107: Chapter 107 Propaganda

In the blink of an eye, three days passed.

The download count for "defend the carrot" did not skyrocket as Chen Fan had anticipated.

Up to this point, the cumulative download count on the iOS platform was 3,436, with $327 in item consumption.

$327 converts to about 2,215 yuan.

After Apple takes its 30% cut, the amount received is only about 1,550 yuan.

An average of over a thousand downloads a day for a newly launched game isn't too bad, but it certainly can't be considered good either.

And the download count for the android platform was even lower; combined, it wasn't even as much as the iOS platform.

Chen Fan felt a bit frustrated for a moment.

He couldn't understand why, despite launching two years early, the results were so much worse.

He had played his company's game himself, and it wasn't much different from the original "defend the carrot" from his previous life.

The gameplay was the same, the art style was the same, and even the difficulty curve of the levels was similar.

Why couldn't the download count go up?

He closed his eyes and began to review the operational strategies for "defend the carrot" in his mind.

Initially, it involved contacting game media outlets to send out review codes, posting on the TouchArcade forum, and then finding game bloggers to make videos.

Moreover, the sales of "defend the carrot" in its first month in his previous life were actually quite poor; it wasn't until the second month that sales began to explode.

Seeing this, Chen Fan felt relieved.

So that was it.

It wasn't that the game was bad; it was just that the time hadn't come yet.

Reputation needs time to ferment, users need to be accumulated slowly, and hits are never made overnight.

Thinking of this, he immediately asked everyone to come to the office for a meeting.

Soon, the conference room was full of people.

Chen Fan didn't waste any words; he looked directly at Wang Jing, who was in charge of operations—a woman around thirty years old, wearing a simple white shirt, with her hair in a low ponytail and a sharp look in her eyes.

"Wang Jing, our game's download count is currently low. The operations team needs to come up with a plan."

Wang Jing nodded and opened the notebook in front of her.

"General Manager Chen, I've organized the data.

Currently, there are over three thousand downloads and over $300 in item revenue.

The data is indeed not very ideal.

My idea is that we could find some domestic game media to run some advertisements."

"We should run advertisements, but we shouldn't limit ourselves to domestic ones.

Our main platform right now is iOS, and most iOS users are abroad, so we still need to find foreign game media to advertise with.

Like AdMob, for example."

AdMob was one of the world's largest mobile advertising platforms in 2010, specializing in helping developers place ads in mobile applications to make money.

For Chen Fan's company, it meant spending money to run ads on AdMob to promote "defend the carrot" to users of other apps.

Wang Jing looked up, waiting for him to continue.

"First, contact overseas game media, like Pocket Gamer, TouchArcade, and 148Apps, and have them write some advertorial reviews." Chen Fan paused.

"These kinds of advertorials aren't expensive; usually, you can get one for one or two thousand dollars."

Wang Jing nodded and lowered her head to take notes.

"Besides game media, there are also some game bloggers on YouTube." Chen Fan continued.

"Pay them to make some game review videos.

Blogger playthroughs are more persuasive than media reviews; fans trust them."

"For YouTube bloggers, look for those with a medium number of fans and a good reputation; the cost for these people is only about three thousand to five thousand dollars each."

Wang Jing looked up at Chen Fan, a hint of surprise in her eyes.

He spoke about these channels, budgets, and execution details so articulately and thoroughly—more comprehensively than she, who had been working in operations for several years, had thought.

No wonder Chen Fan dared to start a company at such a young age.

At this moment, her eyes were filled with respect as she looked at Chen Fan.

"Understood, General Manager Chen.

I'll go organize the list right now and start contacting them today."

Chen Fan nodded, and as if remembering something, he continued:

"Don't give up on promotion domestically either.

Weibo, Tieba, Jifeng Forum, and such places—post where you need to post, and build presence where you need to build presence.

You don't need to spend too much money; the main thing is to let core players know that this game exists."

Wang Jing nodded thoughtfully.

"Understood, General Manager Chen."

Chen Fan looked at Zhang Tao and the accountant Li Fang:

"Engineer Zhang and Sister Fang, please fully cooperate with Wang Jing on this.

This is our first game, and I hope we can achieve a good result."

Zhang Tao pushed up his glasses:

"Understood.

The technical side will cooperate at any time.

If there is anything that needs testing or integration, come directly to me."

Li Fang also nodded:

"For foreign exchange under $50,000, as long as there is a formal contract and invoice, the bank can transfer the money directly.

Wang Jing, once you have signed the contract, give me a copy, and I will arrange the payment."

"For things like writing advertorials, is there a contract?" Wang Jing asked, looking up, somewhat uncertain.

The accountant nodded:

"Yes, there is.

As long as it is a commercial cooperation, whether domestic or foreign, there should be a contract."

She opened her notebook and continued:

"Cooperating with foreign media or bloggers usually involves signing a service agreement or a promotion contract.

It needs to clearly state: the content of the cooperation, how many advertorials to write or how many videos to make, delivery time, fee amount, payment method, and so on."

Wang Jing listened and took notes:

"Then what if the other party is an individual blogger?"

"Individuals are the same," the accountant said.

"Have them provide personal information and a bank account, and specify in the contract that the service is provided by an individual.

When making the payment, the bank might need the other party's proof of identity."

"Okay." Wang Jing nodded.

Chen Fan leaned back in his chair, his gaze sweeping over everyone in the conference room.

Wang Jing was looking down organizing her notes, Zhang Tao was scrolling through his phone, the accountant was closing her notebook, and Liu Yuan was rubbing his eyes.

Everyone had their own things to do; everyone was functioning in their own position.

"Alright, that's it for today.

Wang Jing, you get started on your end.

Keep me updated whenever there is progress."

"Okay, General Manager Chen."

Everyone left the conference room one after another.

Chen Fan sat alone in his chair, staring at the backend data for "defend the carrot" on the projection screen—3,436 downloads, $327 in revenue.

The numbers weren't big, but he was waiting.

Waiting for the reputation to ferment, waiting for the users to accumulate, waiting for that tipping point.

...

A few days later, the foreign game media outlet Pocket Gamer published an advertorial titled "defend the carrot: Why did this tower defense game from China make me play all night long?", with the author credited as James Parker.

[ "The first time I opened "defend the carrot", I didn't hold very high expectations.

It's a tower defense game, after all; playing it over and over is just the same old thing—build towers, upgrade, defend the base.

Moreover, this is a game from a Chinese developer, and it's still unknown in the Western market.

...

...

...

Cute, but not childish

I must admit, what attracted me at first was the art style.

That carrot is just too cute—round body, eyes always wide open, and even shows an aggrieved expression when bitten by monsters.

The monsters aren't the ferocious demons found in traditional tower defense games either; they are a group of round-headed, round-brained little things that even let out an "Awoo" cry when hit.

...

...

...

Conclusion

As a game from a Chinese developer, "defend the carrot" proves that excellent products have no borders.

It might not dominate headlines like those AAA masterpieces, but it will quietly steal your time during those fragmented moments before you sleep, while waiting for a bus, or after a meal.

I have already played over thirty levels.

How about you?

[ Rating: 8.5 ]