Huayu: This producer has no bottom line.

Chapter 60 The wool comes from the pig

Outside the internet cafe, the smell of cooking oil mingled with the aroma of grilled meat in the small restaurant.

Lin Gengxin ate a skewer of mutton, took a swig of beer, his cheeks flushed slightly, and he started talking non-stop.

"Brother Sheng, to be honest, I am indeed quite interested in your web series project, but the timing is really hard to determine."

He lowered his voice, with a hint of undisguised smugness, "A couple of days ago, the assistant director from Tangren sent someone to tell me that Sister K looked at my information and thought my period costume look was good, and asked me to keep an eye out for their audition notices during this period."

Jiang Jinfu, standing nearby, exclaimed with delight, "Brother Gou, it's Tangren! They're the ones who made 'Chinese Paladin'!"

"Keep it low-key, keep it low-key, it's still far from certain," Lin Gengxin waved his hand, but he couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.

Ren Pingsheng picked up the disposable plastic cup, took a sip of tea, and his expression was very calm.

He was well aware of Tangren's ways. For promising young talents who were still in school, Cai Yinong would first flirt with them, wait for the newcomers to come to her, and then lock them in with a ten-year full contract.

We're only at the stage of discussing intentions now; it's still a long way from actually signing a contract.

"Tangren is indeed a good platform," Ren Pingsheng put down his cup, speaking in a sincere tone. "Among domestic companies that produce period dramas, it's one of the top tier. The fact that you were noticed by President Cai shows that you have potential."

Lin Gengxin was a little flattered by the praise. "Brother Sheng, you think so too? Should I go and talk to them?"

"Chatting doesn't cost anything. If someone takes the initiative to contact you, there's no harm in getting to know them."

"However," Ren Pingsheng changed the subject, his tone still gentle, "big companies have their advantages. They have many rules, and once you get in, waiting for rehearsals is inevitable."

He looked at Lin Gengxin and said, "My team is a makeshift operation, so there aren't as many rules and regulations. If you want to practice in front of the camera before you get tied up in a big company, and make some quick money to improve your life, come find me anytime. Having multiple options won't hurt you."

Ren Pingsheng neither belittled the Tang people nor made empty promises.

In this industry rife with scammers, those who aren't in a hurry to solicit customers are often the most confident.

"Okay, Sheng-ge, I'll keep that in mind," Lin Gengxin raised his wine glass and clinked it against Ren Pingsheng's teacup. "Once I've sorted out all this final exam stuff at school, I'll definitely come to Yanjing to visit you!"

……

The next morning, Ren Pingsheng did not go directly to the airport, but took a taxi to an office building in the XH district.

The offices of Gewara Life Network are crammed into a few cramped cubicles, with a dozen or so people typing away at their computers, and the walls covered with various movie posters and slogans of encouragement.

Founder Liu Yong personally welcomed Ren Pingsheng into his small office, where even the air conditioning wasn't very effective at heating.

"Mr. Ren, I apologize for the neglect. The company is just starting out, and the conditions are basic." Liu Yong rubbed his hands together and personally poured himself a cup of instant coffee.

"Mr. Liu, you're too kind. Hard work builds the nation." Ren Pingsheng didn't mind and pulled out a chair to sit down.

At this time, the fourth episode of "Report to the Boss" had been released online, and the end credits also featured Gewara's exclusive ticket purchase referral code and event information.

However, the results were less than satisfactory.

"Mr. Ren, to be honest," Liu Yong sighed, pushing a set of backend data to Ren Pingsheng, "we've indeed gotten quite a few clicks from you these past two days, but the conversion rate is less than three percent."

Ren Pingsheng glanced at the data and showed no surprise.

"In the current movie theater scene, 'A Simple Noodle Story' suffered a critical failure, 'The Treasure Hunter' was ridiculed across the internet, and although 'Bodyguards and Assassins' is good, it's not a popcorn blockbuster that people can watch two or three times."

Ren Pingsheng pushed the report back, saying, "The movie itself isn't appealing. It's unrealistic to expect viewers to register an account just to save two yuan on a ticket."

"What should we do? This cooperation..." Liu Yong was somewhat anxious, as he had high hopes for this collaboration.

"wait."

Ren Pingsheng leaned back in his chair, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

"Avatar will be released in five days."

Upon hearing the name, Liu Yong's eyes lit up, but he immediately frowned: "Avatar is indeed very popular, and Cameron has really boosted market sentiment, but people who want to see it may not necessarily buy tickets from us at Gewara."

"The problem is that the emotions were running high, but there weren't enough votes."

Ren Pingsheng tapped his finger twice on the table.

"Mr. Liu, think about it, how many IMAX 3D screens are there across the country? Audience expectations have already been raised to the sky. When the time comes, the line to buy tickets will stretch from the movie theater to the street. The only difference now is where the audience buys their tickets."

"If you want to seize this once-in-a-century opportunity and truly establish the reputation of Gewara online seat selection, you can't just rely on the traffic generated by 'Report to the Boss'."

Liu Yong's heart raced, and he leaned forward involuntarily: "President Ren, please teach me, what should I do?"

"The first step is to secure ticket supply and prevent scalping."

Ren Pingsheng looked at him and said, "Tickets will be hard to come by then, and scalpers will definitely be on their way. If your tickets are snapped up by scalpers in advance and then resold to the audience at a higher price, Che Guevara's reputation will be completely ruined."

"Then how do we defend against it?" Liu Yong asked anxiously.

"Real-name authentication + purchase limit." Ren Pingsheng proposed the most mature anti-ticket-scalping mechanism in later generations: "One mobile phone number and one bank card can only buy a maximum of two tickets. We want to maximize the cost of ticket scalping for scalpers. We want real C-end users, not to benefit scalpers."

Liu Yong nodded repeatedly and took notes.

"The second step, and the most important one," Ren Pingsheng tapped the table, his eyes becoming extremely sharp, "is to implement a fission-style three-tier commission system."

"Fission-type...what?" Liu Yong was stunned.

"Buy one movie ticket and save 5 yuan; invite a new user to buy two tickets and save 15 yuan; invite two new users to buy three tickets and save 30 yuan."

Ren Pingsheng spoke extremely quickly, "Use incentives to motivate existing users to help you attract new users, turning their social networks into your free ground promotion team!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Yong gasped in shock.

He picked up a pen and quickly did some calculations on the paper, his face turning pale instantly.

"Mr. Ren, this...this won't do! The gross profit per ticket is only about ten yuan. A discount of five yuan per ticket is manageable, but a discount of thirty yuan per three tickets means each ticket is ten yuan cheaper, leaving only two or three yuan per ticket. What if too many people buy three tickets..."

"It will result in a loss."

"Mr. Liu, what stage are you at now?"

Liu Yong was stunned for a moment.

"Do you prioritize making money or acquiring users?"

"Of course... we need users first."

"Then don't even think about making money from users."

Ren Pingsheng looked at the founder in front of him who was still doing business with the traditional "buy low, sell high" mentality.

"You're in the stage of sprinting to acquire users now, so don't be obsessed with those few dollars in profit."

"Remember this: in the internet industry, money is never made from users."

Liu Yong was stunned: "Then...where will we earn it?"

"Make money from investors."

Ren Pingsheng stood up, placed his hands on the desk, and looked down at him.

"As long as you use viral marketing to boost daily active users to the millions in the 'Avatar' campaign and cultivate users' habit of selecting seats online."

"With this data, investors will line up to stuff money into your pocket."

"By then, what will the hundreds of thousands of votes you're losing now amount to?"

The office was deathly silent.

The wool comes from the pig!

This is the ultimate way to play the internet!

Looking at the web series director who was much younger than himself, Liu Yong felt an indescribable sense of awe.

"President Ren..." Liu Yong swallowed hard, stood up abruptly, his eyes flashing with madness, "I understand! Let's do it! I'll have the tech department adjust the system right away!"

Ren Pingsheng smiled slightly and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good luck, Mr. Liu. Remember to treat me to drinks when Avatar becomes a hit."

……

Whether Guevara can grow into the shape he needs is hard to say now.

But one thing is certain: Avatar, released five days later, will make everyone re-evaluate the ceiling of the Chinese film market.

Before that, he had a long journey he had to take.

After leaving the office building, Ren Pingsheng hailed a taxi on the roadside.

Hongqiao Railway Station.

In the car, he took out his phone and typed a text message to Dapeng.

"Peng, pack your bags, we're ready to go."