NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Posters? Trailers?
After discussing with Baniel for a while, Edward quickly confirmed that Baniel indeed had no understanding of advertising or marketing strategies. The theater relied solely on word-of-mouth promotion, leaving the audience to spread the news orally. Despite the world having a developed paper industry, newspapers hadn’t taken off, and there were no effective channels for advertising.
The lack of external communication in the city’s community meant that information spread relatively quickly internally, eliminating the need for deliberate promotion. Thus, a monopoly like the Nosrick Grand Theater never bothered with marketing.
Although Edward initially found this situation frustrating, he soon realized the untapped business opportunity it presented.
Since no one had ventured into this realm before, Edward and his team could become the pioneers in this field. Even if others eventually imitated their methods, the initial profits would secure their position in the industry.
So, after some thought, Edward decided to explain the concept of advertising to Baniel.
“Flyers? Posters? Branding small items handed out during screenings?”
Hearing Edward’s simplified explanation, Baniel, who had never considered such things, looked as if a new world had opened up to him. He exclaimed excitedly, “Amazing! Lord Durin, your insights are ahead of their time. Now I understand why you could invent movies right after creating the Magic Video Recorder and Imaging Crystal. Your wisdom is truly admirable!”
Despite Baniel’s high praise, Edward, having experienced the advanced world, was unfazed. What was novel to this world was a normality to him.
With Edward’s ideas, Baniel quickly started preparing the advertisements, beginning with flyers. Although time was tight, the premiere wasn’t the last screening. Edward planned for the film to run for several months.
Thus, even if the flyers reached people a bit late, they could still attract potential audiences throughout the film’s run.
In this world with some printing capabilities, creating flyers was a very straightforward thing. Edward provided layout suggestions based on his experience with flyers and street ads from his previous life. Even a rough imitation of those flyers was effective enough for this world.
Though still crude, these flyers were a novelty here.
“Should we distribute the flyers now?”
Hearing Baniel’s eagerness, Edward shook his head, saying, “We’ve made good progress, but distributing flyers takes time. To ensure tonight’s premiere is successful, we need a fast and effective advertisement!”
“Fast and effective?”
Seeing Baniel’s confusion, Edward smiled and asked, “Where do people gather the most in Nosrick during the evening?”
Caught off guard, Baniel thought for a moment before replying, “The central plaza. It’s popular because street performers often gather there. Many people go there for a walk after dinner.”
“And?”
“The Nosrick Grand Market and the Pleasure Street are also popular. The former is crowded with families, while the latter is a gathering place for young people, for reasons you probably understand, Lord Durin.”
Ignoring Baniel’s suggestive grin, Edward nodded and said, “Then let’s start with these three places. We’ll put up movie posters in the most eye-catching spots!”
“Posters? What are those?”
Seeing Baniel’s confusion, Edward decided not to explain in detail. “Just find prominent white walls in these areas or, better yet, prepare a large white sheet on a cart.”
“Uh, I’ll get someone on it right away.”
Although unsure of Edward’s plan, Baniel, aware of Edward’s superior wisdom, quickly set to work on the posters.
Meanwhile, Edward pondered. Posters were his first thought, but he realized he didn’t have to stick strictly to ideas from his previous world. This world’s unique element was magic.
Sure, posters were a good idea, but integrating magic presented an even better option.
“Skipping straight to large screen advertisements before posters even existed? Only in a world with magic could this happen. I’ll need a trailer for that.”
Looking at the sample Imaging Crystal, Edward carefully edited its contents.
Having explored the crystal’s mechanisms, he had learned to manipulate its magical sequences for editing.
The final cut, though not perfect, was satisfactory. It included scenes of the protagonist and goddess being transported to another world, meeting new companions, using explosive magic, and encountering a headless knight.
While these scenes didn’t fully explain the story, they looked impressive and intriguing.
After finishing the trailer, Edward added a voiceover announcing the premiere of “KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World!” that evening at the Nosrick Grand Theater, inviting people to inquire for more details.
With the trailer ready, Edward awaited Baniel’s return. and the other party did not disappoint him, and soon came to him again, and by simply judging from his happy look. It seems that the task set by bim has been completed.