Chapter 16: Marketing Plan

Yoon Sungmi, the owner of Dajeong Bakery, was quite receptive to the franchise idea.

But not everyone was.

“About 12 people were positive about our business.”

“That’s fewer than I expected.”

To put it nicely, this franchise is about bundling expertise to create a business. 

But from another perspective, it could look like stealing know-how, which is shady at best.

Especially for those who’ve been in business for a long time and have met all sorts of people, their guard is understandably up.

“Honestly, when you said you’d sell flour at half price, I knew this would happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“It sounds like something a scammer would say.”

“But we can still make a profit. You’ve done the math, right?”

After the conversation with Yoon Sungmi, Yuha freaked out, so I personally punched the numbers into a calculator to show her we’d still come out ahead.

Even selling flour at half price, we’d profit.

But Yuha emphasized that understanding it logically and accepting it emotionally were two different things.

“They don’t know our calculations, so of course they’re wary.”

“We can’t do much about that. Let’s focus on what we can do.”

“What can we do?”

“There are two options.”

The first is to start with just the people who are positive about the idea.

In this case, the franchise would launch on a smaller scale than originally planned.

It’s not ideal, but if we show results, we could pitch the franchise again later and likely secure more partners.

‘But starting with a disadvantage in the initial market entry is risky.’

We don’t know how other franchises might approach us.

That’s a significant risk.

Especially considering that Spectrum is keeping a close eye on us, it’s even more dangerous.

‘Then there’s the second strategy.’

The other option is to hold a business presentation to encourage people to voluntarily join the franchise.

This would allow us to start the business at the scale we envisioned.

While it could offset most of the risks mentioned earlier, it comes with the challenge of having to convince the owners.

“What are you going to do, boss?”

“Honestly, we don’t have a choice.”

Ribbon Corporation doesn’t have the luxury of time or money.

If the situation changes, the advantage we’ve built could slip away.

So when an opportunity arises, we need to seize it and push forward.

“Let’s start with the people who showed a positive response.”

“Got it. I’ll reach out to them seriously about the contract.”

“Oh, and add this to the terms.”

So far, we’ve only shown the owners possibilities.

I planned to add more tangible benefits—ones they’d feel immediately.

“We’ll cover all interior renovation costs and compensate for any revenue loss during the first month with support funds.”

“Is that okay?”

“These people are taking a bold risk on us. We need to do this much so they don’t regret their choice.”

They’re choosing us, a high-risk venture with no guaranteed profits.

Our job is to deliver the maximum return possible.

“Will our next month’s revenue be okay with that?”

“It’s tight, but we’ll manage.”

The price we get for wheat from Gangi Milling and Yuseong Milling.

The revenue from flour sales through Jeyun Milling.

Combined, it’s just barely… possible.

Even though our revenue is now in the hundreds of millions, there’s nothing left in hand.

It’s dizzying.

“You really shouldn’t be in business.”

“Don’t worry, I’m going to keep mooching off you, boss.”

“If you want to keep mooching, you’ve got to keep working. Finish the materials quickly. And start preparing for interior design and franchise branding.”

“Oh, speaking of which, what’s the franchise name going to be?”

That’s already decided.

“Neighborhood Bakery.”

A brand name determines the value it carries.

The name and its vibe can make people feel familiar or put them off.

In that sense, Neighborhood Bakery is the perfect brand name for this.

“It’s about uniting existing local bakeries, so there’s nothing better.”

“It feels a bit vague.”

“That’s for you to refine.”

“You’re saying grind me to dust, huh?”

“You’re good at it.”

Grinding people down.

Yuha let out a long sigh and shook her head.

“I’ll do what I can, but it won’t match Spectrum’s branding team.”

“That’s unavoidable. They’re specialists who only do that.”

“Just don’t tell me to redo it because you don’t like it.”

Grumbling, Yuha buried her head in her monitor.

She’ll keep tweaking until the result is decent, so I don’t even need to check.

‘Meanwhile, I need to tackle the remaining tasks.’

We’ve got franchise partners, and the brand is set.

One thing remains.

Promotion.

‘How do we raise awareness for Neighborhood Bakery?’

Common promotion methods include TV ads, SNS marketing, and internet banner ads.

Each has its strengths, but whether they suit Neighborhood Bakery is questionable.

‘Neighborhood Bakery is starting locally. Internet or TV ads won’t mean much!’

The potential customers for Neighborhood Bakery are local residents.

The key is to bring back regular customers and attract those who’ve never visited.

“Limited-time events and free gifts for purchases over a certain amount are a given.”

We need to do every event other places do.

And we need to spread the word about these events through flyers and word of mouth.

The power of people’s chatter is stronger than the internet!

This alone should help Neighborhood Bakery secure a decent foothold.

But that’s not enough.

‘If I only aimed for a decent foothold, I wouldn’t have created Neighborhood Bakery.’

The Neighborhood Bakery franchise I envision is meant to encompass all local bakeries.

To do that, we need to capture every neighborhood.

And I know just the place to make that happen.

***

The person sitting across the table flipped through my promotional materials several times.

They pondered, reviewed, pondered again, and reviewed again.

This process wasn’t much different from the other bakery owners I’d met.

But this person’s perspective was different.

“It’s a solid business.”

“I put a lot of thought into it.”

“But I’m not sure if promoting it directly is a good idea. Our job is local promotion, after all.”

The person, with dark circles of fatigue under their eyes, was the Asan City promotional officer.

Constantly caught between higher-ups and subordinates.

A person well-versed in being chewed out.

Rubbing their tired eyes, they spoke again.

“I understand that Neighborhood Bakery is a brand uniting local bakeries, but it’s not exclusive to our region, right? If we promote this, it could backfire with the residents.”

Their concern wasn’t about who benefits from the promotion.

It was about whether they’d get criticized for it.

“You’re saying promoting a big franchise doesn’t align with local promotion?”

“Yes, so it’s probably hard to include this in our promotional efforts.”

A polite rejection.

It would’ve been nice if this went smoothly, but the world doesn’t work that easily.

“Still, it’s an interesting business. I hope it does well. Good luck.”

As they moved to end the conversation, I spoke up.

“The higher-ups are pushing you to do YouTube these days, right?”

Flinch.

The officer didn’t respond.

But their tired, bloodshot eyes and the camcorder nearby told me everything.

“They say other cities are doing it well, so why can’t we? Then when you follow trends, they complain it looks like child’s play.”

“…Sigh. Yeah, exactly.”

This is the problem caused by Hansi City’s officer doing their job too well.

They’re doing it, so why can’t we?

It’s popular, so let’s do it too.

That’s right.

The ones suffering from the higher-ups’ armchair decisions are the workers.

“Coming up with things to promote is hard, and pleasing the bosses is even harder, right?”

“Yeah, it’s not easy.”

“I’ll help you.”

At my bold proposal, the officer blinked.

They stared at me blankly before hurriedly waving their hands.

“No, no way. If I delegated this recklessly, I’d lose my job.”

A public servant outsourcing their work?

Without proper documentation?

They’d be lucky if it only cost them their job.

The officer’s panic was proof of their integrity.

But still.

“It’s tough, isn’t it?”

“It is.”

“The higher-ups give impossible orders, and when you work hard to deliver, they call it boring.”

“…”

“Doesn’t it exhaust you? Don’t you just want to quit?”

The officer had a mouth but no words.

Approaching the visibly dejected officer, I patted their back and said,

“I’ll help you.”

“…How?”

They asked.

Faced with fatigue and stress, the upright public servant chose to compromise.

‘But it’s too early to celebrate.’

This officer is already a pawn in my plan, but I can’t move too quickly.

They haven’t fully opened up yet.

“Feature our business as the main focus.”

“What?”

“You’re dying from the workload. Shouldn’t you at least enjoy the filming?”

If filming and editing are both grueling, shouldn’t at least one be less painful?

“As I said, Neighborhood Bakery is a franchise that highlights each bakery’s unique strengths. And it’s a brand that started right here in Asan.”

If the officer promotes Neighborhood Bakery as the main focus, it could become a series.

“So what does that…”

“It could work.”

“!”

A giant exclamation mark appeared above the officer’s head.

Of course, there’s a risk.

‘Promoting just one business might not align with Asan’s local promotion.’

So we need to package it well.

And that’s something I’m best at.

“If we only do a food vlog featuring our business, the higher-ups might not like it, so let’s tweak the concept. Make it like you’re visiting Asan as a tourist and create a tour route.”

“It could double as local promotion.”

“Exactly.”

“The idea’s good, but how exactly are you helping…”

Look at this.

‘They’re completely hooked.’

I grabbed the officer’s shoulder and spread out the promotional materials.

Pointing to the photos one by one, I said,

“We’ll let you try all these breads for free.”

“!”

“You can’t promote something without tasting it, right?”

“Well, that’s…”

“And think about it. If this goes well, you’ll promote other restaurants too. It’ll turn into an Asan food tour.”

The officer’s mind was already on that food tour.

Time to land the final blow in their happy daydream.

“You’ll be doing a food tour on someone else’s dime.”

That’s how it works.

Food tastes better when it’s paid for by someone else.

Seeing a glimpse of my grand plan, the officer looked at me and said,

“How can I assist you?”

“Haha, we’ll figure that out from here.”

I’ve secured the biggest ally for a local startup.