Chapter 166: Gift (1)
An advertisement for Green Diamond?
He found it even harder to believe than when he met Bubblegum. What seemed like a normal part of life, something he consumed without much thought, now felt as distant from reality as the sun and the Earth. He was aware of that disparity. However, things had changed now. Beyond his acquaintance with Bubblegum, he received an invitation from a streamer he was friends with to participate in a tournament. And now, Green Diamond wanted to make an advertisement with him.
'How is this possible...'
He felt dazed as if something heavy kept striking his head. Strangely, it didn't hurt at all. Instead, it brought about an indescribable and pleasant sensation.
"It's true that we received offers for almonds before."
.
Ad offers to Ju-Hyeok had become nothing more than spam emails. There were so many of them that he had to be cautious in his selection. Especially when it came to almond-related advertisements, he had to be particularly careful. Their brands would become closely intertwined as it was directly associated with Sang-Hyeon’s streamer name and connected to food. That was why Ju-Hyeok wanted to choose the best, the top company for this special opportunity. He was able to secure it through a deal with Manager Oh.
"You know this one is different out of all those advertisements, right?"
"Of course, it's different. Green Diamond is..." Sang-Hyeon continued to nod. "It's the most famous company out of almond cereal flakes, and they also make almond milk."
"That's right. It's not even an ad where you eat it a couple of times. It's a commercial ad like we did at Fantasia."
It wasn't just a simple sponsorship arrangement. It wasn't a one-time food mukbang event either. It was an advertisement where Sang-Hyeon would become the model for the brand. This kind of opportunity greatly enhanced his external image and offered significant pay in terms of compensation.
"This is a result of us declining all the small-time ads. It's important to keep a good brand image for yourself."
Indeed, it was true. Thanks to not compromising his image with small and insignificant advertisements and instead building it up carefully, these significant opportunities were now coming his way. Initially, Sang-Hyeon thought accepting even small-scale advertisements to grow quickly would be beneficial. However, Ju-Hyeok's words proved to be right. This guy knew how to envision the bigger picture. Having secured the Green Diamond advertisement, Ju-Hyeok was undoubtedly right in Sang-Hyeon's eyes.
"Yeah, you're right. You did well."
Sang-Hyeon admitted defeat. In the face of the Green Diamond advertisement, what more could he say? In this moment of victory, Ju-Hyeok unexpectedly felt a surge of excitement. It was because a certain thought crossed his mind.
'Wait... he just started eating proper meals.'
If Sang-Hyeon received more cereal as compensation, how much more would he eat? Now Ju-Hyeok didn't even have a good reason to stop him.
'Green Diamond gave us this opportunity! The least we can do is eat their product! And it's free!'
If Sang-Hyeon said that to Ju-Hyeok, he wouldn’t be able to reply.
'Ah... Shit.'
***
Manager Oh invited Ju-Hyeok and Sang-Hyeon to a shared office the next day. It was a shared space with different businesses that could use it by renting it out, but it was very neat.
"This is the place I usually come to for personal stuff..." Manager Oh told Sang-Hyeon as he tapped on his shoulder.
"Isn't this a dream come true?"
"Sorry?"
"You, Almond. Your dream. I hear you love almond cereal."
"Ah, haha. That's right."
As they pressed the floor button in the elevator on their way to the meeting room, Manager Oh added an explanation after noticing the broad smile on Sang-hyun's face. Even those who didn't know Sang-hyun well could tell that something good must have happened to him today.
"It will be a little less pay than from Fantasia."
It was about the advertisement.
"You know that these days commercials are divided into sub-channel, major channel, and all channels, right?"
"Yes."
"This commercial is for the sub-channel. The commercial from last time for Lazy Soldier was for the major channel. Since there was also a character contract, the pay was high."
As the format of TV broadcasting crumbled, the era of calculating TV ad rates by platform and YouTube ad rates had ended. The division of tiers by platform was no longer meaningful. Instead, advertising agencies now differentiated between major channels and sub-channels based on viewership.
The criteria were simple. Channels with a large viewership were considered major channels, whether they were TV entertainment programs or individual broadcasts. Advertisers identified their target audience within these major channels based on age, gender, hobbies, and other factors to tailor their approach accordingly. Sub-channels referred to relatively smaller channels that followed the same advertising approach. Although they had fewer viewers, targeting niche audiences with unique interests could lead to higher loyalty.
The all-channel system encompassed all channels and commanded the highest ad rates. The previous advertisement for Lazy Soldier targeted major and sub-channels as it was a mass-produced mobile RPG. However, the advertisement for the almond cereal was surprisingly focused on sub-channels.
"But what's the point of a cereal company targetting sub-channels?"
"Well, not all the commercials are going to the sub-channel. Just the version you're doing."
"Ah..."
"You're not that famous in the major scene yet, but I feel like that day isn't far away."
Almond's popularity was still low. However, if he was classified within the realm of Treevy's game broadcasts, which were generally categorized as sub-channels, his recognition could be higher than that of mainstream celebrities. In such cases, there was often a phenomenon of high loyalty among viewers. Green Diamond aimed to capitalize on this phenomenon. This advertisement was impactful when viewers already knew what made Almond so special.
The decision was made based on the judgment that it would be futile to distribute the advertisement to those who were unfamiliar with Almond.
Ding.
The elevator arrived at the meeting room floor.
"Let's head in."
Ju-Hyeok walked forward while fixing his suit.
***
A picture of Almond was floating on the screen in the center of the office.
One person stuck his finger inside the hologram and asked, "I hear the person chosen this time is a streamer. Is he that person?"
"That's what I heard. The higher-ups already made a decision."
"Wow. I guess streamers are what's hot these days."
"They were on the rise for the last ten years, and after capsule gaming... the word celebrity basically disappeared."
"I used to be good at games too back in the day."
Smack.
The man with the funny look smacked his lips.
"Oh gosh. Why don't you try picking it back up? I hear he quit his office job and started video game streaming. Apparently, he's gotten really big in just a month."
"... Still, why would I quit a place like Green Diamond to be a streamer?"
"Yeah, compared to other workplaces, we're usually on top. The work is easy and the pay is good. You're just having the time of your life, right?"
"Yes! Yes! I love it!"
"This fool..."
Green Diamond had recently entered the Korean market as a multinational food company, but it was a company where opportunities were everywhere due to the frequency of securing major deals or expanding its presence. The company was still seen as a lucrative opportunity for salespeople. The person in front, Manager Lee, should have been at the level of a supervisor based on his age, but was already promoted to be the department manager.
Manager Lee murmured while looking at the various screens around him, "Anyways... we've spent a lot of money on this..."
"Ah... That's right. Good work on getting Actor Son on this."
"We're going to have to cut back on someone."
"Hmm..."
Although loosely referred to as the sales team, their role was quite the opposite of traditional sales. They were responsible for assigning tasks rather than bringing in business. Their goal was to allocate as many tasks as possible within a limited budget. However, a significant amount of money was spent in a recent negotiation, causing the need for price adjustments elsewhere to save as much of the budget as possible.
Among the current advertising listings, the one that caught their eye was...
"Hmm... If we're cutting back, wouldn't this guy be the best?"
Streamer Almond.
"This guy seems the easiest. Since streamers don't usually get advertisements like this, they won't be able to negotiate very well."
The manager nodded.
"Right? How much are we offering?"
"50 million won."
"Let's not take a step away from that amount. Just set the mood as if we can't make adjustments to the amount at all. Play it like we're just here to make a deal."
"Hmm... Will that work?"
"This guy."
Manager Lee smiled and put his arm around him.
"You don't know anything, do you?"
Fwhip.
His thumb pointed somewhere behind his shoulder.
"?"
There was a staff from overseas visiting, sitting down looking over documents.
"Nathan?"
"Call him Wielsma now."
"Ah... We're pretty close."
"Anyways, he's now Wielsma."
"?"
Manager Lee laughed out loud.
"You can't imagine how easy it'll be for us to negotiate if we use those foreigners."
"Really?"
"Yeah. They're here for work anyway and under my management, so I'll show you how to use them. Watch and learn carefully."
***
"Come in."
When they entered the meeting room, three people were waiting. Two normal-looking men and one foreigner for some reason.
"Hello."
Even though his pronunciation was a bit unclear, he understood Korean etiquette and customs. He stood up and bowed as a sign of respect. Seeing that Manager Oh introduced them in Korean, it seemed there wouldn't be any issues understanding each other.
"Oh… You’re Almond. I've watched you playing Battle Large several times. Nice to meet you in person. (English)"
It seemed like he had to use English for long sentences. The Korean person beside him was a translator.
"He said it's an honor to see you in person after seeing your streams."
"Ah, thank you."
Sang-Hyeon replied awkwardly and sat in front of the table.
'This...'
Ju-Hyeok tapped Sang-Hyeon on the shoulder. Sang-Hyeon nodded as well. They couldn't whisper since they were with clients, but they got the message by exchanging looks.
'It's similar to before.'
They had experienced this before. Just because it was an overseas company didn’t mean they had no reason to be here.
"It hasn't been long since Green Diamond has expanded to Korea, so our higher-ups are still foreigners. We're sorry for the inconvenience, but I'll help translate."
They made an excuse, but...
'They're doing it on purpose.'
When they were at Ahsung, they experienced this several times. Korean companies often had difficulty expressing their opinions properly in front of foreigners who spoke English. Taking advantage of this, many places conducted important presentations and discussions in English.
It felt less burdensome compared to conducting them in Korean. Even with the use of interpreters, the negotiations didn't proceed smoothly due to the cushioning effect provided by the translator.
Strangely enough, the side using English gained an advantage in such cases. Foreign companies dealing with Asian counterparts were aware of this and actively exploited it. They purposely pretended not to understand Asian-accented English or put pressure on intimidating expressions. This could be demoralizing even for someone proficient in English because they were dealing with a foreigner. Proficiency in English and conducting negotiations in that language were two different issues.
At Ahsung, when a new employee joined, they first corrected their English starting with their accent. It served as a good way to train their subordinates. Even if they came from a study-abroad background and were good at English, they tended to become disheartened once senior employees started picking on their accents and using inappropriate vocabulary in certain situations.
However, one person easily survived the rigorous training from those senior employees. He was born in Georgia, USA and only spent his school years in Korea before returning to pursue his graduate studies in the United States. He was fluent in academic English as well as everyday English. His major was not domestic trade, but international trade. He also earned his master's degree in the United States. This guy was sitting beside Sang-Hyeon right now.
Kim Ju-Hyeok opened his mouth, "Actually... (English)"