In order to ensure a quick market launch, Feng Yu had the director Zhao call the workers to produce a few sample units that very evening.
Design not in time? Materials not prepared?
No problem, it's just to test the wind force. The plastic shells on the outside can be replaced with cardboard for now. The blades can be cut from any piece of plastic.
"It won't work, the wind force is too strong, it needs to be reduced!"
"The blades are too large, make them smaller."
"These blades are too thick, they need to be half as thin."
"This power cord is too long, two meters is enough."
Feng Yu kept suggesting improvements. Finally, after the two veteran workers worked for three hours, they made two electric fans that satisfied Feng Yu.
"Mr. Feng, how will this electric fan be transported? The three blades have no protection and can easily break," Director Zhao asked worriedly.
"The blades don't need to be installed yet; let the buyers assemble them themselves. The same goes for the base; give them the screws and write clear instructions. Even a child would know how to do it."
Director Zhao and Factory Manager Li exchanged glances. Was there such a thing as self-assembling appliances? But this thing was indeed simple; even without the instructions, they would know how to install it.
"Here, this is the trademark for the Fengyu brand. It must be placed in a prominent position." Feng Yu wrote an oracle bone script character for 'rain,' with an inverted mountain on top and three raindrops below. He had prepared this trademark in his previous life!
"No problem, I'll contact Old Wang at the plastic factory to produce the parts for us. However, Mr. Feng, shouldn't we pay the deposit first?"
"No problem, I'll bring the contract and the deposit tomorrow morning. The deposit is 100,000 yuan, which should be enough, right? After the products are loaded onto the truck, we'll pay 80%, and the remaining balance will be settled by the end of the month. By the way, make the electric fans in various colors, not just white. Blue, red, pink, green—any bright color will do. The blades can also be in different colors, so when they spin, they look like a rainbow."
Feng Yu knew the factory was in a difficult situation. The 100,000 yuan deposit was to reassure them. As long as the fans were produced and gained market recognition, Feng Yu was confident that they would sell out within the province!
Factory Manager Li patted his chest and promised that within five days, 20,000 electric fans would be produced. All workshops would focus on this, and the workers would work in three shifts. If not for concerns about the efficiency of the plastic factory, he would have guaranteed that 20,000 fans could be produced in just three days!
The next day, Feng Yu signed the contract, paid the deposit, and went to the Industry and Commerce Bureau to register the trademark. This unique trademark had not been registered by anyone.
The most important thing now was to open up sales channels. The Fengyu brand electric fans were unknown; what if no one recognized them when they hit the market? What if no one knew that there were already electric fans for just a few dozen yuan? No problem, run ads!
At the Longjiang Daily newspaper office, a big boss came to place an advertisement, and he wanted a large space.
In this era, unlike in the future where more than half of a newspaper was filled with ads, current newspapers had fewer pages but more content, with only a small amount of advertising in the center.
Feng Yu wasn't buying the center space; he wanted a whole page, and for a whole week.
"Mr. Feng, this page is usually reserved for news, and we've never run ads here before. We don't have a precedent for this," the editor-in-chief said, somewhat troubled. Mr. Feng was willing to pay for a whole page for a week, which was more expensive than a month of center ads.
"Editor Zhang, we don't just have one newspaper in Longjiang. Besides the Daily, there's also the Evening News and the Life News. Look at this Life News page. See how they cut the page and mix in some life tips. But notice that the cut-out space is used for ads from Japanese electronics!"
Editor Zhang looked and saw that it was indeed the case. Ads were already allowed on TV, so why not in newspapers? He was still hesitant, though, as this was a whole page.
"Seven days, 7,000 yuan!"
A thousand yuan per day? That was no small amount. All the center ads combined cost less than 200 yuan per day. But that was the center; this was a whole page.
Seeing Editor Zhang's hesitation, Feng Yu added, "My company can add another 1,000 yuan for the week. Just one week, why won't you try it, Editor Zhang? If this works, the newspaper's monthly income will increase significantly, and the staff will surely thank you."
"14,000 yuan, 14,000 and I'll agree!"
"Two thousand yuan per day? That's too expensive. A half-page in the Life News costs only 500 yuan per day. I'm already offering the highest price."
"Our circulation is higher than the Life News." Editor Zhang argued.
"But we sell products, and the Life News is more suitable for our target audience. How about 9,000 yuan for a week?"
"10,000 yuan, at least 10,000! This is a whole page, not a half-page!"
Feng Yu began writing the ad copy, designing the layout, and required the ads to start the next day.
When Editor Zhang saw the ad design, he thought Feng Yu's head must have been caught in a door. You spent so much money on this ad?
You didn't even introduce your company or the manufacturer? Or mention advanced technology, price, or quality? You wrote so little?
So, you're using only a few dozen words on such a large page every day. Isn't that a waste? A small center ad would be enough!
July 1st was a major holiday in China. On this day, many people, as usual, were working and reading the newspaper.
The entire page, when opened, showed three prominent slogans.
Follow the Party, Four Modernizations and Renewal.
Celebrate the Party's Birthday, China Writes a New Chapter.
All Hearts Toward the Party, Fengyu Sees the Rainbow.
Since it was the Party's birthday, having such a page was normal. But how did the newspaper do this? The layout was chaotic, with the three slogans not read horizontally or vertically but in three different directions.
It looked like a fan! Indeed, the outer frame formed a fan!
At the bottom, there was a different line: "Fengyu Brand Electric Fan, Your Summer Companion!"
The ad was out, but it had no effect. No one paid attention to the Fengyu brand electric fan, and no one wanted to buy it.
An electric fan cost at least a hundred yuan, and the more expensive ones cost several hundred. Those who could afford it had already bought one, and those who couldn't still couldn't afford it!
Feng Yu was not concerned. This was a series of ads, and the advantages would only be seen at the end. Seven days were enough to make people remember the Fengyu brand electric fan!
There was a more pressing issue: the Taihua Company's account had less than 300,000 yuan left. Once the motor factory completed production, Feng Yu wouldn't have the 400,000 yuan needed to pay for the goods.
But Feng Yu had already thought of a good solution... PS: More support and recommendations, please. Old Four needs to climb the new book chart. This is the second update, and there will be a third update as usual in the evening.