HPDBC Chapter 1299 Oh dear
Chapter 1299 Oh dear
Chapter 1299 Aigoo
"What do you consider to be your greatest strength?"
Nick's voice echoed in the conference room, and the surroundings suddenly became a little quieter, with only the constant buzzing of the air conditioner vents remaining.
However, only a few people in EXO could understand him, but there were still some who could. Besides Ji Kyung-won, who was the least proficient, Do Kyung-soo, whose English was the second least proficient, thought for a moment and then tentatively asked, "Novelty?"
Although they won a Billboard Award before, EXO and K-pop are still relatively unfamiliar to the North American audience, so it wouldn't be wrong to say they are still very new.
But Director Nick simply smiled at his answer, offering neither comment nor response.
"..."
After a moment of silence, Chi Jingyuan looked at Nick. The two exchanged a brief glance. He shrugged, feeling helpless but determined, and said, "He's a fan."
"That's right!"
Upon hearing this answer, Nick's eyes lit up instantly. He slammed his hand on the table, nodded, and loudly echoed, "Compared to all those other things, your biggest advantage in developing in North America is your fans!"
He looked around at the EXO members, pointed to the information in front of him, and began to speak in a very excited voice: "After a period of observation, we found that your fan base is different from most artists' fans. They are very energetic, active in various parts of the internet, and have a kind of cohesion that is hard for others to imagine."
"They are very enthusiastic. Everyone seems very willing to promote or recommend to others... This is a word I just learned. They have a strong sense of mission. Even if they don't get a penny out of it, they will still tirelessly and spontaneously promote their group and vote."
As he spoke, his tone was filled with undisguised surprise: "They actually cast hundreds of millions of votes for you guys in this year's BBMAs. A duo from the Peninsula who have never played in North America defeated Justin Bieber head-on. It's absolutely astonishing."
After looking around, he looked at Chi Jingyuan again, exchanged a glance with him, and nodded very seriously and solemnly: "Fans are your greatest weapon and advantage... We have felt tremendous power from them, which is also an important reason why we are optimistic about you, eager to cooperate, and willing to contribute resources."
Hearing his speech-like remarks, Chi Jingyuan didn't say anything, but he nodded in agreement in his heart.
Although the music scene on the peninsula has developed its own unique style, many of its musical techniques and forms are actually derived from those in Europe and America. In fact, many K-pop songs would not only not be novel in Europe and America, but would even be considered outdated, as they are things that others have already seen before.
In terms of songs and musical style, they don't have any advantages, so it's really difficult to open up the market with music alone.
Therefore, they can only find their strengths.
Despite EXO's current success in Korea, Japan, and Asia, with even official Korean media endorsing them and their rising status, giving them a sense of being 'singers' or even 'artists', Ji Kyung-won has always been very clear about this.
The foundation of an idol group's success still rests on its fans.
"So, you, or us."
Without giving them much time to think, Nick continued in a loud voice, "The most fundamental and important aspect of our promotional plan this time is our fans."
The core of this campaign is to revolve around the fans, actively or passively initiating a reverse, conquering publicity campaign led by the fans. This time, we're not relying on traditional methods. Radio stations are unwilling to play our songs, and getting invitations to TV shows requires a lot of resources, but none of that matters.”
We leveraged spontaneous recommendations from our fans to generate online buzz and create a viral effect, which, through our efforts, spread like wildfire, forcing mainstream attention and discussion upon us.
"The core of our campaign is the process of fans spontaneously recommending the product → viral spread → mainstream media being forced to pay attention."
Nick waved his right hand: "Once the buzz and discussion reach a certain scale, we will launch a radio offensive, focusing on breaking into Z100 New York and KIIS FM Los Angeles."
Our goal is to get our song into the top 50 of the "Hot 100" and "Billboard 200" in the second and third weeks through fan group requests, fan group purchases bundled with album and single sales, and streaming chart manipulation.
"If we can achieve this goal, then our release plan will be considered a success, and EXO can be said to have successfully entered the North American market."
Nick probably realized by now that many EXO members didn't seem to understand him at all. Despite his exciting and inspiring plans and speech, several people in front of him didn't react at all. The translators behind them kept whispering, but they couldn't keep up with his pace. Even when he made eye contact with them, all he got were shy and businesslike smiles.
Ultimately, he realized that only Chi Jingyuan could communicate with him without barriers and keep up with his pace.
So he simply treated everyone else as an audience, and focused his remarks on Ji Kyung-won: "Currently, both EXO and K-pop are absolute niches in the music industry, and it is difficult for them to become popular all over the United States overnight because of a certain album or a certain song."
"So what we need to do this time is to increase your visibility, to let others know what Kpop is, and then naturally make yourselves, and EXO, the synonym for Kpop in people's minds."
"Believe me, it's really simple once you take the first step right."
He was really passionate. Even Ji Kyung-won, who was known for his boasting, was infected by his words and felt that EXO's development in North America was very promising.
"Then there are some other aspects that you must write down."
Having covered the main points, he then brought up some other aspects: "Preserve the essence of K-pop, don't try to localize it for now, stick to Korean lyrics, and retain your style."
"Then there's the complete persona. Putting this album aside for now, I hope that starting with the next album, the next song, or even from now on, we can make it real that all of you participated in the creation process. No matter how much you participated, even if you only wrote one line of lyrics, you should be credited as a 'creator.' Even if you're the third or fourth author, it will still have a very positive effect on your image."
"And you have to emphasize these things in interviews, saying things like 'music conveys emotions'... People here like to hear that."
"besides……"
Nick's voice echoed in the conference room. Although the details of the proposal had already been printed in black and white on the document, he still described it with great enthusiasm. He would even leave his seat from time to time, walk to the projection screen, and tap a certain data or date with his fingertips, as if there was some exciting point hidden there that only he could see.
It's clear that he's very interested in and enthusiastic about this project, or rather, about EXO, and about promoting K-pop, a niche music genre, in North America.
This made Ji Kyung-won and SM Entertainment breathe a sigh of relief, but also filled them with renewed energy.
This is the advantage of signing with a mid-sized record label. The inherent arrogance of large companies makes it really difficult for them to take things so seriously.
"correct……"
After he had finished speaking, Nick suddenly remembered something: "Our publicity department has come up with a, well, a very special publicity plan..."
He looked at Chi Jingyuan and the others, his expression becoming somewhat strange, but his tone was somewhat mocking: "Let our fans actively try to pick a fight with Justin Bieber... I just learned that phrase too."
“He deliberately stirred up controversy to tie us to him in the media and in the news.”
"I think this plan is very good."
His eyes gleamed with appreciation and approval, as if he was quite satisfied with the idea.
"Is this... a staged accident?"
Upon hearing this, Chi Jingyuan's expression turned somewhat strange, and he repeated it.
"Yes."
Nick nodded and explained with a smile, "Do you know who your fans' biggest enemy is right now in North America?"
The next second, he answered his own question: "I'm a Justin Bieber fan."
Chi Jingyuan blinked in surprise upon hearing this, but quickly understood the reason behind it after the other party's explanation.
A few days ago, EXO won the Social Artist Award at the Billboard Music Awards, an award that Justin Bieber has dominated for the past few years, and his fans have long considered it theirs.
However, this year EXO fans cast an astonishing 100 million votes, defeating Justin Bieber and snatching the award.
Then, naturally, the winners became smug and arrogant, while the losers were defiant and slanderous. The fans on both sides displayed their strength and became mortal enemies in a very short time.
"Before you, Justin Bieber's fans were the craziest in the music industry in recent years, but now it's you."
Nick said with a smile, "If this plan succeeds, it can subtly create the illusion in many people's minds that 'EXO and Justin Bieber' are artists of the same level, which is very helpful in opening up the market."
"If there are no other suggestions... let's give it a try."
Although it was just an inquiry, it was clear that NewVision had already finalized the plan and even started implementing it.
When Ji Kyung-won heard this, he had a strange feeling... This kind of publicity stunt can also be seen on the Korean Peninsula. The most typical example is Wanna One recently. Although they have achieved good results after their debut, there is still a very obvious gap between them and EXO, or even a huge gap.
However, their fans have been trying to piggyback on EXO's popularity since their debut, and recently they even chanted the slogan "One Egg, One Bowl," directly putting the two groups on the same level and making uninformed people really think that the two boy groups are in the same league.
To be honest, it doesn't feel good to be targeted like this, and you can't explain anything. Responding will only excite the other party.
What Ji Kyung-won found most ridiculous about this plan was that EXO was already annoyed by being targeted by others on the Korean Peninsula, but now that they're in North America, they need to be the ones to target others.
It just goes to show that fortunes change.
"OK."
Nick clapped his hands at the end, bringing the meeting to a close and officially launching EXO's North American debut:
"I hope that in a month or two, when we're on TV, we won't have to give a long explanation every time we mention 'kpop'."
"Let's take action."
……
"...What did he say at the end? The translator spoke too fast and I didn't understand."
After leaving the conference room and taking the elevator downstairs, Wu Shixun leaned over to Ji Jingyuan and asked in a low voice... It was still too difficult for him to communicate in English without any obstacles. Looking at his blank expression, Ji Jingyuan knew that he had been listening to gibberish for almost the entire two-hour meeting.
Fortunately, after returning, SM Entertainment held an internal meeting to explain the content in more detail.
However, he asked today, and Chi Jingyuan briefly explained it to Wu Shixun, finally mentioning the 'bump and run tactics' emphasized by the New Vision Mirror team.
To be honest, Ji Kyung-won was actually a little embarrassed when he said it.
"Us? And Justin Bieber?"
However, Wu Shixun reacted differently upon hearing this, his eyes widening suddenly.
But amidst his surprise, Chi Jingyuan also sensed a hint of excitement, even honor, in him.
"Hey, why do you seem so happy?" He frowned and looked the hanged man up and down.
"That's Justin Bieber!"
Wu Sehun, however, didn't seem awkward at all; instead, he looked at him as if it were perfectly natural.
Although he has lived on the peninsula for many years and understands the local people's admiration for Europe and America, Ji Kyung-won cannot be like them.
"Have some ambition, will you?"
He wanted to say something, but after thinking about it, he just curled his lip in disdain.
"Since you like him so much... then the task of faking an accident to implicate him is yours."
…………
After EXO arrived in Los Angeles, with the promotional plan and resources prepared by New Vision Records, various pre-release promotions and hype officially began. Ji Kyung-won and the others also started running various schedules under the company's arrangement, pre-recording some programs and vlogs, and everything proceeded in an orderly manner until the album was released.
While they were busy preparing, in Seoul, Lim Nayeon was carefully applying her makeup. She was applying lip gloss in front of the mirror, pursing her lips, and then gently wiping away any excess color from the corners of her lips with her fingertips.
Because I'm going out to play with Kim Jisoo later.
She and Kim Jisoo were classmates. Although their relationship wasn't particularly close at the time, they were just ordinary classmates. However, after they both debuted and achieved success, this classmate experience immediately became a great bond and catalyst, making their relationship much closer.
This time, it was Kim Jisoo who took the initiative to invite Lim Nayeon out, knowing that Lim Nayeon's birthday was coming up soon, so they could hang out together and give each other some gifts to celebrate.
Nayeon, on the other hand, enjoys dating and loves lively atmospheres.
However, the more this is the case, the more important it is to pay attention to one's appearance.
Besides the two of them, Jennie will also be there. Nayeon and Jennie have known each other for a long time, since their trainee days, and they have a pretty good relationship. After Blackpink debuted, they have had a lot of interaction when they appeared together.
"Jisoo!"
"Nayeon~"
Lim Nayeon ran into Kim Jisoo at the agreed-upon place. The two greeted each other warmly, and their shared birth year made them feel very close and at ease with each other.
Despite being the same age as Kim Jisoo, Lim Nayeon looks like a child compared to Kim Jisoo, grinning with her big rabbit teeth and laughing... She has this strange ability to make anyone seem younger than her.
Where is Jennie?
After exchanging greetings, Lim Nayeon looked around but didn't see Kim Jennie, and asked curiously.
"She just texted me saying she has something to do and will be a little late."
Kim Jisoo explained and led her to the side: "Let's have a cup of coffee first, and wait for her."
The two found a coffee shop and sat down, chatting while waiting for Jennie. The good friends hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they had a pleasant chat.
About twenty minutes later, the door to the coffee shop was pushed open, and Jennie looked around before quickly walking in after seeing them.
"Oh dear, I'm so sorry, I'm a little late."
She naturally pulled out a chair and sat down next to me, greeting me with a smile as she casually took off the cute Eevee bag she was carrying and placed it on the table.
"Oh my god, it's so hot outside."