How can you become a star without money?

Chapter 213 Cat-loving Girl
After some haggling, the two parties finally reached a new cooperation agreement of 2000 million RMB plus a 10% commission. This 10% commission is not based on the transaction amount, but rather on the commission share of Vancl's total revenue for the second half of the year.

If Vancl's revenue reaches 1 billion in the next two quarters, Wang Yao can directly take 10 million in commission. Chen Nian uses this kind of bundled cooperation to ensure risk control.

While 1 million in commissions is a lot, at least it's not a loss. But 5000 million in pure marketing expenses would be a complete waste.

Wang Yao naturally customized the latest internet parody style for Chen Nian, the "Vancl Style." This marketing campaign was originally the idea of ​​Qiu Xinyu, the founder of Yuanshan Media. This company specializes in visual promotion design for the film and television industry, and their work includes "Tang Zhen," "Bullet," and "Jinling."

At the end of last month, Vancl finalized the endorsement of Han Han and Wang Luodan. Chen Nian liked the pretentious advertising style that initially carried a strong sense of superiority of 'intellectuals/artists' and was preparing to promote it extensively.

It's perfect for using deconstructionist parodies to drive traffic and attention. This typical labeling marketing is quite effective, suitable for creating opposing topics and a culture of self-deprecation. Both of these groups happen to fit the consumer profile of the Vancl platform.

Leveraging the style of the customized T-shirts from the previous Vancl "anti-submarine" incident, another batch of "Vancl-style" emoji T-shirts can be produced, firmly establishing Vancl's platform as a diverse, approachable, and cost-effective brand.

The emoji economy has a huge market in the apparel industry, and Wang Yao recently acquired A/B Station, which has a group of loyal anime and manga fans who can be converted and spread the content.

As one of the earliest niche ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) culture platforms in China, ACFun's operations collapsed last year due to internal factional struggles that caused server outages in its data center for a month, making it inaccessible to users and resulting in no one reviewing submissions.

Bilibili was thus established. The founder of Bilibili was a loyal user of AcFun. He started his own platform because he couldn't stand AcFun's terrible servers. He also upgraded AcFun's bullet screen technology to prevent malicious blocking of bullet screens, making Bilibili more stable despite being a small platform invested in by only a few people.

After being shut down for more than half a year, A-site resumed operations, but suffered a severe loss of users. Founder X was exhausted after experiencing internal strife, and coupled with poor management of the website, he considered selling the platform.

Cai Haoyu, a veteran anime and manga fan, suggested that Wang Yao acquire the company to use as a promotional platform for Xingyou after learning about the news. Last month, Wang Yao acquired it for a bargain price of 500 million.

However, A-site is almost just an empty shell. Although it has over 500,000 registered users, its daily active users have dropped to the hundred level. To restart it, the cost would be at least tens of millions of yuan.

Wang Yao thought for a moment and decided that it would be better to just acquire Bilibili as well, since the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) community is currently less than a million users, and it would be a waste for such a small platform to engage in such fierce competition.

So, ahead of Uncle Chen, they acquired Bilibili for 1500 million, a high premium of 80%, and used Bilibili as the core for the development of ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) culture, while using AcFun as the core category for the development of traditional Chinese style culture.

When the two platforms were taken over, their combined daily active users were less than 10,000. Almost all the content on the platforms was copied, with very little original content.

After Wang Yao brought in a batch of marketing accounts, the content gradually became richer. The technical threshold of the bullet screen video website is not high, but the maintenance and review costs are huge. It took Xingyou's core members more than half a month to adjust and get the two platforms running normally.

Wang Yao positioned these two platforms as continuing Bilibili's focus on "fan creations," "parodies," and "meme-style content," while eliminating a large amount of pure content reposting. Combined with the official manga material library provided by the acquired Japanese platform J-Comi, this could temporarily support the content supply of the two platforms.

A-site also benefits from traffic support from the traditional Chinese style and dance communities.

Wang Yao doesn't have high expectations for these two platforms, as he doesn't plan to over-commercialize them for the time being. He only needs to ensure that the daily active users exceed 10,000. After all, if the daily active users reach 100,000, they may have to operate at a loss. At present, he is not planning to get involved in the competition in the video industry.

We should wait at least one or two years until the cost of bandwidth technology decreases before considering it.

However, Wang Yao was not stingy when it came to talent reserves. After the acquisition, he directly held a selection event for "Top 100 UP Masters" to encourage platform talents to actively submit original content with a prize of 2000 yuan per person.

If Vancl had invested all of its 20 million yuan in advertising into the operation of A/B stations, it should have been able to achieve its goal of expanding its reach beyond its core audience.

Cai Haoyu is very dedicated to these two platforms. If it weren't for Wang Yao holding him back, Xingyou might have directly sponsored the first tournament of "Water Spear" and provided financial support.

Although they refused to let Xingyou accelerate the expansion of A/B stations, Wang Yao and Cai Haoyu still decided to hold a comic convention.

Huaxia's comic convention activities can be traced back to the first doujinshi event launched by the Fudan Boiling Point Comic Club in 07. It started as a fan club on campus and later developed into the predecessor of COMICUP Shanghai Doujinshi Festival.

Initially, it was just a campus ACG platform. Later, by joining forces with fan clubs in universities across the country, it integrated diverse content such as otaku dance, cosplay, voice acting, and fan creations, forming a closed loop of "creation-display-exchange".

In the realm of anime and manga, Shanghai is indeed an authority. Last year's doujinshi festival even attracted 370 clubs from 86 schools and thousands of participants.

Wang Yao is now practically a "middleman" in this regard. He communicated directly with the school and contacted COMICUP, eventually reaching an agreement to hold China's first official large-scale comic convention with tens of thousands of participants on July 7.31st.

The event is being held in Thames Town, so the town square is currently being renovated to house stalls and a market.

Besides promoting A/B station, this event was mainly for soft recruitment. In 2010, those involved in the ACG (Anime, Comics, and Games) industry, whether in terms of appearance economy or comics/novels/doujinshi economy, were basically the best of the best.

Wang Yao needs to recruit a group of truly creative (non-marketing) talents, since the company has moved beyond the model of relying on copying/hyping and has begun to try to accumulate original IPs.

Also, during this trip to Japan, I basically bought the licenses for all the popular IPs, so I can start promoting the small card/data industry again.

And the most important part of a comic convention is, of course, cosplay.

Even before the convention plans were finalized, Wang Yao had already arranged his cosplay outfit.

In order to ensure that it trends on social media, it is natural to make good use of gimmicks.

So after Wang Yao returned to Shanghai, he held his first formal meeting to prepare for assigning cosplayers.

It just so happens that filming for "22" and "Fairy Robe" has recently wrapped up, and most of the cast and crew are resting in Shanghai while waiting for their next schedule.

The women were all quite surprised when they saw the several cosplay outfits displayed in the conference room.

"What is a comic convention? Looking at this style of clothing, it's a bit like the bikini exhibition I used to attend when I participated in beauty pageants," Zhang Meng joked with a smile.

"Have any of you watched Digimon? Tell Mengjie about it," Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Is this set of Angewomon and Devimon?" Zhao Liying had some knowledge of anime and recognized the similar style of the black and white outfits.

"Who do you think is suitable?" Wang Yao asked.

The group exchanged glances, their gazes eventually settling on Nazha and Zhang Tianai.

They all understood Wang Yao's personality quite well.

These kinds of bundled promotions are usually prepared for Gulnazar and Zhang Tianai.

"You're not really going to make us wear that, are you?" Nazha's face flushed red instantly. "That's way too revealing! I'm still a child!"

"Where are you showing skin? It's not even as much as the denim shorts and tank tops you two are wearing today. Besides, you're wearing faceplates, which can cover your faces completely," Wang Yao chuckled.

Zhang Tianai glanced at her own outfit subconsciously. It did seem a bit more revealing than the two cosplay costumes. Her face flushed slightly. "That's true, but why do I feel that way?"

"How come it's unusually erotic even though it doesn't show much skin?" Zhao Liying finished the sentence for her.

"Maybe it's because of the leggings and stockings?" Yang Ying blinked.

"It looks a bit like the kind of clothing worn in online game endorsements," Dilraba said.

“Reba is quite perceptive; you can treat this as a promotional campaign for the online game Metabolism campaign,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Is this event really that important? It's so daring!" Zhang Meng asked jokingly, tilting her head.

“What do you mean by ‘large scale’? It means to look at it with normal eyes. It’s settled then. Angewomon/Devimon Naza and Aya will be here, Hancock will be here, and Red Serpent will be here.” Wang Yao stroked his chin.

“I can do it.” Yang Ying volunteered, as this style was relatively easy for her to handle, given her background as a professional model.

"Does everyone have to participate?" Zhao Liying looked troubled.

She is very self-aware of her figure, and anything that exposes too much skin or is too sexy doesn't suit her.

“Here’s a set of Cardcaptor Sakura children’s clothes,” Wang Yao suggested.

"You look down on me! I want to cosplay No-Face, I've seen Spirited Away!" Zhao Liying said angrily.

"Can I cosplay as Conan?" Dilraba asked tentatively, noticing that none of the outfits suited her.

"You're cosplaying Hatsune Miku," Wang Yao stated directly.

"Okay." Dilraba looked at the cute pleated skirt and secretly breathed a sigh of relief. "They had already assigned everything themselves, but they still went through the motions and called us to a meeting," Zhang Meng said with a grin.

It's really hard to guess who wants to watch it.

"Of course, it's not just this one thing." Wang Yao cleared his throat. "Everyone worked very hard last quarter, and to reward everyone, the company is preparing to distribute a batch of benefits."

The women's faces lit up with joy upon hearing this, and they stared at Wang Yao with expectant eyes.

"As you all can see, Mixue's business is booming. Based on our store's revenue calculations, we can basically break even in one year, and make a profit in the second year. Therefore, outstanding employees here can receive the first batch of franchise opportunities." Wang Yao looked at them with a smile.

Franchise slots?

What means?
"Do we have to pay for the franchise ourselves?" Zhang Meng raised an eyebrow slightly.

The first Mixue flagship store in the small town was renovated last week, and there have been long queues every day since its opening. I heard that it sells thousands of cups every day, and basically all the college students in the surrounding area drink it every day. The business is indeed booming.

"Of course, it can also be deducted from your salary. The first batch is currently located in prime locations near universities in Shanghai, with store investments ranging from 50 to 200 million yuan. Those interested can claim their own, but each person can claim a maximum of 3 stores." Wang Yao projected a map onto the screen, showing all the locations in Shanghai where stores could be opened.

Veteran artists like Zhang Meng and Gulnazar earn over 30 yuan a month and have unconditional trust in Wang Yao, so they have no objections.

Zhao Liying and Dilraba, the newly joined employees, all looked hesitant upon hearing this.

This form of welfare is indeed quite rare.

Zhang Meng has the demeanor of an elder sister; with a wave of her hand, she helped the newcomers purchase a franchise store.

She could roughly guess that Wang Yao was using this method to test cohesion.

The Mixue project should be a sure thing. Although Zhao Liying and the others are not earning much now, they will soon reach the first or second tier of the industry under the company's training. At that time, people's morale may waver.

Perhaps other companies will try to poach talent with high salaries.

However, Tianhuo's model of bringing employees on board to invest in side businesses can provide another layer of attraction. Although the employee benefits are not cash or goods, they are 'cooperation opportunities'.

Once such collaboration opportunities begin to generate revenue, they may be more effective at retaining employees than simply using resources.

The benefits offered by Wang Yao can not only quickly expand Mixue's franchise stores in Shanghai, but also potentially increase their 'sunk costs' and sense of belonging. Although these young women may not have much investment awareness in the early stages, they will become fascinated by this kind of 'compound interest investment' once they start to see returns.

It can not only increase cohesion, but also help to mitigate future internal conflicts caused by resource competition.

After all, if an artist's income depends solely on resources, it is easy for them to become mentally unbalanced. However, if they have a worry-free side job to support them, many of these emotions will be mitigated.

The list of cosplayers for the anime convention was posted in the signing group, and several other anime and manga enthusiasts quickly emerged.

Yang Mi, who was still filming in Hengdian, was the first to respond to the call; she wanted to cosplay Kakashi.

Just as Wang Yao finalized the selection of the cosplayer and the benefits for joining the company, he received a text message from Liu Yifei, who was visiting him.

"Did you come alone today?" Wang Yao asked, somewhat puzzled when he returned to his office and saw her alone.

"What? Am I some kind of little kid who can't live without his parents?" Liu Yifei pouted.

"More or less, what brings you here?" Wang Yao asked with a smile.

Liu Yifei wrinkled her nose: "My mom came to find out about the collaboration you mentioned last time."

"Shouldn't it be her or President Chen who should come?" Wang Yao raised an eyebrow.

It seems she doesn't have much say in matters of the business.

"I bet they hired paparazzi to take pictures of me going in and out of your company alone," Liu Yifei scoffed.

"That's possible. What? Are you trying to use me to divert attention?" Wang Yao smiled, glancing at Liu Yifei's outfit, which made her look more like a paparazzi.

Liu Yifei and Wang Lihong's movie is about to be released, and recently there has been a deluge of gossip about the two.

"Let's get down to business first, Mr. Wang, please enlighten me." Liu Yifei shrugged.

"I remember you have pets, right?" Wang Yao asked.

"Yes, I have a few pets, and I've also adopted some stray cats and dogs," Liu Yifei nodded.

“The cat-loving persona has great potential internationally. I can arrange a cat-loving girl persona for you, without showing your face, showing the whole process of building a cat paradise by yourself. You've probably seen those YouTube videos of building houses by hand, right?” Wang Yao said.

"I don't know how to build houses?" Liu Yifei was taken aback.

She really liked the idea; spending time with small animals was a rare hobby and a moment of peace for her.

But asking her to build a house with her bare hands is giving her too much credit.

“You can learn it. It’s just a wooden structure, and you can do some manual labor. Of course, you can also stage a photoshoot. Just find someone else to do it. The main point is to highlight that you are very kind-hearted and have a little money. The highlight is the process of recording everything from scratch, as well as your act of adopting stray cats.” Wang Yao smiled.

"Well, that's fine, but I'm about to start filming 'Nie Xiaoqian,' so I'm afraid I won't have much time to take care of her," Liu Yifei said, frowning.

“There will be someone to take care of you normally. You’ll just be responsible for recording the footage. You’ll go back to Shanghai once a week and film right here. We happen to have taken in a lot of stray cats recently, so they can be your extras,” Wang Yao said with a smile.

"Can we go take a look?" Liu Yifei's eyes lit up.

“Okay, it’s not far. We’ll get photographed by paparazzi anyway.” Wang Yao pondered for a moment, then stood up and laughed.

Liu Yifei's lips twitched slightly as she pursed her lips and followed behind him.

As soon as I got out of the car, a stray kitten that looked only one or two months old darted out from the roadside in the villa area behind the town.

"Be careful, don't get scratched," Wang Yao said, stopping her from possessing him.

"I have a special affinity for cats." Liu Yifei smiled sweetly and squatted down.

The little stray cat jumped far away warily and meowed twice.

"Oh? You're still so young. Do you have a mother?"

"What are you yelling for? Do you miss your mom?"

"You're calling me that so rudely, were you abandoned?"

"Don't run away, okay? Try your best to find your mother."

"Hehe, I'll take a video of you."

Wang Yao watched silently as Liu Yifei talked the little stray cat until it bristled, his feelings somewhat complicated.

The first sentence sounded bad, and every sentence that followed was just as bad.

At first, I thought Liu Yifei was concerned about it, but later she kept saying things like she wanted it to die.

I'm starting to worry about what will happen if my "cat lover" persona collapses in the future.

(End of this chapter)