The Renrenwang Spokesperson Contest schedule was more than halfway through, with two days remaining for the PK rounds, followed by the highly anticipated grand finale.
Chen Pingjiang went to communicate with Principal Ning Yongde, hoping to borrow the school's gymnasium to host the finals and award ceremony.
Ning Yongde now regarded Chen Pingjiang and Renrenwang as treasures, not to mention it was a great opportunity to promote Cai University.
How could he refuse?
He nodded with a smile and also instructed the Youth League Committee to provide full cooperation.
At the same time, Renrenwang and the catering group were also operating at full capacity.
Miaochá directly rented a ground-floor storefront of hundreds of square meters in Dongjiang City center, right across from Starbucks, to create the Miaochá Dongjiang flagship store.
The internal testing of the "Parking Scramble" mini-game was in full swing, and Chen Pingjiang also selected fifty enthusiastic users on Renrenwang to participate in the internal test.
Among them, Li Xi was the most nervous.
This third-year Cai University student was stepping onto a different stage for the first time, and had already driven with Chen Pingjiang to Wuhu City.
The headquarters of Chery Automobile Group.
The person who had been in contact with Li Xi was the Deputy Director of the Communications and Promotion Department of Chery Group's sales company.
Given Li Xi's position, this was the highest he could reach.
The main responsibility of the Communications and Promotion Department of Chery Automobile Sales Company was to control the amount and usage of advertising support funds.
Chen Pingjiang arrived driving a G-Wagon at exactly 10 AM, neither early nor late.
"This time I'll take you around and show you the ropes. Let's start with a relatively simple partner, and then you'll have to stand on your own."
As Renrenwang's advertising investment manager and sales team leader, Li Xi had to take the lead, tackling these tough challenges one by one.
For this, he almost took a leave of absence to focus on work, but Chen Pingjiang spoke to the school administration.
Li Xi's pressure was undoubtedly immense.
He was just an ordinary third-year student from a second-tier university, yet he had to deal with numerous Fortune 500 companies.
Renrenwang itself hadn't even expanded nationwide, and its brand recognition might not be effective outside Dongjiang University.
The pressure and difficulty involved were imaginable.
"Boss, don't worry, I will definitely work hard."
Li Xi involuntarily clenched his fists.
Although his figure appeared somewhat small standing in front of Chery Group's main entrance, it contained extraordinary strength.
Chen Pingjiang patted his shoulder reassuringly:
"Relax, they all have one mouth and two eyes, they can't eat you, can they?"
In any case, the disparity in life between Li Xi, who chose this path, and his classmates still in the ivory tower, was gradually widening.
"To be honest, I've never heard of Renrenwang, but I tried it before you came, and it felt pretty good. However, the user base is still small, and most of them are students, not our potential customers."
"I've also read your proposal. Social gaming is a very novel concept, but ultimately, everything still needs to be proven with results and data."
"Our group's money doesn't grow on trees, and our annual advertising budget is limited. How will you convince me to shift advertising plans that would normally go to traditional media to Renrenwang?"
Weng Yingliang, Deputy Director of the Communications and Promotion Department, didn't directly refuse.
Instead, he warmly received Chen Pingjiang and Li Xi, but every sentence carried a sense of polite rejection.
Thus, Chen Pingjiang was no exception.
Objective factors indeed existed.
Renrenwang's reputation was indeed not prominent, the game hadn't been launched yet, and the market response was still a question mark...
Chen Pingjiang thought for a moment and said,
"Actually, there's only one core issue: how many users can our 'Parking Scramble' game attract, and what kind of impact can it have on your products for your esteemed company?"
Weng Yingliang nodded, flipping through the proposal in his hand:
"While I don't want to say this, it is a fact that your company's market influence is truly too weak, making it difficult for us to make a judgment."
Speaking as a businessman, Weng Yingliang was not wrong.
You, Chen Pingjiang, are not a novel protagonist.
Polite reception for a business discussion is the most you can expect; without concrete benefits, a contract cannot be signed.
Weng Yingliang was quite fond of the "Parking Scramble" game; players could see various Chery Automobile brands every day, which would bring significant positive publicity.
If Tencent had come to discuss it today, the contract might have already been signed.
"Let's draft a performance-based agreement."
"Hmm?"
Weng Yingliang wondered if he had heard wrong.
He had dealt with performance-based advertising agreements before, but usually, it was the advertiser who proposed it to mitigate risk, not the advertising platform initiating it?
"From your perspective, if I were the person in charge at Chery, honestly, I wouldn't invest in such an advertisement either. But from Renrenwang's perspective, I am very confident in our social game. There's a huge information asymmetry here, so why not pay based on the advertising effect?"
Chen Pingjiang went straight for the big move, meeting whatever came his way with his own singular approach.
"Haha, General Manager Chen is so optimistic about your game project?"
This was interesting.
Chen Pingjiang's strong confidence piqued Weng Yingliang's interest, and a performance-based agreement could indeed reduce risk.
"If the data provided by our side shows that the advertising effect reaches the agreed-upon target, your side shall pay the advertising fees according to the proportion negotiated by both parties and also pay additional benefits to us."
"Conversely, if the agreed-upon target is not met, your side will not need to pay a single cent in advertising fees."
The performance-based agreement was a strategy Chen Pingjiang had conceived on his way there, and it was also the most effective method.
It could better alleviate the partner's concerns, letting results speak for themselves, ensuring neither party loses out.
Ultimately, this was based on strong confidence in their own product.
Weng Yingliang pondered for a moment, tapped his finger on the table, and said,
"What do you mean by additional benefits?"
Chen Pingjiang smiled and took over the conversation:
"Naturally, it refers to the data exceeding the target once achieved. Suppose the target is set at one hundred thousand, and we ultimately reach five hundred thousand. Our side has the right to request your side to pay advertising fees for the excess portion. That's reasonable, isn't it?"
Weng Yingliang nodded and then asked,
"Which other companies have you discussed this performance-based approach with?"
"Chery is the first. My hometown is Tongshi City, so close to Wuhu City, Chery was the first I thought of."
Perhaps due to the familiarity of a "fellow townsman," Weng Yingliang smiled and said,
"What you proposed is acceptable in principle. Our director is away on a business trip, so I will communicate with him tonight. Additionally, regarding the performance commitment in the betting agreement, our side hopes for at least three hundred thousand concurrent online users."
Weng Yingliang smiled, and Chen Pingjiang also smiled.
This guy didn't look as amiable as he seemed on the surface; it really matched the saying,
"When fellow townsmen meet, they backstab each other."
He immediately demanded three hundred thousand concurrent online users.
What was the concept of three hundred thousand concurrent online users in 2007?
World of Legend, ranked tenth, had a peak concurrent online user count of almost 550,000, with daily online users around 300,000.
This meant "Parking Scramble" would have to enter the "Top Ten" at least.
Smiling tiger Weng Yingliang said all the right things, but then made an outrageous demand.
Any ordinary company would likely be swindled dry, either turning away or playing for free.
"Isn't this... a bit too much?"
Chen Pingjiang feigned a difficult expression, but was inwardly ecstatic.
Only three hundred thousand online users?
Wouldn't that be achievable in the blink of an eye?
When "Stealing Vegetables" was at its peak, its national monthly active users once reached 320 million, with registered accounts accounting for two-thirds of China's population, which translates to roughly 11 million daily active users.
Even if "Parking Scramble" was a bit worse, taking one-third of that, it would still have 100 million monthly active users.
"What's wrong? Isn't General Manager Chen very confident in your game?"
Seeing Chen Pingjiang across from him remain silent for a long time, Weng Yingliang pressed further:
"Two hundred thousand daily active users, two million for a buyout. If General Manager Chen disagrees, I can only express regret."
The true intention was revealed.
Weng Yingliang felt that this deal couldn't possibly lose money.
Two hundred thousand daily active users, even for one cycle, would be worth more than two million, but he was buying out the advertising slot for a game, which was incredibly cost-effective.
However, he also knew that such games usually have a relatively short lifespan.
Chen Pingjiang's expression was quite complex.
Anxiety, hesitation, struggle, followed by relaxation, relief, and certainty—it was a performance worthy of a Beijing Film Academy textbook.
No one spoke in the entire office; you could hear a pin drop.
Weng Yingliang, feeling perfectly confident, leisurely took a sip of tea.
Li Xi, sitting beside Chen Pingjiang, didn't even dare to breathe, his hands clammy with sweat from nervousness.
After a long while, Chen Pingjiang finally nodded,
"relieved."
"Alright, General Manager Weng, but for any portion exceeding two hundred thousand, our side hopes to accumulate it at the same proportion."
Weng Yingliang, feeling that the overall situation was settled, nodded with satisfaction, believing he had negotiated a good deal and had Chen Pingjiang exactly where he wanted him.
"No problem."
From Weng Yingliang's perspective, he believed he had made a huge profit.
The figure of two hundred thousand daily active users was actually very difficult to achieve.
He didn't think Renrenwang, a tiny internet company, could make its game reach such a level.
The probability of that was akin to finding a needle in a haystack.
Among all the games in China, how many self-developed ones achieved such daily active users?
If it didn't reach the target, Chery Group would suffer no loss and could still freeload a wave of advertising.
Even if it was achieved, there would be no loss; two hundred thousand daily active users was worth this price, especially for a buyout.
Chen Pingjiang also felt he had made a huge profit...
The final data was likely to be more than ten times higher; he wondered if Weng Yingliang would still be smiling then.
That evening, Chen Pingjiang hosted Weng Yingliang at the most luxurious restaurant in Wuhu City.
Host and guest enjoyed themselves thoroughly.
"Discuss with other manufacturers using this approach," Chen Pingjiang said to Li Xi, who was on another bed in the twin room that night.
Li Xi nodded:
"A performance-based agreement certainly makes it much easier to negotiate and eases the other party's concerns, but are we losing out big? If we don't meet that data, we won't get a single cent. If it really doesn't work out, can't we just 'massage' the data a bit?"
Chen Pingjiang just laughed:
"Do you think manufacturers are stupid? This kind of data usually has to be audited by third-party agencies, and the operational management departments within each group will conduct spot checks from time to time. It's impossible for them to just believe whatever data you report."
Li Xi had no experience with online games and didn't really grasp the significance of two hundred thousand, only feeling it was an overwhelmingly large number.
He worried,
"So we'll just be working for nothing then?"
"Work for nothing? No such thing,"
Chen Pingjiang said, lying on his bed, his eyes distant.
"No one can freeload from me, Chen Pingjiang."
(End of chapter)
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