Super Zoo-Chapter 706 - 696: Push Down, Start Over

```

After conveying the two suggestions to Long Wu, it was clear that he started to hesitate.

Because the changes were significant, Xin Linli's advice was to rebrand the entire film, specifically in two ways.

The first was not to list stars who actually made cameo appearances in the main cast, but to straightforwardly promote the male lead, Xiang Zuo.

Looking at the content of the film, it was essentially a star vehicle for Xiang Zuo; from the initial purpose of the shooting, it was merely Long Wu spending money to promote his son.

So why bother with subterfuge, using deceptive methods to lure the audience into the theater?

The audience isn't blind. After watching a movie, the end result will only make them feel cheated and angry, tarnishing Huaxia Star's reputation and credibility accumulated over many years, not to mention possibly redirecting the audience's anger towards Xiang Zuo himself, which would not only fail to support him but actually harm him.

It's the same old saying: the audience can tolerate an actor with bad acting skills as long as he has a positive image and is sufficiently diligent.

Many young actors with no acting skills to speak of have become hugely popular—that's an example right there.

But the audience will not tolerate deception and bad news; in the entertainment-savvy regions of Japan and Korea, even the most popular celebrities will see their popularity plummet once they are exposed for deceiving fans with reprehensible behavior and serious negative news, and their agencies might even choose to freeze them out.

If you're going to promote someone, do it openly and with dignity. Huaxia Star has made countless male and female stars over the years. They won't lack for adding Xiang Zuo to that list. A father spending money on promoting his son is only natural, and the audience can totally accept it.

But you can't be a bitch and try to set up a shrine of virtue—that's taking the audience for fools.

At the same time, you can legitimately increase the promotional efforts for Xiang Zuo himself.

Visit freёnovelkiss.com for the 𝑏est n𝘰vel reading experience.

Suming was somewhat aware of Xiang Zuo's background; he could have enjoyed a comfortable life under the protection of his parents, drenched in hedonism, or used Long Wu's connections to start a few companies, mingling with little stars. But he chose to pursue his dream, starting from the bottom of the set, working his way up from being an extra, and embarking on the rare and tough path of a stunt performer. He bore the scars of years of hard work and had put in enough effort.

This was entirely an image filled with positive energy. Moreover, his personal image and reputation were not bad. With Huaxia Star's background and strength, a little promotion would give them a great chance at making him a star.

Of course, this approach comes at a price. Once you exclude the big names from the main cast, international distribution would be hugely affected, especially in Asia. In many countries, the first thing buyers look at is the cast, the famous actors involved.

Fan effect exists everywhere. Xiang Zuo might have some fame in Xiangjiang and the mainland, but in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, and Korea, he's practically unknown.

Additionally, it would require Long Wu to re-communicate with those 'friendly' A-listers who made cameos. After all, they risked appearing in a bad movie for a low salary and postponed other schedules, not just for their personal friendship with the Long family, but also—more or less—for the 'leading role' label.

Being listed in the cast originally, any sudden changes to the order of actors could cause them to have other thoughts.

The first suggestion was relatively feasible to implement. After all, Long Wu didn't produce Investiture of the Gods with the real goal of making money, and as the mainland market continued to grow, the Asian overseas distribution no longer represented a major portion of the total movie revenue. And those A-listers who came to help, given their deep relationship with Long Wu's family, needed no explanation. Like Li Lianjie, who was Long Wu's good friend— the deep connections between their families weren't something that could be conveyed in a word or two. Actors with such profound relationships didn't even need an explanation.

But the second suggestion was giving Long Wu a bigger headache.

Change the name; don't use Investiture of the Gods, and in the promotion, try to minimize the connection to the Investiture of the Gods, lessening the coloring of the novel.

For example, call it 'Legend of Shang Zhou: Rise of the Wing Tribe' or 'The Last Winged One', or even use the most clichéd name like 'Battle Between Good and Evil'—any would be better than Investiture of the Gods.

Xin Linli had made it very clear before: if you consider Investiture of the Gods as a domestic fantasy drama, it's at least passable.

While the plot is simple, it's very easy to understand and accept, with a clear main storyline;

The much-touted special effects, despite various little problems—like the tackiness of omnipresent gold—passed muster overall, and many scenes were even stunning;

As for the acting... please, just look at those on the cast list. Most of them aren't exactly known for their acting chops... If the audience is buying tickets, they won't really care how their acting stacks up.

These are its strengths.

But once it's linked to the classical Investiture of the Gods, all these things become points of ridicule.

Disrespect for history, for the original work, for national culture and classics... these accusations can get you condemned to death. Even the least important acting becomes a major issue; audiences might tolerate a god clad in gold, but they won't accept a Yang Jian who looks like a fool...

Tear it all down, invest significant resources, and start promoting anew.

You could say many characters and plotlines were created based on the Investiture of the Gods, some of which are even from the novel itself... but never say that this is the Investiture of the Gods.

That would be fraud!

Another round of promotion has its benefits: it can attract attention, spark discussion, and make people believe that Huaxia Star is sincere, just that they made a mistake previously.

Of course, there are difficulties too.

Without leveraging the Investiture of the Gods brand, the appeal will definitely decrease; rebranding requires a huge investment in promotion funds;

Compared to that, modifying some of the character voices and dialogues in the film is actually the easiest task.

"Wow, this makes it really hard for me to decide," Long Wu said on the phone.

After thinking it over, Suming said, "Ten, strictly speaking, this is a family matter for you, and even as friends, I shouldn't interfere too much. But since you've asked for my opinion, I won't beat around the bush. I think this is the best choice, regardless of whether it makes money or not, it won't have a negative impact on Xiang Zuo. How to decide is up to you, Ten. No matter what, I'll support you."

"Your words have enlightened me. The key is not to have a negative impact on Xiang Zuo, regardless of the final result, my entire family will be grateful," Long Wu responded.

Long Wu suddenly chuckled and said, "When you're in the game, you get confused. I am, after all, one of the players, and with the rapid development in recent years, I feel like I'm becoming outdated. For a moment, I didn't know what to do. Can I take your advice and discuss it with other insiders here in Xiangjiang?"

"Of course, you can," Suming said.

```