The Marketing Team Leader's Surprise
As Song Hojin stepped onto the fourth floor, Kang Seokho rose to his feet and introduced him.
“This is Song Hojin, the marketing team leader of Belly Coffee. Allow me to introduce you.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Jang Namhun.”
“Hello. I’m Song Hojin. You have a slightly different vibe from the last time we met.”
“What? Last time? I only met you as team leader for the first time…”
“At Director Kang’s wedding.”
“Oh… So you were there.”
Only then did Namhun recall the conversation he had with Kang Seokho that day.
“The advertiser’s side was also at the wedding. Since it’s already confirmed, all we need is the contract. Once I schedule the recording, I’ll let you know, so let’s sign the contract when we meet.”
That day was today.
Song Hojin looked at Namhun in his ordinary attire and nodded to himself.
‘I didn’t see him in detail back then… Still, he’s fine. Maybe it’s fortunate that the issue with Satoshi got resolved.’
His older brother, the president of Belly Coffee, had been quite disappointed about the project falling through.
However, from Song Hojin’s perspective as a marketing expert, it was actually a blessing.
‘Satoshi was the best choice, but his appearance isn’t what men prefer.’
He was also a male idol.
His fan base was mainly female.
The new product for Belly Coffee this time was Topibell Latte Coffee Mix.
Belly Coffee was a brand expanding its territory in the low-price coffee market.
Topibell was already a steady seller that was popular in stores.
Belly Coffee’s franchise stores were steadily increasing, but to grow further, they needed to boost sales.
The launch of the coffee mix was the starting point.
However, the coffee mix market was dominated by the formidable brand Max from Southeast Foods.
Therefore, they aimed to enter the market by targeting women in their 20s and 30s through YouTube ads, their existing consumer base.
That was why they had selected Satoshi as the model.
In other words, as long as they could appeal to women in their 20s and 30s, it didn’t have to be Satoshi.
A male model with a soft atmosphere could substitute.
Unlike Satoshi, the lack of recognition was a disadvantage, but his appearance looked far better than Satoshi’s.
‘And there’s also the potential for his recognition to rise in the future.’
Watching Kang Seokho at the wedding reception, Song Hojin caught on.
He was subtly pushing Namhun to the broadcasting people.
‘Right. There must be another reason he asked Director Kang to sing the wedding song.’
In the past entertainment world, undeniable talents ruled, but with the industry’s development, the logic of capital began to take hold.
It was also because large agencies’ idols started dominating the music scene.
‘If the famous Director Kang from the advertising world is pushing him…’
In his view, Namhun had enough value as an advertising model.
Because he had thought so from the beginning, he had agreed to sign the narration contract with generous terms.
In fact, after the contract with Satoshi ended, he had considered using Namhun as a model.
But the situation with Satoshi had fallen through.
Since things had come to this, Song Hojin decided to bring forward his plan a little.
“Since things have turned out this way, I’d like you to use Jang Namhun as the model instead of Satoshi. We’d have to delay the schedule otherwise to find another model.”
‘As expected.’
At those words, Kang Seokho cheered inwardly.
Of course, he didn’t show it on the surface.
“Um… Is that okay?”
“Yes. We’d have to use a rookie actor in place of Satoshi anyway… I think Namhun’s image matches our product quite well. With Namhun, we wouldn’t need to hire a voice actor separately, and it would save costs.”
Watching the situation progress as Kang Seokho had explained, Namhun felt an odd sensation.
‘Even in my singing days, I never shot ads.’
Well, there was no YouTube back then.
Namhun quietly observed the situation as instructed by Kang Seokho.
Meanwhile, the deal was progressing smoothly.
“Hmm. Shall we go with the same terms as the original contract?”
“Yes.”
“The period is three months. One YouTube ad and one radio ad, right?”
Confirming with Kang Seokho, Song Hojin nodded.
“Yes. If the initial reactions are good, we’re considering extending under the same conditions.”
At those words, Kang Seokho also sensed his intentions.
‘Song Hojin has gone all-in.’
He was betting on Namhun’s value rising.
Somehow he had mentioned generous terms.
As a director, Kang Seokho had no reason to refuse the proposal.
“Well, it’s not bad. Let’s go with it.”
“Understood.”
Just as the negotiations were about to end, Namhun suddenly interjected.
“I’m sorry, but there’s something I’d like to say.”
When Namhun suddenly interrupted, Kang Seokho squeezed his eyes shut.
‘This kid…’
If Namhun said something nonsense here, the contract would vanish.
But since he had already jumped in, it was too late to pull back.
With his heart pounding, Jang Namhun uttered the words Kang Seokho had expected.
“I’m currently preparing to debut as a trot singer.”
Kang Seokho let out a small sigh.
He had already heard from Jo Wonhyeong that Namhun had been persuaded to try trot.
‘What a foolish kid.’
Belly Coffee’s new product was Topibell Latte Coffee Mix, targeting the young female market.
In other words, the target was women in their 20s and 30s!
These were people far from trot.
‘But are you going to use someone who’s about to debut as a trot singer as the model? This is frustrating.’
Kang Seokho anticipated the contract’s failure in his heart while thinking of alternatives.
‘Since it’s come to this, I should push foreign models instead.’
That way, even the voice actor contract could be maintained.
‘Using a Korean rookie actor would likely break the voice actor contract too.’
‘The ad schedule is already fixed.’
Finding a model with a similar image and lower value than Satoshi as soon as possible wasn’t easy, as Song Hojin said.
‘Not only the ad team, but also manpower from this side needs to be mobilized.’
Still, it was fortunate that it wasn’t a busy comeback season.
During comeback season, there wouldn’t be a moment to rest.
Whether Kang Seokho thought or not, Namhun continued speaking.
“Hearing you say you’re targeting women in their 20s and 30s, a trot singer in the ad might negatively affect the product image. Young people tend to dislike the trot genre, after all.”
At Namhun’s words, Kang Seokho placed his hand on his forehead.
‘I want to sew that mouth shut.’
However, Song Hojin’s reaction was unexpected.
* * * * *
‘Trot? Not ballad?’
With that skill?
It was a good question, not a bad one.
He didn’t know the undercurrents of the music world and was taken aback as he asked again.
“…Hold on. You’re debuting as a trot singer?”
“Yes? Ah, yes. I’m preparing for that.”
“Not a ballad singer?”
“Yes. In the current music market, ballad singers have no place.”
As a marketing expert, Song Hojin was also reacting quickly to industry trends.
Even famous ballad singers with over twenty years of experience had no stages and were active mainly in competition programs, OSTs, and concerts.
There were some rookie faces appearing on the charts recently, but…
Alarming rumors were circulating.
A big event was coming soon.
‘Trot. It’s not bad.’
People often thought young people enjoyed coffee, but that wasn’t entirely true.
Consumption by older adults was twice that of the younger generation.
Contrary to common perception, there was almost no gender difference.
Moreover, the gap widened when limited to coffee mixes.
If Namhun’s name became known as a trot singer, it was all good for Topibell.
“I see. Topibell plans to expand its base starting with the 20-30 female market… but the main consumers of coffee are middle-aged and older.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. If you become known as a trot singer, you could also handle ads for future coffee mix products.”
At Song Hojin’s positive reaction, Kang Seokho asked instead.
“…Are you serious?”
“Yes. I’ve seen Namhun’s stage up close. I’m confident that Namhun will gain recognition in the entertainment world someday. If I help at this early stage, we’ll both win, won’t we?”
“Um…”
“We’re also challengers in the coffee industry. Trying various things would be good.”
Kang Seokho understood what Song Hojin was saying.
‘He wants a long-term partnership.’
It was very rare for contracts between companies and celebrities to last long.
But it wasn’t unheard of.
‘Somehow this time it feels like the world is helping this guy.’
Success required luck.
Especially in this entertainment world.
Elixer and ballad singer Namhun had been cases where external luck didn’t follow success.
As the saying goes, the early stages are the hardest.
When chance and chance overlapped to bring such a good opportunity.
‘If Director Kang hadn’t come to my wedding or the president of Horse Entertainment hadn’t chosen Max Moka Cream, this wouldn’t have happened.’
If Jang Namhun had refused the wedding song or Yoo Sera hadn’t spoken about him?
This matter would have never occurred.
If… If a situation of overlapping ifs had occurred.
‘Is this the butterfly effect?’
With a good instinct, Kang Seokho felt a certain unstoppable flow of fate.
“Instead, as I mentioned, during the three-month concentrated promotion period of Topibell, please refrain from trot activities. After all, Topibell’s main target is young women.”
As he spoke, Song Hojin glanced at Kang Seokho.
‘He’s a man with honor, Director Kang.’
After Kang Seokho’s wedding, countless behind-the-scenes stories circulated.
“Honestly, I thought you’d ask me to sing the song, but I was disappointed… But there was a reason.”
“Did you know Seokho and Namhun?”
“What’s the relationship between them?”
“PD Seong Yujin was a big fan of Namhun.”
But eventually, all speculations converged into one.
Was it an event to help Namhun’s comeback?
‘Seeing Director Kang go this far, it’s clear he has full confidence in Namhun’s revival.’
The reputation Kang Seokho had built over time boosted trust in Namhun.
Like a kind of guarantee.
‘In times of difficulty, that’s what sticks in memory.’
Marketing is about moving people’s hearts.
Song Hojin had decided to invest in Namhun.
The reputation review results seemed largely fine.
Even if the prediction was wrong, the sunk cost wasn’t large.
Since both sides wanted it, the contract advanced smoothly.
Including an advance payment of one million won, totaling three million won.
It was quite generous for Namhun, who was still unknown.
Now, all that remained was to set the filming schedule.
“The ad script is already set, so it’s just swapping people, so you just need to adjust the schedule.”
“Yes. I don’t mind whenever.”
At those words, Song Hojin requested.
“We have to execute the ad by the end of the month, so it would be better to shoot as soon as possible.”
“Whenever is possible?”
“There’s not much preparation, so it’s better to finish filming this week as scheduled.”
“This week…”
“Is there any date that doesn’t work this week?”
“No. I can fit it.”
“Then, since we just need to make slight changes to the set… let’s start filming tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Wednesday?”
“It’s better to think we’re excluding the weekend.”
“…Understood.”
It was an urgent schedule that felt familiar to him, the industry he hadn’t touched in a long time.
“Then, please take care.”