The battle for traffic in Chinese entertainment

Chapter 515 The Spring Festival Marketing War Begins

Just as Bajaria was about to say something more, he saw Erika, who had just walked away, walking back towards them.

Erika, unlike before when she seemed preoccupied, was all smiles.

Fortunately, I've arranged a small gathering after this is over.

"Thank you."

Xu Xing nodded with a smile.

Erika then looked at Bajaria.

"Bajaria, if you could join us too—"

"terribly sorry."

Bajaaria, still smiling, interrupted her.

"I need to report today's situation to Sarandos right away, and I'm flying to Hong Kong tomorrow morning. It's a real shame that this trip was too rushed. Next time you go to the United States, or when I come to China again, I will definitely make time to have a long talk with you."

"I am looking forward."

Xu Xing smiled.

After Bajaaria left, Erika immediately apologized.

"I'm so sorry, this trip was too rushed, and I haven't made any arrangements yet. Thank you for your cooperation, thank you. You may have saved me again, I'm truly grateful!"

“Bajaaria was just talking to me about friendship and trust,” Xu Xing sighed, then complained, “You could have said it in a more appropriate way, Erika. Just now you sounded like you were arranging a secret rendezvous between me and Bajaaria. It was so awkward and awful.”

Bajaria might misunderstand, thinking they've arranged a time for a long talk...

“I’m sorry, I just felt like I didn’t have time to think about it anymore,” Erika said with an awkward smile. “I know your standards. Suki, please believe me, I will never let you down again.”

Let's see if there's a future for us.

Xu Xing shrugged.

As soon as Bajaria got into her car after the dinner, her secretary handed her a tablet computer with an open document—an analysis report on Xu Xing.

"Erika must have arranged new women for Xu Xing. She has been trying to please Xu Xing with women, and the naturally flirtatious Xu Xing has accepted them all. Mona (Qu Mingzhen) does not like to see Xu Xing have more and more women. Her relationship with Xu Xing's sister, Ms. Yu, is well known, but it is generally believed that she is also having an affair with Xu Xing."

"Therefore, Mona doesn't like Erika, which is probably why Kim Min-young is here today. Mona didn't directly suggest replacing Erika with Kim Min-young because she relies heavily on Heo Haeng's opinion and doesn't want this issue to affect their relationship."

“Xu Xing and Mona maintain a tacit understanding, and he also believes that their relationship is the most important thing. Xu Xing’s behavior shows that he can accept Erika’s departure, but he is also happy to see Erika stay and continue to help him hunt for beauties in Asia and even Europe and America, just like before.”

The secretary's voice was calm and objective.

Bajaria looked out the car window at the darkness for a while, then came to her senses and laughed.

"Erika may be stupid, but she can grasp the key to the problem, so she's not entirely useless."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

"Why are you calling so urgently? I should have invited you to the banquet and introduced you to Bajaaria and Erika."

Xu Xing spoke in a teasing tone, his fingers gently caressing the radiant face of Teacher Dong Xuan.

The mainland is Xu Xing's home turf; she doesn't need Erika to make arrangements, as she manages everything perfectly on her own.

"I'm not—I, I... Xu Xing, why are you so... bad?"

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Liying wanted to curse but didn't dare to.

She was certainly willing to get to know Netflix executives, but the dinner was already over, and Xu Xingcai was just putting on this insincere act.

Moreover, her call wasn't about any dinner party at all!

"You yourself said that Yang Mi, that woman, listens to everything you say. I've already agreed to it for a long time, but you still haven't done anything. I just want to kill her as soon as possible, whether she lives or dies, it doesn't matter. Why are you deliberately torturing me?"

"Is Sister Li so impatient?"

Xu Xing joked.

Upon hearing the name, Dong Xuan looked up, her gentle gaze becoming even more intense.

"Yes, yes, I can't wait!"

Zhao Liying has given up entirely.

Xu Xing chuckled softly.

"It's a pity that Sister Li will have to wait a little longer."

"You... Xu!!!! Xing~~"

From utter speechlessness to rage, and then to whining and pleading.

With just three words, Ms. Zhao Liying skillfully demonstrated a wealth of emotional shifts.

"I really don't have time. For a collaboration of your kind, which is of a historic significance, I definitely need to find the most time and treat it with the utmost importance, don't you think?"

Xu Xing asked with a smile.

"No, you can just choose anything."

Zhao Liying continued to whine and act coquettishly.

Xu Xing also refused again.

"That won't work."

"Thank you~"

"Haha~"

"Xu Xing~~"

“She wouldn’t shout like that when she’s begging me.”

“…Brother Xing~”

"..."

"Good brother~"

"..."

"dad."

"..."

"Master! She's so shameless!!!"

"Yeah, you're the most shameless."

"...I don't want it either."

"Hahaha!"

"You're quite pleased with yourself, aren't you, Xu Xing?"

"It's alright. How about you? How do you feel?"

"..."

"Hahaha~"

"...It's a little strange, but I don't find it particularly offensive."

"Good, you've mastered the knack of answering."

Because I know you just don't—

"nothing?"

"..."

"Bye."

Xu Xing's voice had barely come out when the call was disconnected.

Zhao Liying, who was laughing more and more happily, froze for a moment, her smile frozen on her face.

Snapped!
He smashed his phone against the wall.

After lying in bed fretting for a long time, I got out of bed and picked up my phone.

The screen is cracked, but it can still be turned on.

Can't you have any manners?

I want to be your friend, friend, friend, friend, friend, friend!!!

Xu Xing released Teacher Dong's soft neck and pulled her into his arms from the carpet before he had time to check the WeChat messages he had received.

[OK]

After sending it, I tossed my phone aside again.

Because Teacher Dong is jealous again.

Before I could even catch my breath, it started again.

Xu Xing quickly stopped her.

It took her a while to calm down.

"You were so patient when you talked to her on the phone! We've never had a conversation like that!"

"Who told Huanhuan to not even give me a guide? She just sent me legs directly."

"me……"

"But I like Huanhuan's sincerity. Those who are too fussy and annoying will never truly gain my approval!"

"Hehe~" Teacher Dong Xuan laughed happily, "Actually, I also have a lot of things to think about."

"Why are you making such a fuss?"

Xu Xing hugged her and chatted for a while.

Teacher Dong climbed onto Xu Xing again.

Last year, after Teacher Tong unlocked the best friend group matchmaking mode, Xu Xing was keen to send out her top three favorite Teacher Tong to compete with them, which relatively neglected Teacher Dong.

Among Teacher Tong's three best friends, Sister Gao Lu is married, which makes Teacher Dong somewhat resentful.

In addition, the online roadshow for "Detective Chinatown 3" will be launched tomorrow in Teacher Dong's live broadcast room, so this evening was arranged separately.

After Xu Xing came over today, she also felt somewhat regretful for neglecting Teacher Dong.

Because Teacher Dong is now popular, rich, and has few responsibilities, she is surrounded by people praising her online every day. She is in a good mood and spends a lot of money on maintenance, so she is in better condition than when she first fell asleep.

At the time, Ms. Dong was losing face across the internet because of her ex-husband's rape case. Her cold, stubborn, and sorrowful demeanor, along with a sense of being a widow, was actually quite good.

But now, as an independent woman who has turned her life around, a spokesperson for female power, and a leading lady who has inspired countless women, Ms. Dong receives numerous film and television offers, interview invitations, and VIP visits to high-end fashion banquets. With her resilience, clarity, elegance, composure, gentleness, and poise, she is truly even more captivating when she rides the bike.

Although independence and such are just Dong's persona, the real Dong is actually a very doting wife. The several large-scale controversies after her comeback were due to her unintentionally revealing outdated "pro-Southern" ideas. In fact, Dong is much more popular now than when she was acting.

But it is this persona that makes Teacher Dong even more interesting.

A representative example of this "flattery" is that fans have already praised Teacher Dong to the skies. When she casually reminisced about the help she received from friends in the industry, she even thanked male friends for their assistance. There was also the near-casual remark about wanting a son, which she changed to "child" at the last second, making her tone particularly strange – a frequently used and heavyweight topic in the criticism of Teacher Dong. However, under the training of her team, Teacher Dong has memorized statements such as not getting married again, not having any more children, and loving her daughter madly. After each controversial statement, a few minor details are repeated in the next live stream, and everything is fine. It's just that the PR team is again harshly criticizing a struggling mother; society's malice towards women is too great.

So, it's really interesting, extremely interesting.

Ms. Dong was not blinded by her booming career. She knew that everything she had now was thanks to Xu Xing. Without Xu Xing "cleaning up her messes," her image as an independent and strong woman would have collapsed long ago.

Therefore, she meticulously carried out all of Xu Xing's requests. Before Xu Xing received Ms. Zhao's call, Teacher Dong had already received a large number of calls from elite men who were pursuing her.

CEOs, directors, bank presidents... and even those with very powerful backgrounds all passionately declared that they didn't mind that Ms. Dong was divorced with a daughter and were willing to build a warm new home with her.

Teacher Dong rarely answers their calls, but this time, under Xu Xing's KPI requirements, she not only answered the phone but also chatted for quite a while.

They were all extremely excited and talked non-stop.

Praising Teacher Dong with flowery words is just the beginning, and those who know more confidently advise Teacher Dong: Stop following Xu Xing, Xu Xing can't give her anything!

Xu Xing was really... hahaha!
Hmm! Hmm! Hmm! Hmm! Hmm!
Ah, lowbrow humor is so much fun!
Xu Xing truly enjoyed it, and for Teacher Dong, it was also an enjoyable experience.

Because Teacher Dong has long since gone astray.

At that time, she suffered a setback and became depressed. Xu Xing developed her abilities without restraint, directly unlocking her new state.

I'll enjoy myself more from now on!

A night of earth-shattering chaos!
Xu Xing did not disappoint Teacher Dong's expectations, and with her full effort, she almost defeated her...

"And you, knowing that we're going to have a live roadshow today, why don't you be gentler?"

Teacher Tong whispered her complaints in Xu Xing's ear.

With her ex-husband's movie and her best friend's guest appearance as host, Teacher Tong naturally had to show up and make her presence felt.

Xu Xing retorted in a low voice.

"There's nothing wrong with it, and it was you who insisted on taking care of your best friend last night instead of staying with her. Now you're making a fuss again."

Teacher Dong looks amazing today.

"I wasn't being provocative!"

"without?"

"Okay, sure~ The live stream doesn't start for a while~ Let's find a place..."

"Brother Cheng is watching us."

"...Wouldn't that be even more exciting?"

In front of everyone, Teacher Tong pretended to sway and gently bumped Xu Xing's arm.

Xu Xing started thinking about what kind of location to choose.

Unfortunately, Director Chen walked over with a big smile.

"I heard you met with Netflix's global head yesterday—"

"The global head of Netflix flew in specifically to meet with Xiaoxing."

Teacher Tong interrupted him.

Director Chen interrupted her first, and Teacher Tong gave a small retort.

Director Chen smiled and rolled his eyes at her, not bothering to argue with her.

If she were with any other man, Director Chen would slap her across the face. It's a pity it's Xu Xing who can slap him. Sigh, I envy Xu Xing—no, I mean, Ya Ya is even more lively and adorable than before…

"Netflix's global head came to see you. I heard they have some big plans for Asia."

"Yes, it's estimated that there will be a $10 billion investment in content? Actually, compared to iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video in China, this amount of money is nothing. iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video have nearly 200 dramas waiting to be broadcast this year, and Netflix doesn't have much money to produce for Chinese dramas."

Xu Xing is a serious person who doesn't joke around when it comes to work. Teacher Tong wanted to be cheeky, but Xu Xing stopped her with a look.

Director Chen was also focused on discussing work.

"Only a few top-tier dramas from iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video can be produced. Netflix's projects are all heavyweight, and they can also distribute the dramas to Europe and America."

"Brother Cheng wants to produce a TV series? I should have introduced you to Bajaaria. She left Beijing by plane this morning and is already in Hong Kong."

Xu Xing said regretfully.

The success of "Childhood Games" has made fans of the show ecstatic, Netflix overjoyed, and the most enthusiastic are the film and television companies in the industry.

The confidence that "Childhood Games" instilled in them and the wonderful prospects it presented were enough to ignite a Netflix craze that lasted for more than three years.

Just as Director Chen said, Netflix's biggest advantage over local giants like iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video is its ability to spread to Europe and America.

He paid his own way to Cannes to crash the red carpet and become a "carpet star," and went backstage at the Grammys to collect a frivolous award from a sponsor, then boasted about winning a Grammy back home. Those in the industry know the "noble" level of his international influence.

In the past, they would risk being exposed and have to shamelessly do a marketing campaign, but since Xu Xing became a superstar, they have become increasingly difficult to fool.

Before "Childhood Games," the film and television industry had already been "reluctantly" led by Hsu Hsing and Cheng Rong to expand their influence in Southeast Asia.

However, these past two years have only just begun, and with the pandemic preventing offline harvesting, we haven't yet experienced the true benefits of Southeast Asia's influence beyond mere boasting. Now, the standards have shifted to Europe and America.

Therefore, some people will continue to live off their current small plot of land in China, while others will seriously try to follow Xu Xing's path.

Director Chen is an energetic person with a strong pioneering spirit.

"Didn't Netflix mention it to you? They sent me an invitation to produce a TV series. I'm really interested. Last year's hiatus allowed the company to accumulate quite a few good scripts. It would give them some practice and also have the potential to become an international hit."

"When we make suspense and mystery films in mainland China, we ultimately hope to find a wider and broader path. Xiao Xing, you're so popular overseas now, but 'Detective Chinatown' has only had mediocre overseas box office results. In contrast, 'The Wandering Earth' has also performed exceptionally well overseas. Every time I think about this issue, I reflect on it for a long time."

“I’ve always been thinking about how to make ‘Detective Chinatown’ that can conquer overseas audiences, not just in Southeast Asia, but even in Europe and America. Netflix was a great opportunity, and they even sent me an invitation. I really had no chance to refuse.”

Netflix had actually extended an invitation to Director Chen long ago.

However, at the beginning of the month, when he had a small gathering with Xu Xing and Wang Baoqiang for the promotion of "Detective Chinatown 3", the already popular "Childhood Games" had not yet become such a sensation.

Now, more than half a month has passed, and Director Chen has finally begun to seriously consider the invitation.

It is said that Director Chen's eyes always light up when he talks about the future of "Detective Chinatown".

This is a small detail that Teacher Tong told Xu Xing. She said that she felt Wang Baoqiang and "Detective Chinatown" were Director Chen's true love.

Teacher Tong next to her was slightly pouting again.

"Is it just a standalone suspense drama? Or is it a new IP drama? Or a new series of 'Detective Chinatown'?"

Director Chen spoke earnestly, and Xu Xing asked detailed questions.

Director Chen paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Let's try a standalone series first."

"It's pretty good too."

Xu Xing nodded in agreement.

Xu Xing's expectations were too high...

"We'll have to learn from Netflix and Zheng Rong how to develop shows that will be popular in Europe and America. But if Xiao Xing has time, I'd love for you to give us a lesson. Of course, we'd like to do it privately, among our own people."

Director Chen added.

"Childhood Games" has been largely ignored in China. Otherwise, given its current popularity overseas and its pioneering significance for Chinese dramas, Xu Xing would definitely have accepted an invitation to participate in a symposium, just like she did with "Signal," to share her creative insights and inspire the industry.

—Due to the pandemic, that symposium was held online.

After Director Chen and Xu Xing finished their conversation, the online roadshow was about to begin.

Xu Xing was busy going over the procedures, and Teacher Tong didn't bother her anymore.

Just before the recording started, Xu Xing looked up, her gaze sweeping across the recording studio, and saw her... chatting with Zhen Wei.

Zhen Wei works for Xingyu Company, so it's normal for her to be here.

However, it's normal that she didn't come to greet Xu Xing, but what were she talking about with Teacher Tong?
She knew that both Teacher Tong and Teacher Dong were having affairs with Xu Xing.

There was no time to think, the online roadshow began.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Actually, this online roadshow wasn't originally part of the promotional plan for "Detective Chinatown 3".

Last year, before its release was pulled from theaters, "Detective Chinatown 3" had already conducted offline roadshows and launched a massive publicity campaign, spending all of its pre-release publicity budget. Only the budget for securing screenings and maintaining its reputation after the release remained.

The publicity department had a very conservative plan for this year. It was only after Xu Xing emphasized at the beginning of the month that they could not let their guard down and pointed out the potential dark horse "Hi, Mom" ​​as a competitor that this roadshow was prepared.

The current situation is not suitable for holding offline roadshows, so let's do cloud roadshows.

This year's Spring Festival film season only saw "Detective Chinatown 3" being a delayed release from last year, and their marketing budgets are brand new and complete. Other films are doing okay, but "Li Huanying" is coming in particularly aggressively.

The film "Li Huanying" held a cloud roadshow the day before yesterday, officially kicking off the promotional battle for the Spring Festival season. They will also hold an "Ace Premiere" on "Ace vs Ace" later.

Xu Xing also told Director Chen that the premiere of "Detective Chinatown 3" would also be held again, so she would have to trouble everyone... because after this, Xu Xing would not be able to leave the "Changjin Lake" crew until the Spring Festival.

Returning to the cloud roadshow, the reason for doing it in Dong Xuan's live broadcast room instead of using the official account of "Detective Chinatown 3" was to "ride" the wave of live-streaming e-commerce for the movie, and also to "upgrade" the level of Dong's live broadcast room.

The pandemic has led to an explosion in the online economy, with live-streaming e-commerce being the biggest beneficiary.

—Teacher Dong has also taken off completely, firmly establishing herself as the number one celebrity live-streaming e-commerce influencer, to the point that she has reduced her live-streaming frequency from once a week to three times a month.

Many netizens who were originally resistant to live-streaming e-commerce and too lazy to learn about it have started to get involved in it because offline retail has been impacted.

Therefore, although some people still think that live-streaming e-commerce is low-class, many more people find it novel, especially in lower-tier markets.

Sister Dong Xuan is the goddess of the lower-tier market!
Even those who didn't sink are goddesses.

Those who are nostalgic for "Snowflake Goddess Dragon" are now at the peak of their spending power, and it's possible that some people who weren't originally planning to go to the cinema will actually do so because of Mr. Dong's recommendation.

—When facing controversy over her pandering to the South, Ms. Dong was also criticized for having zero viewers for "Snowflake Goddess Dragon," and questioned what she was marketing after so many years in the industry with only this one role. However, Ms. Dong is now incredibly popular. Many viewers who hadn't watched a full episode, or had only heard of the show, or only seen screenshots, still identify with the "Snowflake Goddess Dragon" nostalgia. Because it was a show from their teenage years, and everything from that time evokes their memories.

However, Ms. Dong's problem is that she is not a professional host. Even though she takes broadcasting classes every week, there is still room for improvement.

The casual conversation was fine, but the hosting and control of the event were terrible.

Therefore, Xu Xing did not make things difficult for her.

However, Xu Xing did not miss this opportunity to hone her perseverance and enable her to be more elegant and composed in the live broadcast room in the future. She still had to go on stage, but she just didn't activate it.

The online roadshow went exceptionally smoothly.

No accidents occurred during the entire process.

"Detective Chinatown" is already a very mature IP, and this is the third time "Detective Chinatown" has been released and the fourth time it has done pre-release promotion.

Everything is familiar.

They discussed plans for the "Detective Chinatown" universe, revealed details about the film, shared anecdotes from the set, showed behind-the-scenes footage, released new promotional videos, and even connected with Japanese actors who participated in the film.

The teacher I'm connected with is Masami Nagasawa.

Hey!
Ms. Nagasawa has a really good figure, but Ms. Dong looks quite old.

Teacher Dong is eight years older than her.

The Japanese actress wasn't initially keen on a video call, but after Xu Xing contacted Ms. Nagasawa, she readily agreed.

Hopefully, she can adjust her state a little, and when they meet again in the future, Xu Xing can also use a link to thank her for this connection.

After the cloud roadshow ended.

Before leaving the recording studio, Xu Xing received a call from Bajaaria.

She told Xu Xing on the phone that she planned to continue letting Erika be in charge of the Asia-Pacific region, and asked Xu Xing if she had any objections. If so, she would rescind her decision.

Xu Xing replied to her.

"of course not."

(End of this chapter)