This director is vindictive.

Chapter 425 There are so many old Wangs in your circle.
This wave of film co-creation activities can be said to have created a brand new model in the Chinese entertainment industry.

It has made many of its peers eager to try it out, mainly because the results are just too damn good.

Moreover, the key point is that the cost, the cost, the cost is too low!

What did Chen Mo do? He didn't do anything!

That's not quite right. He launched a project, then did some favors by getting the actors to cooperate and play along with the netizens. As a result, Chen Mo's movie got publicity, and the netizens got their fill of gossip and novelty.

As for celebrities, although only a few were selected, the rest are definitely not at a disadvantage.

It's definitely a win-win situation for everyone involved!
To achieve this effect normally, you wouldn't even dream of it without spending tens or hundreds of millions.

But Chen Mo only spent a few coins from beginning to end.
This kind of cost-effective publicity strategy is truly worthy of Chen Mo, a marketing genius!
For a time, many film and television companies were thinking about how to replicate this marketing and promotion model.

As some marketing bloggers have analyzed, Chen Mo's film co-creation this time really has the potential to be replicated.

So far, there haven't been any particularly difficult points.

For example, Chen Mo's network of connections. Before this case was successful, many celebrities, considering their status, would have found it difficult to get a director with sufficient influence to cooperate.

But things are different now. After Chen Mo's successful case, actors can clearly see that letting go of their identity baggage and genuinely engaging in promotional activities is a highly profitable endeavor.

Moreover, this activity offers a high degree of freedom, making it easy to bridge the gap between actors and passersby.

So the biggest problem was actually solved by Chen Mo.

It's no wonder everyone wants to reissue it; it's just too outrageous.

With Huang Bo's "desert survival" and Ge Si's "immersive begging" successively trending on social media, this film co-creation event has completely entered a nationwide frenzy. Chen Mo was astonished when he looked at the backend data—the hashtag #TangDynastyNorthernDesertCasting# had surpassed 50 billion views and over 800 million discussions, and all of this had taken less than two weeks.

Meanwhile, Huang Bo's dehydrated scale, Ge Si's begging bowl, and Lei Datou's head circumference measuring tape are still trending on social media, indicating that undercurrents are already swirling in the film and television industry.

Within a few days, more than 20 film and television companies held emergency planning meetings, and the covers of their PPTs all read "Immersive Film Marketing".

As for the earlier doubts, what were they?
If this model can be successfully replicated, it would be incredibly appealing, so it's no wonder they're so keen on it!
Old Wang from Enlight Media, Old Wang from Huayi Brothers Media, and even Chen Sicheng from Wanda Media have all called to learn from their experience.

What could Chen Mo say?
Wang Jianlin and Chen Mo are the closest to each other, and they have collaborated on the most projects. In addition, Enlight Media is also a shareholder of Shengshi Pictures.

So when Lao Wang saw such high popularity and exposure, he couldn't sit still and immediately called Chen Mo.

No sooner had Chen Mo hung up the phone with Lao Wang from Huayi than his phone rang again. The screen displayed the words "Lao Wang from Guangxian," and he smiled and shook his head as he answered the phone: "Mr. Wang, you're not calling to ask about 'film co-creation' again, are you?"

Old Wang's hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone: "Hahaha, Director Chen is in high demand now! I just finished a meeting, and those guys in the planning department are practically wearing out your proposal!"

In the background noise, you can hear keywords like "Huang Bo's scale" and "Ge Si's bowl" echoing throughout the conference room.

"Mr. Wang, this thing, would you believe me if I said I didn't expect it either?" Chen Mo said helplessly.

He was telling the truth, but nobody believed him!

Chen Mo really hadn't expected it to be this exaggerated, and the actors' performances were even more beyond his imagination.

For example, Huang Bo starving himself, or Ge Si actually begging—he couldn't possibly imagine that, and even if he could, Chen Mo would definitely not let them do it!
That's so inhumane!
But in the end, they just managed to pull it off in a whole new way.

Besides, how could he have imagined that Zhang Yuqi's apparent indifference and lack of effort would actually make her famous? There's just no way to explain that!
Unfortunately, Wang Changtian clearly took Chen Mo's words as mere modesty.

"Haha, you're being modest, aren't you? You're such a marketing genius, every move you make can ignite public opinion and set the entire internet ablaze. Okay, actually I just want to ask, is the core of your 'co-creation' the actors' self-deprecation or the netizens' sense of participation?"

"Okay, let me share my personal opinion. Actually, Lei Jun played with his head circumference because his variety show image is approachable, and Huang Bo dared to starve and dehydrate himself because he has the reputation of being a movie star. As for Ge Si, although it was a bit unexpected, the reason why netizens paid attention to him and resonated with him is because of his own experience."

“I think the key is not how novel the form is, but to make netizens feel that ‘this celebrity really treats us as one of their own.’”

Old Wang pondered: "Like in the video of Ge Si begging, where the boss gives him ten yuan?"

"That's right!"

“One highly-rated comment said, ‘The way Ge Si shrank his neck when he was kicked out is exactly the same as the way my dad gets scolded by my mom.’ Netizens want this kind of ‘breaking down the fourth wall’ sense of realism.”

He heard the rustling of papers on the other end of the phone, and added, "By the way, remember to have the artist's team package the 'playing the victim' as 'making a meme,' otherwise it'll easily backfire. Yesterday, some netizens questioned Ge Si's exploitation of the lower classes, but luckily he clarified quickly." Old Wang suddenly burst out laughing: "No wonder you always hire seasoned veterans like Shen Teng and Huang Bo! I was just wondering why you didn't hire top stars—now I understand, if young idols were to imitate Ge Si and beg for food, their fans would flood the official Weibo account of the production team!"

"Yes! Successful cases have indeed proven the feasibility of the model, but strategies need to be adjusted according to the nature of the project to avoid blindly copying it."

I believe the key lies in: genuine actor commitment + emotional resonance with the audience + lightweight operation. Simply mechanically imitating forms like "begging" or "wilderness" without innovation risks becoming a mere imitation.

Besides, Lao Wang, we've known each other for many years, so let me be frank. I expect many people will imitate this approach, but honestly, I'm not particularly optimistic. I was one of the first in China to try this co-creation method, which is why it had such a positive effect. But if everyone does it, it will become commonplace, barely worth mentioning, and might even backfire. So, it's best to be cautious!

Upon hearing Chen Mo's words, Wang Changtian understood perfectly. In fact, others might also understand, but this model was just too appealing, so they all believed they wouldn't be the losers.

"Alright, shall we wait and see?" Wang Changtian said.

“That’s right!” Chen Mo replied with a smile.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Mo wiped away non-existent cold sweat.

"How many calls has this been? Tsk tsk, do you think I contributed to the great publicity this time?" Zhang Yuqi asked, sitting directly on Chen Mo's lap.

Chen Mo reached out and pinched her cheek, saying, "Of course, your 'lying down and doing nothing' strategy really deserves credit! However, I estimate there will be more calls coming in. I don't know what these people are thinking. Do they really think it's so easy to replicate? Ge Si's side almost crashed and burned. They only saw the hype but didn't see the risks."

"Hehe, so what? Movies are inherently risky investments, you said. Your marketing revenue this time far exceeded the costs, so they're bound to take a gamble too," Zhang Yuqi said, unusually serious.

She was wearing a sports vest today, and Chen Mo's line of sight was perfectly positioned to see the most beautiful scenery, which immediately made him a little distracted.

The tiger woman sensed it immediately, but instead, she was eager to try it out.

However, before the two could make a move, the phone rang abruptly again.

Chen Mo glanced at it and thought, "Good heavens, it's another heavyweight, Old Wang!"

Speaking of big shots in the entertainment industry, Lao Wang really has quite a few.

Old Wang from Huayi, Old Wang from Wanda, Old Wang from Enlight Media, and then this one, the heavyweight Old Wang.

Old Wang from Shanghai Film Group!

"Director Chen, you've created a brand new publicity model this time! It's very effective!" Old Wang said from the other end.

"I was just fooling around, and I'm sure Chairman Wang will find it amusing!" Chen Mo said.

"What nonsense! You truly live up to your reputation as a marketing genius! By the way, I'm only here for this reason. To be frank, Shanghai Film Group's 'Operation Fox Hunt' has cast Duan Yihong as the lead, and he happened to have participated in your co-creation project before. We want to take advantage of this momentum and replicate your 'co-creation' model."

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo frowned slightly, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table: "Chairman Wang, Teacher Duan's acting skills are beyond reproach, but 'Operation Fox Hunt' is an economic crime drama, right? It's easy to backfire if you try to make fun of yourself in this kind of serious genre."

The sound of papers turning over came from the other end of the phone: "Our planning department has finished the proposal! Let Lao Duan do a live broadcast of 'Economic Investigation 24 Hours,' and learn from Ge Si to conduct a real-life experience!"

"You're the originator, give me some suggestions."

Chen Mo nearly choked on his tea: "Chairman Wang, from a personal standpoint, I don't object to you taking this opportunity to replicate your publicity, but..."

He recalled the controversial comments under Ge Si's begging video, such as "exploiting the lower class" and "is it real or fake misery," and his tone became serious: "Chairman Wang, although it is a commercial film, economic crime cases involve real victims, and excessive use of memes will cause a backlash from public opinion."

When Lao Wang spoke again, he was clearly less confident: "Then what does Director Chen think should be done?"

Chen Mo was actually in a dilemma because he had actually watched "Operation Fox Hunt," and to be honest, it was a waste of two actors with the caliber of Best Actor.

In the end, the result was that it was a terrible movie.

However, given the other party's special status, and the fact that Shengshi Pictures also had many collaborative projects with Shanghai Film Studio, it was really difficult to refuse.

In fact, Chen Mo really didn't think it was a good idea, but he certainly couldn't say it, because the other party had personally called him, which clearly meant they had made up their minds.

How could Chen Mo explain his intention to replicate this model?
Since the other party wasn't Lao Wang from Guangming, Chen Mo certainly couldn't directly refuse, or bluntly say that if they did it this way, they'd probably mess things up.
Or to put it bluntly, no matter how good the promotion is for such a terrible movie, it's useless.
His good intentions might offend people, so Chen Mo definitely wouldn't lock it directly.

It's like a dog eating poop, but if a person goes over there, the dog will think you're going to steal its poop.

(End of this chapter)