Chapter 166: The 166th day of being popular
After Xiaopang stopped speaking, everyone understood his point.
Since Yao Bianliang made arrangements for Feng Shiyuan, why would she ask them to help Lu's group?
It would be contradictory to arrange for people to praise while also arranging for criticism. Sister Liang would never make such a low-level mistake, so the truth was clear.
Sister Liang wanted them to take a counter position against Lu's group, engaging in back-and-forth disputes, which would naturally increase the hype and attention.
With this realization, all their remaining doubts disappeared.
Currently, public opinion is overwhelmingly positive, and countless praises and compliments are flooding the internet.
Even if they tried to "clarify" and tell the public, "Our Liang Liang isn't that great," people would most likely consider it modesty and wouldn't be affected significantly.
Since clarifying wasn't effective, they might as well switch to a mode of criticism herself!
If others praised Yao Bianliang ruthlessly, they would criticize her ruthlessly.
The one-sided situation on the internet was due to the overwhelming praise from fans and water armies. If they arranged for their fans and water armies to counter the narrative, with both sides confronting each other and stirring up controversies, the situation could be perfectly resolved.
Since Lu's group wanted to spend money to promote their side, they would let them be.
After all, all that real money would be spent, and besides contributing to their momentum, it wouldn't have any other effect.
When Zhou Fei thought of this, he was in complete awe of Yao Bianliang.
No wonder she asked them to "promote" this situation, making it a big deal using Lu's group as an opportunity.
This was like using the competitor's money to hype themselves!
Once Lu's group realized that their operation not only didn't harm Yao Bianliang but instead boosted her popularity and reputation, they would probably be infuriated.
The thought of this scene excited Zhou Fei just by imagining it.
"Fei Ge, what should we do next?" Xiaopang asked beside him.
Zhou Fei smiled and replied, "Feng Ge will take the lead, and we can't just sit idle. Everyone, find a way to inform the major fans. Let's unite and counter Lu's group together."
Lu's group wanted to promote Yao Bianliang and her works, so if they countered them, it would naturally involve criticizing Yao Bianliang's works.
"Um, encouraging fans to do this kind of thing?"
Xiaopang widened his eyes slightly, thinking they might buy some marketing articles and compete with Lu's group.
Seeing through Xiaopang's thoughts, Zhou Fei helplessly said, "Forget about buying water armies and marketing articles; we don't have money for that."
Xiaopang: "..."
True, that makes sense.
"In that case, our fans will be just like anti-fans." Someone couldn't help muttering.
For other fans, when their idols achieve even a small accomplishment, everyone is eager to praise them. If someone points out any flaws, fans either remain silent or refute them. The classic responses are usually, "Do you know how hard my idol works?", "Haters, shut up!", "Wishing your bias to disappear from the face of the earth."
But for fans to collectively criticize their own idol...
Come on, they have never witnessed such a shocking scene!
Zhou Fei's expression turned serious. "This is the task Sister Liang assigned to us, and no matter what, we must complete it seriously."
He paused, stood up, and looked at the surrounding companions.
"I seriously thought about it, and if we want to guide the fans to cooperate with Feng Ge in this operation, we can start from three aspects."
"First, in the fan group announcements, weibo announcements, and other places, we should emphasize encouraging fans to criticize and point out flaws."
This is the basic ideological guidance. However, relying solely on this won't be enough to prompt the fans into action.
They must take substantive measures to encourage fans to criticize Yao Bianliang.
The best way to do that is to offer a reward mechanism.
So Zhou Fei continued, "Second, we can organize some lucky draw events. As long as fans retweet the Weibo post and provide valid criticism for Liang Jie, they can participate in the draw."
"If a fan's criticism exceeds five hundred words, and the likes, comments, and retweets reach a certain threshold, then after professional review, that fan can also receive a signed photo from Liang Jie!"
When Yao Bianliang prepared the signed photos initially, she intended to give back to her fans. Therefore, after signing them, she handed them over to Zhou Fei to handle.
Unexpectedly, they would come in handy now.
Their budget is very limited, so having these signed photos can save them a lot of money.
"Third, we can combine these activities with Feng Ge's video. This will achieve the maximum promotional effect, and we must ensure that most fans are aware of this matter."
Hearing Zhou Fei's plan, the other employees exchanged glances and nodded in agreement.
Xia Yin spoke softly, "I, I think... the reward mechanism can be slightly refined."
Hearing her speak up, the others immediately looked at her.
Xia Yin became even more nervous, but after working together for some time, she gained confidence and wouldn't hesitate to speak up like she did initially.
"For example, the harsher the criticism they write, the more rewards we give them," she said hesitantly.
Zhou Fei and the others were taken aback.
The harsher the criticism, the more rewards?
Isn't this encouraging fans not to hold back and criticize as harshly as possible?
"Well, this suggestion is good," Zhou Fei's eyes lit up.
Since Lu's side is praising extensively, they must criticize even more intensely.
They need to turn the situation around.
With Xia Yin taking the lead, the other employees also proposed their ideas.
Zhou Fei was responsible for recording each person's thoughts. They brainstormed together and finalized the plan for the activities.
"Okay, let's do it this way!" Looking at the two full pages of the plan's content, Zhou Fei nodded in satisfaction.
*****
The weather was nice that day, and Yao Bianliang was in a good mood.
The filming for the drama "Spring Warmth, Dew, and Splendor" began, and Mo Yougan, as the investor, spared no expense. He directly set up the filming location in the suburbs of K City.
Yao Bianliang boarded the plane booked by the drama crew, and when she saw the large group of staff and the neatly arranged equipment, she couldn't help being impressed by Mo Yougan's grandeur.
This didn't look like a small drama with no fame. Judging from the scale, the investment may rival that of an international blockbuster.
Casually finding a seat, Yao Bianliang glanced up and saw Mo Yougan sitting by the window.
The man had a cold and stern expression, his long legs crossed, and his slender fingers lightly tapping on the phone screen, his black eyes showing a hint of confusion.
"Mr. Mo, what's going on?" Yao Bianliang couldn't help but ask.
Mo Yougan looked at her, remained silent for a moment, and then slowly spoke, "Why... is our popularity so high?"
His tone carried a hint of resentment. The way he looked at Yao Bianliang was like he was seeing a deceitful liar who had fooled his feelings.
Today was originally an ordinary day. Mo Yougan had specifically instructed his assistant to check the almanac and found it unsuitable for opening a business. So, he chose this auspicious day for the drama's commencement.
But as soon as he opened Weibo early in the morning, the top trending topic was Yao Bianliang's new drama's start, and the discussions below were off the charts.
"Ah, finally, Liang Liang's new drama is here, looking forward to it."
"It's a historical romance drama; I'm in!"
"Liang Liang is finally starting her TV drama career, and the first one is a grand historical production! Sobbing, it's so great."
These countless comments gave Mo Yougan a headache.
He only wanted to peacefully shoot a script that flopped.
Yet now, before it even aired, the drama had already gained immense popularity, shooting up to the top trending topic!
As an investor, Mo Yougan had never arranged these armies of fans and marketing accounts. In his imagination, the drama should have been quietly shot and completed.
However, now the drama has become widely known, and its popularity even surpassed related terms related to Lu group.
Seeing Yao Bianliang frown, she also opened Weibo to take a look.
Goodness, the new drama had just started filming and was already ranked first on the trending list.
Lu group was indeed powerful!
Looking at Mo Yougan's frustrated expression, Yao Bianliang quickly explained, "Mr. Mo, don't worry. If I guess correctly, this should be the work of the Lu Group."
Mo Yougan furrowed his brows, "Lu?"
His relationship with Lu was like water and fire; their companies were competitors. So, why would they create such popularity for him now?
Yao Bianliang's lips are slightly curved, "As you know, our script is quite controversial. At this time, Lu Group buying trending topics and doing promotions for us... what good intentions could they have?"
Mo Yougan's gaze flickered for a moment before he understood.
That's right, he had misunderstood before.
Everyone was highly anticipating the new drama. If the quality of their work was not good enough, it would undoubtedly attract countless criticisms.
And he was well aware of the script's quality, wasn't he?
That drama was filled with toxic elements, practically asking for complaints.
Once the new drama was officially released, the public backlash was bound to be severe.
"So, this is actually a good thing for us?" Mo Yougan's eyes brightened slightly.
"Of course," Yao Bianliang nodded.
They exchanged a knowing smile and understanding glances.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the plane is about to take off..."
The announcement came through the intercom, and Yao Bianliang looked outside at the beautiful weather before checking her phone.
In the unread messages, only three were from Zhou Fei, reporting on work-related matters.
Zhou Fei: "Sister Liang, regarding the tasks you arranged, we have already devised a plan. If you have time, could you take a look?"
The document attached shows a professionally crafted plan with detailed schedules and processes.
The only downside was that it was too professional, with dense text that made Yao Bianliang's eyes ache.
Fortunately, Zhou Fei also sent a long text to explain everything besides the document.
In essence, they had prepared according to her instructions and would coordinate with the fans to amplify public opinion and increase the hype.
Yao Bianliang understood their intentions.
Having fans coordinate with the promotion seemed like a good idea. If the fans praised her to the skies, wouldn't that align perfectly with Lu's intentions?
Thinking back to the trending topic she saw earlier about the start of her new drama, it was evident that their plan was proceeding exceptionally smoothly.
She smiled and replied to Zhou Fei, "You can show the document to Assistant Chen. You all have done a great job, keep it up."
After sending the message, the plane was ready for takeoff.
Yao Bianliang let out a sigh of relief, switched her phone to airplane mode, and leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes to relax.
Everything was under control!