252: Chapter 252 Black Market Marketing

"What?"

"Actually, in that game where you were exposed, I was the one playing the opposing jungler."

Qiao Jingjing stood up with a start and pointed at Chen Cheng, "You... you're that Li Bai!"

Chen Cheng fought back a laugh and nodded, "Yeah, I played the first half, and Lin Miaomiao played the second half."

"Well then~" Qiao Jingjing's chest heaved with anger, "Fine, the two of you teamed up to screw me over!"

Chen Cheng had a mischievous smirk on his face as he shrugged, "How were we supposed to know it was you on the other side?"

"You..."

"I..."

Qiao Jingjing was speechless; it turned out the culprit was him all along!

Chen Cheng chuckled.

"You're still laughing," Qiao Jingjing huffed, picking up a throw pillow and tossing it at him.

After throwing it, she felt it was inappropriate since they weren't that close yet, so she hurriedly took the pillow back.

Seeing Chen Cheng's lips twitching uncontrollably, she felt like hitting him.

Chen Cheng tried hard to control himself for a long while before stopping his laughter. "Tell me about your PR strategy."

Qiao Jingjing nodded.

"First of all, your team didn't realize that any viral news story is a marketing opportunity; they were too busy putting out fires."

"And you even went and accepted the brand's offline event, making things harder for yourself."

"Then what should we have done?" Qiao Jingjing asked, puzzled.

Chen Cheng's lips curled up slightly. "This brings us to the fans and the detractors surrounding every entertainment idol—the 'Whites' and the 'Blacks' (anti-fans)."

"Every idol has a large number of anti-fans, whether they're from rival fanbases or just passersby who don't like you."

Qiao Jingjing didn't deny it and nodded.

Chen Cheng continued, "Traditional marketing methods focus on maintaining the fan base."

"Of course, there's nothing wrong with that, since they're the ones supporting you idols with real money."

"But talent agencies often try to suppress or even sue anti-fans."

Qiao Jingjing was stunned. "Huh? Are you saying we should maintain the anti-fans too?"

Chen Cheng smiled. "With a large enough group of 'Whites', you can become an idol."

"But only with a large enough group of 'Blacks' can you become a superstar."

Actually, look at the example of Cai Kun.

Back then, if Cai Kun had harnessed the traffic from the 'Blacks' and released content like playing soccer or badminton in overalls...

Or even officially announced his entry into the 'abstract base' Bilibili, he would have truly become a god.

The 'Whites' support their idol with real money, while the 'Blacks' vote with their feet to give him traffic.

It would have been a total win-win situation.

Unfortunately, his dim-witted agency did a thankless job of suing netizens all over the internet.

This immediately triggered a rebellious psychology, and there was no turning back.

He was even schemed against by others in the process.

Chen Cheng continued, "The core value of the idol economy is actually the idol's sexual appeal. In other words, cyber-boyfriends and cyber-girlfriends."

"Acting, singing, and professional skills are actually just carriers for that sexual appeal."

Hearing this, Qiao Jingjing shivered and crossed her arms. "Ugh~ your perspective is way too bizarre."

"But I have a lot of female fans too."

Chen Cheng's smirk widened. "You don't think female fans aren't attracted by sex appeal? It's just that they're even more crazed for their 'Oppas'."

Qiao Jingjing did a tactical lean back. "What?"

Chen Cheng: "When people admire someone else, it's essentially an idealized self-projection."

"They try to imitate a star's outfits, makeup, or lifestyle, attempting to achieve an extension of internal value by approximating the external image."

"In other words, they want to make themselves more sexually appealing too."

Qiao Jingjing's eyes widened, and she blinked. "I feel like your analysis is so... explicit."

Chen Cheng smiled and didn't elaborate further.

Returning to Qiao Jingjing's PR crisis, "So, whether fans are 'Black' or 'White' doesn't matter."

"Your team should have edited videos of you getting crushed in games, paired with your genuine reactions while playing."

"Consume all that 'black traffic'."

"It can even create a down-to-earth image in reverse."

"Whether in games or reality, people at the top tier are a tiny minority."

"A glamorous female star like you getting frustrated and throwing her phone because she's bad at a game... that would actually resonate with a lot of people."

"And this contrast between image and behavior would almost certainly win over the general public."

Chen Cheng smiled.

"Public favor..." Qiao Jingjing muttered, then asked, "What about the anti-fans?"

Chen Cheng raised an eyebrow. "As for anti-fans, it depends on whether you can let go of your image."

"Proactively provide them with material to mock you, giving them a 'mental climax'."

"This kind of mental climax is contagious. If handled well, once the public opinion ferments, ruling over the 'Anti-fan World' won't be a problem."

"Huh? Proactively give material to anti-fans?" Qiao Jingjing looked at Chen Cheng, somewhat dazed.

Chen Cheng nodded with a smile. "Uh-huh, giving material on purpose is nothing."

"If it were me, I'd hire a team to post negative edits of myself every day in anti-fan hubs."

"Since anti-fans are unavoidable, why not keep them under your own control?"

A mischievous smile appeared on Qiao Jingjing's lips. "You're too devious."

Chen Cheng laughed. This was just the tip of the iceberg; the methods of capitalists were beyond her imagination.

Chen Cheng shrugged. "I just happen to study behavioral economics—the psychological factors in economic decision-making."

Qiao Jingjing felt a chill looking at Chen Cheng and shivered. "Talking to you academic types makes me feel like I've been stripped bare."

Chen Cheng's lips curled up. "Qiao Jingjing, that's slander. I didn't take off your clothes."

Qiao Jingjing's face immediately flushed red, and she threw the pillow at him. "Get lost! Who's talking about clothes?"

"I..." Qiao Jingjing hesitated for a moment. "I meant it's like you can see right through me."

Chen Cheng smiled and stopped teasing her.

Clearly, their relationship had grown closer without them even realizing it.

They were already at the point where they could make suggestive jokes.

Chen Cheng stopped smiling. "If you're planning to take my advice, you can start now."

"You can film your learning and practice process, edit it into a vlog, and release it in episodes before the official competition."

"But in the videos, you shouldn't show your true skill level."

"The videos should be full of material for the anti-fans."

"By the day of the official competition, the hype will reach a fever pitch."

"All the anti-fans will be waiting for you to make a fool of yourself."

"Then, during the competition, you flip your 'noob' image."

"At that moment, you can say, 'Anti-fans, speak up!'"

"Your reputation will reach a peak then."

Qiao Jingjing pondered Chen Cheng's suggestion, nodding repeatedly.

After a long while, she looked up at Chen Cheng. "You economics students are terrifying."

Chen Cheng smiled. "So, are you going to do it or not?"

Qiao Jingjing's eyes darted around, and she dashed out of the living room. "I'll go get the camera."

Chen Cheng's lips twitched, and his eyebrows shot up as he saw the favorability rating jump.

【Qiao Jingjing's Favorability: 72】