Rebirth: The Ascent of a Socialite-Chapter 605 - 243: The Slap (Part 2)
"How did it go?" Since the fax and open letter were sent out yesterday, Su Ziceng and Lin Ying waited anxiously by the phone.
At around 8 a.m., there were still no calls. An hour passed, then another, and there were no news on the phone, television, or even in the morning paper. The open letters and faxes that were sent seemed to have sunk into the sea without any response.
"Logically, with such big news, the media shouldn’t miss it, right?" Lin Ying was puzzled. It was understandable that the Model Union and Photographer Association didn’t react much, but the open letter sent by Sister Mu should have stirred some waves.
Jim came in, babbling to Lin Ying, while Su Ziceng looked at their expressions, thinking he must seriously practice his English.
"No wonder," Lin Ying said after listening to Jim, and relayed to Su Ziceng.
"Several mainstream media outlets received a large sum of advertising money, saying that ZARA and Mussen Jewelry would be advertising in newspapers and magazines for two quarters. As for the Model Union and Photographer Association, ZARA promised to stop using Melin, and at the Designer Union, several designers accused of plagiarism have already sent letters resigning from the industry."
"Moreover, they have published an apology letter in Huaxia Daily," Sister Mu also rushed over, an open letter appeared on the arts page of Huaxia Daily, using sincere words and earnest tone. Pello and Wen Maixue reacted very promptly and efficiently, leveraging Wen Maixue’s good relations with the media to first prevent unfavorable news from spreading, then apologized in time before the news could spread further, thus keeping the public’s initially good impression of ZARA.
"Are we just letting it go like this?" Lin Ying was reluctant, just replacing Melin was not enough to achieve their goal.
"By issuing the public apology, they’ve already given us enough face," Sister Mu knew well the characters of Pello and Wen Maixue; they would not issue an apology unless absolutely necessary. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦
Su Ziceng’s sense of victory did not last long, knowing the news also meant that Melin could no longer make a name in the modeling world. Jim worried about another matter, "Have you noticed that those media outlets that received large advertising amounts have had their advertising slots for several quarters fully booked, along with bus systems and screen ads in several department stores in Mo City, this means..."
Compared to Bianjing City, Mo City can be considered the stronghold for Espr; now Espr in Mo City is also in its final preparation stage. The preparation stage might not need media publicity, but that does not mean it won’t be needed in the official business stage. Jim, being the director of Espr, obviously thought more deeply than Su Ziceng and others.
"We might not find suitable promotional means in the early stage," after Lin Ying rejoined the group, the impact of Melin’s incident would slowly diminish; they had to start considering the issue of print advertisements.
"Perhaps we can seek out foreign media," Su Ziceng being the one who had stayed the longest in Country Z among the four, knew that the younger generation in Country Z especially had a noticeable trend of admiring foreign cultures. Since it’s tough to proceed domestically, perhaps that can focus their efforts on foreign media.
"Reliance on the new Espr might not fetch mainstream media," Jim, more familiar with foreign operations, knew that without hot figures or well-known brands, it’s insufficient to secure covers of international fashion magazines just through money, and Espr also needed to be prepared for not being profitable initially.
"Maybe, we can try another method, to make them come to us voluntarily," Su Ziceng’s words were not taken seriously by Jim; getting the media to come to you voluntarily is not an easy task. Sister Mu and Lin Ying exchanged glances after hearing this, falling into deep thought, needing some time to consider.
After ZARA stopped using Melin, she no longer received any gigs, and advertisers who were once eager to invite her turned away. Melin, who just tasted fame, began to experience its bitterness. To avoid the media, she had to return to her small apartment, not venturing out daily.
One day, she finally received a call from her agency, asking her to attend a party in Japan. Dressed up Melin also hoped to regain some leverage through this party. However, upon arrival, she discovered that the so-called party was a private gathering hosted by a rich businessman, where models were not professional but merely female receptionists from colorful venues. The attending businessmen were hands-on with people, not treating her like a known model.
