Chapter 248: A Grand Marketing Campaign

The ground promotion plans were formed, the marketing areas determined, the promotion groups established, and the day laborers recruited.

In early June, as summer just began, the ground promotion work for the group-buy service officially commenced.

Countless day laborers holding flyers in their hands, used various clever methods to enter the office buildings, commercial streets, bars, exhibition centers, as well as swimming pools, gyms and other youth gathering places around the mall to conduct ground promotion.

Since the internet is the fashion of young people, this demographic can quickly accept and respond effectively to the group-buy concept.

Since it’s ground promotion, of course it should start by building momentum in the easiest places.

A flame falling into water will undoubtedly be extinguished, but falling into a cotton pile, it will surely turn into a fierce conflagration.

“Bro Jiang, why have you been coming to class every day recently, are you bored out of your mind?”

Jiang Qin was sitting in the classroom, drowsy, and after hearing this, he turned his head in surprise and glanced at Ren Ziqiang, “I’m a fucking student, it’s my duty to study hard, how dare you say I’m bored! Is there no law anymore?”

“You have a point, but this isn’t your style. You’re not doing business anymore?” Ren Ziqiang asked curiously.

“Of course I still do business, but I’m the boss. There are many things I don’t need to handle personally. Naturally, there will be people to deal with them for me.”

Cao Guangyu listened beside them, his scalp tingling. He opened the notes app on his phone and wrote down this boastful quote, intending to put it to good use.

On the other side, the belles of Financial Class 3 stared at Jiang Qin, their minds wandering the entire class.

The male god came to class, it’s simply a miracle! Quickly steal a few more glances, lest he disappears again for a month in a couple days.

Sure enough, as everyone expected, Jiang Qin disappeared the next day, as if the person who said students should study hard wasn’t him at all, but a dog.

And from the day he disappeared, the employees of Room 208 also started asking for leave and skipping classes, all gathering in 208, sparing no effort to prepare for the weekend’s big marketing push in the university district.

Because whether the group-buy service can seamlessly transition from the university district to Linchuan City, this weekend will be a critical juncture.

“For this weekend’s marketing campaign, everyone should treat Wanzhong Mall as the target. We need to shoot all our arrows into the bullseye.”

“Next, I’ll assign tasks to everyone.”

“Su Nai, adjust the homepage. Put all the stores in Wanzhong Mall online. This time, we’re not doing 60% off. We’re doing 50% off storewide.”

“Let me tell you all, this time we’re not making money. We’re just making friends.”

“Lanlan, coordinate with Manager Yue. Their mall will conduct offline marketing at the same time and have a chain interaction with the group-buy.”

“Wenhao, you’re responsible for coordinating the teams at the other three universities. Start topic threads and hype up the event.”

“Feiyu, continue the lottery at the four schools. This time, we’re not doing single draws. We’re doing ten draws. The winners can eat for free ten times at any store they choose. Ten slots.”

“Tan Qing, after the event starts, you’re in charge of coordinating the business department. We need to spread the influence of this event and make all the stores in Linchuan jealous.”

“Now, let the marketing begin.”

After Jiang Qin finished speaking, he slapped the table. Room 208 instantly erupted in a flurry of sounds.

Everyone entered their groove in an instant. Those who needed to make calls made calls. Those who needed to type typed, just like when the group-buy launched for the first time, full of drive.

A day later, all the forum users at the four major universities were drawn in by the event posts, showing an extremely high level of discussion.

Many students, seeing the words “half price” and “free meal”, were not only excited, but also a bit puzzled.

Mom, 60% off was outrageous enough. Now it’s directly half price. Is this business owner crazy?

Can you still make money at half price?

The scariest part is the free meal. You can eat for free ten times. Who wouldn’t want that?

So, wave after wave of sticky posts, wave after wave of snatching coupons once again set off a craze for the group-buy service.

Actually, that’s how marketing events are. Many consumers, when falling into the vortex, will feel puzzled, thinking the merchants can’t possibly make money this way. What’s the point of all the hype, to drink the northwest wind?

But for true businessmen, money is the ultimate goal, but not the absolute objective at every stage.

If losing money can gain a bigger market, then as long as they don’t lose to death, no one will care about the bit of money in front of them.

After 5 PM, Jiang Qin left the bustling 208 and came to the cafeteria to eat. Listening around, there were voices everywhere discussing the group-buy half price discount and the free meal card.

The little rich girl who had long been waiting in the cafeteria waved at him, then looked at Jiang Qin with a silly and cute expression as he sat down beside her.

“Jiang Qin, you guys are running another event this week?” Gao Wenhui asked while eating noodles.

Jiang Qin took the chopsticks Feng Nanshu handed over and ate a couple bites of her noodles, “This is our last big event targeting university students. There won’t be such large promotions later, so you all should participate while you can.”

“Can you really make money doing 50% off storewide? Can the family get by?”

Feng Nanshu covered her little face after hearing this, “Get by.”

Gao Wenhui was stunned for a moment, looking incredibly beautiful, but still full of questions, “But won’t you lose money at half price? Where will you make money? Could the cost at those places be that low?”

Jiang Qin stretched, “It definitely can’t be that low. Don’t forget there are also storefront, labor, water and electricity costs. I’m basically paying out of pocket for this event now, but losing a bit of money now is to make more money in the future.”

“Then can you do some behind-the-scenes manipulation, like the last couple times, and let me win a prize,” Gao Wenhui was eager to try.

“In your dreams. I should dock your pay, let alone give you a prize. Did you maintain the solid friendship between me and Feng Nanshu?”

“I did,” Gao Wenhui said shamelessly.

Jiang Qin snorted, “Maintain my ass. You fucking add fuel to the fire between us every day.”

“It’s because you two aren’t honest. I’m never satisfied with my shipping.”

“There are plenty of young couples in your class. Why do you have to pick on us two good friends to ship?”

What Jiang Qin said wasn’t false. After all, everyone had been at Linchuan University for a year. Those who wanted to date were already dating. Those who weren’t either didn’t want to or couldn’t find anyone.

Financial Class 4 had several young couples, joined at the hip every day, so sticky it was sickening.

University, well, besides studying, romance is the main theme. There are few who dive into the money hole like Jiang Qin.

But Gao Wenhui felt that those sticky-sweet romances weren’t fun to ship. The kind of love where Feng doesn’t move and Jiang doesn’t move, but when Feng moves Jiang gets flustered, is more fun to ship, even if they falsely claim it’s friendship.

“Little rich girl, let me tell you something. Come here, don’t let Gao Wenhui know.”

“What is it?” Feng Nanshu leaned over, her beautiful eyes full of curiosity.

Jiang Qin leaned to her ear and said softly, “There’s something especially good to ship, but I forbid you from telling her.”

Feng Nanshu: “?”

“Alright, I’m full. I’m going back to work. Bye!”

Jiang Qin stepped away from the cafeteria, while Gao Wenhui directly pestered the little rich girl, “Nanshu, what did he just say to you?”

Feng Nanshu was dazed for a bit, somewhat blankly saying, “There’s something really good to ship, but he forbids me from telling you.”

“Why? We’re best girlfriends!”

“That’s just what he said,” Feng Nanshu looked innocent.

Gao Wenhui was dying of curiosity, “So what’s the thing that’s really good to ship?”

The little rich girl wrinkled her delicate nose, “He just said there’s something really good to ship, but not to tell you.”

“Then can you secretly tell me?”

“He only said that one line…”

“Which line?”

“There’s a day something really good to ship, but don’t tell you!”

“Why can’t you tell me!”

“…”

At night, as the lights just turned on, the storewide half price coupons had already sold out two rounds. All the employees of 208 heaved a big sigh of relief.

At the same time, large numbers of students poured out from the gates of the four universities, all heading to the downtown area without prior agreement, causing there to be not enough taxis waiting at the intersections to pick up fares.

While Wanzhong Mall at this time had all its lights on, a PVC board for the storewide half price was erected at the entrance, along with group-buy banners and standing signs. There was even a bunch of girls in super short shorts dancing at the entrance. It was livelier than the holidays.

The linkage of online and offline, the response of the crowds and lights, this marketing campaign was sweeping the downtown area in an incomparably brilliant and dazzling way.

Jiang Qin also came to Wanzhong with the crowd, but ended up getting stuck at the intersection. It took more than ten minutes before he entered the underground garage.

By the time he took the elevator to the first floor, the dense crowd had already filled the first and second floors of the mall. Even he felt his scalp go numb seeing it, giving the feeling of joining the big fair during the New Year.

“Is it really half price?”

“Half price, but you have to go to a website called group-buy to snatch a coupon. You can log in with your phone’s WAP.”

“Did all these people snatch coupons?”

“Yes, they’re all university students from nearby. I heard this event was run at the universities.”

“Fuck, there are no more coupons?”

“Today’s are indeed gone. Even tomorrow’s are sold out. But you can snatch the ones for the day after. There’s also a chance to get a free meal card. You can eat ten meals here for free.”

“Buddy, how do you know all this so clearly?”

“It’s nothing. I’m just an ordinary university student.”

Jiang Qin, as a warmhearted good person, did science popularization for several waves of onlookers, then squeezed through the crowd without leaving his name.

If the previous 60% off marketing represented the preview of Wanzhong’s impending opening, then this storewide half price event was the grand declaration of this mall’s glorious return.

But peeling away the surface to look at the essence, everyone would discover that this was actually a bundled marketing campaign between a certain group-buy website and this mall.

This kind of marketing tactic wasn’t that brilliant, but everyone still flocked to it, for no other reason than going online to get a half price coupon was truly awesome.

At the same time, the newly established business department of the group-buy company led the merchants from the surrounding business district to the front square of Wanzhong. Facing this scene of a sea of people, everyone felt a shock rising from the bottom of their hearts.