How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 133 How could heretical cultivators understand these things?
This April in Shanghai coincides with the World Expo.

As the largest international event since the Olympics, this is another opportunity for China to showcase itself to the world. So, starting almost in April, the entire city of Shanghai began to focus on this theme.

As a media company that already has a certain reputation in Shanghai, Tianhuo Media naturally received requests from relevant parties.

Being able to participate in projects of this caliber is something that many companies would gladly compete for, even at their own expense.

But Wang Yao felt it was a hot potato.

Because this project is so formal, there can't be even the slightest flaw.

But with new media, how can something that's too positive generate buzz?
However, the leaders also had high expectations for Wang Yao.

How to create topics that are positive, energetic, and in a positive direction.

This stumped Wang Yao; how could a heretical cultivator understand such things?

Not only him, but even his editors didn't have any good ideas. Every suggestion they made during the meeting was rejected.

They're really not from the same family; they're bound to cross paths.

Because of Wang Yao's influence, the entire cultural and creative department's hiring and review standards are biased.

Wang Yao realized the problem and realized he needed to find some upright and respectable media professionals.

"Forget about that for now. Let's keep it simple and focus on the least likely area of ​​error: the volunteers. I estimate this event will need around 100,000 volunteers, so the target audience is large enough."

"Xiao He, why don't you form a separate group of 20 people? First, record some footage of the World Expo, then film some volunteer footage and report on it, making a documentary-style program." Wang Yao ultimately felt it was a safer option.

He vaguely remembered that many volunteer-related topics trended on social media at the time, sparking considerable discussion. One that left a deep impression was the code name "Little Cabbage" because the volunteer uniform consisted of a green shirt and white trousers, a meme that could be used.

Since there are these basic memes, we can develop more advanced versions of the topic, such as "the most beautiful little cabbage," which can certainly ride the wave of popularity.

After thinking it over, Wang Yao decided that he could use this event to increase the visibility of the company's lower- and mid-level contracted artists, and asked the head of the artist department to notify each group.

Starting this month, all the artists will begin learning about Expo volunteering and will dedicate a few days to participating in related activities.

Wang Yao highlighted the names of Zhao Yihuan and Kim Ji-won, highlighting them as key targets for promotion by China and Korea respectively.

Zhao Yihuan is now the top Taobao model; we could give her another push and release the "Puberty" series of online movies.

Kim Ji-won is not well-known in either country, so she can use this charity opportunity to increase her popularity. The title of "Most Beautiful Korean Cabbage" awarded by Chinese media can easily cause a frenzy among Korean netizens when posted on foreign websites.

I've already come up with the title: 'The beauty of the Korean volunteer has shocked China'.

Therefore, Wang Yao specially led a group to take a tour of the World Expo site, which was still under construction. The main structures of all the venues were basically completed, and only some finishing work such as landscaping was left. However, there were still a large number of construction workers rushing to complete the work.

"Boss, I have an idea," Wang Yao said to the person in charge who was accompanying him.

"Does Mr. Wang have any brilliant ideas?" the person in charge asked with a smile.

"Such a large-scale event cannot be separated from these grassroots workers. I think that in order to show the elegance of our country as a nation of etiquette, the first wave of publicity can be based on praising the workers. Find a temporarily unused venue and designate it as a 'builder's rest area."

"Then we'll do some publicity, and afterwards we'll ask our media friends to stop using terms like 'migrant worker' and uniformly change 'construction worker' to 'worker.' This way, by expressing respect for the working class, we indirectly elevate the overall image of our organization," Wang Yao said with a smile.

“Builders?” The person in charge pondered for a moment, then his eyes lit up. “President Wang is indeed extraordinary. No wonder he has built such a great business at such a young age. This is a good change of term.”

I also come from a rural background, and I used to think it was just a name. However, in recent years, the issue of migrant workers has frequently sparked debate on new media, giving the name a lot of other meanings.

The term "builder" transcends these connotations, showcasing only the value of grassroots laborers' actions. While "migrant worker" might sound like a temporary worker, "builder" embodies that meaning.

"It showcases Shanghai's characteristics as an inclusive metropolis, and it truly demonstrates a greater sense of humanistic care, which I believe will definitely attract attention and discussion," the person in charge said with a broad smile.

Wang Yao feigned surprise, saying, "It's truly admirable that the leader could think of so many deeper meanings."

Otherwise, they'd be the person in charge.

"Haha, Mr. Wang, there's no need to hold back. But I'll take this idea." The person in charge smiled.

Wang Yao exchanged a few pleasantries with them, his gaze sweeping over the laborers passing by in the setting sun.

In addition, Wang Yao suggested using Kanpianer.com's online ticketing technology to assist in monitoring visitor information at various venues. Kanpianer.com's mobile app has already entered internal testing, and the device no longer scans barcodes but can directly verify ticket information using a second-generation ID card reader, which is perfect for testing.

Volunteers can use the visitor flow data on the mobile app to guide tourists in queuing or booking tickets online, preventing some venues from being overcrowded or deserted, since the park's daily capacity is very limited. The person in charge thought the suggestion was good, but said they would need to discuss it further at a meeting, as online ticketing is a new technology and there are still many unknowns.

Wang Yao wasn't in a hurry. If it worked out, as the 'technical' partner of this international project, Kanpianer.com would definitely become famous overnight.

"Brother, this idea is sure to be a huge hit, so why was it sent out?" Zhou Cong asked, puzzled, on the way back to the company.

As the company's second-in-command, he naturally had to be included in this opportunity to make his presence felt in front of the leadership.

"Ideas have different effects on different people. When we use them, we might only get some traffic and buzz, but if they use them, the effects and impact could be completely different," Wang Yao said meaningfully.

"I don't think so. They're just using it as a gimmick. What real change can it bring?" Zhou Cong chuckled.

"Leave the right things to the right people. As for changes? Only God knows." Wang Yao smiled and shook his head, no longer discussing the matter. "The Beijing branch has set up a literary website. You read online novels, right? You'll be in charge of it too. Anyway, the SOP process for the online store is already perfected, so you don't need to worry too much."

"Okay, then I'll just take care of the traffic section. I'll leave the school to Teacher Zheng and the business side to Ni Ni. But online novels don't make money, there's not much profit in them." Zhou Cong was indeed getting a little tired of it.

At first, the media found keyword search and traffic generation quite interesting, but after hiring more people and reaching a performance ceiling, it became tedious, which is what he disliked most at his age.

“Instead of competing with Shanda and the like, let’s forge our own new path. Have you watched the recently premiered TV series ‘The Boss’s Happiness’?” Wang Yao asked with a smile.

After the hit drama "The Myth" at the beginning of the year, this TV series starring Fan Wei took the ratings crown in early March with a 5% viewership rating, becoming a dark horse in the ratings.

This is a story about a rural older brother who became successful by working as a foot masseur, sending his younger siblings to university. In his middle age, he seeks his own ideals and is pursued by various beautiful women. Whenever he encounters a crisis, his brothers and sisters who are powerful in the city will appear to help him solve the problem and then give the villains a good slap in the face.

This script is considered the earliest and most standard "feel-good" novel structure, containing all the satisfying elements for readers in the lower-tier market, such as pretending to be weak to deceive others, the coldness and warmth of human relationships, and the classic trope of a domineering female CEO falling in love with a masseuse.

“Of course, I watch it every day. Fan Wei’s acting is really good,” Zhou Cong said with a smile.

“Just follow this script, analyze all the characters and plot points, put them together into an outline, and then change the protagonist’s identity to something like an overseas killing god returning home to retire, a war god going to war and having his family locked in cages, or a Taoist priest going down the mountain to break off an engagement. Then find some ghostwriters or readers to write custom stories. The highest you can get is 30 per thousand words,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"This character design sounds pretty appealing. I have a few authors I really like. Could we recruit them to our company?" Zhou Cong became interested.

“Anything is fine. Just tell me if the company doesn’t have enough money in its account, but before June, I need a novel called ‘The Return of the Goddess of War’,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"A female warrior? There's no readership for that. Female readers are all into domestic power struggles and melodramatic romance novels." Zhou Cong was taken aback.

"Are you stupid? Just switch the genders. It's a light novel anyway, the important thing is that the plot is exciting." Wang Yao planned to make a super long web series for Dongfang Xin to test the waters.

The following day, several local media outlets in Shanghai published news about the "Expo builders' rest area," which quickly became a hot topic and sparked discussion across various news sections.

The World Expo was already a major draw, and this human-centered approach to publicity has taken it to a new level, gaining widespread recognition.

Because of the positive public opinion effect, the person in charge contacted Wang Yao, saying that the online ticketing technology of Kanpianer.com could be used as a partner, but only as a way to coordinate visitor flow.

This is enough.

Wang Yao met Stephen Chow through Wang Jing's introduction.

Wang Jing and Stephen Chow actually have a pretty good relationship. Stephen Chow also participated in the script and special effects of the film "Unknown Sinners," which was touted as a major work in the industrialization of Hong Kong cinema at the time, and Xu Jiao was cast as the female lead.

Among all the artists signed to Star Back Company, Xu Jiao is currently the only one who has truly received preferential treatment in terms of resources. This is mainly because Zhou Xingxing has adjusted his career path, feeling that he no longer has any creative desire in live-action films.

He wanted to try big-budget special effects films or animated films next, and the success of Xu Jiao and "Chang'e 7" led him to invest a lot of energy in the animated version of "Chang'e 7" last year.

Therefore, abandoning investment in artists like Zhang Yuqi is a normal phenomenon. It's not because she secretly had her eyes surgically removed, nor because of her high-profile relationship, but rather because of a major adjustment in the company's overall direction.

Wang Jing's two films have been in theaters for almost two months and are nearing their end. Thanks to Wang Yao's efforts to turn things around, "Unknown" has grossed 1.3 million yuan and "The Secret" has grossed 1.1 million yuan.

The former suffered heavy losses and didn't even recoup its investment, but the latter made some money. Overall, Wang Jing's reputation didn't collapse this time, and both he and the investors behind him were very grateful to Wang Yao.

Stephen Chow was one of the collaborators of "Unknown Singer," so we had to give him face. I made a special trip to Shanghai to see him. Actually, he's not focusing his energy on the entertainment industry anymore; he's devoted to real estate.

He and his girlfriend Yu Wenfeng have made nearly a billion dollars from buying and selling real estate since the millennium. Film and television are just a hobby for them.

"Mr. Wang, it's an honor to meet you." At this time, Stephen Chow was still in high spirits and did not have the gray hair that became his trademark during the hype period. His hair and clothes were very well styled.

Yu Wenfeng, standing beside him, also possessed an extraordinary air about her; the two of them together resembled a business elite couple.

"Mr. Stephen Chow, it's an honor to meet you. Miss Yu is even more beautiful than the rumors suggest," Wang Yao said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)