2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 137: The Publicity Campaign Quietly Begins

Yicheng.

In August, the season when osmanthus blossoms fill the air with fragrance, the weather is still quite hot and humid. The fan in the living room oscillates from side to side. Zhang Suzhi is rocking the stroller with one hand and holding the remote control to change the channel with the other.

Having given birth to a daughter at the advanced age of 40, Zhang Suzhi's physical recovery ability was not as good as before, and she gained a lot of weight compared to before her pregnancy.

This year, Zhang Suzhi has used her connections to get early retirement. Her youngest daughter can't be left unattended, but she's worried about leaving her with the elderly. With one more mouth to feed and one less person to work, she was originally a little worried about the family's finances, but now that her son is becoming more and more successful, she no longer has to worry.

My son's Taobao shop brings in tens of thousands of yuan to my bank account every month. His monthly income is higher than my previous annual income. It's unbelievable how fast society is progressing.

"Stars shine brightly, spring breezes whiz by; electric cars speed along!"

On Anhui TV, a stylish woman dressed in a leather jacket and pants drove a black electric scooter at high speed from the far end of the screen, accompanied by a powerful voice-over. The short advertisement, lasting only a few seconds, caught Zhang Suzhi's attention.

"This little electric scooter is really big." This thought flashed through Zhang Suzhi's mind.

Since hearing that her son had started an electric vehicle factory, Zhang Suzhi has become much more concerned about electric vehicles than before. When she pushes her daughter to buy groceries, she will also browse the shops that sell electric scooters, check the foot traffic, and inquire about how much an electric scooter costs.

Just then, Tan Lihua, who was cutting fruit in the kitchen, rushed out and asked Zhang Suzhi, "Did you hear that advertisement clearly? What's the name and background of that little electric scooter?"

"I can see the visuals clearly now, and they're actually quite beautiful. I think the name is Flash, what's up?"

"Are you sure it's FlashDrive?" Tan Lihua pressed.

Zhang Suzhi thought back for a moment, and at the same time, her husband's unusual reaction stirred up her inner turmoil: "Hmm, it's Shanchi, Shanchi electric cars, could it be Jincheng who did it?"

"If it's Flash, then it really is that brat," Tan Lihua said in a deep voice.

His wife had never been to Beicang, but he spent several days there, vividly remembering the machines going in and out every day, and the golden sign at the factory gate.

"He even placed ads on Anhui TV? And hired celebrities? How much did that cost?" Zhang Suzhi exclaimed in shock.

The first time I transferred money from a Taobao store to my bank account, I was shocked, but after a while, I became numb to it. During the Spring Festival, I drove back home, and Lao Tan said it cost around 200,000 to 300,000 yuan. At most, I was just happy that my son was doing well, and I could accept it.

A few months ago, I heard from Qingliang that his son had set up a factory of more than 1000 square meters. Of course, I was more worried. After Lao Tan went to see it, I felt relieved. But I didn't have much of a feeling about it since I hadn't seen it in person.

He didn't even seem to notice that his son had driven Lao Tan home in a more expensive car.

But this time they were genuinely shocked. In their generation's mindset, appearing on television was a remarkable achievement, even though it wasn't their son himself who appeared on television, but rather an advertisement for his company.

But that's Anhui TV, the best TV station in the province! The advertising fees must be incredibly expensive, and the celebrity they hire also costs money!

"No, I have to call and ask that kid." Zhang Suzhi couldn't hold back any longer.

Tan Lihua opened his mouth, wanting to stop his wife from making the call at this time, but he couldn't speak; in fact, he was also very shocked. He had heard about Flash's production capacity design before, and the initial design for a monthly production capacity was 3000 units.

I helped my son poach two sales talents from the factory. I thought he would just use the offline promotion route to make a quick buck with his production capacity. I never expected him to go so far as to advertise on Anhui TV.

Ignoring everything else, Zhang Suzhi answered the phone and heard Tan Jincheng's voice on the other end: "Hello, Mom, why are you calling me at this hour?"

Tan Jincheng usually calls home whenever he has time to chat with his mother, but he rarely does so around 7 p.m.

Zhang Suzhi, however, went straight to the point: "Son, is that electric scooter ad on Anhui TV the one from your factory?"

"You guys saw it?" Tan Jincheng asked with a smile.

Although the finals haven't started yet, Chun Ge has already made it into the top six. Flash Auto's publicity campaign has quietly begun, and with the help of Chun Ge's team, Flash Auto's customer service hotline has seen a surge in calls recently.

However, what's frustrating is the sheer volume of spam calls, with many of Chun Ge's fans calling to ask if he has an autograph!

The power of idol worship is terrifying no matter the era.

"How much did this advertisement cost? Besides Anhui TV, where else can we watch it?" Zhang Suzhi asked curiously.
"It cost several million yuan in total, including hiring celebrities, shooting commercials, and placing advertisements."

The call was on speakerphone. Upon hearing the number, the couple looked at each other speechlessly. A short advertisement that lasted only a few seconds had cost them millions.

"Besides Anhui TV, what other TV stations can I watch?"

"There's also Henan Satellite TV and some local TV stations, which are currently mainly broadcasting in Anhui and Henan provinces, so they're focusing on those two areas."

Tan Lihua's heart skipped a beat, and he chimed in from the side, "Will they be sold in Yicheng?"

"Oh? Dad, you're here too. We'll definitely expand to Yicheng, but not in the first batch. The first batch will mainly focus on the Central Plains. As for Yicheng, it will probably be at the end of this year or next year. We'll also advertise on Yicheng TV. Dad, if you can find some connections, give me a discount."

"You've gone to such lengths, hiring celebrities and shooting commercials, aren't you worried about production capacity? What if there aren't any cars to sell?" "Haha, isn't that perfect? ​​It means our cars are selling well." Tan Jincheng laughed, his father still didn't know what scarcity marketing was.

If production capacity can't keep up with demand and sales are booming, I'll collect advance payments. Making money with other people's money is the fastest way.

"Oh, by the way, who is that female celebrity? I didn't see her clearly just now," Zhang Suzhi asked.

"You might not know that girl from Super Girl, Mom, but she's super famous now."

"Super Girl, I've heard of it. Old Li's little girl downstairs is crazy about it, buying a ton of stickers and postcards every day."

"Oh, that girl, I know her. I'll have someone send you a few bikes back in a couple of days. You can ride one and tell me about your experience."

"No need, no need, it's so far away, how can we deliver it? Once your car is sold in Yicheng, we'll just buy one."

“It’s okay, there’s logistics. How about this, I’ll transport 10 bikes back, you can send one to Pengya’s family as well, and you can handle the rest. Let them ride them for a while and then share their experience. It’s a small-scale advertisement in advance.”

Zhang Suzhi was shocked: "Ten vehicles? To give away? That would cost a fortune!"

"It's not much money. We sell our cars cheaply, so it's settled," Tan Jincheng decided.

"Oh, right, I almost forgot, you know Chen Shuyi's mom, right? You can save one for her, and I'll have her pick it up from our place."

Hearing this, Zhang Suzhi became interested: "I know, I know, what's going on between you and this girl? Why did you give her a ride alone?"

"Nothing much happened. Last time we chatted, she asked me what I was doing now, and I casually said that I was building a small electric scooter. She also casually said that she would give me one once she finished building it."

The first one wasn't given to her; Gu Qingqing has been riding the white one to and from get off work lately.

"Hey, I thought something was going on between you two. Don't just focus on making money. You'll be 20 in a few days, so remember to find a girlfriend."

Tan Jincheng's birthday is easy to remember: the seventh day of the seventh lunar month, which happens to be the Qixi Festival. I checked the calendar and it's this Thursday. I would have forgotten if my mom hadn't mentioned it.

"Okay, okay," Tan Jincheng replied casually, but Gu Qingqing's image involuntarily flashed through his mind.

"Remember, get married while you're still young, so we can help you take care of the kids."

"I'm only 20 years old, Mom. Okay, okay, I'm not talking to you anymore, I have to go back."

"Going back where? By the way, why is it so quiet over there?"

“I’m still in the office. Do you think money is so easy to earn? I’ve been living in the factory for over a week now.”

Entering August, Tan Jincheng's life became even busier. He had to arrange payments to suppliers, keep an eye on production, and most importantly, promote the market. Although all preparations were complete, FlashChe had not yet been tested by consumers, and it was uncertain whether they would accept it.

Success or failure hinges on this one move.

As a reborn individual, even if he fails this time and is burdened with tens of millions of debts, Tan Jincheng will not be afraid, but no one likes to fail.

After shutting down his computer and locking his office, Tan Jincheng once again surveyed his territory.

The R&D department on the second floor was still brightly lit, with some employees working overtime. Tan Jincheng went in, greeted them, left two packs of cigarettes, and then left.

The R&D department employees generally don't work overtime too late, usually finishing around nine o'clock. Sometimes Tan Jincheng would stay to participate and offer some ideas based on his knowledge from his previous life.

After leaving the office building, I took a walk around the two workshops. The workshops were bustling with activity, with some people screwing in screws and others installing batteries.

The passing workers recognized Tan Jincheng and greeted him. It felt really good. When he walked to a production line, Tan Jincheng actually spotted Zhao Xianbo, who was tightening screws.

"What are you doing here at night, kid?"

Zhao Xianbo stopped what he was doing and replied with a smile, "It's my turn for the night shift."

Tan Jincheng nodded without saying anything. College students these days are still quite simple and don't seem to be too averse to working in a factory during summer vacation to tighten screws and earn living expenses.

Tan Jincheng had always viewed factories through the lens of his past life. Although it didn't affect his ability to run a factory, he felt that factory workers didn't learn much and had little future.

But if you think about it another way, working in a cutting-edge factory in this era is actually not bad. You can earn a stable income, and if you work hard, your monthly salary can at least buy one or two square meters of housing.

Unlike 10 years later, when a month's salary could buy 0.2 square meters, it was considered good. It wasn't that factory income couldn't keep up, but rather that housing prices rose too fast.

After touring the factory, Tan Jincheng smiled knowingly. Last month, they had exceeded their production target by 3600 vehicles, and the factory area was already full. They had rented a large warehouse nearby to store these electric vehicles. The scene was indeed spectacular; he had never seen so many electric scooters before.

(End of this chapter)