Ministers Begging Me to Ascend the Throne Chapter 990 - 81: The Importance of Promotion (2)

Once football gained immense popularity across the Great Zhou, realms such as Annan and Siam couldn't resist the trend and swiftly embraced the game themselves.

As residents of Annan and Siam dove into football, they quickly deemed it far more thrilling than polo, propelling it to become the dominant sport in their territories. Nevertheless, the elite class in these lands persisted in viewing polo as more appropriate for their esteemed positions.

Even though the upper echelons in these distant countries favored polo, they dispatched representatives to join the football contests. Yet, victory or defeat in these games held no real significance for them, and they harbored no expectations of triumph. The outcome mattered little; mere involvement was the key.

Prior to the football and polo events, Zhao Yao dispatched an envoy to post an announcement, declaring that enterprises could secure promotional spots at the arena by buying ad areas.

In the midst of the competitions, companies weren't just limited to acquiring ad slots for touting their shops; they could also offer rewards for the tournaments, stepping into the role of sponsors.

At first, the traders were baffled by the concept, but upon hearing the details, they grasped the advantages of promotion and sponsorship, rushing to sign up in droves. With the flood of interest, they turned to bidding wars instead.

Via these promotions and sponsorship deals, Zhao Yao raked in substantial earnings. The business owners, witnessing Prince Han's shrewd event management, were awestruck by his commercial savvy and resolved to replicate the strategy back in their own domains.

"Your Highness, you are truly remarkable," Uncle Gao exclaimed, astonished at Zhao Yao's ingenuity in turning a tournament into a revenue stream.

Zhao Yao humbly responded, "It’s nothing, just a small business."

"This is a small business?" Uncle Gao was stunned, "Your Highness, you did nothing but set up a few boards and hang up some banners during the competition, writing a few words, and easily made fifty taels of gold. Is this a small business?" It was an enormous return for minimal effort, almost like outright thievery in broad daylight. Still, the Prince was pulling it off right in the open.

"Isn’t fifty taels of gold a small business?" Zhao Yao knew full well that the ad spots at the event commanded fifty taels because the vendors intentionally inflated the bids to gain his goodwill. "In the future, when football matches grow larger and more widespread, the ad spaces will command prices way beyond fifty taels of gold."

Uncle Gao remained baffled as to why these ad spots warranted fifty taels of gold. To him, it appeared the merchants had excess funds burning holes in their pockets. And those sponsors—they shelled out cash just to qualify, then supplied prizes for the victors. Wasn't that doubling down on expenses? Were the rich simply daft with their overflowing coffers?

"Your Highness, they must have bought it to win your favor," he guessed that the fifty taels weren't solely for the sponsorship but aimed at flattering the Prince.

"Not entirely, half of it is to curry favor, and the other half is for promoting their business." Zhao Yao noted Uncle Gao's confused look and chuckled, "Uncle Gao, it seems you don’t understand the importance of publicity."

"The importance of publicity?" Uncle Gao scratched his head, "What do you mean?"

Zhao Yao inquired, "Uncle Gao, why are those talented scholars in the capital famous, and why are their calligraphy and paintings worth a thousand gold pieces?"

Uncle Gao shot back, "Because they are talented, of course."

Zhao Yao pressed on, "But why do others know they are talented?"

Uncle Gao replied instantly, "Because others say so."

"What others say is publicity. If no one helps to publicize a person’s talent, how would others know? Wouldn’t you agree?"

Uncle Gao finally got it: "So that’s publicity, but where’s the cost in that?"

"Who said there’s no cost?" Zhao Yao countered, "Some people spend money to have others spread the word about their talents. When enough people talk about it, everyone becomes curious, and eventually, people come to buy their calligraphy or paintings."

"Ah, paying people to call them talented?" Uncle Gao was shocked, encountering this notion for the first time, "So that’s how these scholars gained their reputation; I thought they were genuinely talented."

"Most scholars gained fame this way. Why do you think they like to go to brothels? Brothels have always been favored by poets and scholars, who love to show off their talents in front of brothel girls. The first reason is to inspire admiration..." Zhao Yao nearly slipped with "to show off," but swiftly amended, "to inspire admiration from the girls, and the second is to have these brothel girls sing their poems and songs, thus spreading them across the entire capital. Naturally, they become famous."

Uncle Gao saw the light: "So the scholars go to brothels not just for pleasure."

"Of course, it’s partly for enjoyment, but mainly for publicity. They also like to hold poetry gatherings for the same reason." Zhao Yao imparted sagely, "Once they gain fame for their talents, they will not only have money but also the chance to become officials. These are the methods they use to promote themselves, understand?"

Uncle Gao was utterly enlightened: "I understand."

"This same method applies to businesses. To make their store famous and attract more customers, they too will spend money on publicity." Zhao Yao grinned knowingly, "Once they are famous, people will come to visit, and thus comes wealth or power. I provided them with an opportunity to promote themselves during the football and polo matches, even in front of foreigners. Do you think they would miss such an opportunity?" Any merchant with ambition would want to expand their business as much as possible, even to all corners of the world. Now Zhao Yao offered them an opportunity to expand beyond the Great Zhou, and how could they possibly pass up such a great opportunity?

"You think they lost thirty taels of gold by buying an advertisement space, but in fact, they didn’t lose; they actually gain a lot." Zhao Yao went on, "During the matches, they get continuous exposure, letting other merchants and foreigners notice them. If interested, they will initiate business talks, and that’s where the money comes in."

After absorbing this, Uncle Gao was completely enlightened, gazing at Zhao Yao with ever-growing admiration.

"Your Highness, you are truly brilliant; I am completely convinced." The Prince’s thinking was something ordinary people couldn’t fathom.

"In future matches, I plan to sell advertisement spaces individually and not bundle them with sponsorships." Zhao Yao pondered silently that perhaps next year he could hold football matches in the Swamp Prefecture, allowing the common people to participate, and eventually turn football into a professional competition. He could also collaborate with these foreign nations to organize matches, sending football teams from the Swamp Prefecture to compete abroad, or inviting foreign teams to compete in the Swamp Prefecture.

"Publicity during the matches is a business opportunity. Once these people return home, they will surely imitate my approach." This way, football matches will become more frequent, and more people will play football. It might not be long before football becomes a nationwide sport.

Uncle Gao was deeply impressed by Zhao Yao’s business insight, "Your Highness, you are truly remarkable!"

"When you return to Japan, you can do the same."

Uncle Gao’s eyes lit up with joy, "Great, when I return to Japan, I’ll do the same."

"Every match is full of business opportunities; it’s just a matter of whether you can spot them."

Upon hearing Zhao Yao’s words, Uncle Gao curiously asked, "Your Highness, what other business opportunities are there?"

Zhao Yao smiled mysteriously, "You’ll know on the day of the competition." During the matches, they could also sell goods for profit.