April 26th, Imperial Capital, cloudy.
Playing with Brother Long's autograph in his hand, Tan Jincheng calmly told Zhou Ao on the phone:
"You can start promoting it. I've settled everything with them, and they will cooperate with you."
The contract was negotiated by Tan Jincheng himself, for 8 million yuan annually, with a three-year term from May 2006 to the end of April 2009.
Shanchi Technology holds the priority renewal right after the contract expires.
Additionally, after the contract expires, if Shanchi Technology chooses not to renew, it can pay a one-time sum of 8 million yuan in cash to acquire the right for Jay Chou's side not to sign with similar brands within three years.
The priority renewal right and the three-year non-compete buyout clause were the most satisfying terms for Tan Jincheng.
This clause would at least ensure that competitors could not sign with Chairman Chou before 2012.
After 2012, Shanchi Technology's business focus would definitely shift towards automobiles.
He wasn't sure if it was because Old Zhou's songs were too profitable or for some other reason; although he was a fan, Chairman Chou always seemed to have a particular fondness for money in Tan Jincheng's imagination, but he felt alright during the actual negotiation process.
He and his team possessed the shrewdness of Taiwanese people, but they would also make concessions where necessary.
For instance, after explaining why he put forward the two conditions, the other party accepted Tan Jincheng's proposals.
After all, both were reasonable demands.
Endorsing one brand and then immediately accepting an offer from another similar brand would be detrimental to brand value; in that case, it would be better not to sign at all.
"That's right, this guy owns all his song copyrights. Whether it's concerts or music rights, he earns a ridiculous amount, especially with QQ Music being such a cash cow."
Furthermore, the domestic brands he signed with were mostly mass-market brands.
If the asking price was too high, it seemed the other party couldn't afford it; otherwise, the endorsement fees received last year wouldn't have been only 12 million yuan.
This was publicly revealed by his agent during an interview.
Although he himself didn't respond, this matter should not be fake, nor would it be understated.
"This era is still good. Such superstars can be hired for a few million, and even the top tier only costs over ten million, unlike more than a decade later when minor celebrities demand millions or tens of millions."
Zhou Ao on the other end of the phone immediately responded:
"Received, I'll arrange it right away. Also, Boss, can you lend me your mysterious team?"
The mysterious team was the astroturfing team.
These people were currently directly controlled by Tan Jincheng.
While an astroturfing team could be very effective when used well, it could also easily cause problems if misused, so Tan Jincheng dared not let his subordinates manage it directly.
Starting the day before yesterday, Xinri's news about signing with Brother Long had already begun large-scale pre-heating.
Shanchi's marketing department was quite passive, and the previous posts praising beautiful designs could no longer hold up.
"Alright, I'll have them cooperate with you. Make sure you contact the media on your end. If you can't get the front-page headline, you must get the second-page headline, or even buy out the entire page."
Major media's front pages were probably already bought by Xinri, as even pre-booked venues like RM Hall were reserved.
But it didn't matter; Jay Chou's popularity was mainly among young people, and the internet was his biggest stronghold.
Once momentum was built online, they could compete equally with Xinri.
Upon receiving Tan Jincheng's instructions, Shanye Technology's marketing department quickly sprang into action.
Zhou Ao led his colleagues in breaking news, starting with entertainment media.
The news that Jay Chou would release a new album in September this year was already being pre-heated.
At the same time, "Curse of the Golden Flower", co-starring Jay Chou and directed by the National Master Director, would be released at the end of this year, and its movie soundtrack would also be included in the new album.
It's common for a movie to be promoted a year before its release.
Although Brother Long was an international superstar, Chairman Chou's popularity in 2006 was no longer comparable to the early 2000s, nor was it as universally beloved as after 2008, but he was definitely a top-tier star of the new era.
Entertainment reporters, like sharks smelling blood, began to strike everywhere, and the initial surge of attention still came from the internet.
This time, the astroturfing team didn't need to go out of its way; a little leak on Jay Chou's online forum, coupled with a slight guidance, quickly led fans to spread the news.
"New Era Young Pop King Signs with National Electric Vehicle Brand, Boosting the Olympics!"
"Shocking! Jay Chou Signs with Fengchi Guanneng, and the Reason Is..."
"Quickly Joined Forces, But Why?"
"New Era Young Pop King VS International Superstar, Shanchi Technology VS Xinri Group? The Challenger?"
"From the 'Hidden Gem' of Super Girl, a Look at Shanchi Technology's Three Endorsers, a Deep Dive into Shanchi Technology's Marketing Strategy."
"Mysterious Founder and His Rapidly Rising Shanchi Technology: Is it Marketing or Truly Making Products?"
"New Electric Vehicle Leader Xinri Group Faces a Challenge, and the Challenger Is..."
A series of strange titles began appearing on the internet, attracting the curiosity of even office slackers on a weekday.
The "shocking body" (sensational headline style) hadn't even emerged yet; Tan Jincheng hadn't used it even when promoting Zhongtai earlier.
No other reason; a car brand, without celebrity endorsements, wasn't very suitable for entertainment.
However, Jay Chou was different.
The entertainment industry itself has an entertaining nature.
As long as there's no malice, using some exaggerated titles to attract netizens in front of their computers is feasible.
By the afternoon of the 26th, the buzz had started to pick up.
Resourceful media outlets had already contacted Jay Chou himself and received his personal confirmation that he would soon complete the endorsement signing for Shanchi Technology's Fengchi Guanneng series.
"Yes, their chairman personally contacted me. He's very talented, and we had a great conversation."
"Ah? We haven't met before, but I'm looking forward to meeting him during the signing. I hope CEO Tan can attend the signing ceremony."
"Are there any surprises? Of course! Please support my new album coming out in September, and also 'Curse of the Golden Flower' which will be released at the end of the year."
"Why sign? CEO Tan said he's my fan, and since my fan can create such excellent products, of course, I have to support him."
"Endorsement fee? That's inconvenient to disclose; it's just a normal level."
---
"Holy crap! Didn't that little bastard say he preferred signing female celebrities around his age? I wasted so much time thinking about which female celebrities would be suitable for him."
Upon receiving his secretary's call, Zhang Congxun found a nearby computer and was dumbfounded when he saw the overwhelming news!
To be honest, he didn't know much about Jay Chou.
He knew that Jay Chou had been very popular in the past two years.
When choosing an endorser, the marketing department had recommended him, but Zhang Congxun listened to a few songs and thought,
"What kind of stuff is this?"
Furthermore, the three girl group members signed by Yadi were also from Taiwan, but their endorsement effect was not good, so they were also passed over.
Deep down, Zhang Congxun genuinely didn't believe Jay Chou could be as effective as Brother Long.
However, the overwhelming news on the internet, the constantly refreshing posts in online forums, and the discussions about Shanchi Technology sparked by the endorsement all gave him a headache.
All of this gave him a headache.
His headache wasn't Jay Chou's popularity, but rather Shanchi Technology releasing the news and launching its promotion at this very moment.
Hype is like a cake, only so big.
With Shanchi Technology jumping in at this time, Xinri's promotional efforts would undoubtedly be significantly diminished.
"This kid really has no martial ethics, damn it. How did he get this done so quickly?"
Zhang Congxun said resentfully, staring at the computer.
At this moment, he was truly exasperated.
On one hand, the opponent had once again resorted to a sneak attack; on the other hand, he was wary of Tan Jincheng's highly efficient actions.
Whether it was the unveiling of the prototype car using 3D printing at the auto show, the probing during subsequent conversations, or the information he gleaned when contacting media for ad space, he knew clearly that Shanchi Technology had no endorsement plans when the Guanneng series debuted at the auto show on April 17th.
Unlike Xinri, which had already been in contact with Brother Long for a long time, the emergence of Guanneng merely accelerated their progress and did not actually affect his endorser plans.
It was obvious that Tan Jincheng only started contacting Jay Chou after learning of Zhang Congxun's own endorsement plan.
Even if he had started preparing on the 17th, by today, it would have only been a full 10 days.
Securing an endorser in 10 days, getting personal confirmation from the celebrity that it was true, and all at market price!
How did he do it?
These big Hong Kong and Taiwan stars aren't so easy to deal with; asking for more money for speed is their norm, and they also like to throw their weight around.
But there's no choice, Hong Kong and Taiwan stars are still more popular these days.
Mainland celebrity endorsements, both in terms of cost and popularity, were a notch lower, except for Shanchi's previous two, but even that was limited to special periods of immense popularity.
Just as Zhang Congxun was feeling annoyed, his phone rang again.
It was Dong Jinggui calling; needless to say, the old man was calling to gloat.
Ever since the district announced its support for Xinri's participation in this Olympic design competition, the old man would seize every opportunity to mock him.
This was especially true after Guanneng appeared.
"What do you want?"
Zhang Congxun answered the phone irritably.
Dong Jinggui's unrestrained laughter came from the other end of the line:
"Hahaha, did you see the news online?"
"Even an outsider like you saw it, how could I not? This little bastard is truly troublesome,"
Zhang Congxun said through gritted teeth.
"Hahaha, you got ambushed again. But this kid is really tight-lipped. I tried to pry information out of him for ages at your press conference, and I got absolutely nothing. Oh, right, after the press conference, he shamelessly went to your endorser for a photo and autograph."
"Alright, stop talking. Just thinking about it makes me angry. That kid's visit to us last time was probably to fish for information. Now that I think about it, I must have fallen for it."
"Oh? That happened? What's the situation?"
Then Zhang Congxun recounted the conversation from that day and also spilled all the information he had gathered about the Guanneng series endorsement.
He then sighed:
"At the time, I thought it was just a few days, and we needed to promote it in advance anyway. Even if he wanted to sign an endorser, it would be too late. Who knew this kid was so efficient? How did he manage to get an endorser in just a few days?"
(End of Chapter)