Chapter 31: Official Launch Promotion

After waking up early in the morning, Lu Yu found himself with nothing in particular to do, so he decided to head over to the Industrial Park and check on the situation at the Pink White Ebony cosmetics company.

Upon arriving, he found Deng Qiang, who gave him a detailed report.

The company had been using its funds to stockpile raw materials, a process that would continue for some time. Aside from the budget set aside for marketing, the company’s balance sheet was already running low. The only solution now was to launch the Pink White Ebony cosmetic products as soon as possible and get some cash flow back. If things dragged on much longer, even the basic operation of the company might run into trouble.

Fortunately, the team’s filming of user testimonials was nearing its end. Once the footage was retrieved and edited, it would be rolled out together with the rest of the marketing campaign to make a splash online and establish the company’s name in one swift move. All of the company’s social media accounts had been registered and verified. Marketing plans were in place, with connections made to influencers and beauty bloggers, and plenty of contingency plans had been prepared. All that remained was to finish the real-time documentary, upload both the edited and full versions to all major video platforms, and then launch the whole promotional strategy.

Everything was ready—only the final push was needed.

Everyone at Pink White Ebony, led by Deng Qiang, as well as all the staff of Extragalactic Nebula Company, were waiting in anticipation for the release of the company’s first product.

After all, if the company did well, it would benefit everyone, with brighter prospects and better career opportunities.

…

A couple of days later, the video material had all been edited and some post-production work done, though the essence of the footage remained intact. A documentary, after all, loses its authenticity if it’s too heavily edited.

On April 3rd, Lu Yu rose early again, heading to Extragalactic Nebula Company with Shi Zixuan and Qin Xiaomian, both of whom were dressed beautifully and radiated energy.

Today marked the official start of the promotional campaign, and for now, the Pink White Ebony marketing team was stationed at the Extragalactic Nebula office.

Lu Yu didn’t bother issuing orders upon arriving. Everyone had their own expertise, and the plans had been drawn up by Deng Qiang and the marketing team. This was their moment to shine. Lu Yu was content to play the mascot.

By nine o’clock, the marketing team members had all arrived. Deng Qiang quickly convened a meeting, then dispatched the various groups to roll out the promotional plan.

Liu Shichang also came to Lu Yu’s office to share some tea. Even though he already knew how incredible the company’s products were, he also understood that in this day and age, no matter how good your product, without effective marketing, it could easily go unnoticed.

Liu enjoyed working at Extragalactic Nebula—there was little bureaucracy, no backstabbing, and the boss rarely showed up, usually just sending instructions by email for him to execute. The workload was light, the atmosphere pleasant, and he felt years younger. If possible, he’d be happy to stay forever—jobs like this were rare indeed.

Perhaps that’s why he was even more nervous than Lu Yu.

Lu Yu himself was a little on edge. To say he wasn’t would be a lie. This was, after all, the first true project he’d launched since acquiring his initial trove of technological data and founding the company; the outcome would determine future development.

There were so many things to validate, so many technologies to test. Without funds, he couldn’t even build a proper lab—how could he pursue advanced science?

Book learning pales in comparison to practical experience; true understanding comes only from hands-on work. The knowledge in his mind was advanced, yes, but all of it was built atop a solid foundation. Without that, dreaming of overnight miracles was pure fantasy.

It’s like expecting someone who’s just learned basic arithmetic to solve calculus—they wouldn’t even understand the question. This wasn’t magic or fantasy—it was science. And this was a test.

…

Time ticked by as the marketing team busied themselves.

Raw footage was uploaded to major video sites, while edited promotional clips were distributed as short videos. The contracted marketing accounts began actively pushing the content. Fashion and beauty influencers on various social and video platforms joined the promotional wave as well—after all, everyone needs to make a living.

Soon, the pre-written advertorials and soft-sell articles began to flood the internet. Some viewers of the documentary started to spread the word, and discussions flared up: was it real or fake?

In just over an hour, the terms “Hantian River Hydrating Mask” and “Snowy Skin Whitening Mask” shot up the trending topics list.

“Is this real or fake? What’s the point of all those beauty products I just bought?”

“I just watched the documentary—it seems legit.”

“Three testers revealed themselves; it’s definitely real, and the results are even more impressive than advertised!”

“Is this for real, or is the company staging everything?”

“I checked their previous social media posts—they don’t seem like actors.”

“Damn, does that mean…”

“Hantian River, water from the upper pool—use it and men will fall at your feet? I’m in love!”

“Isn’t today April Fool’s Day? What’s the science behind this? Is it really such advanced tech? Can anyone explain?”

“Yes, you guessed it—you’ve time-traveled to the year 2117, and a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye.”

“I don’t know the science, but it uses a lot of natural herbal ingredients—job’s tears genuinely have a whitening effect, and chrysanthemum is good for the complexion, but not to this extent.”

“So is this technology or medicine? Could a professional please explain?”

“A professional here: I don’t get it either. I wish I could find an expert.”

“Why overthink it? Just buy it! With so many herbal ingredients, if demand is high, there might not be enough raw materials.”

“Are you sure you’re not a shill?”

…

The internet buzzed, with beauty-conscious young women leading the conversation. Soon, more and more people joined in, inviting their friends and even their boyfriends—perhaps to buy, not to explain the science.

By midday, the topic had soared to the top trending spots, propelled less by marketing and more by the sheer enthusiasm of netizens. It made sense—no woman can resist the allure of becoming more beautiful!

Two masks—one for glowing hydration, one for whitening—how could women not go wild? Young women want to be fairer and more supple; older women want to recapture youth, or at least improve their skin. Not to mention, the hydrating mask not only stimulates skin cells to absorb moisture but also slightly activates cell factors to slow aging. Though less dramatic than the hydrating effect, it still sounds wonderful!

What woman could resist? Even many men can’t ignore the promise of anti-aging.

…

Beyond the online chatter, view counts soared on all video platforms, and the short clips were shared like wildfire. Many women recommended the products to their friends. Some, unsure of the authenticity, chose to wait, watching to see if others would “eat the crab” and report back.

Still, many couldn’t resist and placed orders on the Pink White Ebony official stores across e-commerce platforms. Who cared if it wasn’t real? The loss was minor, and what if it was?

Orders surged so quickly that the company’s online staff was almost overwhelmed, and the marketing team had to lend extra hands to keep up. By 5 p.m., many employees were working overtime for the first time since joining the company, but no one complained—after all, the boss had promised generous bonuses.

After 5 o’clock, not only did orders not slow, they increased even faster.

…

Deng Qiang watched the bustling activity with a broad smile. It was clear from the busy staff that the company’s first foray into sales was a resounding success. As a complete newcomer in the cosmetics industry, with zero reputation or following, to achieve such results on launch day was truly something to celebrate.

Of course, the products’ efficacy played a major role, but the dedication of the entire team, especially the marketing department, was equally vital. Deng Qiang had been fully invested in Pink White Ebony since its inception, managing everything from raw materials to production lines, packaging to promotion—there was nothing he hadn’t fretted over.

After such tireless effort, the results were deeply gratifying.

While the total sales so far were still modest—not much compared to major brands, or even mid-tier ones—for a new product, it was a perfect beginning.

…

By 9 p.m., the flurry of work finally began to subside. The staff tallied the orders and handed the results to Deng Qiang, who glanced at the numbers before passing them to Lu Yu. Lu Yu looked over the summary, and even Liu Shichang couldn’t resist peeking over.

In a single day, across all e-commerce platforms, more than 90,000 boxes had been sold.

That might not seem like much, but consider this: in 2016, the entire domestic market sold just over 2.559 billion individual face masks all year. For a new product to sell 900,000 individual masks in one day was already impressive.

Though the product was highly effective, it was still unknown, and many people were skeptical, unsure if the marketing was genuine. Many chose to wait and see, which was only natural—consumers had seen too many exaggerated or outright false ads to be easily convinced.

Any new thing, no matter how good, requires a process of acceptance and word-of-mouth. Even in the information age, all the internet does is accelerate these stages—it doesn’t fundamentally change them.

…

Despite selling just over 90,000 boxes in a day, Lu Yu was far from disappointed—in fact, he was delighted.

Did you think what was sold today was just face masks? They were like stones tossed into a calm lake—soon, the ripples would spread wide and far.

That was their true value.

So Lu Yu felt nothing but joy.

At last, the hardworking employees could rest, smiles on every face, knowing the company’s debut had been a success. The future promised even greater things—more opportunities for promotion, and a shared sense of pride.

Lu Yu, however, was simple about it: pride was all well and good, but money was what mattered now.

So he announced loudly, “Everyone in the company—Pink White Ebony or Extragalactic Nebula—will have their salaries and bonuses doubled, and then doubled again this month!”

A cheer erupted. Why do people work hard, after all? For money! The boss was straightforward—he understood their hearts.

…