2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 538 Chief Recommender

"When I came last time, this place was still under construction. I didn't expect it to be officially open now. It's so fast!"

Gu Qingqing felt a pang of emotion.

"Yes, it seems like construction is accelerating everywhere. Maybe the capital's airport won't be enough in the future, and we'll have to build another large airport."

As we entered 2008, it seemed that infrastructure construction was accelerating everywhere. The T3 terminal of Beijing Capital International Airport had been officially put into use, and today was their first time landing at the T3 terminal.

In his previous life, Tan Jincheng was most familiar with Daxing Airport, but he didn't know if it was still in the planning stages.

The flight attendant was as polite as ever. Flights from Ningbo to Beijing are mainly operated by China Eastern Airlines, and Tan Jincheng also mainly travels on China Eastern Airlines flights. Many people recognize him on these regular routes.

In the parking lot, it was still Lao Lü who came to pick up Tan Jincheng. The locals from the capital were as enthusiastic as ever: "Hello, boss! Hello, boss's wife!"

"Hello Uncle Lü, we meet again; let's go back to Zhongguan Village first, there's no rush to work today."

"Alright, everyone, please be seated. We're off now."

If there's no rush to work, then it's time to take these guys to the hotel and to Boss Tan's residence in Zhongguan Village. In Lao Lü's opinion, these two young bosses live quite simply. They're so rich, yet they haven't thought about buying another big house in the capital.

The airport pick-up and drop-off services were all on regular commercial flights; there were no fancy private charter flights, let alone the kind of thing some celebrities or CEOs do by buying their own planes.

Older people tend to prefer the spending habits of younger people.

Old Lu was good at creating a lively atmosphere, and after dropping off Li Yaohui and Zeng Jixiang at the hotel, he took Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing to the residential area of ​​Zhongguan Village.

As for the others, they were taken to the hotel by other drivers from the company.

"Boss, you could actually get a bigger place. This place is too small; it's not even big enough for a guest."

As Lao Lü helped carry the luggage upstairs, he looked around the small apartment and couldn't help but say, "The owner is too frugal. It's only two bedrooms and a living room. In a few years, when the owner's sister is older and her whole family comes over, there won't be any room for them to stay."

"Ha, Uncle Lü is right. We can go and take a look when we have time."

Before the major infrastructure projects started, there weren't many good houses. They were indeed cheap, but the locations of many commercial properties were actually quite average. For example, in Zhujiang New Town, the most famous area in Guangzhou, most of the buildings only started construction last year.

Old and dilapidated neighborhoods, apart from being school district properties, are not very meaningful from the perspective of either living in them or investing in them. Investing is not about buying as cheaply as possible. Like stocks, it is more about expectations.

Although Lao Lü loved to chat, he wasn't without his own sense of propriety. After a few words, he put down his luggage and said goodbye.

"Let's rest for a while and wait for Brother Li to come."

After Lao Lü left, Gu Qingqing was busy packing her luggage when Tan Jincheng interrupted her.

The itinerary in the capital was quite full. After arriving today, Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing were going to meet Liu Yifei. They still couldn't get an appointment with Fatty Zhou. Orange Products was also in a hurry to find a chief promotion officer, which was similar to a spokesperson.

This year's Orange Products Fair is a crucial promotional period. In addition to infrastructure construction, we also need a spokesperson to promote the products on various occasions, and we will also place advertisements in many TV dramas. There are quite a few marketing plans.

Ideally, the best spokesperson would be Zhou Pangzi (Zhou the Fat). No star could be as popular as him in 2008, not even many popular sports stars. It's not impossible to find a sports star, but their lifespan is too short. After the Olympics, they lose their popularity.

Liu Yifei has the time, so she is the best choice if we have to settle for second best.

Inviting a male celebrity and a female celebrity? It's not impossible, but it's unnecessary.

OrangePurchase was unprofitable in 2007, with a loss of US$315,400. The main sources of the loss were operating costs such as delivery fees and marketing.

As expected, Orange Products Club's losses will widen further this year, so they will try to save as much as they can.

Furthermore, Mr. Tan's style is to use familiar celebrities, and he knows whether those celebrities have had scandals or not.

We don't mind using newcomers, but it seems that the newcomers we can think of who are also likely to become famous are now even less visible than nobodys. For example, Xiao Zhao, who debuted in 2006 with Feng Xiaogang and signed with Huayi Brothers.

When helping Liu Yifei resolve her previous troubles, Tan Jincheng had some contact with Huayi Brothers and promised to provide some resources for their company's artists in the future. However, he still dared not give them endorsement deals, as this company was, to be honest, a bit too risky to mess with.

For ordinary business activities, such as inviting their artists to the IPO presentation of Orange Technology, it's fine. Also, you can place advertisements in the TV series or movies produced by their company. But we won't go for major resources.

"This trip was too rushed, we didn't have time to enjoy ourselves properly. Besides, we didn't see any snow in the capital again." Following Tan Jincheng's advice, Gu Qingqing put down her luggage and sighed. The two of them had come here once last year but didn't see the Forbidden City in snow. They didn't see it again this year, and she still longed to see the snow-covered Forbidden City that Tan Jincheng had described.

"Then after you step down from the CEO position, let's find some time to travel around."

Gu Qingqing curled her lip: "Give me a break. Your company is going to manufacture cars again, and I'm guessing you're also planning to take FlashTech public, right? Stop making me wishful thinking about these things."

They've gotten so used to making empty promises that they want to make promises to everyone they meet.

"Don't say that. Work is work, and life is life."

This trip is indeed quite hectic. I have an appointment with Liu Yifei tonight, and tomorrow I have a roadshow and a cocktail party. On the 22nd, which is the weekend, I will also be attending two Olympic-themed events.

In the next few days, Tan Jincheng and Gu Qingqing will each give several interviews.

Then next Monday, we'll be meeting with Foton Motor and Cummins to discuss cooperation. That's the main reason for this trip, and bringing along a group of staff from Weilai Motors isn't easy either.

The analysis of the existing data began the moment the plane landed and they entered the hotel. Huang Ming was in charge of leading this group, and the hotel they stayed at was near the headquarters of Futian Motors in Changping District.

At this moment, Liu Yifei was trying on clothes at home in the capital.

She debuted with "The Story of a Noble Family" and, although only 21 years old this year, has already been in the entertainment industry for 6 years, longer than the time it took for Boss Tan to start his business. The three TV series "Chinese Paladin", "Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils", and "The Return of the Condor Heroes" propelled her popularity to a peak.

The title of "Fairy Sister" also comes from these three works. However, since experiencing a nationwide backlash last year, Liu Yifei's work schedule has been much smaller. She occasionally shoots a few commercials and does charity work, but spends more time studying and reflecting.

March is almost over, and Liu Yifei hasn't received any decent endorsements or received any offers from businesses.

Just as Zhang Yong claimed to have low emotional intelligence in an attempt to cover up his lack of marketing skills, Liu Yifei's side claimed that she spent her time studying, but only she knows the truth.

Although Tan Jincheng managed to deflect the online backlash and prevent it from having the same impact as in her previous life, it's true that her bizarre actions severely offended Huayi Brothers. In reality, very few directors in the industry dare to hire her for a film in the short term.

To be honest, if Tan Jincheng wasn't acting out of self-interest, he would also think their behavior was quite unethical. They promised to sign with Huayi before taking the resources, but after Huayi spent a lot of money to invite various international superstars to act with them and enter the film industry, and did what they were supposed to do, they went back on their word.

Taking food and then denying responsibility—anyone would be angry in that situation. If this happened to Tan Jincheng, he would retaliate just as fiercely.

It can only be said that those who are not professionals are really shallow. They don't want to offend others, yet they dare to take their resources, and top-tier ones at that.

Liu Yifei's team, who were under semi-ban, were also anxious. Having learned their lesson, Liu Xiaoli no longer dared to be as arrogant as before. After Gu Qingqing extended an invitation to meet her in the capital, she hurriedly flew back with her daughter.

"Mom, does this outfit suit me?"

After a period of relatively relaxed work, Xiao Liu's figure became more or less fuller than before. Tan Jincheng had never seen her recent photos, and his mind was still filled with the impression of the helipad when they first met.

In fact, the slightly chubby Xiao Liu is more in line with Tan Jincheng's aesthetic.

Liu Xiaoli looked her up and down and smiled, "Okay, you don't need to dress too brightly, so as not to attract the attention of reporters. You can also play the victim."

Who says her daughter isn't cunning? Today's outfit is actually based on how Gu Qingqing usually appears in front of the media, with her hair tied up in a small ponytail.

Liu Yifei felt a little embarrassed that her mother had seen through her little scheme. This time, the deal was to negotiate the endorsement contract for Orange Products Club. She wasn't the first choice yet, so she had to use some tricks to win it.

Gu Qingqing's most common image in front of the media is with her hair in a ponytail, which, according to Liu Yifei, is probably what Tan Jincheng prefers.

"Don't worry, as long as we show sincerity, and with your relationship with President Tan and President Gu, securing this endorsement shouldn't be difficult," Liu Xiaoli reassured her.

"Speaking of which, showing up on the live stream does have some effect. If I hadn't gone, they probably wouldn't have remembered me."

Tan Jincheng said this to her. He had been busy making plans with Fatty Zhou and hadn't really thought of her. Mainly because she hadn't been in the news much lately and her popularity had dropped significantly.

"It's okay, we'll try our best. If we can't get it, we'll cooperate more with Flash's promotional plan this year to get more exposure."

In this Olympic year, FlashTech has significantly increased its marketing budget. Its brand ambassadors have received the year's promotional plans since the beginning of the year, instructing them to allocate their time appropriately to cooperate with the necessary promotions.

(End of this chapter)