Chapter 879: Are We Really Supposed to Prepare Two Dowries? (Part 2)

In short, New Century’s unique sponsorship this time, capitalizing on the opportune timing, location, and harmony of factors, has made it the most successful sponsor in the history of the Spring Festival Gala, and even many years later, no other company or brand has surpassed it.

This round of red envelope rain, according to CCTV’s official hotline statistics, received a total of over 32 million messages from different phone numbers.

In 2005, unlike later years where everyone had a mobile phone, even grandmas and grandpas spending all day on TikTok, over 30 million messages already indicated a high participation rate, showcasing how astonishingly popular this red envelope activity was.

Unconsciously, the sound of firecrackers could be heard outside, the Year of the Rooster officially arrived.

Lin’an banned fireworks in ’93, but small places like Jianglan could still set them off.

The gala used New Century’s name for the midnight countdown, though this was not really important. Compared to Uncle Benshan’s skit and the two rounds of red envelope rain previously, that bit of exposure was just a bonus, but since the first Spring Festival Gala sponsorship, the midnight countdown has been a tradition, so it counts as an indispensable display of prestige.

Half an hour later, all members of the gala program appeared on stage again, issuing the third round of red envelope rain at curtain call, ending the 2005 Spring Festival Gala in a celebratory atmosphere and engraving the name New Century into the minds of every viewer in front of the TV.

“Son, after watching so many years of Spring Festival Galas, of all the companies advertising, yours left the most lasting impression!”

Zhao Lixia was delighted.

The higher New Century’s exposure at the Spring Festival Gala, the brighter her son’s future, and the better the business of the franchise store she and the Qin family opened, naturally making Granny Su happy.

“Of course, with the distribution of 88.88 million in red envelopes along with the sponsorship fee, Zelin’s company nearly spent 300 million, how could the advertising effect not be good!”

Liu Sufen was also in high spirits and suddenly remembered something: “By the way, I think our two stores will definitely be busy tomorrow, so we have to go and help out!”

Qin Daqing agreed heartily: “Yes, yes, yes, let’s aim for a New Year’s good start for Mintian, the gala’s over, let’s go back and rest early!”

Qin Shiqing went home with her parents. Although there were some things she no longer had to avoid, she wouldn’t do certain things like staying at the Su family before marriage, as she was still reserved and traditional.

Su Zelin, however, couldn’t sleep quickly. After twelve o’clock, he received a bunch of greeting messages and also sent New Year greetings to some people, and after the gala ended, various congratulatory messages followed one after another.

“Boss, we did it!”

Kang Baohong’s message, though simple, exuded a strong sense of joy.

The general manager of New Century also watched the entire gala, having long realized the sponsorship would be highly effective, but he still didn’t expect it to exceed expectations.

Whether it was the skit or the red envelope rain, the response was enormous.

“This 288.88 million was well spent!”

Yang Fen’s message was also short, yet everything was encapsulated within.

Initially, when Su Zelin planned to spend so much sponsoring the Spring Festival Gala, he was indeed hesitant, but he finally nodded in agreement because Zelin’s actions had always been bold and never disappointing.

Sure enough, this investment was highly worthwhile again!

Although New Century’s stores wouldn’t open until nine in the morning tomorrow, he could already foresee how bustling the scenes would be in stores across major cities.

“The Spring Festival Gala advertising impact you’ve engineered is incredible; the skit was practically tailored for New Century, and the red envelope rain was powerful too. I’m thinking of discussing it with CCTV next year—don’t compete with us in Ah Li, okay!”

This message was from Old Ma.

Originally, Ah Li wouldn’t make its debut as a sponsor on the Spring Festival Gala stage until 2016, occupying the spot until 2018. However, seeing how successful New Century’s sponsorship was this time, Old Ma was tempted.

Su Zelin quickly typed a reply: “Haha, Brother Ma, don’t worry, you won’t see New Century on the Spring Festival Gala next year!”

This year, New Century wanted to push into the national market, so it especially needed the Spring Festival Gala’s popularity and influence to enhance visibility, thus spending heavily on sponsorship.

Going on the Spring Festival Gala twice in a row wouldn’t be as effective, and it would be hard to find an event comparable to this year’s red envelope rain, so Su Zelin had no intention of continuous sponsorship.

…

The name New Century Digital spread rapidly across Xia Country like a spring breeze in 2005, becoming a household name overnight.

Almost everyone knew of this large enterprise specializing in selling digital products like computers, mobile phones, MP3s, and cameras, which allowed people to freely experience products in-store, and for large items like computers, after-sales service required just a call for staff to come over to check or repair, very thoughtfully.

This is the immediate impact of the Spring Festival Gala, and also why so many giants are eager to bid for the spot by investing heavily.

As Su Zelin anticipated, as soon as New Century’s stores in various cities opened on the first day of the new year, scenes of frenzied shopping appeared, with some places seeing long queues even before opening, a spectacle akin to grandmas and grandpas preparing to snatch up special-priced goods on supermarket membership days.

Not to mention the franchise stores that the family itself and the Qin family opened in Jianglan, which were flooded with customers as soon as they opened.

Some were consumers who already knew of this digital product specialty enterprise before the year ended, while others learned about it through the Spring Festival Gala, attracted by its experiential mode.