Replay 07: Opening the Temple of Learning

Chapter 378 Exceeding expectations
Seeing this scene, Lu Shan smiled slightly, his eyes firm: "This time, the users' recognition and support for Ze Meng has far exceeded our initial expectations."

"Everyone realizes that the rise of Zemeng is not only a matter of company development, but also an opportunity for our country to become self-reliant and strong in the field of science and technology."

In the conference room of Zemeng Technology headquarters, Lu Shan once again convened the company's senior management to discuss the next differentiation strategy.

After experiencing the initial victory in the war of public opinion, Lu Shan knew that Zemeng Technology could not stop.

We must keep moving forward and defeat those companies that are sitting on the sidelines one by one.

Lu Shan looked around at everyone and said calmly but forcefully: "Everyone, we have achieved a preliminary victory in public opinion. The user sentiment and support have greatly increased."

"But public opinion alone is not enough. Next, we need to use tangible benefits."

“Attract more software manufacturers and content platforms to join our ecosystem and let them see the practical benefits of cooperating with us.”

Ma Lijuan nodded first, with a firm look on her face: "Boss Lu, are you saying that we should gradually differentiate those manufacturers who are still on the sidelines and try to get them to join the Zemeng system one by one?"

"That's right." Lu Shan smiled slightly, his eyes steady, "Those established companies want to block us, but there are still many small and medium-sized manufacturers in the market, and they are not willing to be suppressed by a few large companies all the time."

"As long as we give them enough benefits, they will be willing to try."

"Baidu has a search engine, and we do. Baidu has a cloud storage, and we don't. But many small companies do, but they just don't have the market."

Lu Shan sat at one end of the conference table, frowning slightly, looking down at the report in front of him.

On the screen next to it, data charts scrolled continuously, showing the user growth curve of the Zemeng system and its popularity on social platforms.

The senior executives in the conference room all looked solemn.

Ma Lijuan, Chen Yang, Huang Cheng, Li Wen and others were listening attentively to Lu Shan's instructions.

After several days of public opinion warfare, Zemeng Technology achieved initial victory.

But Lu Shan knew that the key next was how to use these victories to attract more partners.

"Mr. Lu, you are right. Public opinion has already taken the lead."

Ma Lijuan spoke with a firm tone, "What we need to do next is to attract more software manufacturers and content platforms through interests."

Lu Shan nodded and said in a deep voice: "But relying on interests alone is not enough."

“We need to let these manufacturers see that if they don’t join us, they will be left behind in the future.”

Chen Yang raised his eyebrows and took over the conversation: "What do these manufacturers need? Technical support or traffic?"

"Both." Lu Shan answered straightforwardly, "We must let them see our system advantages and traffic advantages."

"As long as they join us, they can not only quickly increase their market share, but also build their own user ecosystem with the help of us."

Huang Cheng picked up the tablet on the table and quickly browsed the data: "According to the current trend, the recommended position of Jiyue Browser has become the commanding height of traffic."

“Through this channel, we can provide manufacturers with huge exposure.”

Li Wen interjected: “Yes, many small and medium-sized manufacturers just don’t have a say on these platforms.”

"We can bring them new users and even increase their revenue through precise traffic distribution."

Ma Lijuan's eyes sparkled with excitement: "What these manufacturers see is not only traffic, but also brand exposure and technical support."

"Zemeng's technology is independently developed, and they will no longer rely on technology from overseas companies."

Lu Shan turned his gaze to the window, as if thinking about his next strategy.

He whispered, "However, everyone should pay attention. We don't actually have many manufacturers to cooperate with now. The only one that can really show off is Qiantian Company."

The conference room was silent, and everyone focused their attention on Lu Shan.

Qiantian Company is currently Zemeng’s only partner in content provision and application distribution.

A few months ago, Zemeng successfully acquired Qiantian’s shares at a higher purchase price and reached a strategic cooperation.

However, Lu Shan knew that this was not a true partnership, but an integration after the acquisition.

"Qiantian..." Chen Yang sighed softly, "We acquired it, but only to quickly enter the content market."

"It now seems that Qiantian has not brought us many substantial resources."

"That's right." A hint of coldness flashed in Lu Shan's eyes. "When we acquired Qiantian, our purpose was indeed to quickly occupy a market share in terms of content."

"However, Qiantian did not bring enough competitiveness for us."

"Now, they are just a part of our ecosystem. They are no longer partners, but a subsidiary acquired by us."

"Isn't this our original strategy?" Huang Cheng asked with a hint of doubt in his tone.

"We originally wanted to accelerate our layout through acquisitions and reduce the uncertainty in cooperation."

The atmosphere became solemn again. Lu Shan tapped the table lightly and thought for a moment.

His tone was calm but with a hint of sharpness: "Everyone knows that the only cooperative resource we can really offer right now is not Qiantian Company."

"It's the music copyrights acquired from Qiantian."

Ma Lijuan and Chen Yang looked at each other, then lowered their heads and listened carefully to Lu Shan's analysis.

"These copyrights are actually the most valuable assets we have now."

Lu Shan paused and continued, "Some of them have already been renewed, but some are still on the verge of expiration and are even at risk of being snatched away by other platforms."

“So, the next key is how to drive the development of the entire ecosystem through these music copyrights.”

Huang Cheng added, "If these copyrights cannot bring actual revenue, our voice in the industry will be limited."

Lu Shan nodded, his eyes looking through the window glass, as if looking into the distant future.

"That's right. We have to ensure that these copyrights can generate sufficient income."

“We also need to let people in the industry see that joining the Zemeng platform can bring real profits.”

Li Wen interjected: “But the problem is that our relationship with music copyright is quite delicate at the moment.”

"There are many copyright holders involved, and some cooperation platforms have not responded positively."

“So, we have to have a new strategy.”

A cold light flashed in Lu Shan's eyes, "We can no longer rely solely on traditional methods like we did in the past."

“We want to break down industry barriers and create a completely new profit model.”

In the conference room, Lu Shan's words triggered more discussions.

Everyone began to think about how to use these copyright resources to maximize profits.

Ma Lijuan was silent for a moment, and finally spoke: "Mr. Lu, since music copyright is our biggest resource at present, should we consider opening a paid model?"

"For example, could we introduce a membership system, or a paid subscription model?"

Chen Yang also nodded in agreement: "Yes, according to market norms, many platforms achieve profits in this way."

"After users pay, we can obtain stable cash flow and at the same time improve the user stickiness of the platform." Lu Shan was silent for a moment, with a hint of thought in his eyes.

He knew that this traditional charging model would undoubtedly bring in stable income, but he didn't want Ze Meng to just stay with the traditional model.

"Well, the membership system and single song payment model are indeed common practices in the market."

He whispered, “But these are just short-term measures to deal with the current situation and are not enough to break the existing pattern of the industry.”

His words fell into silence in the conference room, and everyone was waiting for Lu Shan to continue.

"What we need to think about is how to fundamentally break down industry barriers and create a new profit model."

As soon as Lu Shan finished speaking, Qiao Weiwei suddenly spoke.

"Mr. Lu, I don't quite agree with everyone's opinion."

Qiao Weiwei's voice was clear and firm. She frowned slightly and looked straight ahead.

"Payment models, membership systems, and single-song payments can indeed bring short-term profits, but in my opinion, they only rely on traditional profit-making ideas."

"They are not suitable for the current market environment and may even limit our development."

The whole audience's attention was instantly focused on Qiao Weiwei, and the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"Qiao Weiwei, why do you say that?" Ma Lijuan asked, obviously a little surprised by Qiao Weiwei's opposition.

"I think there are two reasons." Qiao Weiwei said calmly.

"The first problem is that the user payment habits in Xiaguo are almost non-existent."

“To put it bluntly, our market has a natural resistance to paying.”

"Like Windows and Office software, many people are using pirated versions."

She glanced at everyone in the conference room, "We can't ignore this."

"Even Penguin Music and Kuwo Music, although they have launched membership systems."

“It’s a paid model, but it’s still free for most users, and paying is just to improve the sound quality and remove ads.”

"But if we provide attractive enough content, users will always be willing to pay for it," Huang Cheng retorted disapprovingly.

Qiao Weiwei shook her head. "Not entirely. Even for Penguin and Kuwo, paying users are only a tiny fraction."

She paused and continued, "For many users, music is just background music. What really motivates them to pay is not the sound quality, but the texture."

“They are more willing to pay for ad-free, high-definition music rather than buying a whole album or paying a relatively high fee for a one-month membership.”

Li Wen interrupted, "So what do you think we should do? Give up the charging model?"

“I’m not totally against charging.”

Qiao Weiwei shook her head. "Rather, we can't pin all our hopes on paying users."

“We need to rethink how to make content and traffic more attractive.”

"How to do it?" Chen Yang asked.

"The payment habits in the Xiaguo market are weak, and many people are unwilling to buy even genuine software."

Qiao Weiwei's eyes became more determined. "What we want to break through is the user's concept, rather than simply relying on payment."

“We should create a new model that allows users to actively and naturally participate in our ecosystem.”

She looked at Lu Shan and spoke softly, continuing to state her second point.

"Mr. Lu," her voice was low and steady, with a hint of gentle analysis.

"In fact, another problem we are facing now is the problem of user base."

"The number of users of Zemeng OS, especially active users of audio and video content, is still very limited at present."

Qiao Weiwei paused, as if weighing her words, "In this case, charging a limited user base."

“It may bring in some revenue in the short term, but it’s really just drinking poison to quench thirst.”

When Chen Yang heard this, he frowned, seeming a little puzzled.

"Mr. Qiao, do you mean that we shouldn't charge existing users? But if that's the case, how can we monetize our content copyright resources?"

Qiao Weiwei shook her head slightly and smiled tenderly.

With a hint of calm analysis, he continued: "Mr. Chen, I don't mean no charge at all, but it's a matter of timing."

"Our current user base is too small. If we set a payment threshold from the beginning, it will scare away those users who are still waiting to see us."

Her eyes swept over every senior executive present one by one, her tone gentle but firm.

"You can imagine, if users open the Zemeng system and find that they have to pay to listen to a song or watch a video, what will they think?"

"Especially when we haven't established strong user stickiness, charging will only make them feel that we are no different from other platforms in essence."

"It may even make them think that Ze Meng is just another money-making tool."

Huang Cheng seemed to be thinking about it, and nodded slowly, "Weiwei, do you mean that we should first let users get used to getting content on Zemeng, and then consider charging?"

"That's right." Qiao Weiwei nodded, her eyes deep and with a keen insight into the market environment, "We need a gradual penetration process."

"With a limited number of users and insufficient stickiness, rashly charging will not only cause users to leave, but may also make users resist us."

"This will directly affect Zemeng's reputation and make people think that we are too eager to cash in."

Her tone was calm, but every word hit the nail on the head. "At the current stage, what we need more is to expand our user base and get more people into the habit of getting content on Zemeng."

"In this way, we can launch the paid model when our user base is large enough and the user experience and stickiness are high enough."

"It will make people feel that this is a natural outcome, rather than a 'forced consumption' choice."

After listening to Qiao Weiwei's analysis, Lu Shan nodded thoughtfully, with a hint of appreciation in his eyes.

Qiao Weiwei's insights are profound and calm. She not only sees the current user status of Zemeng.

It is also acutely aware of the market’s sensitivity to fees.

Lu Shan nodded slightly, a hint of approval flashed in his eyes, and there was a little more appreciation in his eyes when he looked at Qiao Weiwei.

"Qiao Weiwei's words make a lot of sense."

His tone was low but firm, "Our current user base is not solid enough. Rashly charging will only scare away users and even damage Zemeng's reputation."

Everyone in the conference room looked at each other. Lu Shan's attitude was clear, and they didn't dare to refute it easily.

"But Mr. Lu," Chen Yang said hesitantly, "If we don't charge, how can we ensure income?"

(End of this chapter)