Laila wanted to give these people a little hint. Effective promotion leads to increased box office sales, which, in turn, contributes to the rapid prosperity of the film industry.
"Director Moran, is it possible that you orchestrated the boycott behind the scenes?" a young actor asked the question that others hesitated to ask. After asking, he saw everyone looking at him, and his face turned pale, thinking he might have said something terrible.
Laila smiled reassuringly at him, "How is that possible? If I want to promote, I wouldn't risk using fans for such dangerous things."
Those who knew what she had done before understood that she might have many means of promotional tactics, but she never went too far. She always used those little tricks reasonably to create some benefits for herself.
"Then..."
"I'm just using this as an example. There are many ways of promotion. As long as you can make others aware of your movie, then you've succeeded. There are many methods of hype, and you don't have to stick to celebrity scandals. In fact, such practices only make potential audiences feel bored with your work. You should know that not everyone is interested in scandals; many people watch movies for the quality of the film."
"So, the boycott this time, if used properly, is a good thing?" Yao Yingxia, hearing this theory for the first time, couldn't help but curiously interject.
Laila nodded, "Indeed. I haven't done anything in response to this boycott because of this. But it's a double-edged sword that needs a complete understanding of the environment in which you find yourself. If such a boycott happened in the East, I wouldn't do this; I would take immediate action to eliminate the impact."
"Why didn't you respond in the United States then? The North American box office is the most important, isn't it?"
"Of course. Although the film industry in the East has developed rapidly in the past few years, the box office is still much lower than that in North America. This boycott activity is someone pushing it behind the scenes. I haven't intervened yet, but I'm considering taking action to find that person."
She didn't mind expressing her thoughts because this kind of thing wouldn't reach the ears of the behind-the-scenes manipulator. Even if it did, it didn't matter. In the 36 stratagems, isn't there a move called "startle the snake by hitting the grass"? Maybe it would be easier to find the person this way.
The people present found her words quite intriguing.
"If it were in the East, what method of hype would be more effective?" someone asked.
Laila pondered for a moment, "It's not easy to be specific. I think we can use some popular programs. In our place, during the promotion period, we often have actors appear on talk shows. Since you don't have talk shows here, our actors participated in some entertainment programs this time. Let the actors of the crew go on these shows, develop some topics for public discussion; it's a pretty effective method."
"That's absolutely right!" A director enthusiastically slapped his thigh and laughed, "I'll contact the most popular shows right away. The actors I use are all A-listers, and I believe those entertainment programs will welcome them!"
"Don't think about taking too much; I also have a movie to release!" Another director took out his phone, went outside, and directly called someone.
Yao Yingxia, holding her forehead, couldn't bear to look straight.
"Sorry, Laila, our people here are quite straightforward." She forced a smile, trying to help her side save face, but the current situation was not something straightforwardness could explain.
"No need to apologize; I think they treat me as one of their own, and that makes me happy." If they treated her as an outsider, these prominent figures in the film industry outside wouldn't act so casually regardless of their status. So, Laila was quite happy; after all, in her past life, she could only look from afar at these people in the film industry, not even having the qualifications to go up and greet them.
"Hehe." Yao Yingxia awkwardly smiled, thinking that it would be great if they could think like that.
At this moment, Laila's phone suddenly rang, displaying Roy's name. She excused herself and went outside to answer the call.
"I am Laila." Finding a quiet place, she answered the phone.
"Laila, I'm participating in a program," Roy's voice came from the other end.
"What program?" Laila wondered; he should be in the middle of promoting, so why would he suddenly call her?
"It's a truth or dare game. I've used up my truth chances, and now I have to do a dare. They asked me to call the first person on my phone and then ask some questions. If there is no answer, I have to drink the terrifying drink in front of me. Black, purple, yellow, and it keeps bubbling. Oh, God, I'm not sure if that's a beverage."
Laila heard faint laughter in the background through the phone and couldn't help but laugh, too. "Then they must be a very friendly bunch; otherwise, they wouldn't give you the chance to ask for help; they would directly make you drink those things."
Wanting to act pitifully, Roy was speechless now, and even the other hosts and audience members who could also hear him burst into laughter.
"Exactly, Laila, you really understand us friendly people too well."
A voice interrupted from the side, presumably the host. However, the emphasis on the word "friendly" made the people around burst into laughter once again.
At this point, Laila had already remembered what kind of program this was—a game show where guests played games. There was a truth or dare segment, which was quite popular. Guests were often asked somewhat absurd questions, and if they chose truth three times in a row, they had to undergo a mandatory dare. The nature of the dare depended on the guest's luck. Audiences loved to see glamorous celebrities being pranked, so the show had always been popular.
This time, Laila had the crew come over to promote in collaboration with some high-rating programs, and this show was one of them.
Perhaps because Roy was a top Hollywood star, the show's team didn't dare to play tricks on him too much, hence the additional opportunity for him to seek help. Thinking about it, everyone in the world knew about Roy and Laila's relationship, so who the first person on his phone would be was easy to guess. And even if they guessed wrong, it would still be an attractive gimmick.
"Roy is a foreigner, and we're asking questions about the East, giving him some special care is only natural," the host said, winking playfully, "I've heard that Director Moran is an expert on the East. Would you be interested in challenging our question bank?"