tool is called TENUS.

"Title sponsorship, $1500 million!"

The head of QQ's Japan regional promotion held up a sign, delivering another blow to the hearts of many merchants.

Tencent is currently conducting global promotions and certainly doesn't lack funds, but do they have this need? No.

The compatibility between "The Return of the Condor Heroes" and QQ is not zero, but it is not very high either.

The Casio vice president, who had arrived with high expectations, looked at the Tencent representative and muttered a curse: "Damn it! Their Japanese branch doesn't even have a total annual marketing budget of 1500 million US dollars. What a bunch of bastards!"

The third thick, stirring stick is called Nongshim Ramen.

"Title sponsorship, $2000 million!"

When the representative of Nongshim Ramen opened his mouth, all the heads of Japanese companies turned pale with fright.

This blow really stung them.

In fact, everyone doubts that Nongshim has such a high budget—the total annual marketing expenses and the highest bid for a single project are two different things.

Furthermore, this is inconsistent with Nongshim's advertising style—Nongshim's advertisements focus more on modern dramas and everyday life scenes, which have nothing to do with ancient martial arts dramas like "The Return of the Condor Heroes," so the advertising effect is definitely not very good.

But speculation is speculation, what if? What if they're serious?

That would be a really bad outcome.

A Chinese drama, sponsored by a South Korean company, aired on a Japanese channel and became a social hot topic...

Just imagine that scene, isn't it beautiful?

Ashley!
The Shiseido representative flew into a rage, uttering a classic Korean curse word, and brazenly held up a sign: "Add 1!"

The entire room fell silent, and everyone turned to look at him.

The representative raised his chin proudly and said, "What I mean is, no matter how much the Korean company offers, I'll add 1!"

"Wow……"

The place was agitated.

The bidding process was fierce from the very beginning.

Fang Ge, the lawn-mowing expert, has once again easily taken down the top-ranked player...

(End of this chapter)