To be honest, achieving simultaneous success for both the actors and models, as well as the featured product, was rare even in the interstellar era. Yet, “Bei Xing’s Necklace” managed to accomplish this effortlessly with just a single merchandise advertisement.
The sensation caused by the advertisement forced the industry to reevaluate the true value of “Bei Xing’s Necklace”.
On the first day of release, all online sales channels sold out completely. Meanwhile, physical stores and major offline malls saw long queues forming overnight. Even under strict purchase limits, store inventories were sold out.
The frenzy was so intense that it made Federation news, and on star network, posts of netizens showing off their merchandise boxes exploded in numbers.
[Am I the first to buy it offline? The quality is excellent, absolutely worth the price. Even if you didn’t know it was a co-branded merchandise, you’d still find it stunning. The only downside is my daughter loves it so much that she refuses to take it off, even when sleeping. She even wants to wear it in the bath. [Image X9]]
Under Lightyear’s meticulous planning, despite being merchandise, the products were crafted with extreme care.
For example, the necklace was a budget-friendly design collaboration with Delia, a renowned interstellar jewelry brand.
The first lucky netizen who got their hands on it posted a review, and it immediately became a large-scale promotion event.
[Wow, it looks beautiful, even better than in the advertisement? If you didn’t say so, I wouldn’t have believed this was a co-branded merchandise for a children’s animation. I originally thought it would be just a toy necklace.]
[Stop posting! I didn’t get one! My twins hugged me and almost cried when they saw it. Can you lucky ones hold off on showing off? It makes me tired and heartbroken.]
[Weird, just passing by. Is the animation really that good? I’ve been bombarded by advertisements lately.]
[Super good! The art and story are beautiful and healing. It’s my must-watch show after work every day TwT. This new screenwriter is seriously amazing. I beg you, go watch it now!]
With Lightyear’s powerful and professional marketing, even many interstellar residents who had never watched “Bei Xing’s Necklace” were drawn in by the advertisement and the real-life photos of the necklace.
Before they knew it, they had fallen into the pit.
But the more people joined, the worse the stock shortage became. As supply exceeded demand, the popularity of the animation “Bei Xing’s Necklace” continued to rise.
[Yishui is sold out on my end. I only got a few other gemstones. Please, I’m begging for Yishui…I’m willing to pay a high price! If I can’t buy it, my daughter is really going to cry.]
[Wait, your place still has the necklace in stock? As expected of Central Star… Our remote system ran out of necklaces entirely. I took my little one there multiple times, but we kept coming back empty-handed. Sigh.]
[No, no, no. Every restock turns into a battle. Parents are not to be underestimated. I originally bought it for my niece, but after seeing it in person, I kind of want to keep it for myself Orz.]
And it wasn’t just children, even a surprising number of adults were drawn to the merchandise.
Every time a new solar term spirit appeared in the show, the same sales frenzy played out in store counters across the star systems. Many physical stores were on the verge of collapse from the demand.
No one could have imagined that such a phenomenon would be caused by a children’s animation.
Looking at it from another angle, the overwhelming response to “Bei Xing’s Necklace” also completely crushed the previous claims that the show’s popularity was just a flash in the pan.
If this was just false fire, then what counted as real fire?
Walking through the streets, one could easily spot children in parks wearing the same necklace or hair accessories. And in amusement parks, children in matching dresses were even more common.
Once dressed up, they couldn’t help but spin around in excitement, as if they had gained Bei Xing’s mysterious magical powers as well!
At one point, news even spread about a young fan who cried and refused to take off her dress, insisting on wearing it to school. The story had countless netizens laughing endlessly.
Many schools even had to publicly advise parents to let their kids wear the outfits mainly on weekends and holidays.
[I’m a teacher, and I have the most authority to speak on this…please, don’t let your children wear them to school. A girl in my class showed up in a Li Chun dress the other day, and the whole class nearly swarmed her just to touch the skirt (facepalm). I admit, it is really beautiful, but it’s way too distracting.]
Many parents, however, felt extremely aggrieved.
[Do you think we parents don’t want to stop this? Once they put it on, they refuse to take it off, we’re desperate too!]
The clothes and little gemstones had completely enchanted the children. They just held onto them tightly and wouldn’t let go. The parents were completely outmatched.
[All I can say is that this screenwriter is terrifying, they know children’s psychology too well. They completely have a grip on the little ones, which means we parents are indirectly controlled too. No more talking, this old mother is being begged by her little ancestor to go out and fight for more goods.]
This comment had an unexpectedly strong comedic effect. As the number of likes soared, countless parents joined in to share their own hilarious experiences.
However, the one oversight in this entire marketing plan was that at the beginning, Lightyear had only considered selling the merchandise to young viewers.
So, whether it was the content of the advertisement or the size of the merchandise themselves, everything had been designed according to children’s standards and preferences.
No one expected that after the merchandise went viral, a large group of previously silent adult viewers would suddenly emerge from within the young audience.
Their biggest demand? They desperately needed adult versions, like longer necklaces, instead of having to buy extension chains!
Did adults not deserve the right to transform into magical girls too?
This was age discrimination!
[And it’s not just the necklaces, we need adult-sized clothing too! I’m so jealous of my niece I could cry. I may not have a chance to wear it out, but can’t I at least wear it at home and admire myself?]
[That’s right! Lightyear, you better start protecting our adult magical dreams, or I’m seriously going to file a complaint! (screams)]
[By day, I’m a social animal. By night, I secretly watch “Bei Xing’s Necklace”. Now you’re telling me I can’t even buy the same merchandise as the kids? This is breaking me. Lightyear, you better wise up!]
The protest from adult fans was so overwhelming that it was the first time the industry realized that “Bei Xing’s Necklace”, a show originally aimed at children, had quietly cultivated such a large adult audience.
These viewers had remained silent while blending into the younger audience. But now that the merchandise was out and they had been forgotten, it was indeed a bit tragic.
Naturally, Lightyear took this demand from adult viewers very seriously and soon made an official and solemn announcement:
[Merchandise for adults is already in emergency production. All fans of “Bei Xing’s Necklace”, both big and small, please remain patient.
Furthermore, for all future merchandise releases, we will ensure separate versions for children, teenagers, and adults to protect the beautiful dreams of every fan!]
This urgent official statement from Lightyear finally managed to somewhat appease the grown-up fans.
[Alright, alright, this is more like it. Hurry up! My wallet is ready, and you’re still hesitating to take my money? TwT]
[To be honest, watching “Bei Xing’s Necklace” is really relaxing and stress-relieving. It makes me feel like a kid again. I just didn’t dare to tell anyone that I was following the show too.]
[+111. I was also afraid of being called childish, but honestly, the story and characters are so beautiful. Sometimes I even wish I could travel to the world of “Bai Xing’s Necklace”, to see Bei Xing and everyone else!]
Having successfully won their protest, these adult fans couldn’t help but start sharing their unique viewing experiences in the comment section.
The most frequently mentioned sentiment was undoubtedly how Bei Xing’s world felt like a utopia, a place where one could momentarily escape the pressures of reality.
Here, there were magical solar terms, dazzling and dreamy outfits, loyal and adorable companions…
All the worries and stresses of the day would fade away, as if one had fully immersed themselves in a wondrous world, becoming the magical girl under the moonlight who could save the world.
[Sometimes, I even feel quite moved. Watching Bei Xing find and reunite more solar star companions through all these heartwarming little stories makes me feel that life is actually really beautiful.]
This unprecedented wave of protests also sparked deep reflections within the screenwriting industry.
“Many people always believed this work was only for children. That’s why they felt so dissatisfied about being defeated by it. But reality is now telling us that adult audiences long for beautiful fairy tales too.”
Screenwriter Quint, who had always had a favorable view of “Bei Xing’s Necklace”, sighed as he spoke.
Hearing this, several other screenwriters who had once secretly entertained similar thoughts felt a bit flustered.
Even though only Koslin had walked out that day, many of them still had complicated feelings in their hearts.
But now, those complicated feelings were undoubtedly beginning to dissolve in the face of countless sincere viewer sentiments.
Hadn’t their original purpose in writing scripts always been to bring amazing stories to the audience?
How could a work deeply loved by so many audiences, big and small, not be recognized?
“Well, here’s the good news. Director Lin Ke said that the screenwriter of “Bei Xing’s Necklace” has agreed to attend our association’s exchange meeting next week!”
Quint’s cheerful announcement instantly sent the room into an uproar.
“We’ll really get to meet them?”
“I’ve been dying to ask how they came up with such a story.”
“Ahem, I actually want to ask on behalf of my daughter, which is stronger, Yishui or Jingze?”
In fact, many children of the screenwriters had unknowingly become “Bei Xing’s Necklace” fans as well.
All their classmates were watching and discussing it, and when they got home and saw it on the light screen, it was easy to be drawn in and turn into a fan themselves.
Ever since the characters Li Chun and Yishui made their debut, the plotline about collecting solar term gemstones unfolded rapidly, and many of the newly introduced gemstone spirits became very popular.
Among them, the gentle and quiet Yishui and the unruly yet cool Jingze had unquestionably become the two most popular solar term spirits among elementary school students.
Any time the topic was brought up during recess, the two opposing fan groups could argue for three days and nights straight. If the school bell didn’t ring, there would be no end to it.
And this very same scene was unfolding in the Koslin household.
“Daisy, Carl, what are you two watching?”
