Indeed, for industrial products like those from Tielong Light Industry, advertising doesn't play a particularly significant role.
However, fast-moving consumer goods are an entirely different proposition.
This is because their products are displayed in supermarkets, small convenience stores, and supply cooperatives, directly facing consumers.
Naturally, advertising and such products are a match made in heaven.
Yet, neither Liang Xiaohai nor the factory management understood this concept very well.
Therefore, Yu Zhou could only begin to explain it in great detail.
"It's actually very simple. Our sunflower seeds, once they reach the supply cooperatives and supermarkets, are already in the state we produced them."
"In this state, we can make changes and do as we please."
"So, once we start running advertisements, it will be immensely beneficial for 'Hutou Sunflower Seeds'."
"Advertising can even establish a brand. This is a plan I've had in mind for a long time, and it will definitely be implemented."
Yu Zhou didn't want to impose his will, but this matter was an exception.
Let alone the fact that Liang Xiaohai and the others weren't opposing it yet, even if the entire factory opposed it, he would still forcefully push this advertising project.
How many well-known domestic brands in later generations were built through advertising?
Among them, the most typical are various alcoholic beverages and health supplements. Did the so-called "Brain Black Gold" really have such terrifying efficacy?
Don't be ridiculous; it was merely some beverages marketed ingeniously.
And do the major types of Baijiu really have long-standing stories? In fact, as long as you search and observe carefully, you'll find they are all just marketing efforts.
Who can say for sure about things from hundreds or thousands of years ago? Yu Zhou only knows that setting aside hundreds of years, even in the era of a century ago, the mainstream alcoholic beverage consumed by our people was still Huangjiu. Did Baijiu really have centuries or millennia of history?
But gradually, people became convinced of these stories about Baijiu, even calling them "time-honored brands."
How old they truly are, is probably only known to themselves.
Therefore, Yu Zhou planned to explain the importance of advertising from this perspective.
"A television advertisement can double our sales, or even more, and this is definitely not a difficult thing."
"Moreover, this is not the primary reason I want to do television advertising. The main reason is to build a brand."
Yu Zhou began to dissect his thoughts, revealing them bit by bit.
His eyes gradually lit up.
"Becoming widely known might not initially create a brand effect, but if done well, it can then rightfully embed itself in the minds of the common people."
"You all cannot underestimate this familiarity!"
"Think about it. If it were you, and you had a choice between sunflower seeds you've seen on television frequently and another brand you've never seen before, and you wanted to buy a bag, which one would you buy?"
Suddenly, almost everyone present fell into silence.
They had never really considered such a question. After all, they had never encountered such marketing tactics before.
However, what Yu Zhou said was very easy to understand. In other words, as long as they had brains, they could figure out the answer.
"If it were me, seeing a product on television every day, when the need arose, I would naturally buy the one I'm familiar with, right?"
"Is this the effect of advertising? But can't newspapers achieve this effect too?"
One of the management personnel pondered with a frown.
To be honest, he was already considered one of the more thoughtful individuals. After all, one couldn't expect everyone to have such long-term planning and strategic vision immediately after the planned economy.
How many influential figures have emerged under the market economy?
Some relied purely on their own efforts, while others relied on connections and opportune discoveries.
But undeniably, companies and entrepreneurs that have endured are all those with strategic vision and shrewd minds.
Mercy does not command armies, and righteousness does not conduct commerce. While this saying might not be entirely accurate, it's impossible to say it has no truth to it.
It's hard to imagine a truly honest person steadily developing a business to the point of becoming a renowned entrepreneur.
"That's not enough! To achieve this, it must be deeply ingrained in people's psychology."
"However, whether it's newspapers or magazines, their reach is still too limited."
"Can you imagine that in rural areas or ordinary households today, people have developed the habit of reading newspapers and magazines every day?"
Yu Zhou shook his head immediately.
This situation was almost impossible.
While reading could broaden their horizons, the vast majority of people still wouldn't read.
But television is entirely different.
Even in rural areas today, television ownership has begun to spread.
Often, a household with a television would eventually place it in their courtyard, allowing the entire village to watch.
In a few more years, every household having a television would not be a dream.
After all, with the popularization of color televisions, those black and white televisions that were gradually phased out would also be taken by others to use.
Television stations, therefore, became the most profitable entities of that era.
And within this spread, the role of advertising was undoubtedly huge, even terrifying.
Yu Zhou knew that it was crucial to take root in the hearts of these people and that it would require long-term effort.
However, he also knew how great the returns would be if it succeeded.
These people, exchanging glances, all had looks of shock in their eyes.
The problem with anything is a lack of analysis. What Yu Zhou was analyzing for them truly touched upon the blind spots of their knowledge.
That's right. They, who considered themselves elites, had not developed the habit of reading newspapers daily. What use was advertising in newspapers?
But who didn't have a television? Even if they didn't have a large color TV, wouldn't they have a black and white one?
This item was becoming as widespread in cities as radios were before. Although there were many TV stations, with the gradual rollout of cable television, city residents clearly understood that the coverage of provincial TV stations was definitely not limited to just one province.
"I agree!"
"I agree too!"
After understanding these points, many people began to express their soft assent.