Replay 07: Opening the Temple of Learning

Chapter 384: Creating a Hot Selling Product

After the agreement was signed, Wei Xing walked out of the mobile company's headquarters building with a smile on his face.

He knew that this 50% profit sharing cooperation was a huge success for Zemeng Company.

At the same time, several senior executives of the mobile company remained in the conference room, exchanging complicated glances with each other.

Yang Zhen slowly put down the contract in his hand, his face seemed a little heavy.

He glanced at the others at the conference table and frowned slightly: "Everyone, the agreement has been signed. Tell me, what do you think?"

Sitting on his left is Zhou Jian, manager of the content cooperation department.

He looked hesitant and whispered, "Boss Yang, this 50% share is indeed not low. To be honest, I am still a little worried."

"After all, our mobile company has always been strong, and such a high percentage of revenue sharing is almost unprecedented."

Wang Lin, the director of the copyright department, also nodded, with a puzzled look on his face: "Yes, Mr. Yang. The 50% share ratio means we have given away almost half of our profits."

"And it will take three years. The ringback tone business has not been doing well in recent years. Isn't this investment too risky?"

Yang Zhen was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes and looked at them.

There was a hint of firmness in his tone: "I understand your concerns, but I want to remind you that the market appeal of these songs cannot be underestimated."

"Zemeng Company has done a great job in promotion. Their songs can be heard almost everywhere in the market now."

"Whether it's young people, square dance groups, or even middle-aged people, there are audiences."

He paused and continued, "We want to reopen the ringback tone market, and we need hits like this."

“Such music can also be used in the future video market.”

"To be honest, I haven't seen any songs spread as widely as these in a long time."

Liu Bin, the vice president of the marketing department, who was sitting nearby, interrupted and said, "Boss Yang, I understand what you are saying. But risks always exist."

"In recent years, users' consumption habits have been leaning towards video and live broadcasting, and the ringtone market is no longer as good as it used to be."

“Even if it’s a hit, can it really bring in significant revenue?”

Yang Zhen smiled slightly, with a look of certainty in his eyes: "Liu Bin, this is the crux of the matter."

"You have to remember that the profit model of the ringback tone business does not rely on the short term, but on the continuous subscription of users."

"As long as users set up ringback ringtones, there will be stable renewal income every month."

He tapped his fingers on the table and said firmly, “Just think about what would happen if these songs became really popular.”

"We will have millions of users subscribing to ringback tone, which will be a steady stream of revenue every month."

"Even if only a portion of users stick around for more than a year, the profits will be very substantial."

After hearing this, Zhou Jian and Wang Lin's expressions eased a little, but they were still a little hesitant.

Liu Bin sighed and whispered, "Boss Yang, that's true, but a 50% share is a little hard to accept."

"After all, our mobile company has to bear the cost of operating the platform, and such a high share will undoubtedly squeeze our profit margins."

Yang Zhen said calmly: "Of course there will be costs, but I also hope you understand one thing. We are a communications giant, our market share is already saturated, and growth is becoming increasingly difficult."

"And Ze Meng's songs gave us an opportunity to tap into the market."

"If the ringback tone service can return to the mainstream, it will not only be a matter of revenue, but also an improvement in user stickiness."

Liu Bin thought for a moment, his brows slightly relaxed, but he still couldn't help asking: "Mr. Yang, are you really sure that these songs can support the entire ringback tone business?"

Yang Zhen nodded, his tone revealing a hint of firmness: "I'm not 100% sure, but these songs are indeed the best choices we have seen so far."

"Now, there are very few such hot-selling resources in the market, and we must seize them."

"Otherwise, our strategy to restart the ringback tone business will be difficult to achieve."

Zhou Jian sighed, still struggling in his heart, and said hesitantly: "Boss Yang, we understand why you value these songs so much."

"But I hope that this investment will eventually bring benefits and will not put the company under heavy cost pressure."

Yang Zhen smiled slightly and patted Zhou Jian on the shoulder: "Zhou Jian, risks and opportunities always coexist."

"What we need to do is to plan ahead and seize the market opportunities."

"If these songs become popular, we can boost the overall ringback tone market, and profits will continue to flow in in the future."

Hearing Yang Zhen's firm attitude, Liu Bin from the Marketing Department and Wang Lin, the copyright director, looked at each other.

There was a complicated expression on his face.

The two were silent for a moment, and finally nodded in agreement.

Soon, the mobile company was busy releasing "You Are in the Distance", "Waiting for the Wind and the Rain", and "The Chalk Words of Love".

The three songs were made into ringtones and launched on its own platform, Mobile Dream Network.

In order to maximize the promotion, the mobile company specially held an online press conference for these three songs.

We also did a lot of publicity on the official website, APP and major social media.

On the day of the press conference, senior executives of the mobile company including Yang Zhen, Zhou Jian, Liu Bin, and Wang Lin gathered together and stared nervously at the user data in the background.

Yang Zhen looked around with a serious expression and a hint of expectation in his tone: "The market response to these three songs has been very good. I hope the popularity will continue after the ringtones are released."

"Today is a test, but we must also see results."

Liu Bin nodded and couldn't help asking, "Mr. Yang, how exactly is our ringtone subscription charging model designed this time?"

Yang Zhen explained simply: "We have two packages. One is a monthly subscription model. Users pay five yuan a month and can change the designated songs in the ringtone library as many times as they want. The subscription is flexible and free."

"The second is a single song subscription model, where each song costs three yuan a month, and users can choose to subscribe to one of the songs individually."

Wang Lin listened and nodded slightly: "Five yuan a month and three yuan a head are indeed more cost-effective, and they are also in line with the current market price."

“However, will users prefer a single subscription?”

Zhou Jian shook his head and analyzed: "Not necessarily. The monthly subscription model gives users the freedom to choose. Many people are willing to pay five yuan for the right to use multiple songs."

"On the contrary, single song subscription may be more suitable for users who have a special liking for a certain song."

"In short, the two models can meet the needs of different user groups."

Yang Zhen agreed and said, "Zhou Jian's analysis is correct. We want to attract all kinds of users through diversified pricing."

"Especially young people and square dance groups, who update frequently, are more interested in flexible subscription models."

Inside the mobile company, several employees in charge of ringback tone operations are sitting around a computer, studying the data of three newly launched songs.

Chen from the ringtone business department stared at the names of "Distant You", "Waiting for the Wind and Rain", and "Chalk Words of Love" on the screen with a puzzled look in his eyes. "Although these songs are very popular now, I don't know if users are willing to spend three yuan to order a ringtone for a song."

Xiao Chen scratched his head, a little hesitant, "Logically speaking, wouldn't it be more cost-effective for users to put it in the monthly subscription library for unlimited redemption at five yuan?"

The experienced Lao Li next to him smiled and said, "Xiao Chen, don't worry. The reason these songs are so popular is that they have become a phenomenon on social platforms."

"Especially 'You Are My Dear', which is full of positive energy and is particularly suitable for ringtones."

"The company took advantage of this point this time and took them out of the monthly subscription library and made them into independent subscriptions."

Xiao Chen was still a little confused: "But isn't this subscription expensive? If no one buys it, it will be counterproductive."

"After all, it's five yuan a month for unlimited changes, and three yuan a month for a single subscription. It seems much more expensive to buy them separately."

Old Li smiled and shook his head: "The company is not stubborn, it's just testing the waters."

"If the download volume of these three songs doesn't increase, can't we just put them back into the monthly subscription library?"

"The company just wants to see if users are actually willing to pay for these specific hits."

As they were talking, Zhang Li from the marketing department came over, heard their discussion, and interrupted, "This is also one of the strategies above.

"Nowadays, many users pursue personalization rather than following the crowd."

“People who have a soft spot for a particular song may be more willing to pay for a subscription to the specific tracks they like.”

"On the contrary, the monthly subscription model, because there are too many songs in the song library, many songs are drowned in it, users often pick and choose, and finally simply give up the choice."

Xiao Chen nodded thoughtfully, but still said with some worry: "I hope so. I'm just afraid that no one will buy it and the company's publicity will be in vain."

A few days later, the ringtones of the three songs were officially launched and an announcement was made on Mobile Dream Network.

“Popular ringtones “You Are in the Distance”, “Waiting for the Wind and the Rain” and “Chalk Words of Love” are now online!”

"Each song is only 3 yuan/month, and you can enjoy it exclusively. It is a limited experience and brings you a unique ringtone!"

After the announcement was issued, the subscription data of Mobile Dream Network’s backend became the focus of the operation team.

Everyone wants to see whether this independent subscription model can stimulate users' desire to buy.

Xu Ming is a senior fan of ringtones. He is in his early thirties and works as a salesperson in the company. He has a cheerful and easy-going personality.

His love for ringtones has reached an almost obsessive level.

For him, ringback tone is not just a ringtone, but also a way to express one's personality.

Every time someone called him, he always felt that the ringtone could speak for him and leave a unique impression on the other party.

"Ringtones are your image!" Xu Ming often told his friends, "When people hear your ringtones, they can tell what kind of person you are, based on the songs you like."

Recently, Xu Ming has been thinking about changing his ringtone.

He used an old song before, but he got tired of listening to it and always wanted to find some new music.

But after searching the ringtone library for a long time, he couldn't find anything that excited him.

Until this day, he opened the Mobile Dream Network APP and accidentally discovered three new songs in the "Ringtone Recommendation" column:
"You Are in the Distance", "Waiting for the Wind and the Rain" and "Chalk Words of Love".

"Hmm?" Xu Ming clicked curiously, and a brief introduction popped up on the screen:

"Special promotion of popular ringtones! Three phenomenal hit songs, "You Are in the Distance", "Waiting for the Wind and the Rain", and "Chalk Words of Love", are now online. Set your personalized ringtone immediately to bring a refreshing experience to callers!"

Xu Ming's eyes suddenly lit up.

He casually clicked on the preview of "You Are In The Distance", and the familiar and inspiring melody immediately sounded on his phone.

It is a fresh and powerful rhythm, and the music is full of positive energy, as if conveying an indomitable spirit.

"Oh, this song is good!" Xu Ming couldn't help but mutter to himself, "It's full of positive energy and very contagious. Isn't it just right for a salesperson like me?"

He imagined what it would be like if someone called and heard the melody of this song first.
He could imagine the other person's expression: maybe a little surprise, maybe a knowing smile, but in any case, this song would definitely leave a deep impression on the other person.

As he thought about it, Xu Ming almost couldn't help laughing out loud.

He was a man who was easily moved, and this song seemed to hit his heart.

"How about waiting for the wind and rain?" He continued to click on it to listen out of curiosity, and immediately a gentle and lyrical melody came to his ears.

With a hint of sadness, it seems to tell of some emotion buried deep in the heart.

"This song is not bad, it has a healing feel and is especially suitable for playing when answering the phone at night."

Xu Ming couldn't help but sigh, "Sometimes when I'm tired from working overtime, songs like this can make me relax instantly."

Finally, he clicked on "Chalk Words of Love".

This song, with its brisk rhythm and youthful flavor, instantly reminded Xu Ming of his student days.

He seemed to see his younger self, wearing school uniform and running on the playground.

The innocence of youth was perfectly awakened in this song.

"Oh my, these three songs really have their own characteristics!" Xu Ming's heart was stirred.

"This Zemeng company is really good at selecting songs. They actually have ringtones that are so close to life!"

Just when he was hesitating which one to choose.

A subscription reminder popped up on the phone screen: "This is a special promotion for ringtones. Subscribe to a single song for three yuan a month and experience your own personalized ringtone! Act now!"

Xu Ming stared at the subscription page of "You Are My Dear" on the screen of his mobile phone, and his heart beat faster.

Although this song is not part of Curry's monthly subscription and requires a separate subscription of three dollars, he has made up his mind to buy it.

"I don't care if it's a monthly subscription or not, I just like this song!"

He muttered, and quickly tapped his fingers on the screen a few times, confirming the subscription.

When the successful subscription notification popped up, Xu Ming couldn't help but laugh.

Then, he excitedly made a test call and enjoyed the ringtone of his mobile phone.

That familiar melody came from his cell phone, full of positive energy and vitality, and it seemed to brighten up his world all of a sudden.

"Great! This is the right feeling!" he said to himself.

At the same time, on the other side of the city, more and more mobile users began to discover the existence of these three new ringtones.

Li Ran, a white-collar worker in a company, accidentally saw a recommendation for ringtones on Mobile Dream Network and his eyes lit up.

(End of this chapter)