Golden Print [EN]: Chapter 285

Generally, ‘successful marketing’ means showing a product or brand to as many people as possible.

The more people know about the marketing target, and the more it’s promoted, the more valuable it usually becomes.

So, when WJ Studio first planned the marketing for the premium brand , they wanted to promote it on many different media sites, like most marketing plans.

But that plan completely changed because of something Woojin said at a marketing meeting a few months ago.

“What is marketing, after all?”

Ji Yonghyun, the Marketing Team Leader, looked a bit annoyed as he answered Woojin’s question.

“Well, isn’t it about making our brand known?”

Woojin asked again.

“Can you be a little more specific?”

The employees were confused about what Woojin meant and started thinking hard. Woojin spoke again.

“Marketing is how we sell products well, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So, the most important thing is to make this brand look as good as possible to the customers who we want to buy it, right?”

“Are you saying…?”

“You said we need to show it on as many media sites as possible. But what if we don’t need to do that?”

“……!”

“In the end, we only need to make the few customers who can afford our want to buy it.”

Woojin’s words made the marketing team think. It was like a puzzle that made everyone think in a new way.

It was a simple idea, something anyone could think of. But it was also a new way of thinking about marketing, different from what everyone usually did.

“What kind of people will buy our ?”

“If they can spend billions on housing, they must be rich.”

“If we try to sell this like normal apartments, putting up banners everywhere…”

“Hmm….”

“Would that attract the rich people who we want to buy it?”

The cheaper the product, the more its price depends on supply and demand, and its actual function and value.

But the more expensive the luxury product, the more its value depends on people’s feelings.

Making it seem precious and special is important. It’s about how customers feel, not just the product’s function.

Woojin thought so, and that’s why he said this.

“I’ve said this before, but rich people want to be ‘special.’ They want to be treated as ‘special people.’”

“I’m listening.”

“So, I want our brand to reach them in a ‘special’ way from the start.”

“Do you have any ideas, Representative?”

“It’s just a direction for now…”

Woojin talked about the ‘special’ marketing he had in mind.

“Basically, it’s ‘marketing that anyone can’t access.’”

“Marketing that anyone can’t access…?”

Marketing is about showing the brand to everyone, but this was about making it so ‘anyone can’t access’ it. It seemed like a contradiction, but Woojin continued…….

“If anyone can access it, it’s not special. Right?”

“Yes……that’s right.”

“That’s why most flyers handed out on the street end up in the trash.”

The employees listened carefully, drawn into Woojin’s idea.

“So, I don’t think even the brochure for this project should be easy to get.”

Woojin wanted the brand to be shown only to carefully chosen people from the very beginning.

And those people should know they were chosen, and it should feel special.

So that customers feel they have the ‘privilege’ of being chosen for by WJ Studio.

“Customers should feel successful and special just by being invited to .”

When Woojin finished, the employees were silent. They agreed with his idea and admired it, but it was hard to figure out how to make it happen.

So, Ji Yonghyun had to ask again.

“Is that… possible?”

Woojin nodded and answered simply.

“We have to make it possible.”

“……!”

Woojin had a plan.

Suhwa and Woojin finished their meal and went to a quiet café.

Suhwa ordered coffee, took a sip, and slowly read the brochure Woojin gave her.

After about thirty minutes, she finished the last page.

She looked up at Woojin, who was eating a tart across from her.

Suhwa’s first words were:

“This, is this a promotional brochure?”

Woojin answered simply.

“It is.”

“What kind of brochure doesn’t have the price or when it will be sold?”

“We don’t have a sale schedule because individual sales don’t matter…” Woojin added with a smile.

“The price isn’t there because the brochure is to show how good the house is, not how cheap it is.”

Woojin smiled, watching Suhwa’s face. He was in a good mood.

He could tell she was already interested in the brochure just by looking at her.

She was exactly the kind of customer Woojin wanted for the brand.

Suhwa didn’t understand Woojin’s words and looked at the brochure again, confused.

‘Is this really a sales brochure?’

If she hadn’t heard Woojin’s explanation, she wouldn’t have known it was a sales brochure even after reading the whole thing.

“No matter how I look at it, it’s strange.”

“What else?”

“How is this a sales brochure? It’s just an architecture magazine.”

“Oh, a magazine? That’s how it feels?”

“Yeah. I don’t even see the word ‘sale’ in the booklet.”

“That’s right, but there’s a sentence like this instead.”

“What?”

“‘What completes Cheongdam Arco will be the special you who is suitable for this special residence.'”

“…….”

She remembered that line. And she remembered feeling excited when she read it.

While Suhwa was thinking, Woojin spoke again.

“After hearing you, I’m sure of it.”

“What?”

“Our design team made the brochure exactly as I wanted.”

“You wanted customers to not even know it’s a brochure?”

“That’s right. That’s it.”

Woojin was smiling, and Suhwa asked him again.

“Then how do customers get this brochure?”

Woojin tapped the brochure and slowly said,

“It’s given directly through personal connections, or…”

Then, he explained his plan.

After meeting Suhwa, Woojin went back to the office.

As soon as he got back, he called a meeting.

“Marketing Team, are you all at your desks?”

[Yes, Representative.]

“Let’s have a meeting. Come to the conference room in 10 minutes.”

[Yes, I understand!]

The reason for the meeting was simple. Suhwa was the last piece of Woojin’s marketing plan. Now that she approved, he could start marketing.

“We got approval from Actress Im Suhwa, and CEO Kang Sojeong also liked it.”

“Oh! That’s great!”

“Now that we have a plan, we can start giving out the first brochure next week.”

“Do we need to plan the actress’s filming schedule?”

“The actress won’t be in the brochure.”

“Ah……!”

“We need to start printing tomorrow, so let’s get busy today.”

“Yes, Representative!”

After the meeting, he started making calls.

It was time to call the people he had already chosen for the marketing of the Arco brand.

“Yes, Hyungnim Seokjung. How are you?”

[I’m fine. What’s up?]

“It’s about that townhouse in Cheongdam-dong I mentioned.”

[Ah, that! Oh, are you finally selling it?]

“We’re starting soon, so I wanted to send you some brochures.”

[Good.]

“If you could give them to your friends…”

[I’ve already told people about it, and they seem interested.]

“Oh, really?”

[Send them to me when the brochure is ready.]

“How many copies do you need?”

[About ten copies……?]

“Okay, Hyungnim.”

It took over an hour just to call his friends. It wasn’t a quick call.

After all the calls were done…….

“Representative, I’ve ordered the final version to be printed!”

“Yes, thank you for your hard work!”

With the brochure order, all preparations were complete.

Exactly one thousand copies of the Cheongdam Arco brochure were printed.

Those thousand brochures were given out in different places.

Starting with the VIP lounges of hotels with 5 stars or more in Seoul…….

“Hmm? Manager. What is this architecture magazine? I haven’t seen it before.”

“The manager said it’s a booklet for the VIP customer waiting room.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“He said it’s not for sale, but for people to collect.”

“Cheongdam Arco……?”

“I looked it up, and the building is really cool.”

To the car dealerships where expensive foreign cars are displayed, and to the VIP lounges of duty-free shops where luxury brands are.

“Am I early?”

“Yes, customer. The test drive starts in 30 minutes.”

“Hmm…….”

“Can I get you a drink?”

“Ah, no. I’ll just sit.”

“Yes, customer.”

“Can I stay here?”

“Of course.”

“What is this magazine? Can I read it?”

WJ Studio employees were selling in places where rich people spend money.

“Of course. It just came out today, and customers are reading it.”

“Ah, is that so?”

“The cover is eye-catching.”

“I’m not interested in architecture…….”

“Some people ask where to buy it.”

“Hmm? Is it popular?”

“It’s a magazine from WJ Studio. Representative Seo Woojin is popular.”

“Ah, there!”

They didn’t just leave the booklet. They had a promotion with each store and planned a collaboration event.

So, each store had to show the Arco brochure. It naturally spread by word-of-mouth.