Yu Xin had been overwhelmingly busy lately, scarcely any less so than Liu Yutong.
Today, following a previously scheduled appointment, she met with the provincial television station's deputy director in charge of advertising to discuss cooperation on ad placements.
Although, from a future perspective, radio and TV stations might seem almost obsolete, nearly phased out by the times.
In the present day, however, television remains one of the most prominent channels for exposure.
Even as the number of domestic internet users rapidly grows, television media still possesses unparalleled penetration.
Especially for Wanhui Youxuan's current focus on the local lifestyle platform, securing cooperation with the provincial television station is quite necessary.
Of course, their ultimate goal was to place a few dozen seconds of advertising during prime time on the capital's television network, but the cost there was simply too high for them to afford at the moment.
Therefore, they decided to start with the provincial station.
Cooperation with local stations like those in Bright Pearl City was relatively straightforward, and ad placements there had already been arranged. It was the provincial satellite channel that hadn't been finalized yet.
After all, their provincial satellite channel ranked quite well nationally and had decent viewership ratings.
Generally speaking, without some personal connections, it wouldn't be easy to secure a deal, especially for prime-time ad slots.
Through an introduction from a leader in Bright Pearl City's publicity department, Yu Xin obtained the contact information and even learned about the hobbies of the provincial TV station's deputy director overseeing advertising.
The deputy director's name was Bi Jin. His hobby was calligraphy, with a particular fondness for collecting Hui-style ink sticks.
Accordingly, Yu Xin prepared a gift for him: a high-quality, newly made She inkstone, paired with a set of Hu writing brushes.
Originally, she planned to visit Deputy Director Bi at the television station.
Since this was their first meeting, and given his position at the station, it seemed more appropriate for such a business discussion to first take place at his workplace. Inviting him for a meal later, once they were more familiar, would be the proper procedure.
Unexpectedly, when scheduling the meeting over the phone, he proactively suggested meeting outside.
This took her somewhat by surprise.
However, she understood that the chances of reaching an agreement might be higher in a private setting, so she made preparations accordingly.
Yu Xin chose a private kitchen restaurant with a good local reputation, which, incidentally, she found through Wanhui Youxuan.
Wanhui Youxuan now had a review system. Even if local businesses hadn't activated delivery services on the platform, as long as their information was listed, people could still leave reviews.
This feature was somewhat similar to later platforms like Yelp.
Knowing that people within the system often cared about face, Yu Xin made a point of arriving early to wait at the restaurant entrance.
Soon, she met Bi Jin, the provincial station's deputy director in charge of advertising.
He appeared to be around forty, with neatly combed hair parted to the side, wearing a bureaucratic smile and possessing the particular cautiousness characteristic of leaders within the system.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Yu Xin led him into the reserved private room and they took their seats.
"President Yu is truly young and accomplished," Bi Jin remarked, genuinely surprised that the general manager of Wanlong Technology was so young, even excessively so.
She looked probably only eighteen or nineteen, an age when one should typically be a freshman or sophomore in university, yet she already held the position of general manager.
He couldn't help but think that his own daughter didn't seem much younger than this girl in front of him and was still quite immature.
Of course, this surprise stemmed from him not having paid attention to any interviews related to Yu Xin before.
"You flatter me, Deputy Director Bi. I just had good luck to become the general manager," Yu Xin said modestly.
"Ah, don't be so modest! Achieving what you have at this age is truly remarkable."
Deputy Director Bi then flipped through the Wanhui Youxuan materials Yu Xin handed over. "Your model is quite innovative, combining online and offline, targeting household lifestyle services. It has great development potential. However, placing ads on our station isn't cheap, and we have high requirements for partner brands. A comprehensive assessment is still needed..."
Yu Xin smiled. How could she not understand the implied meaning in his words?
Put simply, whether and how the ads could be placed largely depended on his say.
Yu Xin took out the prepared gift bag and pushed it towards him. "Deputy Director Bi, a small token for our first meeting, not worthy of your esteem. I heard you enjoy calligraphy. As a junior who knows little about this, I asked a friend to find a new inkstone and a set of brushes, hoping they might add a bit of enjoyment to your leisurely practice. Please don't think poorly of it."
Her words were very well-chosen, specifically emphasizing that it was a new inkstone, not an antique, of modest value, focusing on the sentiment, implying it would be acceptable to accept.
Bi Jin didn't refuse immediately. He just smiled, took it, and opened it for a look.
Being something of a connoisseur in this area, he immediately recognized the She inkstone's fine, smooth texture and elegant craftsmanship. Though newly made, it was certainly no ordinary item. The set of Hu brushes was also of superior quality.
This gift was clearly chosen with careful thought, catering to his interests without being so overt as to cause gossip.
It was only then that he began to regard this girl, who looked under twenty, with more seriousness.
To reach such a position at such a young age, she was indeed no ordinary person.
Just a pity...
Bi Jin pushed the gift back.
"President Yu, you're too kind. I won't accept this gift."
Seeing the gift returned, Yu Xin was somewhat surprised.
She could sense that this deputy director actually quite liked the gift she had chosen.
Yet now he had refused.
There was probably something else at play.
Yu Xin kept a smile on her face, exchanged more polite words with him, and only after confirming his insistence on not accepting the gift did she take it back.
You can't force a fruit to be sweet; doing one's best is enough.
Although Bi Jin had refused Yu Xin's gift, he still showed interest in Wanhui Youxuan and initiated further conversation.
Yu Xin discussed the platform's positioning and development ideas with him, even touching on advertising costs.
For the provincial satellite channel's prime time slot, specifically the period after 8 PM when major TV series air, a 20-second ad spot cost around twenty thousand yuan per day, and even that required bidding. Airing twice a day would mean a baseline cost of over a million yuan per month.
This price sounded expensive, but compared to the capital's television network, it was small potatoes.
A 10-second ad during prime time on the capital's network cost at least tens of millions, even hundreds of millions, per month.
After all, the capital's network reached the entire nation, covering an exceptionally vast user base.
They simply didn't have the capability to place ads there yet and had to settle for the next best option.
Just as Yu Xin was trying to negotiate for a prime-time ad slot, mid-conversation with Bi Jin...
Suddenly!
A young man wearing a flashy pink jacket, with dyed pink spiky hair, pushed the door open with a laugh.
Behind him followed another young man and a young woman, both quite handsome and pretty.
"Uncle Jin, sorry I'm late."
