(Thanks to Alston-King for the big reward! Although I write slowly, I have to have an attitude.)
The observation report room of the marketing department is actually a brightly lit conference room.
The difference between this conference room and other conference rooms is that the decoration of the observation report room cost a lot of money.
There is only one wall between it and the 1:1 [bookstore] experimental site built by the marketing department in the building.
The main wall of the lecture room is covered by a double-sided mirror two meters high and five meters wide. Opposite is the reading sofa in the rest area in the corner of the [bookstore].
Looking from the volunteer side of the bookstore next door, only a reflective mirror can be seen, but everyone in the observation room can clearly see the various activities and expressions of the volunteers.
actually,
When all test tasks are completed, reading the various questionnaires filled out by the volunteers can also have a similar effect.
However, the written questionnaire is far from being able to monitor the scene at any time and is more clear and intuitive.
There are also various camera screens and sound recording devices in the observation room, so that the distinguished guests in the observation room can always understand everything happening in the [Bookstore].
"It's very well prepared."
Morgan, a short and chubby director, looked at the marketing staff behind the screen with a smile. They were pulling fairy tale books neatly arranged like bricks on a trolley and busy arranging the shelves and counters in the children's literature section of the bookstore.
The marketing department has bound 50 volumes of the "Detective Cat" edition of "The Little Prince" and 50 volumes of the "Weillein" edition of "The Little Prince" overnight.
certainly,
Both are hand-bound versions. The cover illustrations provided by the two illustrators were simply typed and printed, and then glued onto the blank text.
There is only a book cover, and the content inside is blank.
But as long as you don't remove the outer plastic package, it doesn't look much different from the final commercially available version.
In addition to the new edition of "The Little Prince" by the two illustrators, the marketing department also put on the shelves several old editions of "The Little Prince" that are currently circulating in the book market, both hardcover and paperback.
Since we need to do market research,
While deciding the merits of the two illustrators, you can also survey the volunteers' acceptance of the group's upcoming new release of "The Little Prince" compared with the old version of "The Little Prince" that has been sold by competitors for more than half a century. degree.
In this way, we can have a rough estimate of the market share and annual book sales that Scholastic Group's new version of "The Little Prince" will achieve after it actually enters the book market in the future.
"If all the volunteers are already here, let's get started. I have to fly back to North America in the afternoon." Director Morgan touched his chin and ordered.
The marketing department has selected multiple groups of volunteers from various age groups, with each group having between 80 and 100 people. They will enter the bookstore as "buyers" and choose their favorite "The Little Prince".
The test content is not complicated, not counting the time of rearranging the experimental site.
Each set of tests takes about 20 to 25 minutes, and you should be able to complete them in one morning and one afternoon.
Director Morgan was prepared to watch only one or two groups of volunteers take the test and then leave.
Based on his experience,
Unless the difference between the two painters is very close, whoever draws better will be the one who draws better.
Win or lose is basically determined as soon as the first group of volunteers enters the venue.
Market research is not a silly variety show.
It is difficult for the first few groups of volunteers to respond poorly to your illustrations, and then the reverse occurs in the subsequent survey groups.
Director Morgan even rejected the marketing department staff's plan to send two different versions of "The Little Prince" sample books of Detective Cat and Wehrlein to the observation room in advance for everyone to see.
Market research is market research.
Mr. Director does not want to establish any subjective tendency and let the final data result speak for itself.
…
Separated by a wall,
In the [Bookstore], volunteers are entering one after another under the leadership of the staff.
These volunteers are very diverse;
There are people of all ages, from old men in their fifties and sixties, college students who have graduated from internship, to little girls who look like eight or nine years old led by their mothers.
Kelly is one of them.
She is a third-year student at the Royal College of Art and is considered an art professional, but Kelly majors in fashion design.
She has loved illustration art since she was a child. If it weren't for the pressure of AI painting today, the career prospects of middle- and low-level illustrators would be average.
Kelly might seriously consider becoming a professional illustrator.
Appreciating the colorful illustrations can always give Kelly some relaxation full of free imagination in addition to the heavy academic pressure.
This is something that more serious art occasions such as art exhibitions and art galleries cannot provide her.
Because of her love, Kelly has a better understanding of the illustration industry.
Large publishing houses and high-end illustration studios are the best options for illustrators to find employment.
There are only two publishing group giants that attach great importance to the quality of illustrations in the European and American markets - Scholastic Group and its main market competitor Townsend Mann Publishing Group.
Both publishing groups have a market value of more than tens of billions of dollars, and together they almost monopolize the entire children's literature market.
Countless famous illustration artists have collaborated with them.
For this reason, when Kelly was in a bookstore near the school, she met a man who was handing out flyers and asked her if she was willing to participate as a volunteer in an internal survey organized by the Scholastic Group.
Kelly agreed without too much hesitation.
"It is indeed a giant-level business empire. Even if you are rich, you can actually build such a large physical bookstore in the financial building!"
Kelly looked at the mock test room in front of her that looked just like the chain bookstore near the school, smacked her lips, and was secretly amazed.
"Welcome all volunteers. Please line up in an orderly manner. Please collect your mission card from the marketing staff in gray uniforms before entering!"
Staff with loudspeakers directed everyone to enter.
When it was Kelly's turn to enter,
The staff glanced at Kelly's age and gender, then handed her a blue handbasket and asked her to grab an envelope from the basket.
[Scenario setting: You are a young girl who loves literature and art. The Christmas holiday is coming next week. You are going to buy a fairy tale book "The Little Prince" from the bookstore as a Christmas gift for your boyfriend. 】
[Budget: £40 (only choose one book!)]
[Please complete your selection within twenty minutes. 】
little Prince?
The task card she drew was very detailed, setting up relevant plot backgrounds for the volunteers to facilitate their participation in actual purchasing scenarios.
"It seems that the rumor that Scholastic Group is about to release a new version of "The Little Prince" is true. Is this a preliminary market survey? I don't know which illustrator will write it."
The thought passed through Kelly's mind.
Twenty minutes was not a very tight time. She first walked around this large [bookstore], and also asked the waiter for a free cup of Americano coffee at the bar in the bookstore.
"Merry Christmas, miss."
The guy from the marketing department who worked as a temporary clerk at the bar was very attentive. Even though it was early spring, he still said a Christmas blessing. The Christmas blessing song "Jingle Bell, Jingle Bell" was also played in the bookstore.
After turning around,
Kelly actually got a little involved in choosing a Christmas gift for her boyfriend.
"The Little Prince...if I had to choose a book as a gift, I would probably choose the classic one produced by Townsendsman."
Kelly had only had an impression of this version of "The Little Prince" before.
She remembered that the hardcover edition produced by Townsendsman was beautifully printed and had Saint-Exupéry's original illustration on the cover.
It is indeed a good choice for literary and artistic young people to choose holiday gifts.
"I don't know if the new version of "The Little Prince" from the Scholastic Group can surprise me and make me change my plan."
Kelly thought as she turned to the shelves in the children's literature section.
On the first row of shelves, placed in the most conspicuous position was a new style of "The Little Prince" that she had never seen before.
[Title of work: "The Little Prince"]
[Original author: Saint-Exupéry (France)]
[Translator: Charlie Hawke (UK)]
[Illustration author: Jan M. Wehrlein (UK)]
Kelly could tell at a glance that the illustration on the cover of "The Little Prince" was a very exquisite and thoughtful watercolor painting.
"It turns out to be a work written by artist Wehrlein. It looks pretty good!"
With illustrations created by well-known painters like Wehrlein, Kelly understood the confidence of Scholastic Group in challenging rival Townsend Mann's classic version of "The Little Prince."
Art professions will die of drought and drought.
With the pressure of AI painting competing for jobs, the income of small illustrators has dropped sharply, but the names of first-line illustrators like Wehrlein are still a guarantee of quality.
The exquisite brushwork of the illustration artist and the degree of soul compatibility with the theme of the original work are still far from being comparable to the cold AI.
Kelly can even be considered half a fan of Wehrlein.
In my sophomore year, I wrote a sincere self-recommendation letter, hoping to intern in the other party’s illustration studio during the summer. Unfortunately, nothing came of it and I didn’t receive any reply.
This did not affect Kelly's admiration for Mr. Wehrlein. She lined up early in the morning to buy the commemorative album "Green Wilderness" released by Wehrlein.
Compared with Mr. Wehrlein's past works, this painting also belongs to the very careful category.
Just like the original author Saint-Exupéry, Wehrlein is obviously much more professional than Saint-Exupéry in expressing the content of the little prince sitting on the beach and watching the stars.
He swept away the shortcomings caused by the original artist being a non-professional artist.
Wehrlein completely reconstructed the composition of this picture, using the golden ratio of a professional portrait to depict a heroic young aristocratic boy sitting with his arms crossed.
Furthermore, taking advantage of the realistic advantages of watercolor, the little prince's face has three-dimensional and exquisite facial features, which is more than one order of magnitude more handsome than the simple children's drawing style painted by Saint-Exupéry with two eyes and one nose.
It can be used directly as a mobile phone wallpaper for adolescent girls.
Kelly's eyes lit up at first, and then hesitated.
"This is a very good illustration...but is this really the little prince?" After the initial love, such thoughts emerged in her mind uncontrollably.
Kelly knelt down and took out a copy of Townsendman's classic "The Little Prince" from the lower shelf for comparison.
The composition of the classic version of "The Little Prince" is much less professional.
The sky is far away and the desert is wild. The image of the little prince only occupies a small part of the picture.
The little prince’s painting is not pretty.
The composition has a strange and long-lasting temperament, which is unique to this lonely fairy tale.
Of course Wehrlein's paintings are beautiful;
This is a very good illustration with a standard composition that can be used in art classes.
The problem is that it’s too standard,
Completely based on rigorous art theory, it is like a model produced according to a certain mold on an industrial assembly line.
Kelly studied the two illustrations in front of her.
She suddenly felt that the smile of the little prince written by Mr. Wehrlein was so beautiful. Just like the Korean plastic surgery star who was once a smash hit in Europe.
Beautifully unreal and beautifully empty.
In addition, the Saint-Exupéry version is an obvious plus with accompanying illustrations created by the original author himself.
If she could only choose one book, even though she is a fan of Mr. Wehrlein, Kelly would prefer Townsend Mann's classic version.
"By the way, the budget on the task card is forty pounds."
Kelly suddenly remembered something.
The budget column on the task card is randomly selected for each volunteer. Each volunteer's budget is slightly different, some are high, some are low.
Forty pounds buys a fairy tale book, which is quite wealthy.
The two books in front of me are both paperback editions.
Townsendsman's classic version of "The Little Prince" is priced at 19 pounds, while Wehrlein's new version of "The Little Prince" has a handwritten price tag exactly one pound cheaper, at 18 pounds.
And if she remembered correctly, Townsendman's hardcover version of "The Little Prince" should be priced at 32 pounds on the market.
If her budget was £20, she might hesitate between two books.
With the current budget,
When giving gifts to others, the more expensive and exquisite hardcover version is obviously a better choice.
Kelly stood up and walked around the shelf of this volume. Sure enough, on the other shelf, she saw the Townsendsmann hardcover Little Prince gift box with a more gorgeous coated paper cover.
The [Bookstore] is not small, but many people have gathered in front of the bookshelf on this side. At least a dozen people are gathered in front of one shelf.
"Everyone is here to get the hardcover version of "The Little Prince"?"
Kelly took a few steps forward.
Huh?
She suddenly discovered that the volunteers here were not surrounding the hardcover version of "The Little Prince."
The focus of their discussion was another set of "The Little Prince" styles that Kelly had never seen before on the right side of the hardcover edition.
"so beautiful."
"It's heart-pounding."
"Wow, this painting method is so unique. I have never seen such ethereal and dreamy colors."
People were talking a lot.
"This is... knife painting, a very unpopular painting method." Kelly narrowed her eyes and said softly.
She walked through the crowd and picked up this edition of "The Little Prince" from the shelf.
The markings on the cover are similar to those on the cover of the previous Wehrlein version, except that the column for illustrator was replaced by Wehrlein——
[Illustrator: Detective Cat (Algeria)]
this painting……
There is a very special ethereal feeling.
She adopts a composition that is almost identical to that of Saint-Exupéry, and exquisitely retains the original author's slightly Zen temperament.
And the painting is much better.
Not only is it much better than the dabbler Saint-Exupéry, it is also much better than the artist Wehrlein.
In principle, works of art of different styles cannot be compared.
But this is Kelly's current subjective feeling.
The yellow sand is long and the desert sky is long,
There is a blurry missing moon, twinkling stars, and a boy with slightly swaying shoulders sitting sideways on a high sand dune, as if he will turn his head and smile at you at any time.
The moment she saw this illustration, Kelly felt that the portrait was suspended on a hydrogen balloon and would fly away or break in her hands at any time.
This illustration is so beautiful, so perfect that it doesn’t look like a human work.
(End of chapter)
