2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 269 SAO Operations at the Exhibition
"Youth makes all the difference. He understands the minds of young people. We can't compete with him in terms of publicity. We have to admit that."

Standing on the outside watching the bustling FlashCar exhibition area, unable to squeeze in, Dong Jinggui sighed to Zhang Congxun, who also looked speechless.

Yadi spent a lot of money to hire SHE, and other manufacturers also hired celebrities of all sizes, but their combined popularity was not as high as that of FlashTech.

Not only did they invite a well-known cycling athlete and a movie star, but they also invited a famous singer, and they created a lot of mystery and publicity, making it a highly anticipated event.

This is simply a lack of martial ethics.

Zhang Congxun was even more helpless. Of the three companies' exhibition areas, theirs was the most deserted. The reason was that they didn't have any spokespeople, meaning no celebrities were present.

So he was the most frustrated one, because this newly crowned industry sales champion had absolutely no prestige!

"Damn it, when we get back we need to tell the marketing department to speed things up. Even if we have to pay more, we have to sign Brother Long as soon as possible. Then I'll have an international superstar endorsing me, let's see how smug you guys can be."

It's not that Xinri doesn't want to invite celebrities, it's just that they don't want to invite ordinary celebrities. They have big ambitions and believe that ordinary celebrities are not worthy of Xinri's high-end positioning.

If you're going to hire someone, hire an international superstar!

However, it must be said that when it comes to popular culture and creating a lively atmosphere, young people like Tan Jincheng are more suitable than us old fogies. It seems that we should listen to the opinions of young people more in the future when organizing such activities.

Marketing departments should also make some changes and hire more young people.

"This is a complete defeat. All of us merchants have been made a foil. Your store is doing alright, at least your spokesperson brought some popularity. But Jinlingyang and Huajue's money was wasted, they didn't attract any customers at all."

The Golden Antelope cast Cao Ying, while Huajue cast Yuan Li, both of whom were well-known actresses in their time, especially the latter, whose role as Du Xiaoyue in Ji Xiaolan was deeply ingrained in people's minds.

Unfortunately, most of the people who come to the auto show are young people, while older people don't pay much attention to the TV actors themselves.

Compared to Ya Di's S.H.E. and Shan Chi's Liu Yifei, the popularity they attracted was far inferior, especially the former, whose popularity did not reach that level, and they even attracted fewer people than Li Qiangzhong.

Li Qiangzhong was already a well-known motorcyclist in China and had a considerable reputation in the riding community. After these two months of riding videos, his popularity on the internet skyrocketed, which, in modern terms, meant he went viral.

In Tan Jincheng's view, Li Qiangzhong's current popularity is not much less than that of the Xu-surname UP on Bilibili in later generations.

Originally, Li Qiangzhong felt that it was a bit beneath him to travel as a motorcyclist on an electric bike, and that he was only doing it for the money. However, after a series of operations by Flash Technology, his popularity skyrocketed, and he even started to feel like a minor celebrity.

On his cycling trip, fans would anticipate his route and wait for him, bringing him food and drinks. Some would recognize him and eagerly take photos with him. Some businesses even wanted to hire him for advertising, inserting his videos into their advertisements.

This really appealed to Li Qiangzhong, but unfortunately, due to his previous contract, he didn't have the copyright to this video. Even if he accepted the advertisement, it couldn't be shown in the video. Moreover, the entire video was edited by the Flash team.

But it doesn't matter, he has already opened a personal account, and he can accept any advertisement except for electric vehicles. FlashTech does not prohibit these, and even allows him to use some clips from riding videos, as long as he is authorized.

From initially feeling somewhat humiliated, to now being so popular and witnessing what he saw today, Li Qiangzhong is actually quite grateful to FlashTech and Tan Jincheng for this opportunity.

"Let's go, let's go. There's nothing more to see. The song's over." Zhang Congxun waved his hand and said.

He should have known better than to come. This must have been the most frustrating Shanghai Auto Show he'd ever attended. Not only was he constantly overshadowed by Flash, a fellow automaker exhibiting for the first time, but he couldn't even match the popularity of the Yadi booth.

What a failure! This plan was a complete disaster.

"Won't you take another look? I heard that the little girl who's the spokesperson is going to dance later," Dong Jinggui said teasingly.

"What's so interesting about a young girl dancing? You're so old, why do you still like this? Can you ask Xiao Tan to meet up tonight?" Zhang Congxun said irritably.

He could actually get Tan Jincheng's contact information privately, but since Dong Jinggui had already mentioned it, he decided to let him act as a go-between.

Dong Jinggui was somewhat surprised: "Didn't we say we'd wait until after the exhibition?"

"The company called and there's an urgent matter. I might have to go back, and I might not be able to make it back after the exhibition ends."

His headquarters has been relocated to Wuxi, Jiangsu Province, becoming a neighbor of Yadi. Wuxi is one of the electric vehicle industry clusters in Jiangsu Province, with two to three hundred electric vehicle companies.

It's quite interesting that both Chipray and Yadi chose Wuxi as their headquarters, with Chipray even moving from Beijing. Only FlashCheer set up its headquarters in Ningbo.

The two people from Anhui Province and the one from Zhejiang Province did not choose their hometowns.

"Wait a moment, I'll make the call now," Dong Jinggui nodded.

Old Zhang is getting anxious and needs to go back to think of a solution, but there's no need to point this out since it's better to see through things than to expose them.

Last year, Xinri's actual sales volume was 12.6 vehicles. So far this year, their sales volume is still number one in the industry. However, if Shanchi threatens the foundation of high-end cars, it is hard to say whether they can maintain this number one position.

Since its production capacity increased, Flash has seen a rapid rise in sales. By March, it had risen to fifth place in the industry, behind only four companies: ChipRide, Giant, Green Source, and Yadi.

The top four positions for domestic brands are almost guaranteed. Once they open up the high-end market, it will be like hitting a nerve with ChipSun.

It's understandable that Lao Zhang got anxious and went back early to think of a countermeasure. Unlike Xinri's ambitious goal of becoming number one, although Shanchi also poses a significant threat to Yadi, Dong Jinggui's business strategy is not so aggressive. He just wants to play it safe and secure a top-five position.

Yadi's goals for this year are pretty much set. Giant mainly sells bicycles, and given their higher prices, their growth may slow down later on. Giant's peak sales season is basically during the summer and winter holidays.

"Well, he's hosting a dinner for their spokesperson tonight, so it's a bit of a shame," Dong Jinggui said regretfully after hanging up the phone.

The original plan was to meet after the exhibition. Although he is young, he is still a big boss, so it is understandable that he couldn't make time due to the last-minute change.

However, Dong Jinggui was still somewhat envious of Tan Jincheng. They were both spokespeople, but Tan Jincheng's spokespeople were able to stay at the exhibition for a whole day, while her own spokespeople were only given a few hours.

It seems that domestic spokespeople are easier to manage. The brands from Hong Kong and Taiwan are too big, and the results don't seem to be as ideal. It's time to consider changing to a different spokesperson when the contract ends.

"Well, there's nothing I can do about it then. It's a bit of a shame. We'll just have to reschedule for another time." Zhang Congxun understood, but he was still a little disappointed.

At the dinner table, I should be able to get some of Shan Chi's plans out of him, but unfortunately, I can't wait that long.

We have to go back and adjust our marketing strategy. We don't know what will happen during the three-day promotion period. At the same time, we need to hurry up and sign Brother Long. We're already a year behind in terms of brand ambassadors, and we can't delay any longer.

Zhang Congxun realized that the current electric vehicle market is fragmented and has low barriers to entry. It's not difficult to make money, but it's not easy to build your own brand.

Brands like Xinri, Yadi, and Luyuan took many years to gain market recognition, while Shanchi only took half a year.

Does FlashDrive have any core technologies? No!

If we're really talking about core technology, it's their marketing, or rather, their celebrity endorsements. Leveraging their status as the first company in the industry to hire a celebrity endorser, and the market effect brought by the star, they quickly gained popularity and entered the market while their competitors were expanding, reaping huge profits.

Many manufacturers followed suit, and even Yadi hired a spokesperson. Although their results at the exhibition were not as good as Flash, it has to be said that it was precisely because of the spokesperson that Yadi's reputation rose further and its sales began to rise.

The Olympic design proposal couldn't be better than FlashDrive, but Long Ge, as one of the 2008 Olympic Games ambassadors, might be a plus. This is one of the reasons why ChipDay has been keeping a close eye on Long Ge.

With his endorsement and influence, there might still be a chance for him to become the official vehicle for the Olympics.

There wasn't enough time to revise the design, so leveraging the spokesperson's influence and pushing for more deals was the best solution Zhang Congxun could think of. Okay, now no one in the company should be complaining that signing Brother Long was just his personal preference, right?

The only downside is that Brother Long is too expensive, and he also has a very strong team and no shortage of endorsements, so our side doesn't have any advantage in negotiations.

There's bound to be a huge financial blow.
-
The exhibition continued in the afternoon.

"Buy the Fengchi Feiyi series on-site and receive a free autograph from Liu Yifei!" A large banner was hung in the Fengchi exhibition area after lunch.

Today at the exhibition, only the Fengchi Feiyi series is available for direct retail sale to ordinary consumers. Other series, such as the Shanchi and Guanneng, are not available for retail sale and are only accepted for orders of 100 vehicles or more.

The Guanneng series is a pre-sale item; orders placed now will be shipped in July.

If you purchase a Fengchi Feiyi series item on-site and do not wish to ride it away, you can pick it up at the nearest store near your home by presenting your purchase receipt and invoice. This promotion is only valid this afternoon.

Liu Yifei, sitting on the lower side of the booth, was somewhat annoyed, but since it was a public place, she couldn't show it and had to keep smiling.

"I've become a salesperson for your company, brother, you're too mean. I think you're just fooling my mom." Taking advantage of a break, Liu Yifei complained in a low voice to Tan Jincheng, who was sitting next to her.

"Don't say that. Aren't you going to release an album? Just think of this as a practice session for the autograph session," Tan Jincheng said with a grin.

Doing business is actually quite simple: just showcase your strengths to the fullest extent possible. The Flash series offers good quality at a low price, focusing on cost-effectiveness, while the Windspeed series features innovative designs and is backed by the high popularity of its brand ambassadors.

Since the spokesperson is here, it's a rare opportunity, so we have to take full advantage of it and not care whether she's a goddess or not.

So at the luncheon, Tan Jincheng started making grand promises to Ms. Liu, revealing that he was a shareholder of a car company, specifically Zhongtai Auto, and that he could arrange for Liu Yifei to film Zhongtai's advertisements, or even discuss an endorsement deal.

The condition is that Liu Yifei will help with signing autographs in the afternoon, which will only take three hours.

Ms. Liu definitely has to eat this pancake; it's a car, even a domestic brand, and its class is far superior to that of a small electric scooter.

It's just three hours of signing, so be it.

Ms. Liu originally stayed for lunch to find out what Xu Wei meant by those few words he said before leaving. This is a professional singer, yet he said that President Tan's casual humming gave him a lot of inspiration. Could it be that this guy can also write songs?

Before he could even ask at the dinner table, Tan Jincheng threw a huge pie at him. Compared to songwriting, the pie was clearly more tempting.

However, Ms. Liu wasn't stupid. She knew she couldn't ask herself, but her daughter could. After all, they had each other's contact information. So, taking advantage of the harmonious atmosphere at the dinner table, she had Liu Yifei call Tan Jincheng "Brother."
To further strengthen the relationship.

Now that you're calling me "brother," you can't keep calling me "Miss Liu" like that, right? If I ask you some questions, you should at least give me some answers, right?
How painful must it be to sign autographs continuously for three hours?

Liu Yifei tells you that it was very painful. This was the most arduous event she had ever participated in since her debut, bar none!

The boss of FlashTech may be young, but he's a real scoundrel, relentlessly exploiting any opportunity to profit!

Other manufacturers, including Yadi, who have brand ambassadors, also regretted it deeply. They wished they had added this clause to the contract so that their ambassadors could also work as salespeople for half a day!
It doesn't matter how much you sell, but it can boost the atmosphere at the event.

What they didn't know was that this was actually Tan Jincheng's idea on a whim. Which silly celebrity would add this clause to their contract? Whether you can negotiate it or not depends on your own abilities.

It all comes down to a lie. As long as you have the ability, there will always be people willing to take the bait you make.

Of course, Tan Jincheng wasn't making baseless accusations. There will definitely be a lot of advertising shoots for Zhongtai later on. They don't need to hire a spokesperson, but it's perfectly fine to occasionally find a celebrity to guest star in an advertisement.

However, whether Xiao Liu and her team can accept the measuring tape operation by Zhongtai is not something she can decide or control.

Just imagining Liu sitting in a Porsche is kind of exciting, haha.

"You've worked hard, you've worked hard. I promise you there won't be a next time." After the event, Tan Jincheng looked at Xiao Liu, who was constantly rubbing his wrists, and comforted him repeatedly.

In the afternoon, to soothe Xiao Liu's emotions, Tan Jincheng stayed with her the whole time, helping to hand her water, fending off fans who wanted to take photos, and acting as her assistant.

This job is definitely not easy; most people couldn't do it. Just having to put on a smiling face for a few hours is tough enough, let alone having to sign autographs all the time.

"I don't believe your guarantee. I'm not ignorant. This kind of exhibition only happens once a year. Next year, I'll definitely fill my April schedule with work to make sure you don't get any loopholes."

She previously thought that it was a bit unprofessional for Chun Ge, as a spokesperson, not to attend large-scale events, but now it seems that not attending was the right thing to do!

"That's a bit difficult. You'll have to hide for nine years. That's not easy to hide from," Tan Jincheng said deliberately, trying to scare him.

"I'll terminate the contract with you once I make money. It's just a matter of paying three times the penalty for breach of contract."

Of course, this is a joke. No celebrity would easily breach a contract; it would damage their own reputation. At most, they would just refuse to cooperate with the publicity.

"Haha, then you'd better work hard. You'll be working for me for free for several years, and not only will you be working for free, I'll also make a profit."

According to the career path designed for you by your agency, which only has one person, your life is not going to be easy for the next few years. You will be smeared with all sorts of dirty tricks, and you will not make any progress in your career.

In addition, the salaries in the entertainment industry have not been so outrageous in recent years. In the era when coal bosses were rampant, although they were rich, they were not stupid. On the contrary, they were more shrewd and cunning than internet capital.

The penalty of over 8000 million yuan for breach of contract is quite a burden for someone going through a career slump.

"You guys should go back and rest for a while. I'll treat you to something nice tonight. I'll have my staff deal with those reporters for you first."

Exhibitors were leaving the exhibition hall one after another, but the reporters were preparing to surround them. Tan Jincheng recognized one of them; he was the entertainment weekly reporter who had tried to take advantage of him earlier.

Today, the exhibition area of ​​FlashTech gave these entertainment reporters a big surprise. Not only did Liu Yifei stand at the booth all day to sign autographs, but they also even invited Xu Zhen. This is definitely something to talk about.

If we could get firsthand information, that would be even better.

Tan Jincheng had also thought of these things. He had experience dealing with serious professional media. In most cases, professional media would not ask random questions; they still had some dignity.

At least for now.

But entertainment reporters are different. They like to ask gossip questions and may even lead you to talk nonsense. Taking things out of context is very common for them.

A bad answer could lead to a scandal.

Liu Xiaoli clearly has experience in this area. Just now, due to the car buyers and security personnel, the reporters couldn't get to the front, and even if they did, they wouldn't be interviewed. Now that the event is over, these reporters certainly won't let the opportunity pass them by.

"Mr. Tan, you should find somewhere to hide. You've been at the venue all afternoon, and they know who you are now. They'll probably try to interview you."

Liu Xiaoli wanted her daughter to get closer to her sugar daddy, but she still didn't want any scandals to arise, even though the sugar daddy was about the same age as her daughter.

"Yes, I know; don't worry, I won't talk nonsense. I have a girlfriend. If it weren't for the fact that it's Monday, I would definitely have brought her here."

Liu Xiaoli smiled. Yes, this person is so low-key, how could he allow himself to be embroiled in scandals? She was just overthinking it.

(End of this chapter)