Chapter 147: The Cult of Celebrity

Similar to the situation in Ice City, the entire Longjiang Province has seen its walls taken over by XINLUN Paper, with the exception of the cities locked down by Huiguang Paper. 

As the old saying goes: "When the granary is full, one can understand propriety; when food and clothing are sufficient, one can know honor and disgrace."

At this stage, various regions' finances are quite tight, especially with the ongoing economic transformation, leading to substantial expenditures. The quality of urban living environments is simply not a priority.

However, this very situation made Li Xian's plan feasible and its results so impressive.

When Li Xian approached Liu Wanfa, the secretary of Beilin City, Liu only thought XINLUN Company wanted to do some advertising in Ice City. He never expected Li Xian to make such a grand gesture, covering the entire province's urban beautification project.

If it weren't for Yang Jianxin informing him of this, Liu Wanfa wouldn't have known Li Xian had actually done him a favor.

In the provincial news report titled "Ice City Gets a New Look," a line was added about Li Xian's relationship with Yang Jianxin, saying, "Under the recommendation of Beilin City Secretary Liu Wanfa."

Don't underestimate this short phrase.

The renovation of Ice City's walls might seem minor, but Ice City is the provincial capital! So, this is not a trivial matter.

Considering that XINLUN is also a pilot enterprise for economic reform, Liu Wanfa's thoughts extended further.

Naturally, XINLUN's advertisements, cloaked in "public welfare" but with a layer of political brilliance, turned into a politically-charged commercial campaign.

After Li Xian returned to Beilin, he was first invited to two municipal commendation meetings. Then… he began a career of receiving awards and honors!

First, the company received the "Outstanding Enterprise of Beilin City" award, and Li Xian personally received the title of "Outstanding Entrepreneur of Beilin City."

Next, XINLUN's Premium Paper was honored as a "Key Brand" in Beilin City.

Then, thanks to Liu Wanfa's efforts, the province awarded XINLUN Paper the "Excellent Public Welfare Unit" recognition for its outstanding contributions.

Following that, the Provincial Technical Supervision Bureau included XINLUN Premium Paper in the "Provincial Famous Brand Product" list, with the provincial excellence label on its packaging.

When XINLUN's advertisements were broadcast on the provincial TV, Li Xian, who was initially a bit apprehensive, saw his ambitions turn into reality just a month later.

This left Li Xian feeling quite awkward.

Had he known turning ideals into reality could be so simple, he might have boasted about a "National Famous Trademark" back then!

In just twenty days, XINLUN Paper, once a relatively unknown company, had become an officially recognized brand in Longjiang Province due to vigorous support from local governments.

With all these accolades and frequent appearances in newspapers and news, combined with provincial ads and wall advertisements in major cities, XINLUN dominated the public eye.

The frequent bombardment of information led to a surge in XINLUN's performance!

Within just twenty days, XINLUN Premium Paper's market share had tripled compared to the highest point since the company's establishment.

With the booming napkin business, the company's profit surged from over 180,000 in February to a staggering 400,000.

And it seems, this momentum hasn't peaked yet.

In the bustling XINLUN Paper factory, now operating three shifts with non-stop production, the large warehouse on the east side of the factory was constantly busy. The forklifts delivered paper rolls from the production line, and within moments of storage and accounting, they were immediately loaded and shipped out.

Everything was in a state of frenzied activity and enthusiasm.

In his office, listening to the jubilant reports from key staff and seeing the wall full of awards, Li Xian felt he needed to be cautious.

He couldn't let himself get carried away.

He mustn't get complacent, hahaha…

"Factory Director, our market researchers have returned. According to their observations, in the past week, Huiguang's ultra-fine paper products only sold about 150 tons. Excluding this region, the provincial sales last week were less than 100 tons. The market share of high-quality paper in the province is less than 20%, so their ultra-fine paper seems to be finished."

Listening to Chen Shulin's report, Li Xian nodded.

The outcome of this confrontation was completely unexpected. He didn't anticipate that by chance, he could take down Huiguang Ultra-Fine Paper in such a short time.

Although XINLUN's team had shown some weaknesses in dealing with external competition, he was already addressing these issues. Zhang Dagong had been transferred from XINLUN to be the vice president of the company, focusing on operations and cultivating young talent.

With Zhang Dagong leading the charge and drawing fire, Li Xian could handle the coordination and mediation from behind. He felt this plan was sound.

But if we disregard internal affairs and just consider the competition with Huiguang Ultra-Fine Paper, this battle was beautifully fought.

The 600,000 spent on provincial wall advertisements was a worthwhile investment. Most of the advertising rights for walls in various cities were secured for the entire year, and the business department had already contacted advertising companies in different locations to lease some of the wall space.

The rental income from this part basically covered the cost of painting and beautifying the walls.

Considering that such a significant achievement was made without spending a penny, Li Xian struggled to keep his excitement in check.

"I'm the dad, and I'm really great…"

When Zhang Dagong, who came to report his future work plans to Li Xian, entered the office, he heard this out-of-tune song.

…

While Li Xian repeatedly inquired about why he was so excellent, the district government was holding a special meeting.

After witnessing XINLUN Paper's remarkable performance, the district government, holding 25% of the shares, was equally excited.

Knowing XINLUN's financial situation and seeing the monthly profits surpass 400,000, Wu Zhengsi, who was summarizing reform pilot experiences, decided to actively respond to the city's ideas and add fuel to XINLUN Paper's fire.

Office Director Liu Weihai was presenting a report on XINLUN Paper's recent achievements.

Although he presented earnestly, the district leaders seemed distracted. It wasn't because they didn't care, but they had heard similar things so many times recently.

Seeing everyone's lack of interest, Wu Zhengsi waved his hand to Liu Weihai, tapped the table, and refocused the room's attention.

"Comrades, you all know that we are currently summarizing the reform experiences with the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission. The property rights reform of Beilin Paper Factory looks very successful. However, I think the data should look even better.

Currently, XINLUN Paper's profit is at 400,000. My idea is to provide some government procurement to push this number past 500,000. Does anyone have any opinions?"

Hearing this, everyone in the meeting room looked up, exchanging glances.

It seems Secretary Wu wants to elevate the level of praise!

Beilin is currently a reform pilot, and enterprise reform is the focus of the entire city and district. Who would dare oppose?

Seeing everyone's unanimous agreement, Wu Zhengsi nodded, "Then let's brainstorm and see how we can operate this. Naturally, although it's for better data, don't make it too contrived."

This was a bit of a tall order.

Government procurement wasn't unusual.

But for office supplies, holiday gifts, or various welfare items, it's manageable.

But for something like toilet paper, what kind of justification could there be?

Facing this question, the meeting room fell silent.

After a long pause, Li Dazhao, the director of the District Tax Bureau, who had the most female staff in the office, raised his hand.

Seeing someone wanting to speak, Wu Zhengsi encouraged with a gesture: "Li Dazhao, go ahead."

"Since Women's Day is approaching, why don't we use the theme of caring for women? We could buy a batch of toilet paper and sanitary pads and distribute them to female staff. This way, it's all justifiable."