Chapter 241: Advertising Proposal
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 241: Advertising Proposal
Baek Hae-in took the remote and complained, asking what there was to watch since the soccer match was already over. Baek Hae-won ignored him completely and turned on her phone.
She had been saving her triple-data coupon just for this day. Feeling a sense of security, Hae-won accessed MeTube.
Spark’s holiday special video, "Expressing Gratitude to Loved Ones," had been uploaded.
As expected of Spark. They always release content right when people start getting interested.
As usual, today’s self-produced content was a total mess.
Spark’s kind and sophisticated handsome man, Kim I-wol, remained ruthless only toward his same-age friend, Choi Je-ho.
Having become the eldest of the six brothers, Kim I-wol spoke in a chillingly cold voice.
『Where do you get off calling your hyung "hey"? Don’t you know the hierarchy?』
To think Kim I-wol would use such strong language. Hae-won was moved.
Wasn't Kim I-wol the epitome of proper speech, a model idol who spoke like a Korean textbook?
This side of Kim I-wol—who never looked down on others, never spoke informally to the younger members, and was always humble—was incredibly fresh and appealing.
If Kim I-wol were actually a boomer, she would have been anxious, shouting, "Kim I-wol, hide your temper!" But this was content she could enjoy purely because she knew he wasn't actually like that.
Choi Je-ho, who had suggested a "twins" theory only to be shut down and submit to Kim I-wol, was equally hilarious.
『……Hyung, should I take out the meat patties?』
Is he crazy?
Choi Je-ho calling Kim I-wol "Hyung"? Just because his birthday was later, even though he was 187cm tall? Was it really okay to create such a subversive situation?
Hae-won quickly left a comment on the video.
≫ Did Je-ho just call I-wol "Hyung"????? Did I just???? Hear that correctly??????
When she refreshed the comment section, she saw other Sparklers losing their minds at the same point.
≫ Choi Je-ho, since when were you such a polite man...? It’s so good to see the big brothers being called "Hyung." Please keep this "Hyung-Dongsaeng" dynamic going forever.
≫ The greatest Confucian nation wins again. Indeed, age cannot be ignored. Our Emperor Je-ho might be 187cm tall, can ride the Stairmaster for an hour easily, and has a grip strength of 75kg, but he still has to call the guy born nine months earlier "Hyung."
≫ Seeing a man the size of a bank vault call a man the size of a refrigerator "Hyung" and do as he’s told is very interesting and pleasant. Please keep the next content just like this.
Based on stories from their trainee days, Je-ho didn't seem to have an easy personality at all, but within Spark, he was endlessly... endlessly... like that.
He was so fierce on the survival program, though.
Even in the dance competition that aired recently, Choi Je-ho had exuded such a dark aura. In episodes where he wasn't with Park Ju-woo, he almost reminded her of a mafia member.
To think a guy like that becomes the "meat patty retriever" from the freezer whenever they film self-produced content. The world really is a strange place.
From the third eldest, Seong-bin, becoming the village chief, to the fourth eldest, Ju-woo, being a perennial participant in the Dried Persimmon Festival, and the eldest, Kim I-wol, retiring from his post as a totem pole—Lee Cheong-hyeon’s role distribution was flawless.
Watching Kim I-wol fry pancakes while Choi Je-ho peeled chestnuts and the other members did the dishes felt just like a typical household.
Only after seeing the notice that Part 2 would be uploaded next week could Hae-won finally put down her overheating phone.
"Noona, why do you keep laughing to yourself?"
Her younger cousin, who had just entered elementary school, asked while pausing his game.
"Because life is happy."
Mhm, I'm happy. Tomorrow, our boys are appearing on a quiz show, too.
It was a schedule as grueling as Spark’s, but Hae-won was enjoying it. A holiday had never felt this fulfilling.
As soon as Chuseok ended, Spark returned to their usual routine. They began picking up the pace for the final album of the year.
It was good that they decided to release a mini-album to give it the feel of a year-end gift, but there was a mountain of things to prepare. Lee Cheong-hyeon, for one, hadn't left the studio UA provided for him.
At least it was a relief that we only had to provide opinions or reviews now. If the System had ordered us to scout music video locations again, I would have burst into tears.
However, society was never easy.
You can't survive with the naive thought of, 'I did it once before, so I can do it quickly this time.' For an office worker, new tasks are always falling from the sky.
"An advertisement?"
"I'm telling you!"
"And it's for cosmetics...?"
"Yes!"
The manager’s eyes sparkled as if asking if I wasn't happy.
To think that guys who once shot a razor commercial out of the blue were now getting cosmetic ads. I felt that Spark’s trajectory had truly changed.
"How did we end up getting a cosmetics ad?"
Kang Gi-yeon asked, puzzled.
Why do you think?
≫ Dropping Spark’s lip info
I-wol: Nightscape Aurora 01
Je-ho: Eve-int Chocolate Nude Rose Matte
.
.
.
└ Omg where did this info come from?
└ I-wol told us.
└ I-wol’s Cool Tone is too hard to copy...
└ If you search for it, you have to international-order everything Kim I-wol uses ㅠㅠ We need to officially register "I-wol Cool Tone" as a personal color ASAP.
≫ The captions lololol
"Idols' beauty check time" lolololol
└ It started with idols asking "Am I pretty?" then suddenly Spark appears holding three mirrors, checking the side profile, front profile, and cushion application.
└ Jeong Seong-bin lol. He’s not wiping Park Ju-woo’s sweat; he’s letting it soak into the tissue.
└ That’s how our leader cherishes his members.
≫ This is the first time I’ve seen someone like Choi Je-ho holding a mirror like that.
Does... does this team have no sense of "cool" at all?
└ It’s because our Je-ho is the type to just live the way he was born.
└ It’s because if he tries to act cool, he might get hung upside down by the eldest hyung.
└ But honestly, the kids are all just soft lol. It’s just their faces that look like that.
It’s because you guys did a beauty live show on Adan-un.
A cosmetics ad for a rookie was something to be grateful for. Compared to app advertisements, it had higher public exposure, and it was more accessible than financial products.
Provided, of course, that the planning wasn't terrible.
Cosmetic ads are hit or miss. They are either incredibly sophisticated and trendy or terribly outdated.
What kind of ad Spark would do would depend on the brand. It also depended on which stores and which shelves the ad would be displayed on.
In that regard, the brand that offered the proposal this time was quite good. It had a decent reputation, no major issues with product quality, and the functionality was good enough that Spark had actually used it a few times.
The conditions were so good it felt like heaven was helping us. For a rookie idol who wasn't in a position to be picky, how could we pass up such an opportunity?
But that was all the more reason not to let our guard down. If we went in with fluttering hearts only to be handed something like "Hellfire Red" lipstick, we’d have to pivot from shelf ads to a pictorial concept.
"Has the specific product been decided yet?"
At my question, the manager checked his phone.
"Yes. I heard it was included in the proposal... Ah."
The manager’s finger stopped scrolling.
"It’s a lipstick and skincare line!"
Oh boy. I’ll have to step up the grooming.
Once the decision to proceed with the ad was made, there wasn't much for Spark to do specifically. The contract was handled by the company, and it was standard to receive the storyboard on-site on the day of filming.
However, one cannot survive in the cutthroat idol market by just filming ads as told. My KPI achievement would also remain distant.
Furthermore, an advertisement... ultimately, it must allow the advertiser to recover their investment while not deceiving the consumers.
No matter how much the general public buys the lipstick Spark advertises, it won't compare to the amount purchased by Sparklers.
Therefore, it was only right that merch of a quality that would satisfy the fans be released alongside it.
[I-wol: I believe that a "purchase over X amount" event could backfire and look like fan deception if not handled carefully.
Considering the expiration date of lipstick, requiring fans to buy more than six to collect all the photocards seems like excessive commercialism.
If a "purchase over X amount" event is necessary for marketing, could we counter-propose a package deal to the advertiser?
By more actively utilizing non-color products like cleansers or toners, we can broaden the consumers' choices without significantly increasing the workload in the preparation process.
I-wol: Please make sure the members' faces are shown prominently.
I-wol: Please also inquire if we can provide more benefits, such as free gifts, to fans on the condition of conducting additional promotion through self-produced content like "What's in My Bag." I will attach a link to a reference video. @Je-ho, take this chance to get yourself a bag.
└ Cheong-hyeon: @Je-ho, seriously, hyung, how long are you going to keep carrying my dust bag around?
└ Je-ho: You want it back? It’s in my room.
└ Cheong-hyeon: @Je-ho, that’s not what I meant~~~~ :exhausted_face:]
Having left a mountain of requests on Dotion for this, there was only one thing left for me to do.
"Hyung, what are you doing...?"
"Real-use testing of the ad product."
Finding the product's strengths for a sincere advertisement.
Park Ju-woo hesitated and asked as he watched me apply a lipstick that the proposal described as a "product that naturally brings vitality to the face."
"……Don't tell me you bought that with your own money?"
"I brought some samples that came in. There should be a few more left at the company."
After finishing the application and tidying up the lines, I asked Park Ju-woo for confirmation.
"How is it? Do I look full of vitality?"
"You do, but... I don't know if it's because of the lipstick or because your dark circles disappeared."
"That’s a problem."
The subtle tone was as described, the application was smooth, and even the scent was good, but the "vitality" was ambiguous... I see.
As I was diligently organizing my review, Lee Cheong-hyeon chimed in.
"I'm asking out of pure curiosity, but is there a reason to go this far? You know, an ad is a type of contract. Isn't it enough to just provide services equivalent to the payment?"
Lee Cheong-hyeon was holding a book titled How to Survive in a Capitalist Society. This guy, just how impressed was he by Act On?
"That’s true. But ultimately, the target for the products Spark advertises is the Sparklers, so shouldn't we show as much sincerity as possible?"
"Ah!"
At my words, Lee Cheong-hyeon scurried off somewhere.
A short while later, a new reply was posted on Dotion.
└ Cheong-hyeon: I’m planning to decorate toploaders for the lipstick photocards using the new products~! Please slot it into the self-produced content when we’re short on material!
└ Seong-bin: @Cheong-hyeon :clapping_hands: