lcionline Chapter 88 Emotional Pre-sale
Chapter 88 Emotional Pre-sale
Two more days passed.
Wang Li didn't return the phone call, and Tencent didn't reply to the email either.
But Ren Pingsheng wasn't idle; he was doing something important: generating buzz for "Old Boys".
Or, to be more precise, it's an emotional pre-sale.
Traditional marketing strategies are nothing more than releasing trailers, issuing press releases, and at most buying some Google Play slots online, then waiting for the product to launch.
But Ren Pingsheng didn't want this kind of superficial exposure.
He wanted to put these post-80s generation on the verge of emotional outbursts before they even saw "Old Boys".
Under Ren Pingsheng's arrangement, the team from Shengpingshi worked overnight to produce a series of short videos using footage from real shooting and materials collected online.
The next morning, a video less than twenty seconds long was uploaded to Youku.
The startup sound effect, "Ah-ha, the Little Tyrant is so much fun!" plays, and the screen cuts to a jet of water from a water gun, a bamboo dragonfly flying into the air with a rub of the hands, and a boxed card game overturned on the concrete floor.
The image quality is rough, and some of the materials are even taken from Baidu Images. In Ren Pingsheng's words, this roughness is exactly what he wanted; if it were too refined, it wouldn't feel right.
After the video was successfully uploaded, Ren Pingsheng opened Xinlang Weibo and forwarded the link using his Shengpingshi account.
The caption reads: #MemoriesOfAGeneration# Do you still remember these toys?
Shortly after it was posted, it was forwarded over 3,000 times, and the comment section exploded.
"Holy crap! A bamboo dragonfly! My grandpa carved one for me, and I flew it up into a tree."
"I used to collect a whole shoebox full of those picture cards, but I threw them all away when I moved. I still feel so bad about it now."
"When I see the Little Tyrant (a popular Chinese video game console), the background music from Contra automatically starts playing in my head."
"My mom confiscated my water gun back then, and I was so angry that I didn't eat dinner."
Ren Pingsheng glanced at the comments section, a slight smile playing on his lips.
You see, that's just how people are.
If you tell him you're coming to see my movie, he'll most likely swipe away.
But if you say you still remember your childhood toys, he can write you an 800-word essay.
The next day, Bai Ke and his friends each used their own Weibo accounts to repost the second video.
#Memories of a Generation# Do you still remember these snacks?
Sour plum powder, sticky candy, Monkey King pills, watermelon bubble gum, and Tang Monk meat, a favorite among boys.
This one spreads faster than the first one.
The tone of the comments section shifted from "reminiscing" to "comparing".
"Monkey King Pill? Do you have that where you live? We call it 'rat droppings'!"
"Sticky candy cost 10 cents a bar. I would buy a dollar's worth at a time and distribute it in class. The whole class called me Big Brother."
"A bag of sour plum powder cost 2 cents. The brown one was sour plum flavored, and the white one was sweet. I've forgotten the taste. I still have the spoons I collected back then at home. (See attached picture)"
On the third day, Ren Pingsheng changed the format.
After the rough radio button sounds, a medley of old songs began, with six chorus segments crammed into thirty seconds, each lasting only four or five seconds, and each segment ending abruptly at its most captivating point.
The accompanying images are close-ups of various cassette tape covers, scratches on the plastic casings, and yellowed edges of the labels.
This video was shared three times more often than the previous two days.
Because everyone can't help but add to their own playlist.
"And there's 'Sailor'! Zheng Zhihua's 'Sailor'!"
"Xiao Fang! There's a girl in the village named Xiao Fang!"
"I'll add one more, 'About Winter,' I copied the lyrics to an entire notebook when I was in junior high."
On the same day, Da Peng talked about his recent experience in the recording studio in the latest episode of "Deba De".
"I was recording a song the other day and I started crying while recording," Da Peng said, scratching his head at the camera with a slightly embarrassed expression. "It wasn't that the song was particularly sad, it was just that I suddenly realized that as you get older, there are some things you can never go back to."
He didn't mention "Old Boys" or any specific song title.
But some people have already asked about it in the comments.
"What extra songs did you record?"
"Is it a new work?"
"Please give me spoilers!"
……
For several days in a row, Ren Pingsheng used this rogue tactic of "creating videos" to stir up a wave of nostalgia on the still imperfect topic function of Xinlang Weibo, even without the trending search function.
Every day, new users spontaneously participate, posting old photos, showing off old items, and telling childhood stories.
More and more large accounts are following suit, including those that write jokes, create comics, and repost news and information.
The embers of emotion have piled up higher than a mountain.
All that's missing is a match to light it.
The fire was lit on the morning of the day with only one week left before the launch.
An account with zero followers named "Official Microfilm Old Boys" reposted a one-minute video.
#Memories of a Generation# Have your original wishes come true?
There were no toys, no snacks, and no music in the video.
Only a group of real faces.
Young people in their early twenties spoke to the camera about their childhood dreams.
"I wanted to be a scientist when I was a kid, but now I sell computers in Zhongguancun."
"I wanted to be a pilot when I was a kid, but now I'm a taxi driver."
"When I was a child, I wanted to be a painter. Now I work as a graphic designer at GG Company, and I draw GG flyers the most."
"I wanted to be a singer when I was a kid, but now I don't even dare to sing in karaoke, afraid my friends will laugh at me."
After each person finishes speaking, the screen will slow down and fade to gray for one second.
In that instant, there was something indescribable in their expressions.
At the end of the video, the screen is black with white text.
"If dreams always seem unattainable, should I give up?"
The release time is 10:00 AM.
Da Peng forwarded it at 10:03.
"My childhood dream was to be a rock singer. Now I'm a host who makes people laugh in front of the camera every day. But at least I'm still standing on stage."
Bai Ke ten and a half.
"When I was a child, my dream was to be a chivalrous hero who fought against evil. But as I grew up, I realized that I couldn't save anyone. However, I've been learning something recently: save yourself first."
Tong Liya, 10:08.
"My childhood dream was to become a dancer and dance on the world's biggest stage. But as I grew up, I realized that being able to stand on any stage is already a luxury."
At 10:15, Xiao Shenyang forwarded it.
"My childhood dream was to make my dad laugh, and my job as an adult is to make the whole country laugh. Sometimes, when dreams come true, you don't know whether to cry or laugh."
At 10:30, Song Xiaobao caught up.
"My childhood dream was to grow taller, but now that I'm older... well, never mind."
This comment immediately rose to the top of the trending comments, with the comments below all saying "hahahahahaha".
The somber atmosphere was punctured by this sentence, but strangely enough, after the laughter subsided, people were more easily struck by what followed.
Because laughter is the best way to disarm oneself.
By noon, things started to get out of control.
A genuine, spontaneous loss of control.
Ordinary netizens began to imitate this format and write their own versions.
"When I was a child, I wanted to be an astronaut. Now I work at Foxconn, screwing in screws. My dream didn't come true, but I've managed to support my daughter."
"When I was little, I dreamed of marrying a prince charming. Now I'm married to a bald programmer, and we argue every day about everyday things. But yesterday I had a fever, and he ran three blocks in the middle of the night to buy me medicine. I don't regret it."
One after another, even some official media outlets couldn't help but join the discussion.
By 6 p.m., although the Old Boys account hadn't gained many new followers, the original post had been retweeted over three million times.
And all of this was done without spending a single penny on promotion.
The title "Old Boys" has become a spiritual icon that has been widely discussed online, even before a single frame of the film has been shown.
The pre-sale based on emotional appeal was a resounding success.
Now, even if a pig were in charge, this short film is destined to become a nationwide sensation.
Just then, the email icon in the lower right corner of the computer, which had been dormant for several days, suddenly flickered.