Chapter 878: Are We Really Going to Prepare Two Sets of Betrothal Gifts?

It was said to be product placement, but it was almost considered customized.

Originally, in the 2005 CCTV Spring Festival Gala, Uncle Benshan brought a skit named “Kung Fu.” Whether it was a tribute to Zhou Xingxing’s comedy movie of the same name this year, riding the trend, or purely coincidental, is unknown.

But due to the relationship with New Era, the skit was changed to “Buying a Smartphone.”

This was a suggestion from New Era, reasoning that by 2005, smartphone prices had become more accessible, with phones priced between 300 to 500 yuan being quite common. With the reduction in call and SMS fees, smartphones were gradually being introduced into households, and even many villagers had started using them, enjoying the convenience technology brought to life. Therefore, such skit content would better reflect the era and resonate with the people’s mentality.

In addition, this skit could also warm up the audience for the first round of red packet giveaways to follow.

Of course, New Era only made a suggestion, hoping for luck, as it couldn’t force CCTV to accept it. After all, this would count as customization rather than placement, and the Spring Festival Gala program had long been set and in rehearsals, with just over two months until New Year’s Eve. Changing programs wasn’t an easy task.

Fortunately, the leadership at CCTV had a good impression of New Era, and considering it’s the biggest and most generous sponsor of the gala to date, they discussed the matter with the director team.

The director team indeed gave this matter careful consideration.

It wasn’t just to give face to the leadership and sponsor—this year, CCTV was “opening doors to host the Spring Festival Gala,” seeking ideas from across the nation and even the world. New Era’s proposal was constructive, at least more aligned with this year’s themes compared to “Kung Fu.”

So, the director team asked Uncle Benshan whether he could revise “Kung Fu” into “Buying a Smartphone” and deliver this skit within two months.

Uncle Benshan readily agreed, confident in his ability to do it well.

Unbeknownst to the director team, New Era had already had Yanjing’s representative contact Uncle Benshan. If the director team called him and he nodded in agreement, one million yuan would soon be transferred to his account.

By 2005, having performed at the gala sixteen times, Uncle Benshan was already quite affluent. While one million yuan wasn’t particularly significant to him, sponsors of the gala were not ordinary enterprises; doing a favor could potentially benefit him. Besides, producing a new skit in two months was more than feasible for a master like him.

Hence, what was initially planned as placement eventually turned into customization, proving to be a great value.

The skit’s content revolved around a villager buying a smartphone for the first time to stay connected with his college-attending son, only to make comical mishaps due to his unfamiliarity with the newly popular technological product.

Uncle Benshan’s performance was indeed impressive; even the temporarily revised skit was full of laughs, keeping both the live guests and the viewers at home constantly amused.

The skit also highlighted several major advantages of purchasing digital products at New Era, especially the innovative experience model and a convenient phone and door-to-door after-sales service.

At the end of the skit, Uncle Benshan delivered an advertisement line: “Buy computers and smartphones at New Era, try first, buy once satisfied, guaranteed authentic products, good quality, big discounts, and New Year red packets for the people, ensuring everyone can afford it!”

The skit truly resonated with many viewers, as in recent years, there were indeed quite a few people planning to buy smartphones. While optimizing the program’s impact, New Era also significantly boosted their presence.

Following the skit, Capitalizing on the momentum, CCTV teamed with New Era to release the first wave of red packet rain.

This event was quite fresh for appearing at the Spring Festival Gala in 2005, where sending a blessing message to the official hotline could make one eligible to participate. Even the minimum prize was 88 yuan, exciting many viewers.

Messages to the CCTV hotline skyrocketed, and even the families of Su and Qin joined in the fun by sending a message for luck.

“Alright, it seems our audience is actively participating in our red packet event. The first super red packet worth 8888 yuan has been awarded. Congratulations to the friend with the phone number ending in 2376!”

Following the host’s excited voice, a partially obscured phone number and red packet amount appeared on the screen behind the stage.

“Starting tomorrow, New Century Digital will be open for business. You can bring your phone and information to their 2,536 stores to purchase computers, smartphones, and other digital products!”

“The first ten super red packets have been awarded. CCTV and New Century Digital have prepared a total of 888 super red packets and countless smaller ones. All you need to do is send a blessing message!”

“Friends who didn’t get a red packet in the first round won’t be disappointed, as we have prepared three rounds of red packet rain tonight, to be sent out successively!”

“…”

The first round of red packet rain lasted a full three minutes, after all, viewers needed a bit of time to participate by sending messages. Moreover, CCTV believed that the program’s impact would be quite excellent, enhancing interaction between the station and its audience, marking one of this year’s gala innovations.

The three rounds of red packet rain lasted a total of nine minutes, not very long compared to the more than four-hour gala. But don’t underestimate these brief nine minutes; consider the exposure rate of past events like Kanbass clocks, which only had a zero-hour time signal, potentially leaving viewers forgetting the brand name immediately after.

New Era’s exposure rate at the Spring Festival Gala was unprecedented.

Of course, the willingness to sponsor, along with suggested event plans that resonated with viewers, combined with CCTV’s intention for bold reforms in the gala, were reasons for the collaboration between the parties.