True friends don't pretend

"Father, how did it go?"

Sighing, his father replied, "Ah, don't ask."

"Dad, don't worry. It was just a promotional event. We can handle our own marketing from now on."

Returning from Guangdong, Chen Simian displayed a neutral expression, leaving it unclear whether he was happy or not.

"It's been tough," he admitted.

Chen Simian shook his head. "County Chief Lan mobilized the entire county and made some connections, but we still haven't managed to promote our Xinfeng navel oranges."

"Um, Dad, I wasn't asking about the navel oranges; I was asking about our snails."

"You, young man, don't you know this promotion was mainly for navel oranges?"

"I'm aware, but I think our snails are just as important. Besides, I believe there's a market for our snails. As for navel oranges, maybe we should reconsider."

"You, how do you know that?"

"It's simple. Although navel oranges are Xinfeng's primary specialty, their marketing hasn't been well-executed. Many people don't even know what navel oranges are. If you say 'oranges', maybe people can relate to it somewhat, but 'navel oranges' might be a bit confusing. Moreover, there are so many fruit brands out there; not everyone necessarily wants navel oranges. If a small promotional event can successfully introduce Xinfeng navel oranges to the public, our business will thrive."

"What about the snails?"

"Snails are easy to understand. People from various regions eat snails, especially in Guangdong. 'Eating in Guangdong' is a well-known saying. Plus, we're originally Hakka people, and in Guangdong, a significant part of the population is Hakka too. We share not only language but also culinary culture and customs. The snail dishes, like our Snail Beauty, can gain popularity in Ganzhou and also in Guangdong."

Xinfeng, despite being part of Jiangxi Province, did not have a strong cultural connection to the region. Instead, it shared closer ties with areas like Guangdong and Fujian, due to its Hakka heritage.

The Hakka people were not an ethnic minority; they were originally from the central plains and had migrated southward. They initially settled in Fujian, then later arrived in Ganzhou in Jiangxi, and subsequently moved to Meizhou in Guangdong, and even as far as Southeast Asia.

Combined with Xinfeng's location in the southernmost part of Jiangxi, the linguistic, cultural, culinary, and even traditional customs naturally made it more closely aligned with regions like Guangdong and Fujian.

"Goodness, my clever son, and you knew all of this?"

This analysis didn't come as a shock to Chen Simian.

Then he continued, "You're absolutely right. This time, the navel oranges didn't get the attention they deserved at the promotion event. Surprisingly, it was our snails and Xinfeng radish dumplings that drew the interest of many businesses, especially those from Meizhou. In a few days, several groups of businesses are planning to visit here for inspections. If all goes well, our Snail Beauty might actually make its way to Guangdong."

"Wow, Dad, you're incredible."

"What's so incredible? You already guessed it all."

"I did guess it, but, Dad, why do you seem so emotionless about this?"

"Didn't I tell you? This promotion event was mainly about navel oranges, and these snails and other products were secondary. Even though County Chief Lan put in so much effort, we still couldn't get our navel oranges out there."

"Dad, you're too concerned about it, but you don't even sell navel oranges."

"I don't sell them, but I have an attachment to navel oranges. These days, I've heard that many fruit farmers can't sell their navel oranges, and there aren't many wholesalers buying them. If we wait a little longer, these navel oranges might go bad. Oh, by the way, didn't you purchase 20 million catties of navel oranges? You reckless spender, you're going to suffer a big loss."

"Don't worry, I won't suffer a loss."

Chen Yu smiled.

"You won't suffer a loss? Have you arranged the sales channels?"

"Not yet."

"You bought 20 million catties of navel oranges without setting up the sales channels?"

"I'm just about to do that."

"Now you're starting to set it up? My goodness..."

Tears welled up in Chen Simian's eyes.

He had always thought his son was a little genius, but now he realized he couldn't hold a candle to himself.

"Alright, Dad, I'm heading out."

"Wait, where are you going?"

"To sell navel oranges."

"Where are you going to sell them?"

"Online."

Chen Yu said "online", but it wasn't exactly online sales.

Although there were e-commerce websites like Alibaba, EachNet, and Amazon now, the logistics capabilities were still lacking, and there weren't many individual consumers. Going the e-commerce route would result in significant losses.

When Chen Yu mentioned "online", he meant online promotion and opening up sales channels.

"Jian Ge, how's it going? Have you been in touch with the managers of various websites recently?"

"There's no need to worry; we're practically blood brothers now."

"That's great! How about asking them to help with posting some articles?"

"Of course, that's no problem. By the way, Chen Yu, what kind of articles do you want to post?"

"Well..."

Chen Yu opened a folder.

Inside the folder were dozens of article titles.

The first one read, "Beauty Starts with an Orange".

Naturally, this was an advertorial.

Starting from the composition of an orange, Chen Yu meticulously analyzed the significant effects of oranges on the human body and beauty. Of course, when Chen Yu mentioned oranges, he was referring to Xinfeng navel oranges.

As the hometown of Chinese navel oranges, Xinfeng possessed an ideal climate and geographical conditions.

Firstly, the climate. Xinfeng belonged to a subtropical monsoon climate with abundant heat and rainfall. Moreover, regarding its geographical location, Xinfeng possessed unique red soil enriched with extremely abundant rare earth elements. Yes, these rare earth elements, which would become the global trump card in the future. The high rare earth content played a decisive role in the quality of navel oranges, allowing them to thrive in Xinfeng, even though they were not originally native to China.

...

"Are there any friends from ChinaRen here?"

"Yes, oh it's our big brother from 5173."

"Can you help me out? Can you post a few articles for me?"

"Of course, send over the articles, and I'll make them top headlines for you."

"Thank you so much."

...

"Is the big shot from MOP in the house?"

"Yes, but don't call me a big shot. You guys from 5173 are the big shots."

"Don't say that, MOP is way more impressive. Can I latch onto your leg, big shot?"

"Well, let's focus on business. Can you help us promote a few articles?"

"That's a piece of cake; send them over."

"Great."

...

"Is the Tianya big shot available?"

"If you don't act all pretentious, we can still be friends. Keep calling me a big shot, and we're through."

"Alright, alright, I won't call you a big shot anymore."

"Good."

"Sorry, sorry, I need your help with something."

"What do you need?"

"Do you know navel oranges?"

"Oranges?"

"Yes, close enough."

"So what's the deal?"

"Well, it's a bit embarrassing. Our boss recently acquired 10,000 tons of oranges and has nowhere to sell them. He's really worried. We thought maybe you guys could help by posting some articles to sell out our boss's oranges."

"That's simple, but we can't guarantee they'll all sell just by posting. We can help with the articles."

"That sounds great."

...

After reaching out to various major websites, there was no issue. Zhang Jianming had already established certain relationships with them in the past. Plus, 5173 was on equal footing with them as everyone was part of the internet community. Helping each other post articles was a straightforward endeavor.

However, even with this camaraderie, Chen Yu had Zhang Jianming send some promotional fees to these major websites. They were all insiders, and it wasn't easy for anyone. Especially since major websites hadn't found many profitable avenues yet, they had been struggling for quite a while. Chen Yu wasn't taking advantage of them; he ensured that everyone received a fee for their assistance.

"Jian Ge, have you finished sending them?"

"Yes, it's done. Except for the big four portals who didn't cooperate, all the other websites were cooperative."

"Perfect."

Though the big four portals had the highest traffic, nearly all the second-tier websites, like Tianya, MOP, and ChinaRen, participated. This essentially meant that the promotion had covered half of China, if not more. Particularly, as all the second-tier websites were promoting Xinfeng navel oranges, the impact was explosive and immediate, even without the involvement of the major portals. Overnight, Xinfeng navel oranges became an online sensation.