Free Web NovelChapter 324: Chapter 324: Pinjun
While Qin Shanshan was busy psyching herself up to care for Mrs. Tang each day, Su Li rallied her spirits and dove into her work.
After confirming Mrs. Tang’s condition and ensuring she wouldn’t be coming to find Little Tang Mo—or even be allowed near him—Su Li temporarily put the woman out of her mind.
The weather grew warmer, and preparations for the grand opening’s promotional campaign became urgent.
Su Li wished she could clone herself.
Batches of clothing rolled off the production line one after another. With the shop’s renovations complete, the next step was planning the interior layout. Su Li was busy contacting television networks, newspapers, and radio stations to arrange ad placements, all while preparing for the commercial shoot.
The advertising plan was already drafted. After Su Li discussed it with the people from the television station and got their approval, they rushed into pre-production.
The commercial itself would be brief, but filming it was no easy task.
Fortunately, Su Li was at Huaguo Communication College and knew people like Yu Zhengqing and Ling Zhen, so she had no shortage of equipment or talent.
With all the equipment ready, Su Li went to find a spokesperson.
The spokesperson Su Li had in mind was the future award-winning superstar, Chen Xue. She had great acting skills, a good reputation, and incredible luck. She was beautiful when playing a woman and handsome when playing a man.
In short, it was as if she were playing life with a cheat code. In the future, her status would be so revered that she only released a film every few years, yet each one was a blockbuster.
All of her works were hailed as classics. Countless companies were practically throwing money at her for endorsements, but she accepted very few.
Su Li wasn’t one to follow celebrities, but she was a huge fan of Chen Xue.
At present, however, Chen Xue was not yet a famous actress. She had just finished shooting a movie and was still a complete unknown.
The movie had yet to be released, and she was still struggling to make ends meet.
When Su Li approached Chen Xue and asked her to be the spokesperson, Chen Xue could hardly believe it.
"A spokesperson? For a commercial? You mean, the kind that airs on television?"
"Yes. This is the ad proposal, these are our clothes, and this is our soon-to-open store. We aren’t some low-quality, deceptive company. We’re building a brand, so it absolutely won’t tarnish your image."
Su Li had come with a large bag, thoroughly prepared. Afraid that Chen Xue might refuse, she quickly laid everything out for her to see.
"Er... alright." Chen Xue could sense Su Li’s sincerity and anxious eagerness.
Though still a bit puzzled, she carefully examined the materials Su Li had given her.
After looking through the information, she was perplexed. "Why did you think of hiring me?"
’With such a big budget, why would they hire a nobody like me?’
"Because I think you’re a perfect fit, and I want to ride on your coming wave of popularity," Su Li said honestly. "Isn’t your movie coming out soon? Once it’s released, it’s going to be a huge hit!"
Chen Xue blinked. "A huge hit, you’re sure?"
Su Li nodded emphatically. "Yes!" ’It was a smash hit in my past life, I know it!’
"I hope you’re right." Chen Xue glanced at the clothes Su Li had brought. "I really like the outfits, but... are you sure you want to hire me?"
Su Li nodded emphatically again. "This is the contract I’ve prepared. The endorsement fee and all the terms are clearly stated. Please, take a look."
Su Li had made a very generous offer for the endorsement fee, a figure she had decided on after careful consideration.
The current Chen Xue certainly wasn’t worth that much, but Su Li knew what her value would be after the movie’s release, so the offer was a genuine show of faith.
At the time, commercials weren’t yet ubiquitous, and celebrity endorsements hadn’t quite become the norm, but the drawing power of a star was still something to look forward to.
When Chen Xue saw the proposed fee, she felt the whole situation was absurd.
"I just need to film for a day or two, for a twenty-second commercial, and that’s it?"
Su Li nodded. "It might be a little grueling."
"How grueling can it be?" Chen Xue muttered. She was more worried that it wasn’t grueling enough for that kind of money.
If Su Li had been a man, she would have suspected him of having ulterior motives.
Chen Xue didn’t agree immediately. She went home to discuss it with her parents, who then accompanied her to visit the factory in person. After that, they had an acquaintance review the contract. They requested to be present with Chen Xue throughout the entire shoot, and only after Su Li agreed to all their conditions did they finally sign.
Once the contract was signed, filming for the commercial began immediately.
Su Li was on set to personally oversee everything, paying attention to every single detail. It was an understatement to say she was busy.
Wu Sheng finally managed to carve out some time from his own busy schedule to prepare a marriage proposal. But when he contacted Su Li, hoping to pop the question, she had absolutely no time to see him.
Wu Sheng nearly cried himself sick. He had no choice but to postpone the proposal.
After three days of filming, the commercial was finally in the can. Next, it had to be edited and submitted for approval, followed by the radio and newspaper ads.
By the time everything was more or less in place, April had arrived.
On April 1st, the movie starring Chen Xue premiered. After a few days of building buzz, just as Su Li had predicted, it became a massive hit.
The film, which would later be considered a classic, was a sensation, and its leading lady, Chen Xue, shot to stardom.
April 6th was a day that many of Pinjun Clothing’s longtime employees would never forget.
On this day, the Pinjun Clothing boutique officially opened its doors, and its advertisements launched simultaneously on television, radio, in newspapers, and on posters.
Su Li, Li Hongqin, Yin Cuihua, and many of the factory workers gathered in front of the color television they had bought for the factory, holding their breath as they waited for the commercial to air.
Not far away, Chen Xue and her parents were also waiting.
Soon, the scheduled time arrived, and the Pinjun Clothing commercial aired right on cue.
To the tune of upbeat music, a youthful and radiant Chen Xue appeared on screen, dressed in Pinjun Clothing. She changed outfits almost every second, and every single one was stunning.
That was the womenswear.
Then came the menswear, featuring a casually handsome young man, full of dashing energy. Whether he was shooting hoops or running, he was impossibly cool.
That was the menswear.
Only then did the sole voice-over line play.
"Noble as a gentleman, precious as a gem—Pinjun Clothing."
A rich, impossibly smooth male voice delivered the line, elevating the commercial’s quality by several notches.
In the final two seconds, two lines of text appeared on the screen.
The first line read, "Pinjun Clothing invites you to become a franchise partner," followed by a phone number and address.
When the commercial ended, surprised and joyful shrieks erupted in both the Pinjun Clothing factory and the newly opened boutique.
The ad’s quality was undeniable, and it naturally drew everyone’s attention. In that era, people didn’t find commercials annoying to watch anyway.
People’s eyes lit up when they saw the Pinjun Clothing ad, and it garnered even more attention when they recognized the spokesperson was Chen Xue.
And that was just the first wave.
After watching the commercial three or four times, Chen Xue’s fans finally realized it—the cool, handsome young man in the ad was also Chen Xue!
It was an unexpected twist! She was clearly a woman, yet in men’s clothing, she looked so handsome, so cool, so roguishly charming!
With a creative concept unprecedented for the era, Chen Xue’s popularity exploded, the commercial went viral, and Pinjun Clothing blew up right along with them.
In addition to the television commercial, ads for Pinjun Clothing also appeared simultaneously on the radio and in newspapers.
The slogan—"Noble as a gentleman, precious as a gem"—was the same across all platforms. However, compared to the TV spot, the other ads contained more information.
They mentioned the availability of both men’s and women’s apparel, listed the boutique locations, and included the invitation for franchise partners.
With such a powerful promotional campaign, combined with stylish clothes and high quality, the Pinjun Clothing boutique was an instant, explosive success from the moment it opened.
By afternoon, the business department was already receiving calls from prospective franchisees.
Pinjun Clothing’s launch was a resounding success.
Pinjun Clothing quickly became synonymous with the latest fashion trends and captured the youth market. The ’Pinjun’ name cemented its place in the public consciousness, and the brand was officially established.
