Chapter 36 - Wind and Rain fan
writer:
穷四 update:2022-08-22 14:03
In order to speed things up, Feng Yu asked Director Zhao to get his workers to produce several prototypes.
No time to design? No ready materials?
It doesn't matter. It is only to test the wind power. The outer layers that should be plastics can use cardboards now and the blades can just cut out from some plastic board.
“No, the wind is too strong, need to reduce!”
“The blades are too big. Need to be smaller.”
“This blade is too thick. Reduce the thickness by half.”
"This power cord is too long. Two meters will do.”
……
Feng Yu kept giving his inputs. After three hours, the two old workers finally have two prototypes that Feng Yu is satisfied.
“Manager Feng, how are you going to transport this fan? There are no protective covers for the blades and the blades might be easily broken.” Director Zhao asked.
“The blades don't need to be fixed at first. Let the customers buy them back and assemble themselves. This base too. We will give the screws to them and also an instruction manual. Even children will know how to assemble the fan.” Feng Yu said.
Assemble it yourself?
Director Zhao and Director Li looked at each other. Assemble electrical appliances yourselves? But it is quite simple. Even without the instruction manual, one can also figure it out.
“Here, this is my Wind and Rain logo. This must be in a conspicuous place.” Feng Yu wrote Wind and Rain in Oracle bone scripts and there is an inverted mountain with three raindrops below. He had prepared this logo in his previous life!
“No problem. I will contact the Old Wang of the plastic factory and let them produce spare parts for us. But Feng, we need to collect a deposit first.” Director Li said.
“Ok. I will come with a contract and deposit tomorrow morning. Is 100,000 RMB deposit enough? After the products are loaded, I will pay 80%. The rest will be paid at the end of the month. Oh yes, don’t keep using white color. I want more color varieties for my fans. Blue, red, pink, green and all bright colors. The fan blades can also be in different colors.” Feng Yu said.
Feng Yu knew the factory is now in a difficult position. This 100,000 RMB deposit is to assure them. Once the fans are produced and accepted by the market, Feng Yu is confident that he can sell all these fans within this province.
Director Li also promised Feng Yu that the 20,000 fans will be ready in five days. All the workshops in the factory will be focusing on Feng Yu’s fan. The workers will be working in three shifts, twenty-four hours a day. If it is not for the plastic factory, Director Li have confidence that this order will be ready in three days!
The next day, Feng Yu signed the contract and paid the deposit. He then went to the Trade and Industry Bureau to register his trademarks.
Now the most important thing is to enter the market. No one knows about Wind and Rain fans. If Feng Yu just put the fans on the market, there will not be many who will notice it. No one will even know that there are fans selling for only dozens of RMB now. What’s need to be done now is advertising!
Longjiang Daily Newspaper. Today there is a big boss at the newspaper President’s office. It is said that this big boss is going to place a large ad in the newspaper.
This era is unlike the later generations’ newspapers where more than half of it are advertisements. The newspaper now has lesser pages and more contents. There are only a few advertisements.
Feng Yu does not want to place small classified ads. He wants to place at least a half page ad for continuously one week.
“Mr. Feng. This page should be all news. There are no ads published on this page yet. We do not have this precedent.” The president is a little troubled. This Feng wanted to buy the full page for one week.
“President Zhang, Longjiang does not have only one newspaper. Other than the daily newspaper, and the evening newspaper, there are also lifestyle newspapers. You look at this Lifestyle newspaper. The layout of the front page is spilled. Half of it is small articles and the other half is Japanese electrical appliances advertisement!” Feng Yu said.
President Zhang looked, is really so. Advertising is now allowed on TV and so is the newspaper. But he still hesitant as Feng Yu wants the full page.
“Seven days, 7,000 RMB!” Feng Yu said.
1000 RMB a day? This is not a small amount. Adding all the classified ads, it is also less than 200 RMB a day.
Seeing President Zhang still hesitating, Feng Yu said again: “My company can add 1000 RMB more. It is only for one week. Why can’t President Zhang try it out for one week? If everything works out, the newspaper’s income will increase a lot and all the newspaper staff will be grateful to you.” Feng Yu said.
“14,000 and I will agree!” President Zhang said.
“2000 a day? It is too expensive. The Lifestyle papers only cost 500 RMB for half a page. I have already stated my highest offer.” Feng Yu replied.
“We got more readers than Lifestyle.” President Zhang argued.
“But we are selling products and Lifestyle is more suitable for our target segment. How about this? 9,000RMB for one week.” Feng Yu said.
“10,000 RMB. At least 10,000! This is a full-page ad. It is different from a half page ad.” President Zhang said.
“Deal!” Feng Yu said.
Feng Yu began to write his advertising message, the design of the ad. He wanted the ads to begin the next day.
Seeing Feng Yu’s advertisement, President Zhang felt that Feng Yu have brain damage. Spent so much for such an ad?
Even if the ad does not introduce your company, it should also introduce the manufacturer or introduce the technology involved, price, quality or whatever. But you just wrote these few sentences?
With such a large page and you only use write a few dozens of words a day. This is a waste. One small ad is enough!
July 1, is an important date in China. On this day, many people are reading the newspaper at work just like any other day. (Translator’s note: July 1st is the founding day of the Communist Party of China)
Hey! What is wrong with this page?
The whole page has three eye-catching slogans.
“Follow the Party wholeheartedly, Four Modernizations and new days.
Celebrate the Party’s birthday, a China’s new chapter.
Everyone’s heart goes towards the Party and the Wind and Rain will see the Rainbow.”
(Translator note: This is a poem in Chinese. It is some propaganda praising China’s modernization and reforms)
Today is the Party’s founding day. It is very normal for the newspaper to use a page to write some congratulatory statements. But this page is too weird. This typesetting is too messy. The three slogans are neither read horizontally nor vertical. But, instead, it is read from three different directions.
Why does it look like an electric fan? Not to mention, if the outlines are connected, it is really an electric fan!
At the very bottom of the page, there are a few words: “Wind and Rain fans, Your summer's good partner!”
Advertising is done but there is not much effect. No one paid much attention to this Wind and Rain fans and no one wanted to buy.
A cheap fan will also cost more than 100 RMB. The more expensive ones will cost a few hundred RMB. Those who are willing to fork out so much money would have bought the fan long time ago. Those who are not willing will still be not willing to buy the fans.
But Feng Yu Don't care. This is a series of ads. The effectiveness of the ad can only be seen at the end. Seven days is enough for people to remember this Wind and Rain fan!
Now there is a more important task at hand. Tai Hua Trading have less than 300,000 RMB. Once the production of the fan is completed, Feng Yu must come up with 400,000 RMB.
But Feng Yu had already thought of a good solution.