Anime Production, Starting with Healing the Audience

Compared to other platforms, Zhang Siyu felt their own ACG community was truly the most conscientious. A monthly membership fee of fifteen yuan, which was barely the cost of a single breakfast.

To retain users and maintain ACG's reputation, she had even rejected almost all investment advertisements and continuously launched new events, doing her best to let users experience A Company's sincerity.

Looking at the entire online platform, whether it was a video platform or any other, Zhang Siyu dared to guarantee that no platform was more streamlined than A Company.

No pop-ups, no ads, A Company didn't even push any content to viewers, nor did they maliciously bundle software.

Aside from the rather "inhuman" account opening requirements, Zhang Siyu genuinely couldn't find any flaws with A Company.

In her heart, it was a perfect video platform!

Yet, even so, users still seemed unsatisfied, believing that any form of charging was just a money grab.

"Heh, maybe I was thinking too simply!"

Zhang Siyu leaned back in her chair, exhausted, massaging her temples with her fair fingers, a self-mocking expression on her face.

Even buying a pound of cabbage at the market involved haggling for a long time. She had offered such a huge discount right from the start; this approach seemed a bit foolish and naive.

The biggest mistake a merchant can make is revealing their bottom line immediately. A Company's decision to implement the lowest possible paid tier... was a bit hasty.

After a long while, Zhang Siyu tiredly stood up, printed out the files on her computer, and slowly walked towards Fang Zheng's office.

"Drip, drip, drip~"

"Come in!"

Zhang Siyu entered Fang Zheng's office and, upon entering, saw him seemingly troubled by something.

"Director Fang, this is the feedback from A Company's users regarding the membership system. I think you should take a look; the situation is a bit... bad."

Zhang Siyu had no mood to wonder what Fang Zheng was troubled about. She placed the file in her hand on Fang Zheng's desk and stood to the side, lips pursed.

Seeing Zhang Siyu's unhappy expression, Fang Zheng glanced at her suspiciously, then picked up the file on the desk. The deeper he read, the more his brow furrowed.

"We're charging too much?"

"Fifteen yuan a month, there's no one more reasonable on the entire internet."

"So we've provided a bad viewing experience for our audience?"

"I can guarantee there are no ads or pop-ups on A Company!"

"So users feel our content isn't worth paying for?"

Zhang Siyu didn't answer this question. A Company currently had two works: one was "Star Dream," which audiences had already elevated to divine status, and the other was the rising star, "Akame ga Kill!"

Currently, "Akame ga Kill!" was being serialized hotly. Judging by its premiere performance, "Akame ga Kill!" was definitely a good anime for A Company's users.

From its release yesterday at 7 PM until today, not a single person had said the work wasn't worth paying for.

Zhang Siyu and Fang Zheng knew the quality of "Akame ga Kill!" firsthand; its premiere performance was a clear indicator, so it wasn't as bad as Fang Zheng implied.

Zhang Siyu shared her previous thoughts with Fang Zheng. She believed the biggest failure of introducing the membership system this time was being too generous, completely disregarding their own fallback options and not considering what to do if the audience didn't buy in.

Just like now, even though their membership system was the most affordable on the entire internet, the audience still wasn't buying in. Whether for the company's fund turnover or other reasons, they couldn't lower the price further.

After listening to Zhang Siyu, Fang Zheng was silent for a moment, then slowly shook his head.

He was well aware of Zhang Siyu's thoughts; he was not unfamiliar with this kind of tactic, it was a very common marketing strategy.

There have been a lot of things happening these past two days, so updates have been slow. I apologize profusely!*

Perhaps some people might not understand certain online platform operations, but if I put it another way, everyone has experienced it.

That would be Taobao's shopping carnival. Before the carnival begins, they heavily promote product discounts, with many merchants even boldly claiming to sell items at a 90% discount.

Seeing such significant discounts, many users are tempted and willingly pay.

But is that really the case?

There's no such thing as a free lunch, especially for these very clever merchants. They would absolutely never do business at a loss.

Many users only focus on the merchants' discount rates, but very few notice that for a period before the carnival starts, those merchants who made bold claims are quietly increasing their product prices.

Users seemingly get a good deal, but in the end, the money they spend is no less, and it might even be more expensive than usual.

True clearance sales at a loss are definitely one in a thousand!

With just this little trick, many users willingly spend their money, feeling pleased that they've gotten a bargain.

This principle still applies to the current situation, just phrased differently.

If, as Zhang Siyu suggested, the membership fee were higher initially, users would certainly be very reluctant. But then, under the guise of 'considering the audience,' they could launch a 'blood-losing' massive discount.

This way, they could not only gain user goodwill and become known as a 'conscientious' company in the eyes of the users but also have users spend no extra money, thus reaping significant profits.

However, Fang Zheng did not do that!

"Siyu, I don't blame you for having this idea, but if I could do it all over again, I would still do it this way."

Fang Zheng put down the file, a smile on his lips, looking at the confused Zhang Siyu.

He didn't think Zhang Siyu's idea was wrong, nor did it involve issues of scheming or hypocrisy. It was purely a business tactic.

You use it, I use it, everyone uses it. In the end, such marketing tactics have become commonplace, and even merchants consider them standard procedures, not even marketing anymore.

The fact that Zhang Siyu could immediately think of this aspect upon seeing the public opinion online shows that she is a qualified businesswoman. This kind of business acumen is indispensable for a company's management talent.

"Aren't you curious?" Fang Zheng pointed at the documents on the table and said, "The results are clearly very unfavorable to us, yet as the Chairman, I still chose to see this through to the end. Don't you think I'm foolish?"

Zhang Siyu remained silent. She truly didn't understand why Fang Zheng insisted on this path, but the one thing she was certain of was that Fang Zheng was definitely not foolish!

"However, the current public opinion is very unfavorable to us. If we don't control and guide it, Company A might very well collapse because of this."

Zhang Siyu pursed her lips. The current situation was indeed very disadvantageous to them.

"No, in my opinion, this is precisely the best opportunity for Company A to rise!"

Hearing Zhang Siyu's words, Fang Zheng smiled mysteriously and then turned his laptop around, gesturing for Zhang Siyu to take a look.

"Users aren't fools. They have the ability to distinguish right from wrong. Whether Company A is conscientious or not isn't up to you or me to say; it's up to them!"

Zhang Siyu leaned forward, half-believing, her gaze focusing on the forum Fang Zheng had opened.

"This is..."

Instantly, Zhang Siyu's complexion changed. Her slightly parted lips widened, and her once dim eyes snapped open, her beautiful face filled with disbelief.

[Scamming people for money? I'm scamming your grandma!]

"I was planning to watch the latest episode of Akame ga Kill! on Company A today, but as soon as I opened it, I saw a bunch of people here complaining incessantly. It's really annoying. There are a few things I need to get off my chest!"

"First off, the whole incident started because of Company A, specifically the paid membership viewing system introduced by Big Shot Fang. You guys who are shouting that Big Shot Fang is scamming people, put your hands on your hearts and tell me, is fifteen yuan a month a lot? Is it a lot?!"

Fifteen yuan a month is affordable even for students. It's not a lot at all; in fact, it's a completely commoner's price.

Of course, if you're a stingy user, then just pretend this never happened.

"Secondly, I thought everyone had already noticed, but it seems many people are pretending to be confused. You've been using Company A for quite some time now, haven't you? Have you found a single advertisement on Company A?"

"No ads! Not a single one!"

"No ads means that Big Shot Fang's Company A had absolutely no income before. He was completely giving everyone benefits. And with that, some of you still accuse Big Shot Fang of scamming people? Doesn't your conscience hurt?!"

"So, Big Shot Fang should create free anime for you guys his entire life? So, Big Shot Fang's food and clothing all come from the wind? So, Big Shot Fang's company should operate purely on passion?!"

"Where's your face? I just want to ask where your faces are?!"

"Scamming people? I'm scamming your grandma. If you're too stupid, don't come out here showing off your superiority; it's disgusting!"

After reading this post, Zhang Siyu was completely flustered. She even doubted if she was overworked and hallucinating.

She secretly pinched her thigh.

It wasn't a hallucination!

So, all of this was real?!

Zhang Siyu's expression instantly brightened. She snatched Fang Zheng's laptop and kept scrolling down, reading the comments below the post.

"2333, I was going to flame too, but I was late for dinner, and someone beat me to it!"

"Confirmed, a fiery brother, but all I can say is – well done!"

"Honestly, fifteen yuan a month really isn't much. Those platforms that constantly push brainless dramas charge much more!"

"Damn it, you bunch of morons. If you guys flame Big Shot Fang so much that he shuts down Company A, I'll find you for a real-life fight!"

"..."

After reading the comments, Zhang Siyu looked up in disbelief and said to Fang Zheng, "Director Fang, you predicted this situation long ago?"

Looking at Fang Zheng's confident demeanor, Zhang Siyu felt a complex mix of emotions.

Only now did she finally understand why Fang Zheng had said that if he could do it all over again, he would still do the same.

As Fang Zheng had said, times had changed. Users now had the ability to distinguish right from wrong. They knew very well who was genuinely considering their interests and who was just giving them lip service.

Thinking of this, Zhang Siyu gave Fang Zheng a thumbs-up, full of admiration. She could already imagine how explosive Company A's reputation would be.

Imagine, in a market full of insincere online interactions, a company suddenly emerges that is honest, even to the point of being a bit simple-minded. What kind of impact would that have?

After reading the comments on Company A's forum, Zhang Siyu felt much better.

The one-sided public opinion before had made her feel both angry and incredibly wronged.

She had done her best to retain users, but those users still didn't understand them, which had sent Zhang Siyu's mood plummeting.

To ensure the company's normal operations, the membership fee was already at the lowest possible price; it couldn't be lowered any further.