TTIG Chapter 63.2

Initially, the thread was full of praise for FTM.

 

But later, some passive-aggressive comments suddenly appeared.

 

“FTM fans are really thick-faced, claiming to be a top-tier group after one album. Laughable—a top-tier group that’s been out for a year without even endorsements?”

 

“No endorsements, no magazines, zero commercial value—what an eye-opening top-tier group”

 

“Waterlogged streaming group! Sheng Yao Media hired internet trolls across the web to hype them up, and you actually believe it?”

 

“Who knows how much water is in those album sales figures, heh”

 

“Doesn’t everyone know Sheng Yao has several troll companies behind it?”

 

“Hype yourselves if you want, but what’s the point of stepping on our Bluewind team? Bluewind didn’t provoke anyone, thanks”

 

“12-star didn’t provoke either. 12-star’s kids are even younger than FTM. The higher you fly, the harder you fall, understand? FTM will flop straight to the earth’s core!”

 

“…”

 

The thread suddenly erupted into arguments.

 

These topics were then screenshot and transported to Weibo by various marketing accounts.

 

Marketing Account A: “Is FTM the top-tier boy group in domestic entertainment?”

 

Marketing Account B: “Has FTM exploded into mainstream popularity, with popularity already surpassing other domestic boy groups?”

 

Marketing Account C: “Entertainment group poll transportation: Who is the best-looking visual in boy groups? Fang Yinnian received over 60% votes”

 

Marketing Account D: “Which domestic boy group do you think sings the best songs? FTM received over 70% votes”

 

“…”

 

Xu Baichuan’s colleague in charge of public opinion monitoring quickly reported this to the manager: “Manager Xu, a large number of marketing accounts suddenly appeared online comparing and stepping on FTM versus other boy groups.”

 

“There’s suspicion of setting us up for a fall.”

 

“There are also haters deliberately stirring up trouble saying Fang Yinnian is the visual TOP, stepping on other boy groups, and several fandoms started fighting.”

 

Xu Baichuan: “…”

 

Comparison wars and stirring up trouble—standard entertainment industry tactics aimed at making FTM create more enemies and having all other boy group fans hate FTM.

 

This would cultivate a large wave of haters for FTM.

 

Weibo’s #FTM# hashtag square indeed showed massive hater abuse: “How disgusting, where do they get the face to call themselves top-tier!”

 

“Music Notes are the thickest-faced fans I’ve ever seen”

 

“Selling one album and you’re floating to the sky? Like country bumpkins entering the city! A flop group with no endorsements, no magazines, no regular variety shows, no fashion resources—where do you get such a big face?”

 

“Flop group, stop trying to get involved, okay? Getting excited over winning some trashy variety show championship!”

 

The haters’ cold sarcasm was countless, but FTM’s fans were also particularly supportive, mercilessly fighting back when they saw negative comments.

 

“Old demons who’ve mixed in fan circles for years, stop pretending! This is obviously disguised troublemaking—don’t frame our Music Note sisters.”

 

“Music Note sisters never said FTM was a top-tier group. Whoever wants to be top-tier can be top-tier; our music group takes the music route, thank you”

 

“Certain groups can hug your top-tier fame and eat dirt. Our music group doesn’t care about that.”

 

“What’s wrong with good album sales? Our FTM just has good album sales. Who doesn’t know FTM’s first album sold 1 million copies? Do you care? Do you know FTM’s album sales ranked third annually? You definitely don’t care, right ^^”

 

“Coming to mess with our little flop group again, back off!”

 

“Fang Yinnian fans never said he was domestic entertainment’s visual TOP—your marketing accounts said that yourselves. You’re really smooth at this mudslinging”

 

“They say FTM is a top-tier group hahaha, scared me to death. We fans aren’t ready to stan top-tier yet”

 

“What? Wasn’t I stanning a little flop group?”

 

“Oh well, our FTM is just floppily comfortable, floppily sold 1 million albums and won a few championships”

 

“I’m listening quietly to the sound of breaking down everywhere~”

 

“…”

 

Fang Yinnian found it somewhat amusing seeing the fan war on Weibo—FTM’s fans were pretty irritating when they got passive-aggressive too.

 

This cold sarcasm actually didn’t affect them much. As long as it wasn’t the kind of trending cyberbullying from earlier this year, they could ignore it.

 

However, there was a saying: “The more haters mock, the more successful you become.”

 

Many forum haters mocked FTM for having “no commercial deals, no magazines, no fashion resources,” but just days after the mockery, FTM went to shoot commercials.

 

All five were very excited.

 

This was their first commercial endorsement!

 

They were also familiar with the brand—it was exactly the juice they had been drinking daily during their MV filming in Binhai.

 

Xu Baichuan said: “Your popularity has exploded recently, and quite a few brands have actively approached us. But I don’t want to randomly accept low-quality commercial deals that would damage your image and reputation.”

 

“I had people carefully investigate and research before accepting this VC juice endorsement. Although it’s a niche brand, the ingredient list is very clean, the components are safe, and it tastes good too.”

 

Fang Yinnian said: “I remember that pomegranate juice was particularly delicious!”

 

Xu Baichuan looked at him: “This is also key to why the brand wanted to collaborate with us. When Yinnian finished drinking and Mo Xun took it to continue drinking, this segment aired in the group variety show and the pomegranate juice suddenly became popular.”

 

“Your CP fans directly bought it by the case, causing sales to skyrocket short-term. After the brand found out, they actively approached us wanting you to endorse.”

 

“For the first endorsement, I didn’t quote high prices, but the terms we negotiated are quite good. A one-year long endorsement with wide advertising placement, and the juice packaging will also be redesigned with your portraits for promotion.”

 

Fu Fei said excitedly: “This juice is sold in supermarkets nationwide. Does this mean our portraits will appear in supermarkets across the country?”

 

Xu Baichuan said: “Yes. Also subway stations and airport advertising in major cities nationwide—the commercial endorsement benefits are all written into the contract.”

 

The five: “…”

 

Holy crap! This kind of beverage endorsement with extremely wide distribution coverage would have huge benefits for celebrity recognition!

 

Even elderly people and children who don’t usually listen to music might see juice with their portraits in supermarkets and thus learn of FTM boy group’s existence.

 

An artist’s popularity and commercial value are directly linked.

 

People online had mocked them for having no endorsements before—well, here it was! And it was a good brand offering excellent terms too!

 

The five happily came to the shooting location, politely bowing and greeting the staff.

 

VC Juice Group CEO Mr. Zou personally came to shake hands with them, saying with a beaming smile: “I’ve listened to your songs, they’re very good. For this advertisement, we’ll directly use the chorus from ‘Sunny Coast’ as the background music!”

 

This boss was quite young and reportedly an entrepreneur. Although he was the group CEO, his attitude was warm and friendly, not putting on airs at all.

 

The five bowed in unison: “Thank you, Mr. Zou.”

 

Mr. Zou smiled: “I hope this collaboration goes smoothly. Come, let our handsome spokespersons drink some juice to moisten their throats first.”

 

VC brand juice was made from pure natural fruit juice with many flavors. Fang Yinnian’s favorite was the red pomegranate juice, and there were also green apple, orange, strawberry, grape, white peach, and other flavors.

 

The advertising planner had each of them hold a bottle of the flagship product, put on fresh jeans and white T-shirts, and took some print photos.

 

Holding the juice bottle by their faces with one hand, tilting their heads back to taste the juice… there were many print photo poses, and everyone worked hard to cooperate with the photographer. The shooting process was very pleasant.

 

The five also filmed a several-dozen-second commercial video and a large amount of promotional materials. The video advertisement included drinking juice scenes, and to achieve the best effect, all five actually drank the juice.

 

After drinking several bottles, their stomachs were quite full.

 

After a full day of shooting, everyone returned to the company.

 

Fu Fei asked expectantly: “When will the endorsement be officially announced?”

 

Xu Baichuan said: “The brand is also quite anxious. They’ll rush to finish post-production, and changing packaging also takes time. They’ll announce after everything is ready.”

 

He paused and smiled: “There are several more endorsements lining up behind this one. I’m not rushing to sign because if this endorsement sells well, your endorsement fees can increase even more.”

 

The five were all very happy hearing this.

 

Fang Yinnian actually didn’t pay much attention to celebrity endorsements. Even for his idol Xie Shiqi, he didn’t know what endorsements Sister Shiqi had.

 

His focus had always been on albums and music.

 

On the way back, his teammates gave him a lot of knowledge, and only then did he learn that endorsements were divided into various different titles.

 

Since VC Juice hadn’t expanded to international markets, they gave them the title of “VC Juice Spokesperson,” which was the highest treatment from the brand.

 

Tan Junwen said happily: “Getting the brand spokesperson title for our first endorsement is pretty awesome.”

 

Fu Fei said excitedly: “Exactly! Many newcomers start with three-month short endorsements, getting titles like ‘Youth Recommendation Officer’ or ‘Brand Ambassador’ to fool people, and some even take MLM deals to harvest fans.”

 

MLM products were mostly three-no products, mainly various snacks and face masks, with some masks having excessive additives that posed cancer risks. Many celebrities would take these endorsements to harvest fans, which was quite low-class.

 

The five were grateful that Brother Xu hadn’t signed them up for MLM deals.

 

Juice that could enter national supermarkets with clean and safe ingredient lists—they could endorse with peace of mind, and fans could drink with confidence.

 

***

 

On September 25th, FTM’s official coordination account posted on Weibo.

 

“Dear Music Notes, FTM’s new endorsement @VC Juice, warm-up at 10 AM on October 1st, official announcement at 10 AM on October 2nd. Everyone please pay attention~”

 

Fans became excited seeing this.

 

“Our little unknown group has an endorsement?!”

 

“Ahhh this juice is super delicious”

 

“Looks familiar, is this the one they drank during the group variety show?”

 

“I remember Mo Xun also drank Yinnian’s pomegranate juice~”

 

“Want to try the juice they drank!”

 

“What are the merchandise gift rules? Are there gift boxes?”

 

“Everyone remember to buy on the official announcement day to count toward sales!”

 

“Six-month shelf life, can stock up a bit”

 

“I’m already planning to buy several cases for my family to drink”

 

Previously, online haters constantly mocked “What kind of top-tier group is FTM without even endorsements?” Fans were angry but could only endure it.

 

Now they finally had an endorsement!

 

And it was a very good juice brand.

 

Fans were extremely excited, eagerly preparing to support FTM’s first endorsement.

 

On October 1st, the official released several warm-up posters and announced the merchandise gift mechanism.

 

This time they were promoting “FTM Juice Gift Boxes”—one case with ten bottles of different flavored juices. Purchasing gift boxes included 5 signed mini cards and one DIY standee. The standee had five slots where the five members could be rearranged in different positions.

 

Fans: “Amazing!”

 

Just for the merchandise alone, they had to buy a case of juice to try.

 

Some die-hard fans even planned to buy multiple cases just to get more merchandise to display at home.

 

Under countless fans’ anticipation and industry attention, FTM’s first endorsement was officially announced.

 

VC Juice’s official account posted on Weibo at exactly 10 AM, releasing a 30-second video advertisement.

 

This advertisement had a fresh style, showing five handsome young men—some running, some exercising, some carrying backpacks ready for class. On hot summer days, when thirsty, they all went to vending machines to buy VC Juice.

 

Different colored, different flavored juices were drunk by them. The shots of the five tilting their heads back to drink juice were particularly attractive.

 

The young men’s Adam’s apples bobbed up and down—a youthful sexiness that made fans excitedly screenshot and edit photos.

 

“Hello everyone, we are VC Juice spokespersons FTM!”

 

“VC Juice, cool for summer! Rich in vitamins and electrolytes, healthy drinks, the best choice when tired.”

 

The five earnestly recited the advertising copy.

 

Meanwhile, at VC Juice’s Tmall flagship store, the live streamer was overwhelmed.

 

A large batch of FTM fans rushed in to frantically buy gift boxes. Less than 10 minutes after the official announcement, 20,000 gift boxes were sold out?!

 

Streamer: “Dear Music Notes, sorry, gift box inventory is sold out. You can look at other individual products~”

 

Fans sharpened their knives: “Only 20,000 copies, who are you looking down on?!”

 

“Tell the boss to add inventory ahhh!”

 

“Holy crap are you crazy? Having to rush to buy juice?”

 

“Shocked by this little unknown group’s popularity…”

 

“FTM isn’t a little unknown group anymore, they’re being called a top-tier group. Of course fans need to be supportive.”

 

“Passerby fan here to support”

 

“Restock restock, hurry and restock, don’t make me beg you!”

 

Mr. Zou was also shocked hearing this news.

 

For various domestic entertainment endorsements, flagship gift box limits of 20,000 were already at major traffic levels. Being able to sell out meant at least ten to twenty thousand die-hard core active fans willing to buy commercial products for support.

 

FTM’s 20,000 gift boxes sold out in 10 minutes.

 

10 minutes, holy crap!

 

Of course, this time’s merchandise design was very thoughtful. The group photo standee of the five holding juice could be DIY-arranged in different positions, so many fans wanted to grab standees to play with at home.

 

So the inventory was snatched up…

 

Mr. Zou urgently coordinated with manufacturers to add inventory.

 

Fans discovered that what was previously in stock became pre-orders.

 

The streamer helplessly said: “Everyone please understand, the first batch of gift boxes sold out, so subsequent ones can only be pre-orders, shipping mid-October.”

 

“Sorry, the second batch also sold out, the third batch ships late October. Only order if you don’t mind the shipping time!”

 

“Thank you so much for Music Note sisters’ support!”

 

“Please consume rationally. Although our juice has a six-month shelf life, you can’t stock too much at once—you won’t be able to finish it!”

 

Fans: “Don’t manage how we spend money.”

 

“If we can’t finish it, we’ll give it to family and colleagues. We have our ways~”

 

Brand: “…”

 

These fans’ enthusiasm was simply unstoppable.

 

On the night of the official announcement, many forums began pulling sales figures.

 

“FTM’s official endorsement sales broke 10 million, holy crap…”

 

“No way? Juice can sell that much?”

 

“Gift boxes sold out! Plus many people stocking other flavors”

 

“This official endorsement announcement pricing is similar to Double 11, plus so much merchandise included—quite conscientious. I bought a case too~”

 

“Awesome!”

 

“Where are those who mocked their commercial deals before? Commercial sales broke 10 million in 24 hours—nothing left to mock, right?”

 

“First-tier celebrity level.”

 

“FTM really exploded…”

 

“Why won’t you just admit this group is strong? Is it because the people you stan are too useless?”

 

“Stanning FTM is so happy, slapping haters in the face daily, hahaha!”

 

“I’m telling you this group has some mystical quality—the more you mock, the more successful they become. Haters are literally harbingers of good news. Come on, mock them some more!”

 

…

 

Xu Baichuan’s face was beaming with joy. The first commercial deal’s results were so outstanding, proving FTM had tons of die-hard fans and casual fans!

 

Juice was originally a daily consumable, and this time the prices were very favorable. You buy a case, I buy a case, and sales went up.

 

The key was still the number of people.

 

FTM now had tons of active real fans!

 

This group had indeed become popular. It’s just that many in the industry and fans of other boy groups refused to admit it.

 

No matter, keep being stubborn.

 

For FTM, this was just the beginning.

 

**

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 (advanced chapters available on kofi)