This director is vindictive.

Chapter 488 This is what you call true black-and-red economics!
Yang Mi's quick live stream unsurprisingly topped the trending searches again.

The moment Yang Mi ended the live stream, the hashtag #YangMiFootScentLiveStream# skyrocketed to the top of the trending topics list. This impromptu live stream, which lasted only 18 minutes, accumulated over 1200 million viewers, breaking the record for celebrity live streams without prior notice.

However, no one expected that the biggest winner of this farce would be the "foot odor nemesis" perfume that unexpectedly appeared in the show.

Screenshots from the live stream went viral on e-commerce platforms, and the same perfume sold out within three hours. The brand contacted Yang Mi's agent overnight: "Ms. Yang, we are willing to offer double the endorsement fee, as long as she mentions the product's full name on Weibo again!"

Yang Mi stared in disbelief at the backend data: "This lousy perfume only sold 200 bottles last year, and now the pre-order queue is three months in advance?"

She turned and glared at Chen Mo, who was twisting the hem of his suit jacket: "It's all your fault! Now I've really become the 'spokesperson for fragrant feet'!"

"No, how can you blame me for this?" Chen Mo looked completely innocent.

Chen Mo shook the water droplets off his hands and raised an eyebrow, saying, "How about we launch a collaboration? 'Big Secret Limited Edition Gardenia Scent,' with a silhouette of you stepping on a golden melon seed on the packaging."

As he spoke, he imitated her actions during her live stream, pointing his pinky finger at the air with an expression that looked like he wanted to punch her.

"Chen! Mo!" Yang Mi grabbed a cushion and threw it at him, but he caught it and stuffed it behind his head before collapsing into the sofa.

"Haha, actually this is a pretty good idea! Mimi, you should really try it. Since you don't care anyway, why not make use of it?" Fan Binbin encouraged from the side.

Yang Mi hesitated for a moment before saying "this."

This is outrageous! But for some reason, she suddenly felt like... it might actually be worthwhile?
Seeing her hesitation, Chen Mo continued to fan the flames: "I think it's a good idea! This is called 'monetizing the stinky feet joke,' and it might even become a legendary tale!"

He suppressed a laugh and analyzed seriously, "Look, even if Binbin's foot-washing ceremony goes viral, it's just a trending topic; everyone forgets about it after they've seen it. But you're different; yours can directly drive sales!"

Yang Mi rolled her eyes, recalling the scene of Jing Tian giving her perfume, and couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Seeing this, Chen Mo immediately added fuel to the fire as if on cue: "How about contacting that 'foot masseur' perfume? I think you and that perfume would be a perfect match!"

"roll!"

Yang Mi grabbed another cushion and threw it, but couldn't help but smile.

—This reverse marketing strategy seems to be really creative.

Chen Mo is an outstanding individual in this regard, after all, he often achieves unexpected successes.

The most direct example is the 814 Welfare Festival. That thing was originally just something he created to promote his web series, but now it has become an annual national festival that is even more lively than shopping festivals.

Even Chen Mo said so, and Yang Mi couldn't help but feel a little tempted.

Moreover, Chen Mo is right. Although she doesn't care that much about being criticized for so many years, if she can turn this criticism into a monetization, it would definitely be a first in the entertainment industry!

Big Secret's decisiveness and courage are beyond doubt; she quickly picked up the phone to contact her agent.

That very evening, the details were finalized, and a partner brand was successfully found.

This isn't hard to understand, given the sheer volume of traffic generated, coupled with the fact that the "Yang Mi smelly feet" meme has been around for years.

This thing generates a lot of traffic every time it appears, and even for perfume brand companies, this kind of attempt is definitely an innovation worth trying.

Therefore, the efficiency is frighteningly high.

The following morning, Yang Mi's company suddenly announced a new project: a collaboration with a domestic fragrance brand to develop the "Honey Foot" series, focusing on "foot care for working women".

On the promotional poster, she walks barefoot on a scented candle shaped like a gilded basin, with the caption "True gold is not afraid of fire, and good feet are not afraid of being smelled."

Traffic exploded instantly.

There's no way around it, netizens just love this kind of gossip.

Moreover, the "Yang Mi's smelly feet" meme has been played around with for so many years, but no one expected that what was originally a meme to be avoided would actually be turned into a way for Yang Mi, the person involved, to monetize her negative fame.

"Wow, is this for real? From the 'stinky feet' meme to commercial success, Sister Mi's move is phenomenal!"

"I suggest releasing a co-branded foot bath basin, with Chen's certification number engraved on the bottom!"

"The next queen of live-streaming e-commerce has been born!"

"It's true what they say, 'One is influenced by one's company!' Following Chen Mo has even made my brain so sharp! This is truly amazing!"

"The next Li Jiaqi is born! I've even thought of my livestream script: 'All girls! The nemesis of smelly feet, 3-2-1, here's the link!'"

The most amazing one is the comparison video posted by a certain review blogger:
On the left screen is a meme of Yang Mi having her feet licked by a goat in 2013, and on the right screen is an advertisement for "Honey Feet" fragrance, with the caption "From physiological resistance to chemical conquest, a female celebrity's ten-year history of fighting odor."

The video received over a million likes, and the comments section was filled with witty replies:
"Goat: You should have told me you were going to release perfume! When I licked it, it was still the original scent!"

"I suggest that Chen Mo wear a gas mask for the next live broadcast; the show would be explosive!"

This craze has even spread to the financial sector.

Securities analysts released a report overnight titled "The Z Generation Consumption Logic Behind the 'Foot Fragrance Economy'," stating that "Yang Mi deconstructs the traditional image of female celebrities by using self-deprecation, turning negative memes into social currency. What young people are chasing is not the product itself, but this unconventional survival wisdom of 'turning criticism into selling points.'"

We suggest paying attention to the relevant daily chemical sector.

This turn of events was truly unexpected and caught everyone off guard.

The main reason is that no one expected the outcome to be like this. And the results were surprisingly good.

Just as the securities analyst said, turning her flaws into selling points and facing her own "black marks" has not affected Yang Mi's positive image at all, but has actually made her more popular with the general public.

Of course, although the hype has been built up and commercial cooperation projects have been reached.

However, whether it can be successfully monetized and what the results will be will only be known once the product is actually launched and sold.

However, everyone is actually curious whether it can create a sales miracle. Success is inevitable, but how successful can it be?

Many companies, including marketing and planning firms, as well as celebrities in the entertainment industry, are also paying attention to this matter!
The daily chemical brand that Yang Mi collaborates with is certainly not a small brand; it's quite powerful.

The products are all readily available; the main focus is on a collaboration.

Soon, the first batch of 50,000 gift sets of "Honey Feet" perfume began trial sales.

This model is the first of its kind, so the number of products launched is limited.

But no one expected that the effect would be so ridiculously good.

These 50,000 sets of the new perfume, marketed as "Limited Edition Honey Foot Gift Sets," sold out in just 30 seconds.

You should know that this thing is not cheap at all; the gift box contains five different perfumes, and they're all in small bottles.

However, the price was as high as 1888!

Although this price is nothing compared to those luxury perfumes, it's just a celebrity collaboration.

And the portion wasn't large, yet it sold out in just thirty seconds.

It's even outrageous that the price on secondhand platforms has been inflated to three times the original price!
Surprisingly, it's quite popular!

Even Yang Mi herself was a little confused.

While this is largely due to the "limited edition" label, we are, after all, living in an era of economic downturn.

Chen Mo couldn't help but sigh, these days, it's really damn easy to make money off women!
This surge in sales has successfully launched the "Mizu" brand.

Suddenly, many peers were eager to try it out, after all, who doesn't have some embarrassing jokes these days?

Of course, celebrities still cherish their reputations. Although they are envious of Yang Mi's monetization of this controversial meme, it has to be a controversial meme first, and then it can be monetized.

However, there's always someone who's the first to try something new.

It has to be said that many things are quite surreal these days.

Coincidentally, there is indeed a third-tier celebrity in the entertainment industry who once had a "body odor" meme circulating.

If the other party thinks that Yang Mi is good enough, then I can be good enough too.
So they started buying trending searches to try and hype up the "armpit odor" meme. Unfortunately, firstly, not many people knew the other party, so their status was not high enough. Secondly, Yang Mi was forced to do this, and it was obvious that the other party wanted to follow the trend and create hype.

The comment section was instantly flooded with mockery: "Mi-jie's use of memes is self-deprecating humor, but the way you're trying to be funny is just like having a lemon under your armpit—it's so sour!"

"I suggest changing it to 'Fragrance from the Armpit,' and I've even thought of the advertising slogan: 'Gardenia in the left armpit, rotten sweet potato in the right armpit!'"

"How could a few dishes make you this drunk? What kind of Tom, Dick, and Harry are jumping on the bandwagon!"

The other party was so frightened that they quickly removed the trending topic.

After all, the public opinion surrounding this is completely different from that surrounding Yang Mi.

Soon, insiders systematically analyzed the unreplicable nature of Yang Mi's monetization of this controversial topic.

"Yang Mi's move is truly amazing! She's been ridiculed by netizens for years for her 'stinky feet' meme, but she made fun of herself back then, it's not a recent thing. So, she's now playing reverse marketing and successfully monetizing her embarrassing past."

Why was this operation successful?

First and foremost is the precise application of "black and red economics"!

Self-deprecating humor resonates with audiences: Yang Mi abandons her "goddess" image and adopts a down-to-earth persona to connect with users, aligning with Generation Z's aesthetic preference for "authenticity above all else".

Moreover, the "foot odor meme" is not a genuine negative story; rather, it's simply a way for netizens and fans to make fun of each other.

Most netizens use this meme in a non-malicious way to tease each other, rather than genuinely feeling that someone's feet smell bad!
Secondly, precise monetization of meme culture transforms netizens' banter into social currency (such as the "gardenia fragrance" certification), making consumers a link in the communication chain.

However, the feasibility of monetizing black memes is very clear.

First, you must have a high level of popularity and strong mental resilience; otherwise, you'll crash and burn at any moment.

At the same time, it also needs to be free of moral controversy. Obviously, Yang Mi's foot odor joke does not have any moral controversy.

The Yang Mi case proves that in the attention economy, the biggest risk is not being discussed, but being forgotten. When celebrities learn to turn their embarrassing past into "paid content," the survival rules of the entertainment industry have been quietly rewritten—"extreme embarrassment equals traffic, and extreme traffic equals cash flow."

But some bandwagoners in the industry are disgusting—they insist on joining in even when there's no such meme, trying to make money by copying others' "black-and-red" tactics.

It's like spraying Chanel perfume on stinky tofu from a roadside stall—it ruins both the authentic, rustic flavor of the tofu and the high-end quality of the perfume; it's a complete mishmash and a cheap knock-off!

(End of this chapter)