Huayu: Traffic is king

Chapter 169 Tea Girl's Little Trick
On September 27, "Take My Brother Away" had already grossed 4.27 million yuan in just five days since its release.

This achievement truly amazed the industry.

要知道9月14号上映的由古天勒、张智林等老牌港星主演的《反贪风暴3》，首周排片率高达百分之30。也是等到上映第二周，累计票房破3亿。

The success of "Take My Brother Away," starring Gu Jingyi, has shown countless people the potential of "IP + traffic."

On Zhihu, a question sparked heated discussion.

"Why did Gu Jingyi's 'Kuai Ge' surpass Chris's 'Somewhere I Know' and Li He's 'Fall in Love Like a Star' in terms of popularity and IP?"

As soon as this question was posted, countless people wrote their answers below.

Some people are talking about the domestic box office, saying that Chris and Li He's films were made several years ago when the domestic economy was not growing as fast as it is now.

Audiences have different spending habits, and movie tickets that cost "forty yuan" at the drop of a hat have become a major problem.

Some believe that the reason "Take My Brother Away" is so popular is because it's based on a comic book. It naturally has a fanbase and a targeted audience. As long as the quality isn't too bad, there will always be a group of casual viewers willing to support it.

This question has been trending on Zhihu for two days, and suddenly two answers from different perspectives have provided the answer.

[Thanks for the invitation. I just finished watching the movie at the cinema. I'm neither a fan nor a hater, just a casual observer. Here's my ticket (picture). My conclusion is: The reason why "Kuai Ge" can win is that Gu Jingyi's team uses "traffic" as a tool instead of a last fig leaf.]

As an ordinary viewer who was dragged to the cinema by my best friend, I'd like to share some honest opinions from three perspectives.

I. Details

Gu Jingyi's overall acting in this film is very smooth, compared to the other two top actors whose acting was like a PowerPoint presentation, with their "staring and roaring" performances. Gu Jingyi's performance is very realistic in every detail, and it doesn't take the viewer out of the story.

For example, before a brother steals his sister's snacks, he wipes his hands (to avoid getting oil stains on her homework).

He wrapped the phone with three and a half layers of tape (a precise replica of my brother's rough-and-tumble craftsmanship).
These are all details not shown in the original comic, yet Gu Jingyi portrayed them all perfectly. It made me want to slap my thigh in the theater: "Did the screenwriter install surveillance cameras in my house?"

In stark contrast is:
A top-tier actor playing a rich second-generation heir gave the female lead a North Star necklace (worth half a year's rent for me).
A young male actor plays a poor student wearing a watch worth 50,000 yuan (the camera even zooms in on the logo...).
The screenwriter and director treat us, the audience, like idiots; these details really pull us out of the story.

For every degree the sense of suspension increases, the criticism intensifies.

If I remember correctly, Gu Jingyi holds the title of global brand ambassador for the high-end jewelry brand Chopard.

To make the film more realistic, the only watch he wore throughout the entire movie was a cartoon watch that cost less than 100 yuan.

This is where details determine success or failure. Watching the performance, I didn't feel that Gu Jingyi was playing himself. Instead, through his acting, I saw a "moment."

2. Acting skills
In this movie, Gu Jingyi was willing to set aside his image and created a vivid and relatable character by sacrificing his looks.

When Gu Jingyi appeared with greasy hair that hadn't been washed for three days, dark circles under his eyes, and chapped lips, my best friend exclaimed, "Is this the same person as the heavily edited photos I saved in the supertopic?!"

Unlike some top celebrities who always act aloof no matter what role they play.

In the final scene on the platform, everyone is praising Zi Feng's acting, but I want to praise Gu Jingyi even more.

Upon hearing my sister say, "You left me behind,"

The smile that had been on his face vanished, and his lips twitched slightly. Unable to vent his emotions, tears streamed down his face without him wiping them away.

It's similar to Zhang Moushan's explosive acting in "Yu Zui," very realistic.

While other top celebrities are still using the "frowning + clutching the chest" three-piece set, Gu Jingyi has already started using micro-expressions and facial muscles to act.

Third, films emphasize promotion and quality.
Unlike the other two films, which focused their promotional efforts entirely on top celebrities and bought trending topics like #LiHeSuitKiller# and #ChrisJawLine#, this film's promotional strategy was different.

Clicking through reveals nothing but fan-controlled comments; a casual observer's impression: "They're just here to fleece us again."

The trending topics for "Take My Brother Away" were all bought based on the plot, such as "You left me behind?", "Their constant bickering", and "So it turns out his bad behavior was all for love".

Passersby click on trending topics and resonate with the content based on the clips. This leads to the idea of ​​watching the movie, thus creating a casual audience.

Finally, here's something that really hits the nail on the head:

Audiences have long been fed up with movies featuring big-name stars. It's not that they're against using big-name stars; it's that they're fed up with production teams treating audiences like ATMs, prioritizing viewership over content.

The success of "Kuai Ge" is simply a matter of doing the opposite of the saying "Make content with heart, do marketing with feet".

When Gu Jingyi is thanked three times in the end credits (by the screenwriting team, props team, and production crew), some top stars who are still arguing about "first lead" and "second lead" should understand:

Movie tickets are not vouchers for fan fundraising; they are votes of sincerity from ordinary viewers.

(After the movie ended, my brother suddenly asked me if I wanted some grilled sausage. This movie really had a strong aftereffect.)

Once the answer was published, it resonated with countless people, who gave it a thumbs up and agreed with her point of view.

Following that, a second response written by an industry insider also appeared.

[Thanks for the invitation. I have a conflict of interest: the original poster used to be involved in the promotion of a popular movie, but has since reformed.]

As a seasoned veteran who has participated in the marketing of three blockbuster films, Gu Jingyi's "Kuai Ge" has truly taught the industry a lesson. Enough with the preamble, let's get straight to the point:

I. Traffic Conversion Rate Comparison Analysis: Winning Over Core Fans is Key to Success
This is all the data I collected, as shown in the attached image.
Gu Jingyi's "Kuai Ge" had a fan lock-in rate of 89%, Chris's was 63%, and Li He's was 51%.

In terms of the proportion of pre-sales and first-day fan bookings, Gu Jingyi ranked first with a significant lead of 1.04 million and 1.47 million respectively.

Chris earned 0.37 million/0.59 million on the first day, while Li He earned 0.22 million/0.43 million.

Based on the data above, Gu Jingyi truly deserves his status as a top-tier idol. His fans are incredibly dedicated and supportive, providing a significant boost to the market on the first day of release. Seeing the potential for profit, universities also increased the screenings of "Take My Brother Away."

而从非粉丝观众增量来看，猫眼想看从80万飙升到265。数据远远高于从50万到60万的克里斯，和从35万到因为陷入烂片争议缩水到25万的李贺。

If all of the above is because the male lead, Gu Jingyi, is different from traditional top stars and has a strong appeal to the general public.

The quality of the film itself also deserves undeniable credit.

The screenwriter of "Brother Kuai" cut 42% of the irrelevant plot from the original work, but retained 100% of the touching details:
The brother stole his sister's piggy bank to save up for an electric scooter (not to buy sneakers).

"Using a slowed-down alarm clock to replace melodramatic plot devices like abortion and amnesia"

It has many tear-jerking moments and resonates with the audience. This alone is something the other two films couldn't achieve.

Finally, I'd like to mention that the person who invented Gu Jingyi is truly a genius. Who would have thought he could use short videos for viral marketing? The related topics for "Kuai Ge" on Douyin have garnered hundreds of millions of views. The associated background music, "Accompany You to Grow Up," sung by Gu Jingyi, has also gone viral, sparking a "relay" and becoming a "trend."

Perhaps Gu Jingyi's appearance could truly reshape the landscape of the Chinese entertainment industry.
Gu Jingyi saw it while scrolling through his phone on his way to the roadshow.

His feelings were just like Chuanbao's when he touched his injured "one-eared" wound and saw the warmth brought by his hometown.

He said, "I'm not that good."

He secretly rejoiced, "That's right, that's exactly who I am!"

These two answers were indeed quite insightful, and Gu Jingyi was in a great mood after reading them.

Seeing more and more people agreeing with the comments, some even suspected that Huace had also bought articles for Zhihu.

"Brother Ze, just tell me, did the company give Zhihu money?"

"How could that be?" Lin Ze, who was sitting next to him working on his laptop, smiled helplessly.

“Jingyi, you need to know. I’ve been working on your streetwear brand these past few days. Teacher Shangguan Zhe has already accepted our invitation. It was just launched, and we’re already working on finished products. The puffy shoes and the products you featured in the movie ‘Kuai Ge’ are already in mass production. We estimate they’ll be available for sale by mid-October.”

Lin Ze said he was wronged and that he had no time to care about these things.

In fact, major entertainment companies also primarily use Weibo for marketing.

"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Brother Ze. Your bonus will be tripled this month, and you'll get a day off at the end of the month."

Gu Jingyi smiled and said, "You're making a big splash right away."

He has always been generous in this regard.

If a capable subordinate develops disloyal intentions, the team will fall apart.

"However, I don't think it's necessary to stock up offline. In the early stages, we can start online with a flagship store on Tmall. We can open a pre-sale channel and adjust our offerings based on the orders."

Gu Jingyi pondered for a moment, then offered a new suggestion.

Clothing is also subject to aesthetic differences, even though he was very familiar with the "white shoes" trend from his previous life.

However, his fan base is different from that of "white shoes," so he still needs to cater primarily to the tastes of his own fans.

Whichever sells better, use scarcity marketing.

Xiaomi, for example, is a company that should definitely learn from this approach.

With some initial marketing spending and gifts for celebrity friends, GoodGu can boost its fan base and ensure sales while also elevating its brand image.

"Okay, but the earliest it can be on the flagship store is early next month. How about October 6th? It's quite auspicious."

Lin Ze put down his notebook and asked Gu Jingyi for his opinion.

"Sure, but we can release the news now to generate buzz. I'm really worried that the huge success of 'Kuai Ge' will lead to the male lead wearing the same outfit becoming a huge hit on Taobao."

Gu Jingyi rubbed his temples and voiced his concerns.

"Don't worry, did you forget what you mentioned at your previous press conference? Your fans are all looking forward to it. As for piracy, most of the popular ones are based on TV series. For movies, the ticket price alone filters out the audience. Most people who are willing to buy tickets are willing to pay for the copyright."

Lin Ze adjusted his glasses and smiled politely.

"Congratulations, Jingyi! You're about to become the youngest 'billion-yuan box office star.' That's an incredible achievement; a new record is about to be set."

Gu Jingyi nodded. "If the movie grosses 1 billion yuan, perhaps we can suggest to the LVMH Group that I be featured in a solo issue of Vogue. Isn't the luxury skincare brand I wear from Guerlain about to be delisted? If I remember correctly, it should be at the beginning of next month."

"Yes, it was on October 8th. Choosing the first day after the National Day holiday would allow for more effective dissemination of the message once it was announced in the workplace."

Gu Jingyi laughed, "After all, it's the first day back to work after the holiday. Who's in the mood to focus on work? At times like this, celebrity updates are the best spice."

"But when will the luxury makeup I'm wearing come off? It can't wait until 'Ashes of Love' airs again, can it? That's too long. There are still two months left, and the five luxury brand ambassadors are even more powerful..."

It's no wonder Gu Jingyi was anxious, since these are all real achievements when it comes to year-end review.

"I regret to inform you that your intuition is correct. It will probably take that long with the LVMH Group. After all, even if your fans are incredibly generous and capable of spending money, the brand still needs to give them some time to rest when two luxury brands are removed from the market every month. Guerlain is not cheap. Of course, the same goes for YSL."

Lin Ze smiled like a fox, then suddenly straightened up and said, "Of course, if you're willing to lower your standards and look at cosmetics prices instead of luxury goods, famous brands like Helena Rubinstein, La Mer, TF, Shiseido, and CPB are all very interested in signing you."

Gu Jingyi “…”

"Forget it, I finally managed to escape the cosmetics industry. Those brands you mentioned, no matter how expensive, are still just cosmetics, not true luxury brands..."

The most famous true luxury cosmetics line is YSL.

Many people think YSL only makes lipsticks, after all, there were so many product placements in "My Love from the Star." This has created a deeply ingrained impression on viewers.

Actually, that's not the case; this brand is one of the "Eight Great Red Bloods".

The "Eight Red Bloods" refer to: Givenchy, Hermès, YSL, Versace, Armani, Lanvin, Valentino, and Burberry. Among them, Givenchy's "Prisme Libre" setting powder and YSL's lipsticks are particularly popular.

However, this does not mean that these two brands only have these few product lines…

In the realm of makeup, Armani actually offers the most balanced approach.

Armani is also part of the L'Oréal Group, which is in the same camp as Valentino, one of the "Eight Red Bloods".

If Gu Jingyi wants to directly contact Armani, he needs to become a spokesperson for Valentino first.

Forget it then. He's just a young guy who's never contributed anything to the L'Oréal Group. To parachute him into the position of Valentino's global brand ambassador right after he joined is too disrespectful to Yang, who has been supporting Valentino for a long time, and Zhang Yixing, who has risen through the ranks step by step.

Armani is good, but YSL is also very good!
Although both belong to the LVMH Group, their arrival doesn't steal the spotlight from anyone else.

This fits Gu Jingyi's personality of "making a fortune quietly," which is great!

Armani? Let's wait until Gu Jingyi's two-year contract with YSL expires and then see how sincere the brand is.

"Don't be discouraged. Brother Ze should be able to help you get Vogue. They've already refused to give Jingyi the same treatment as two luxury magazine agents in the same month, so they should at least help out with this magazine."

"However, I estimate that there will still be a queue in the China region."

Gu Jingyi sighed. They had agreed to shoot a double cover for Vogue China with Brother Hu in October.

With the added bonus of the "Silver October" issue, Vogue, being a double-edged magazine, is bound to be more prestigious than Chris's May issue featuring a foreign model.

"Therefore, we can find a new path."

A cold glint flashed in Lin Ze's eyes. "Isn't the overseas version of 'Vogue' still 'Vogue'?"

"You mean Singapore? That's not very prestigious."

Gu Jingyi was somewhat disappointed; he had thought it might be from other regions.

The generally accepted ranking of quality is: Master version > French > Italian > other regions.

The publication editions are ranked as follows: regular issue > special issue > complimentary issue.

Generally, statistics on an artist's achievements are based on official publications.

Only shameless fans would use "supplementary issues" (issues separate from regular months) as bragging rights.

Another common practice is to promote a "sub-magazine" like "Vogue me" as "Vogue," which is a very common tactic in the world of online traffic.

However, Gu Jingyi's fans would never do that; they believe they have class.

Vogue's parent magazine is in the United States, so Gu Jingyi would have to reach the top tier in Europe and America to get on the main edition.

It's already more difficult for celebrities to get on magazine covers than for models, let alone Gu Jingyi, who is of Asian descent.

The "four major editions" of Vogue refer to the Vogue magazine sections published in the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, and France.

It's relatively easier to get on the French edition; Kim Jisoo once graced the cover of French Vogue.

Most luxury brands are headquartered in France, so it wouldn't be difficult for a top executive at a top luxury brand to get a cover for the French edition of Vogue.

However, these are not things that Gu Jingyi needs to consider. Only after securing the Dior global brand ambassadorship can he think about French Vogue.

“I’m talking about South Korea. Have you forgotten that you have an experience that other domestic artists rarely have?”

Lin Ze's eyes were full of smiles, thanks to his overseas experience.

Gu Jingyi is not only famous in the Chinese entertainment industry, but also has a "white moonlight filter" in the domestic "Kpop" circle and South Korea.

This is an advantage; the South Korean edition of Vogue is still considered more prestigious than the new version.

The Singapore version falls under the Southeast Asian category.

As is well known, Chinese period dramas are very popular in Southeast Asia.

The current idols in the Chinese entertainment industry also have some popularity in Southeast Asia.

Many well-known young male actors in China are popular in Southeast Asia.

Even if Gu Jingyi does nothing, "A Love So Beautiful" still has a following in Southeast Asia.

However, the Singapore version is actually a bit low-quality.

They usually can't get into the South Korean edition of Vogue, so they go to Singapore to get a piece of the pie and enhance their image.

After a while, I'll go to the South Korean version.

For example, Ning Yizhuo appeared in the Singapore edition of Vogue in October 2021. She waited almost three years before finally appearing in the South Korean edition of Vogue in September 2024.

Dior gave Gu Jingyi a "silver October" issue of Vogue as a consolation gift, which he could barely accept.

What else can we do? It's all the same no matter which top luxury brand we choose to endorse.

Well, I guess I'll just have to make do. Dior is barely acceptable. Anyway, Gu Jingyi is too lazy to move now, so he might as well just get promoted in one fell swoop.

As an actor, he still has to rely on box office and viewership ratings to speak for himself.

As a singer, he can only boast about his year-end awards and album sales.

Gu Jingyi remained quiet the whole way, and then started playing games through his headphones.

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but he fell asleep again.

Gu Jingyi only woke up when his phone kept vibrating, disturbing his sleep.

"what happened?"

Gu Jingyi glanced at his phone, picked it up in annoyance, and was about to confront him.

I only let it go after seeing that it was a message from Liu Haojian.

[Miss Buffett]: The movie was great! When are you coming to do a promotional tour?

[Miss Buffett]: Waiting obediently.JPG.

The accompanying picture was a selfie of hers.

Sunlight fell on her face as she held up the ticket stub for "Take My Brother Away" and smiled innocently.

[Miss Buffett]: I don't know what you want to do here for a roadshow, Dunhuang City is so big.

Gu Jingyi read through the messages one by one, and his anger at being woken up gradually subsided.

"This is difficult."

"Because the promotional tour for 'Take My Brother Away' only covers West On City, not Dunhuang."

"If you want to see it, I can give you a ticket to the roadshow in Xi'an City."

"Of course, if it's convenient for you."

[convenient!]
The other party responded quickly, clearly having been glued to their phone screen the whole time.

"Okay, then it'll be September 28th. The show is at 3 PM. Give me an address and Brother Ze will send it by express delivery."

The address was quickly sent over the next second.

Gu Jingyi chuckled and told Lin Ze about it.

"Of course, I'll have it sent by courier in a bit."

Today, September 27th.

"Take My Brother Away" only grossed 7000 million yuan and failed to hold the top spot on the daily box office chart.

Although it's a bit of a shame, it's normal.

Every movie goes through a phase like this; as long as it doesn't fall apart all at once, it's fine.

On September 30th, Happy Twist's "Li Cha's Aunt" will be released.

The screening rate of "Take My Brother Away" will be affected, and Gu Jingyi must work hard to run performances before then.

The total box office of "Take My Brother Away" is currently 5.67 million yuan, which is a decent figure.

However, once the screening rate decreases, the daily box office is estimated to hover around 3 to 4000 million.

At this rate, it will probably take until near the end of its run to reach 10 billion yuan in box office revenue.

As they drew closer to the venue for the roadshow, Gu Jingyi washed his face with water. He braced himself, preparing to greet his fans in his best form.

The next day, Gu Jingyi saw Jianzi again during a roadshow in Xi'an.

She sat in the front row, holding up a huge banner in Gu Jingyi's signature color and smiling happily.

Gu Jingyi was also infected by her emotions, and his mood brightened up.

Roadshows are not very interesting for artists, as the game segments are pretty much the same in every location.

But for fans who came specifically for their idol, every moment is worth cherishing.

As soon as Gu Jingyi left the roadshow venue, Lin Ze took her to a Western restaurant in his van.

"This is a place my friend owns; it's quiet and peaceful. It's only open to the public, so privacy is important."

"Um"

"Jingyi, have a great date."

Lin Ze started teasing again, but fortunately Gu Jingyi was already immune to it.

He originally intended to have a date in the car, as the Bentley van was spacious enough.

Furthermore, dating in a car was a new experience he learned in K-pop.

In K-pop, celebrity couples most often go on dates in their cars.

Don't worry about being photographed. Being photographed means you should stay away from Xiao Ming Ge's South Korean branch, who is full of "chuunibyou CEO dreams".

She's very easy to talk to even if she gets photographed; she could be the female lead in the music video for the album after that.

(End of this chapter)