Back To The 80s: President's Doted Wife

Chapter 288: Chapter 288 Strong Competitor

Hearing Wang Gang and Zhu Lifen’s words, Cheng Su’s brows furrowed and her lips pursed.

She had long anticipated that Friendly would become a formidable competitor for their Joy Soon Loy, but now seeing the sales figures being so close, she couldn’t stay calm inside.

And hearing that Friendly had hired Song Zhenzhen as an advertising spokesperson made her even more restless.

The effect of celebrity advertising was something Cheng Su knew all too well — how influential it could be. In her previous life, once a celebrity got famous, everything they wore, ate, and used became popular too, and people would buy things just because they were ”celebrity recommended”!

And this Song Zhenzhen was a household name in the 1980s too; for Friendly to go to such lengths to compete with Joy Soon Loy, they must have really invested heavily!

”How has the market response been for our Joy Soon Loy?” Cheng Su asked without betraying any emotion.

”Thanks to government support, our Joy Soon Loy sells quite well in the supply and marketing cooperatives. I’ve done research; customers say our jam has a distinct fragrance that other brands lack. That’s one of the main reasons our jam sells well. If it were cheaper, Friendly certainly wouldn’t be comparable,” Wang Gang said.

Cheng Su shook her head. ”We can’t drop our prices. The cost of making strawberry jam is already high. Lowering prices will not only cut into our profit margin, but it will also reduce its distinction. Once that’s gone, we’d be even less comparable to the already well-established Friendly.”

From her experience in her previous life, Cheng Su knew that while expensive items might not always be the most suitable, they were invariably perceived as better. If an item is pricey, it naturally holds its value, and when faced with a choice between two desirable items, opting for the more expensive one was never wrong.

Joy Soon Loy’s premium pricing wasn’t due to its cost, but its fragrance. Weren’t these other jam companies lacking the fruit aroma that Joy Soon Loy had?

This was the so-called secret recipe.

Everyone fell silent.

”Friendly Foods has a wide range of products, and I’ve looked into them. They existed even before the reform and opening up. When Grandpa Xiao Ping pushed for economic reform and opening up, Friendly seized the opportunity and caught a good era for growth, which is why they’ve rapidly developed over the past few years. Other companies have developed only after this and can’t match Friendly’s brand recognition, and our Joy Soon Loy is even less comparable!” Cheng Su spoke slowly, ”Now, we’re only focused on jam and can only use our unique fragrance to compete. But this isn’t a long-term strategy. What if Friendly also cracks the formula in the future?”

Research leads to progress, and if Friendly didn’t give up, perhaps one day they would discover the unique aspect of Joy Soon Loy, and our advantage would be completely lost.

”We need to innovate and keep a tight grip on food quality. We also have to build our brand recognition as quickly as possible,” Cheng Su pursed her lips, looking at everyone, ”Right now, you are just doing sales promotion, which is a way to advertise for our Joy Soon Loy. But it’s not enough, at least not for now. Our Joy Soon Loy needs a bigger platform to showcase.”

The group exchanged glances, finding Cheng Su’s words too profound. They were all new to this field, and not quite clear and knowledgeable about planning and advertising.

Cheng Su saw their difficulty and knew she was being demanding, so she smiled and said, ”No worries, we’ll take it slowly. The fact that Wang Gang and Zhu Lifen came up with market research is progress. I hope everyone will learn from them. Look further ahead, and don’t be afraid to broaden your horizons. Any suggestions that are good and suitable for the company will be considered. Now, Friendly is a strong competitor for our Joy Soon Loy, and we must give them a run for their money. Does everyone have confidence?”