Nobody knows movies better than me

Chapter 20: 23 Things About Publicity and Promotion

The first generation of netizens were adorably naive. Twenty years from now, people will be indifferent to similar promotional methods.

Moreover, twenty years later, so-called male and female gods have become so abundant that, frankly, everyone is tired of being stimulated and has lost interest.

However, the situation is different in this day and age.

Peking University, which is ranked alongside Tsinghua University as one of the top universities in China, pays close attention to what is happening at its neighboring Tsinghua University.

In May, Tsinghua University outperformed its competitors by producing a short film led by a senior student named Zhang Jun, which then won an award at the College Student Film Festival.

This incident caused an even bigger sensation at Peking University than at the neighboring Tsinghua University, and Huang Xiwen, the president of their film club, was even criticized.

They wouldn't think it was Zhang Jun's uniqueness; they would only think that if Tsinghua University could make "The Tuner," why couldn't our Peking University students make one?

Recently, the Tsinghua University campus BBS has been buzzing with activity, as a set of pictures of Tsinghua University's male campus heartthrobs has been circulating on the BBS.

Students at Peking University paid close attention to this, but most of them clicked in and found that the so-called campus heartthrob was indeed worthy of the title.

When Huang Xiwen, the president of the Peking University Film Society, clicked in, he exclaimed, "Isn't that Zhang Jun? Didn't he go off to make a movie after graduation?"

Because he was overwhelmed by Tsinghua University's short film, Huang Xiwen conducted a special investigation and thus gained some understanding of Zhang Jun.

Although Huang Xiwen was criticized because of Zhang Jun.

However, he still has that much magnanimity; the short film was indeed of excellent quality, and Tsinghua University was even planning to submit it to the Cannes Film Festival.

He wasn't upset at all. At worst, there would be similar events at the College Student Film Festival next year, and he could just lead his film club to participate again.

Without Zhang Jun, what can Tsinghua University use to compete with me?

After thinking about it, Huang Xiwen still posted the photos on his blog, along with a vivid and expressive caption.

"Zhang Jun embodies the spirit of contemporary college students, and he is someone we should all learn from..."

Huang Xiwen wrote several hundred words praising Zhang Jun, mainly to show that he was not at fault in the war.

What happened in May wasn't my fault. The other party was a jerk, and there was nothing I could do!

However, after noticing these photos of the campus heartthrob, Huang Xiwen also mentioned that Zhang Jun's new movie will be released in theaters in December.

Huang Xiwen didn't think much of it and decided to take the members of the film club to see the movie together.

Most boys don't feel much about the photos of campus heartthrobs, but it's a different story for girls.

A female student from Beijing Normal University saw these photos and immediately exclaimed that the word "male god" accurately expressed her admiration for Zhang Jun, thus becoming a fan of Zhang Jun.

She also posted on the campus BBS to share her thoughts with other students who had also seen the photos.

If the fandom model of Japan and South Korea hadn't spread here yet, Zhang Jun would already have his own fandom group.

The sets of photos of campus heartthrobs circulating online were all taken by professional photographers hired by Ye Xiaoyi.

There's a profile picture of Zhang Jun intently reading in the library, and another of him wearing a white shirt under a tree.

With his graceful figure on the basketball court and his cartoonish face while strolling on campus, these photos perfectly embody the title of "campus heartthrob".

Tsinghua University did not stop Ye Xiaoyi and Zhang Jun from taking photos all over the campus. The university committee said that Zhang Jun has made great contributions to the university.

As an alma mater, it's normal to offer some assistance to graduates.

Moreover, Zhang Jun's rise to fame is also a form of publicity for the school.

In the future, when competing with neighboring Peking University for students, we can say, "It seems that studying at Tsinghua University can make you both handsome and academically excellent..."

Little did people know that while learning can be achieved through hard work, being handsome is a matter of genetics.

Because of the many benefits, Tsinghua University is actually very supportive.

If there had been a precedent, Tsinghua University might have proactively helped Zhang Jun promote this movie.

However, the results are not bad now. The photos of the campus heartthrob quickly went viral online, and Zhang Jun's name spread among young people.

The key point is that Zhang Jun is not only handsome, but also capable, and has even directed a short film called "The Tuner".

The TV series "The Tuner" is quite famous now, and it has been broadcast on CCTV-6 several times. Many people have seen it.

Those who have seen the photos of the campus heartthrob and then read about Zhang Jun's experiences and the interesting stories from filming "The Tuner" will surely become interested in him.

His film "Little Miss Sunshine" has also attracted a lot of attention, and many people who are curious about him plan to go to the cinema to find out more.

Here I want to talk about today's internet celebrities. Unlike the strategy of hiding their identities in the past, today's internet celebrities use their real names.

For example, Zhang Zetian, who shares the same surname as Zhang Jun, how did her name become known during her university years? It's because she used her real name when she first became famous.

Unlike Sister Furong, Zhang Zetian genuinely attracted widespread attention and became an internet sensation through her beauty.

Zhang Jun can be considered a carbon copy of Zhang Zetian, and he became famous much earlier than Zhang Zetian.

After making a name for himself online, many talent agencies approached Zhang Jun, wanting to sign him. He had no interest in becoming an artist, so he declined.

The agency felt it was a pity, and it's even more of a pity to hear that Zhang Jun is going to be a director.

Why can't a handsome guy like him be a star? Why would he be crazy enough to become a director? That's a career path only ugly people choose!

Zhang Jun found it amusing, and at the same time marveled at the goodness of the times, where such a simple hype could bring fame.

Later on, it was impossible to become famous without bribing the media and social media to create a huge buzz.

The first step of the "Campus Male God" project was a success, attracting a lot of attention to "Little Miss Sunshine".

The second step, proposed by Zhang Jun, involved collaborating with universities to hold campus screenings at institutions such as Tsinghua University and Peking University. This would also allow the film's creators to visit campuses and interact with university students.

This method has been used by other movies, and the promotional effect has been quite good.

Jiang Tao and He Xuan immediately contacted more than a dozen universities in Beijing, Shanghai, and Harbin, the starting point of the story. The universities were very enthusiastic about this activity.

Thus, the planning for the university screening event was successfully launched, starting with Zhang Jun's alma mater, Tsinghua University, with a plan to visit fifteen universities.

"We can also offer a charter bus service!"

At a publicity meeting, Zhang Jun said, "Isn't the movie 'A World Without Thieves' supposed to charter a train? We can't afford to charter a train, but we can charter a bread truck on the Songhua River."

The entire body is painted with movie posters, with slogans such as "Heading to BJ, cheering for love" on it.

Starting from Harbin, the journey follows the route depicted in the movie, passing through cities such as Changchun, Shenzhou, and Tianjin, before finally arriving in Beijing.

Upon arrival at each location, they would stop at one or two local landmarks, where staff would dress up as a family and interact with the locals.

Jiang Tao's eyes lit up: "This is a good idea. Not only that, we can also invite passersby to take photos with us and give them small gifts such as movie-themed stickers and fans."

Alternatively, a "One Message to Family" message board could be created to collect heartwarming words for future promotional materials.

He Xuan expressed her admiration, as she, having transitioned from the real estate industry, was not very familiar with these promotional tactics.

However, she could still offer some basic suggestions: "In this process, we can invite local media to follow up and report, and further promote the project."

With their minds opened up, everyone brainstormed and even came up with ways to attract investment.

For example, collaborating with ChaCha sunflower seeds or White Rabbit milk candy to produce movie-themed snack packs.

Collaborate with Red Star Erguotou or Laocunzhangjiu to launch a "Have a warm drink, and the whole family will be reunited" themed campaign, printing movie information on the bottle or packaging.

The strengths of the movie "Little Miss Sunshine" are evident: it's a story about a family and a girl named Guo embarking on a journey to pursue her dreams, achieving family reconciliation and personal growth in the process.

The word "home," deeply rooted in traditional Chinese culture, is very touching. If used effectively to encourage parents and children to go to the cinema, the film will be a success.

China Film Group also cooperated with Guanzhi Pictures' promotional strategy, launching family-oriented screening events in the core box office regions of "Little Miss Sunshine" in collaboration with local cinemas.

In addition, film critics were invited to write articles on platforms such as the film and television review section of Tianya Forum and Sina Blog.

The discussion was guided to cover topics such as "the conflict between our dreams and those of our parents" and "the shining moments of ordinary people."

By employing this layered promotional strategy, the aim is to achieve the goal of promoting the film with limited marketing funds.

It's fortunate that the film's investor, Ye Bingcheng, is wealthy. Guanzhi Film Studio can be seen as a toy for his daughter to play with and to fulfill her dream of making movies.

That's why Zhang Jun was able to spend so recklessly, using all sorts of unconventional publicity methods that seemed so at the time.

After the publicity plan was finalized, the promotion of "Little Miss Sunshine" was launched in full swing, and the results were remarkable.

Compared to its neighbor, "A World Without Thieves," "Little Miss Sunshine" achieved about half the effect with less marketing budget, which is quite remarkable.

But as I said before, the movie "A World Without Thieves" features Andy Lau and Rene Liu, while Fan Wei, who starred in "Little Miss Sunshine," is just a supporting actor in "A World Without Thieves."

Even Ge You played a supporting role in "A World Without Thieves," let alone Fan Wei.

Song Dandan's popularity on the small screen cannot be converted into box office appeal. Many television actors struggle to adapt to film, rendering their box office appeal negligible.

Zhang Jun couldn't expect Qi Ruyi, who was only eight years old at the time, to compete with Andy Lau in terms of popularity and appeal. Therefore, despite employing various tactics, "Little Miss Sunshine" was not as attractive as "A World Without Thieves".

December is a very crowded month for movies, with "A World Without Thieves" coming up first, followed by Stephen Chow's "Kung Fu Hustle," and "Little Miss Sunshine" ultimately choosing to squeeze in with the imported film "Garfield."

The Lunar New Year film season is now the hottest movie season of the year, and anyone who wants to make a big splash in the film market can't miss this period.

This is also why Guanzhi Pictures chose this release date.

Although Zhang Jun knew that these two movies were not to be trifled with, he did not persuade He Xuan to change her schedule.

For him, achieving good results between two films would greatly boost his fame.

Another reason is that "Little Miss Sunshine" does not conflict with the two films in terms of genre, and can even be classified as a children's film.

When conducting market analysis, Zhang Jun made it very clear that a large part of this film was aimed at the family market.

So although this timing is risky, the benefits are numerous if it succeeds.