The most fearsome type of person is one who always manages to stay ahead of you, walking the path you intended to take and leaving you with no way forward.
Following the trajectory of her previous life, there shouldn’t have been any opportunity for Xu Jing and Ma Hai to emerge.
Without Xia Xiaolan, Xu Jing’s ancestral home might not have sold so quickly. Perhaps his girlfriend Xiang Li would have grown tired of their long-distance relationship and broken up with him earlier. Xu Jing might never have gone abroad or studied this field.
Or perhaps Xu Jing’s fate in his previous life wasn’t much different from this one – he still went abroad, still got dumped, still struggled in poverty while trying to develop electronic dictionaries… but without meeting the right investor, the invention would have died prematurely.
Xia Xiaolan’s intervention not only changed the fate of Xu Jing and Ma Hai but also directly led to the early appearance of electronic dictionaries in China.
In her previous life, electronic dictionaries wouldn’t appear for another two years, and they would enter the mainland through Hong Kong.
Because no one knew how to approach this market, electronic dictionaries had confused positioning, even trying to compete with various gaming consoles for market share.
That was truly insane – you’re an educational product, have you no dignity?
Gaming companies were more professional at making gaming consoles. Competing in that space with electronic dictionaries was simply misguided.
Xia Xiaolan’s approach was different.
Both gaming consoles and those “learning machines” that were games in disguise targeted the same demographic – students pestering their parents to buy them.
Xia Xiaolan couldn’t be bothered with penniless students. Her marketing strategy targeted parents with financial means who valued education!
It didn’t matter whether students liked it – parents needed to like and trust the electronic dictionary.
Who cared about students’ opinions? Those without money should let their parents decide.
After all, English was a required subject for college entrance exams. Could anyone afford to ignore those points?
“For back-to-school gifts, choose Wenquxing” – hear the advertisement once, remember the slogan once. It was viral marketing that became brain-washing through repetition.
Xia Xiaolan could only apologize for that famous health product advertisement.
She had taken this path, others should find different routes. She had been a victim of brainwashing advertisements herself – using this slogan to sell electronic dictionaries was surely better than selling useless health products!
Director Xia’s conscience was clear as crystal.
The ones who weren’t calm were Xu Jing and Ma Hai.
The advertisement’s effect was a bit too good.
The previously unsuccessful negotiations with Xinhua Bookstore sales channels resumed smoothly after the advertisement aired. Ma Hai reported:
“Everything’s settled in Guangdong Province. As you suggested, Ms. Xia, we’re using the counter rental consignment sales model. Since the advertisement aired, people have been actively seeking distribution rights. Combined with the promotion during Chengrong Plaza’s opening, daily sales at the mall have increased more than tenfold!”
Sounds impressive, right? Sales increased tenfold?
But let’s be realistic – Wenquxing’s sales still had a long way to go. Even during Chengrong Plaza’s bustling first three days, with the Wenquxing counter in a prime location, they only sold a few units daily, not counting the ones given away as prizes.
So while a tenfold increase in retail sales sounds impressive, it’s because the base number was tiny – from a few units to several dozen units daily!
Compared to other stalls, even those selling just electronic watches, which moved hundreds of units daily between retail and wholesale, would consider themselves failing if they sold any less.
Xia Xiaolan didn’t discourage Ma Hai. The advertisement was running, and they were establishing distribution channels. The rest would take time to ferment – every new product needs time to go from inception to acceptance:
“Take it slow, the early stages are always particularly difficult.”
This was quite pleasing to Xia Xiaolan.
This project she invested in while in America didn’t require much effort, though it cost considerable money. With successful production and market entry, seeing hope for returns on investment – shouldn’t that make her happy?
After two days of electronic dictionary advertisements, newspapers stirred up new discussions about whether it was right or wrong for college entrance exam top scorers to appear in advertisements.
Some said the top scorer had been tainted by money.
Others said the top scorer was neglecting proper duties – students should focus on studying, anything else was a deviation.
Critics’ opinions didn’t represent most parents’ views.
From 1977 to 1987, this was the tenth year since the college entrance examination’s restoration.
How important was the college entrance exam?
It gave students nationwide, young people, an opportunity for upward mobility. Anyone willing to study hard had a chance to leap through the dragon gate! One couldn’t choose their birth circumstances.
But whether to work hard was always in one’s own hands.
The college entrance exam provided this platform and opportunity for millions.
“All pursuits are inferior, only study leads to elevation.”
This golden rule had been accepted by Chinese people for thousands of years.
The college entrance exam was so important that one point higher could mean the difference in being accepted by a desired university.
One point could determine whether one crossed the undergraduate admission line.
One point might prevent the need to repeat a year.
Improving scores was so difficult. In 1987, the tenth year since the exam’s restoration, excellent teachers had developed certain practical experiences through trial and error… yet the educational supplements market still had vast blank spaces.
Test papers still had to be created by school teachers themselves.
Famous practice papers like Huanggang Secret Papers, Hengshui Golden Papers, Three Years of Simulation Five Years of Entrance Exams – none of these existed yet!
Besides classroom learning, what else could parents do to improve their children’s academic performance?
Why couldn’t a college entrance exam top scorer appear in advertisements?
They weren’t selling just anything – they were recommending the Wenquxing electronic dictionary.
“Maybe we should buy one for our child to try? 498 yuan isn’t cheap, but if it can improve English scores even a little, 498 yuan would be worth every penny!”
“It seems quite convenient – input a word and get the translation, plus standard pronunciation teaching… maybe it’ll spark interest and lead to voluntary English study?”
There was criticism in the newspapers.
The advertising top scorer actively kept a low profile, trying to minimize their presence.
Amidst the discussions and criticism, some parents were willing to buy.
The newspaper discussions catalyzed the popularity of the Wenquxing electronic dictionary. While people debated whether top scorers should appear in advertisements, no expert stepped forward to denounce the Wenquxing electronic dictionary as worthless or advise against buying it!
The more discussion, the greater the product publicity.
During these discussions, Ma Hai finalized the consignment agreement with Xinhua Bookstores in the Guangdong region. In many Xinhua Bookstores across Guangdong, glass display cases showcased electronic dictionaries, their casings gleaming with a cold metallic luster… looking very high-tech.
Seeing the actual product and knowing its functions, 498 yuan per unit wasn’t that hard to accept.
Products associated with “electronics” weren’t cheap anyway.
Parents who could afford this price feared their children falling behind. If they hesitated to buy while others did and improved their English scores, wouldn’t their children lose out?
For back-to-school gifts, choose the Wenquxing electronic dictionary. Just buy it, no choice – they’d have to save money elsewhere!