CHAPTER 477: CHAPTER 375: MARKETING STRATEGIES (2)

"Should we promote the quality of this series?" someone suggested, "’Heart Inquiry’ and ’Mother and Son Inn’ are not on the same level at all. I’ve watched ’Mother and Son Inn’, it’s still that kind of low-cost historical comedy, with visibly rough costumes and sets. In this aspect, our promotion should be able to differentiate it well from ’Mother and Son Inn’, right?"

"We’ve already rolled out promotions in this regard. We’ve turned the major schedules of the first two episodes into materials and pushed them out on various platforms. The response has indeed been good, but like I always say, in the realm of TV series, only characters, plot, and themes that generate buzz can exponentially increase viewer conversion rates. Otherwise, no matter how good the reputation is, it won’t attract viewers to follow the series."

"I understand now, it’s not feasible to promote the plot effectively at this time; we can only work on related topics to keep the attention and discussion on this series from declining," said Wu Chengbao.

"Exactly, everyone is well aware that ’Heart Inquiry’s’ story actually picks up later on. The further it goes, the more explosive it becomes. What we should do in the early stages is not to create widespread promotions, but rather to maintain a solid foundation."

"When will the characters of Zhou Yun and Su Yan enter into the main storyline?" Song Chi asked.

"Su Yan will appear in the fifth episode, Zhou Yun in the seventh."

"I had suggested before not to introduce them so late into the show, but Director Kang insisted on this editing."

"Director Kang edited this way to establish He Mu’s character in the early stages. If we don’t establish He Mu’s character as someone who has suffered since childhood, is resilient, gentle, and kind from the beginning, he would directly turn into a scumbag caught between two women in the later plot, and the story wouldn’t be so moving."

Song Chi looked at Zhou Yun.

Zhou Yun smiled at him.

Song Chi took a deep breath and knocked on the table.

The heated discussion quieted down.

After pondering for a moment, Song Chi said, "Everyone, first of all, I sincerely thank all of you for strategizing here so late, discussing how to make ’Heart Inquiry’ perform better. But there’s one thing, because some of you were not involved in ’Heart Inquiry’ from the start, you might not know why I wanted to make this series."

"If I just wanted to shoot a very popular series with great data, I could have simply chosen a melodramatic idol drama with more twists and turns, or looked for a story in the market that was more fun and catered more to audience interests. When I chose to shoot ’Heart Inquiry’, my reason was simple; I was at a point where I needed to transform. Before this, I’ve done a lot of work in movies and TV shows, but in all of them, I was just a teenager or a young person. Was my acting good? I wouldn’t boast about it, but I truly committed to each role."

"But, after so many years, I’ve strongly felt a kind of limitation, I needed a richer character. So, when the production company actually wanted another director for the series, I insisted on Director Kang Xin. Even though many advised me against it, saying Director Kang was no longer suited for this fast-paced market, I’m not saying that serious dramas are superior, but I still wanted some breakthrough, not just a breakthrough, but also to deliver a memorable series that, even ten years later, would still be considered good and worthy. ’Heart Inquiry’ appeared at this time."

"The practices of ’Mother and Son Inn’s producers are indeed annoying, but I don’t want them to disrupt the rhythm of ’Heart Inquiry’. ’Heart Inquiry’ has its own rhythm," Song Chi paused, then looked at Zhou Yun, "When we shot this series initially, we all worked seriously and diligently on it. Even today, I still believe that I’ve poured my heart into this series, and I believe Xiao Yun has done the same."

Zhou Yun nodded and smiled at everyone.

"So, even though it’s no longer an era where ’good wine needs no bush’, I still, still hope to earn the audience’s love and respect with dignity," Song Chi said. "Director Kang has already completed his work. Everyone here has seen the series, and I believe, undoubtedly, it’s a very good drama, even for me, a piece I can regard as my new signature work. So I don’t oppose promotion or marketing, but everything must not harm the quality and reputation of the series itself. Whatever I need to do, whatever we need to do, everyone should utilize their professional skills to prepare well. We will cooperate fully."