Chapter 202: Hurray! World Big 4
by xennovel“Hurray! World Big 4”
The advertisement that predicted the semi-finals and the gift of 1,000 cars – the new model was clearly revealed.
Once the advertisement aired, half the talk was about reaching the semi-finals, and the other half was about the new car.
When it was revealed to be a 900cc compact car, quite a few people were disappointed, but the general public was thrilled by the affordable price within reach.
On the evening of the 22nd, the incredible confirmation of the national team reaching the semi-finals sent all of South Korea into a frenzy.
Being a Saturday night, young people who forgot the late hour roamed the streets until dawn, celebrating the victory.
At that time.
Everyone gathered to discuss which strategy to take for the semi-final match that would be held in three days.
President Jo Dae-ho, as well as the public relations team, marketing team, and executives from the strategy planning department, were all swept up in excitement, racking their brains to come up with the best plan.
If the miracle of reaching the finals were to happen, they eagerly shared ideas on what kind of event would grab everyone’s attention.
This is how frightening momentum can be.
As the winning streak continued, some even forgot that their semi-final opponent was the powerhouse Germany and were confident of victory.
Well, defeating Spain, Italy, and Portugal was already a miracle. If three miracles happen in a row, isn’t it human nature to expect a fourth?
“Do-jun, what do you think? Should we go big?”
President Jo asked for my opinion, remaining calm. There was no doubt that I was the reason for the tremendous effect they had seen so far.
“Let’s stop here.”
“Huh?”
“We’ve gained hundreds of times the effect compared to the cost in this World Cup. Doing more won’t be fun or moving. The attention has already shifted to whether we’ll win the semi-finals, and if we do, who we’ll face in the finals. Even if we make another advertisement that feels like a prediction, the risk only increases.”
“Risk?”
A dozen questioning gazes turned to me.
“Right now, you’re talking as if winning is a given, right? Probably every citizen of South Korea thinks so. So even if our advertisement predicts a victory, it won’t have much impact. But we can’t exactly predict a loss, can we? If we lose in the semi-finals, the responsibility won’t fall on the national team; HW Automobile will have to shoulder it all.”
We’ve never predicted a defeat before.
The only draw in the group stage was a regrettable advertisement, but it didn’t draw criticism because it resulted in advancing to the knockout stage.
“I’ll say it again: we aren’t prophets. Is predicting a defeat and having that prediction come true a good PR strategy? It’s an ominous prediction. Think carefully about it.”
Everyone fell silent.
They seemed to realize that now is when we need to be most careful. When the entire nation is intoxicated with the joy of victory, we in this room must never forget that we are in a position to do business targeting those people.
“So your opinion is that we’ll fail to reach the finals?”
Oh Se-hyun, who always thought of me as easy to deal with, asked with a smile while everyone else was cautious with their words. It was also a way to lighten the tense atmosphere of the meeting.
“Making it this far is already a miracle. If we were to beat Germany, it would be a miracle, something that would need to be called a new legend. I’m betting on a loss.”
“Then we should plan our strategy assuming defeat,” President Jo Dae-ho cautiously added.
“President Jo Dae-ho also cautiously added.”
“Wouldn’t doing nothing be the best strategy to attract attention?”
Silence descended upon the conference room once again.
The public relations and marketing teams seemed to have decided that it was wiser to think carefully before offering their opinions.
“Perhaps it’s a good strategy for sparking curiosity and becoming a topic of conversation.”
“Curiosity peaks when something familiar disappears. If our advertisement, which has appeared in every match, is absent, that alone will become a hot topic. People will wonder why we didn’t run an ad, speculating about the outcome of the semi-final.”
Many more opinions poured out after that.
It was now the point where experts like them should take over. I gave my final opinion and stood up.
“Now, regardless of the semi-final result, there are two games left: the final if we win, and the third-place match if we lose. I’ve completed the application to use Seoul City Hall Plaza on the 29th.”
“Wait, isn’t that the day of the third-place match? You really think we’ll lose!”
Oh Se-hyun shouted after checking the match schedule.
“The final is in Japan anyway. I thought if we did make it to the final, we could enjoy a pre-celebration.”
I played it off.
“Now, the ranking doesn’t matter. The national team will be showered with praise and support for making it this far, right?”
“Even then, the two most popular stars have signed with us. Haha.”
President Jo Dae-ho, who had already secured advertising contracts with Coach Hiddink and player Park Ji-sung, burst into a cheerful laugh.
“Let’s express our gratitude to the rest of the staff, excluding the players. Giving them a new car might seem a bit underwhelming, since it’s a compact car. How about gifting them HW’s mid-size sedans instead?”
“The staff… ?”
“The coaching staff, technical coordinator, physical therapists, strength trainers, video analysts, equipment manager, translator, media officer, and so on… It’s quite a few people. They’ve worked silently behind the scenes. I was wondering if we could express our gratitude when no one else is paying attention.”
“That’s a good idea. Thoughtful consideration… It’s heartwarming, isn’t it?”
“That’s all for my input. Now, I hope the experts in the relevant departments can handle things well….”
* * *
On the morning of the 25th, there were various opinions when our advertisement wasn’t seen, but the most common assessment was that it felt like a newspaper missing its daily horoscope.
And the semi-final match that started that evening ended with Germany’s victory.
Comments suggesting they had guessed it when HW Automobile’s advertisement was absent weren’t rare, but the most common opinions were praise and gratitude for the national team that had created the myth of reaching the semi-finals.
I watched how our employees would handle things, and I could see it immediately the next day, the 26th.
“We express our gratitude to the national team that wrote the myth of reaching the World Cup semi-finals. From Coach Guus Hiddink to the chefs who took care of the national team’s meals, HW Automobile has prepared a small gift.”
Below the advertisement copy, a large photo of a mid-size sedan was displayed.
And thanks to whoever’s idea it was, that evening’s news began with a procession of over a hundred cars.
The destination of this car procession was Paju NFC.
Although the coach and players didn’t appear in the news, everyone from the coaching staff to the security guard at Paju NFC appeared, receiving car keys for several minutes.
Thankfully, a few of the cafeteria workers at the Paju center even shed tears, and the news cameraman didn’t miss this scene.
This is a successful pre-marketing effort.
It showcased our brand sufficiently in Korea and abroad with much less cost than exhibiting a concept car at the Frankfurt Motor Show.
I heard that interest from overseas dealers was already explosive, with requests to bring forward the official launch date pouring in.
Now, if the event to directly showcase the
It would have been great if we had beaten Turkey, but it’s a shame.
On Saturday the 29th, people started gathering from the afternoon to watch the match held at Daegu Stadium from 8 PM on a large screen.
The first thing people who got off at City Hall Station on the subway noticed were the dozen or so small coupes surrounding City Hall Plaza, which were the
“It’s alright. Please feel free to look around. You can check out the interior and sit in the seats.”
A dozen or so helpers guided the onlookers or handed out pamphlets.
Our own motor show was being held.
The heat at City Hall Plaza was rising thanks to performances by popular singers. Before the match started, the crowd was so massive that it was difficult to even withdraw the display vehicles.
With the help of the police in charge of controlling City Hall Plaza, the public relations and marketing team members of HW Automobile finally finished the withdrawal and headed home for the first time in a long while, letting out sighs of relief.
Feeling proud that the month-long promotion that went along with the World Cup had successfully concluded.
* * *
The 2002 World Cup, which ended with Brazil’s victory, was an international event that left behind many things.
A politician who was a FIFA committee member grew rapidly to the level of a presidential candidate, and in Korea, a rock band that was considered a minor group rose to national stardom.
The foreign soccer coach became a national hero to the point where jokes circulated that he would win the presidential election without any problems if he ran right away, and several young players who were virtually unknown before the World Cup rose to stardom, receiving love calls from overseas clubs.
If there are people whose value rose, there are also people who fell.
“The sponsorship cost is 100 million dollars, and the domestic event cost is forty billion won, is that right?”
Chairman Joo Tae-shik of Daewoo Motors’ voice, which was hard to distinguish whether it was a question or a reprimand, filled the conference room.
“What? Why isn’t anyone answering?”
“Y-yes, that’s correct.”
“But? We poured that much money in, so why is HW, a gathering of trash like Ajin and Soonyang, getting so much attention? Did those guys pour in trillions or hundreds of billions of won?”
“Th-that’s because of the advertisements….”
“Advertisements? What advertisements?”
He wasn’t repeating it because he didn’t know. There wasn’t anyone who didn’t know about HW Automobile’s advertisements that precisely matched the match results like a possessed shaman.
“Ah, those advertisements that would make Nostradamus weep?”
When the executives didn’t answer like mute cicadas, Chairman Joo Tae-shik answered himself.
“Even though I didn’t study and idled my time away, I can tell that those advertisements were the result of intense brainwork, not prophecy. Didn’t you see Jo Dae-ho’s interview?”
“Chairman, it sounded plausible, but you can’t make those kinds of advertisements unless you have a real shaman. It’s the World Cup! They were correctly predicting the results of the day’s matches every morning. How can you suppress that?”
Thanks to the guy who talked back to Chairman Joo Tae-shik, the executives all felt relieved. It wasn’t like he was saying anything wrong; it was what everyone wanted to say.
And the reason why that guy could act so cocky was that he was Chairman Joo Tae-shik’s most beloved eldest son.
“So? Should we bring in a shaman? Should we go to Miari?”
“No. We shouldn’t go to Miari; we should go to HW Automobile.”
“What?”
“The guy who planned this advertisement, we should bring him here. As the Chairman said, the guy who created those ad phrases that walked the tightrope so perfectly between prediction and the public’s sentiment. We need to bring him here.”
Chairman Joo Tae-shik’s eldest son had a smug look on his face, as if he was sure it was a brilliant idea.
“Good. Then you can bring the guy who planned those advertisements, right?”
“Just give me the order and a generous budget. I’ll shove money down his throat to bring him here.”
When his son spoke confidently, as if he would pound his chest, a strange smile appeared on Chairman Joo Tae-shik’s lips.
The executives sensed that something was going wrong. They knew from experience that behind that smile, he would grab anything he could get his hands on and throw it.
But unlike their expectations, he didn’t throw anything. Was he going easy on his son?
“Shove money down his throat? Do you think he’ll come if you do that? He won’t be easy to deal with.”
“Huh?”
“I heard he’s the richest person under 30 in our country? His known personal assets are over a hundred billion won, and he’s the next-generation CEO who has inherited three or four of the top financial companies in Korea. How much money do you need to shove down his throat to bring someone like that? One trillion won? Two trillion won?”
“N-no way, that guy is… ?”
Chairman Joo’s eldest son was so flustered that his mouth fell open.