Starting from a Bar to Sign Internet Celebrities
Chapter 214 - 163: An Advertisement for the Rice Phone?
Chen Jincheng was very surprised to see a call from such a major figure.
After all, he was just a minor influencer, yet this was the second time he had received a call from him.
Anyone else receiving a call from such a major figure would have been incredibly flattered and would have scrambled to answer it immediately.
But he was thinking about more than that.
’A man like that wouldn’t call a minor influencer like me for no reason. There must be a purpose.’
’Still, no matter what his purpose is, I can’t afford to be dismissive. This could be an opportunity.’
He answered immediately, his tone warm. "President Lei, I didn’t expect to hear from you today."
The words "President Lei" made both Sister Feiye and Sister Hong look over.
After all, Rice had a partnership with Second-Life Star, and that same President Lei had even tagged Chen Jincheng on Weibo, sharing the ad video he had created.
So, hearing the name "President Lei," their minds immediately jumped to *that* President Lei.
This was especially true for Sister Feiye.
She was extremely curious how Chen Jincheng had managed to get in touch with that President Lei.
Lei Xiaojun’s voice came through the phone. "Mr. Chen, I have some good news for you. The results for the socket ad we submitted for awards are out. It won the Creativity and Design Award. Congratulations!"
"Really? Thank you, President Lei!" Chen Jincheng said, thanking him immediately upon hearing the news.
’This is definitely good news. It’ll make my name even bigger in the world of ad creation.’
Lei Xiaojun spoke again. "Mr. Chen, there’s one more thing. Rice is about to release a new phone, and we’re holding a bidding conference for the advertising contract. If you’re interested, you’re welcome to participate."
"Of course I’m interested, President Lei. Thank you very much for the invitation." An image of a particular phone immediately surfaced in Chen Jincheng’s mind.
The Rice 8PAY.
In the other world, this phone had been all the rage when it was first released in 2018.
It was positioned as a low-end, entry-level phone, but its sleek design made it a huge hit with young people.
However, its performance and specs were on the lower end. As technology advanced and users demanded better performance, the phone was eventually discontinued in ’22 to make way for a newer model.
’But for a phone released in ’18 to still be in production four years later in ’22, it must have been a great product at launch.’
Chen Jincheng hadn’t expected such a golden opportunity to fall right into his lap.
This was an ad for a Rice Phone, completely different from one for a Rice socket.
Even though it was just a chance to participate in the bidding, landing this contract would send shockwaves through the influencer world.
And he was extremely confident about his chances.
After all, in the other world, the 2019 Tiao Yin Best Ad was OPPO’s "I Have a Friend," the 2020 winner was Huawei’s "Turn Life Into a Movie," and in 2021, VIVO’s "Record Beautiful Life" and Rice’s "Believe in the Good, Travel Light" were both among the top ten.
’So, in this world, all four of those ad campaigns could belong to Rice.’
In fact, his mind was now on something else entirely.
’The Tiao Yin shopping cart feature is about to launch. I’ve already planned out ads for the girls, but I didn’t know what to do for my own. Hasn’t Rice just delivered the perfect opportunity to my doorstep?’
’If I can convince President Lei, I can link the Rice Phone directly to the shopping cart button.’
’Back in ’18, right when the shopping cart feature launches, that would be an absolute bombshell.’
’The impact would be no less than when that A-list actor first appeared in an influencer’s livestream.’
’Besides, based on the personality of the Lei Xiaojun from the other world, the chances of success should be high. He wasn’t a stuffy, old-fashioned person. On the contrary, he was extremely flexible and willing to try anything as long as it got results.’
’Before he’d even crossed over to this world, the man had personally entered the fray to become an influencer himself—a first among top-tier magnates. He’d amassed over 30 million followers, and a single product launch livestream had sold out completely, crushing countless other influencers. Even one of the hottest top-tier streamers at the time, Dong Yuhui, had a track record that paled in comparison to this titan.’
’Based on that, I’m confident the success rate isn’t low.’
Lei Xiaojun’s voice came through again. "You’ll have to come accept the award anyway, Mr. Chen. The bidding conference for the Rice Phone ad will be held during those same two days."
When Chen Jincheng hung up, Sister Hong couldn’t contain her curiosity. "Boss, was that *the* President Lei from Rice?"
Sister Feiye also looked at him instinctively, wanting to know the answer.
Chen Jincheng nodded and explained, "President Lei called to tell me the socket video won an award. He also informed me about the ad bidding for the new Rice Phone and said we could participate."
"Really?" Sister Hong’s face was a mask of astonishment.
A Rice Phone and a Rice socket were two completely different things.
The Rice socket was just small fry; it wasn’t strange for them to hire an influencer for its advertising. But the Rice Phone was a pillar of the Rice Group.
Ads for a product like that seemed completely out of reach for influencers. Even well-known advertising and media agencies would fight tooth and nail for that kind of contract.
For President Lei to now invite her boss to participate could only mean one thing: he had been extremely satisfied with the socket ad.
Sister Feiye was just as incredulous.
As Tiao Yin’s most profitable advertising influencer, she knew full well how much major brands looked down on influencer marketing. It was nearly impossible to land a contract with them, as they felt hiring an influencer was beneath them and would lower their brand’s status. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂
Even with the successful Danny Clothing ad that Chen Jincheng had created for her, things had only improved slightly. She still couldn’t get on the radar of those major brands, let alone for a product like the Rice Phone.
If they could get a chance to participate in an ad campaign like this, everything would change.
This made her look at Chen Jincheng with a new, unreadable expression in her eyes.