2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 709 The Highlight of Weilai Auto

Yicheng.

Like the Tan family, the Zhang family also renovated their house in their hometown village after they became successful.

The courtyard was also very lively. A group of children, led by a leader, were setting off fireworks. The fireworks would occasionally streak across the night sky, eliciting cheers from the children.

The bright living room was filled with smoke. The house, which usually only housed Zhang Xupeng's grandparents, was now bustling with more than a dozen people.

The once spacious living room now feels somewhat cramped.

The coffee table was piled high with fruits and vegetables, but few people touched them; chatting, drinking tea, and smoking were the men's hobbies.

The television was on, showing footage from the Spring Festival Gala.

While chatting, Zhang Guolong glanced casually at Zhang Xupeng and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Hey? Wasn't that Zhang Yong just now?"

"Haha, that's him."

Why did he go to the Spring Festival Gala venue?

Zhang Xupeng flicked the ash from his cigarette and couldn't help but laugh: "This is all Xiao Tan's fault. Zhang Yong is also in a bad situation, still working during the Chinese New Year."

"Watching the Spring Festival Gala counts as work?"

"Of course it counts. What's so interesting about watching the same old stuff every year? Weilai Auto placed an ad for the Spring Festival Gala, but Xiao Tan was too lazy to go herself, so she pushed Zhang Yong to go instead. Otherwise, why would the Spring Festival Gala give Zhang Yong screen time?"

As Xiao Tan privately said, he needs to keep a low profile this year, and if Zhang Yong can handle things at public events involving Wei Lai Auto, then let Zhang Yong handle it.

For example, when they secured the advertising slot for the midnight countdown at such a high price, Weilai Auto would definitely send a person of considerable caliber to the site. The car models on the table were all advertising spaces, and the camera time for Zhang Yong was also arranged in advance.

For most people, being able to watch a performance at the Spring Festival Gala is a rare experience, but for executives like Zhang Yong who are constantly busy and have little time to rest, spending the Spring Festival with his family is what he wants most.

Tan Jincheng was the same; while keeping a low profile was one aspect, the biggest problem was that he didn't want to go.

"Wow, so many tricks up your sleeve. If you're going to use GXG for advertising, are you going to go to the Spring Festival Gala too?"

Zhang Xupeng curled his lip: "We don't have that much money. This advertisement is too expensive, and it's a one-time thing."

Sitting next to Zhang Xupeng, Zhang Xuhui laughed and said, "GXG can afford it too. Didn't you guys have a great performance last year?"

The annual meeting at headquarters on the 24th of the twelfth lunar month is more like a report from each branch and subsidiary to General Manager Tan. Those who perform well will be praised and rewarded, while those who do not perform as expected will not have a good time.

Competition among executives is also fierce. GXG performed quite well in 2009, with more than 220 stores and total retail sales exceeding 4 million yuan. It also won the top spot in Taobao Mall's Double Eleven event.

In just a few years of operation, GXG has already established its brand recognition among fast fashion brands, even though it is positioned as a mid-range brand with relatively high retail prices.

In addition, exports also stopped declining in the fourth quarter and resumed positive growth.

With land acquisitions for residential communities and outlet mall projects in various cities progressing steadily, Zhang Xupeng's capabilities as the actual manager of Jinpeng Industrial are certainly commendable.

As for Zhang Xuhui himself, he still has to work, but his attitude is already one of giving up. Zuoyou Jinxin New Era has been operating at a loss, and as long as the business is gradually developing, he is not considered to have neglected his duties.

However, Flashpoint Technology, the company's former employer, had a tough time at its annual meeting this year, as its performance fell short of expectations and it was criticized by the boss.

"Forget it, given Xiao Tan's personality, he definitely wouldn't do something so thankless. Besides, GXG isn't worthy of it."

It's just a fast fashion brand; there's no need for such a big fuss. Xiao Tan doesn't have a good eye on Vancl's model of overwhelming advertising. For a product with such a low average order value, the advertising costs are huge.

Zhang Xupeng once calculated that Vancl's average unit price was less than one-sixth of GXG's, and GXG also had its own factory, so its cost control was much better than Vancl's. Even so, Vancl didn't dare to advertise like Vancl.

People who work in the internet industry are truly amazing; they don't treat money like money at all.

The main topic of conversation at the Zhang family's New Year's Eve dinner was, of course, the two brothers, Zhang Xuhui and Zhang Xupeng. The two brothers were well-informed and very cooperative, telling the elders whatever they wanted to hear and what they could say.

They have their own ways of making it seem like nothing was said when they can't say it.

Not only the village elders, but the town mayor also came over for a short visit tonight, which made the villagers realize even more the power and status of the Zhang family now.

Human destiny is truly amazing. No one could have imagined that Zhang Xupeng, who was a joke just a few years ago, would lead his family to a life of luxury.

It has to be said that spending enough money has its advantages. Throughout the Spring Festival Gala, the Yuechi A1 car model received a lot of screen time. Tan Jincheng used an exorbitant price to enhance the commercial value of the Spring Festival Gala, while also giving the Yuechi A1 a lot of exposure opportunities.

The 2009 Spring Festival Gala wasn't that bad. Tan Jincheng doesn't remember when the Spring Festival Gala started to fall out of favor with the public, but it certainly wasn't in 2009.

On New Year's Eve, Weilai Auto used a large advertising investment to make the Yuechi A1 memorable to hundreds of millions of television viewers. "This guy really knows how to do marketing."

Mr. Wang, watching the car models on TV, couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.

Initially, Mr. Wang didn't pay much attention to Weilai Auto, founded by his fellow townsman Tan Jincheng. He had only met Tan Jincheng a few times and wasn't very familiar with him, but Tan Jincheng always presented a very humble image in front of him.

They keep saying they want to learn from BYD, which sounds like flattery, but anyone would feel flattered by such flattery.

The continued explosive sales of the Yuechi A1 have naturally caught the attention of BYD, another domestic brand. However, due to their different business models, there is not much competition between the two. BYD's main model at this stage is still the F3.

Weilai Auto's marketing campaign through the Spring Festival Gala caught most car companies off guard. In recent years, there have been very few car companies among the main sponsors of the Spring Festival Gala, and even fewer domestic brands.

Unlike alcoholic beverages or air conditioners, which often cost tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan, cars don't have a significant effect on boosting sales during the Spring Festival Gala, and well-known brands don't need that kind of exposure.

However, the purpose of Weilai Auto was not sales at all, but to further expand the influence of Yuechi A1, and the Spring Festival Gala was the perfect platform.

After tonight, countless people will have the image of the Yuechi A1 car in the front row of the audience lingering in their minds. Just that alone is enough for Weilai Auto to achieve the effect it wanted.

Mr. Wang really admired Tan Jincheng's marketing skills; before the Spring Festival, there was a constant stream of news about Weilai Auto and Shanchi Group.

He revived Yangzi Automobile, which was once on the verge of collapse, by distributing more than 100 cars to the company's employees at once. Although these were from the company's inventory, it was still a very generous gesture.

The small Yangtze Motors and the relatively unknown city of Chuzhou have attracted a great deal of attention.

This time, they are once again using the Spring Festival Gala to expand the influence of Yuechi A1.

Since 2010, it has put tremendous pressure on its competitors. The CRV must be the most troubled by this, right? Its position as the monthly sales champion in the SUV market is already in jeopardy.

"Is this that young fellow from Yicheng? He's got some skills."

The person spending the Chinese New Year with Mr. Wang was his cousin, the one who was able to invest a huge sum of 250 million yuan in Mr. Wang back in 1995.

The significance of 250 million yuan in 1995 is self-evident. Mr. Wang's entrepreneurial journey was not as difficult as he claimed. Even without starting a business, he would have been the youngest cadre in the research institute with a bright future.

When it comes to how owners of independent brands started their businesses, there are probably not many who are better off than Mr. Wang.

Compared to Mr. Wang, who frequently appears in the media spotlight, his cousin, as a behind-the-scenes figure, is much more low-key, but in terms of ability, he is no less capable than Mr. Wang.

However, neither of them had a very comfortable time during the Chinese New Year this year. The sanctions imposed by Europe on the photovoltaic industry gave them a lot of headaches.

Even when they spend the Lunar New Year together, it's mostly just to discuss coping strategies; time is extremely tight for them.

They were unaware of Tan Jincheng's poaching of talent; these were merely mid-to-lower-level technical personnel, not yet worthy of their attention.

"Yes, it's him. He's also run Dexian Electronics in Shenzhen quite well. In fact, he's taken a lot of our business away from us."

"Haha, I know a bit about that too. Come to think of it, this little guy is taking a similar path to us. If he grows big in the future, he might become a strong competitor for us."

That's right. BYD is involved in both batteries and new energy vehicles. It partnered with Daimler to establish a new energy brand, and it also partnered with BMW to jointly develop power battery packs.

I heard they're heading in the direction of ternary lithium batteries with longer battery life, which is quite bold and ambitious.

"That's all for the future. Right now, it doesn't really conflict with us. His company, Dexian Electronics, mainly takes orders from small manufacturers, so it has some impact on us, but not much."

Mr. Wang wasn't underestimating Tan Jincheng. At this stage, neither Dexian Electronics nor Weilai Automobile poses any threat compared to Dizi.

In terms of contract manufacturing, Dizi's competitors are top-tier contract manufacturers like Foxconn, while in the automotive sector, they are leading domestic brands like Chery and Geely.

There was absolutely nothing to do with Wei Lai.

In reality, even if Boss Wang knew that Tan Jincheng was poaching their company's technical talent, he probably wouldn't care much. Such poaching between companies is nothing in the context of business competition.

Of course, if you manage to take over an entire department or poach a particularly important person, that's a different story.

As the clock struck midnight and host Zhu Jun finished speaking, the words "Weilai Auto and its logo, with a line of small print below: 'Weilai Auto wishes Chinese people around the world a Happy Chinese New Year' appeared on television screens."

With a ten-second countdown, the camera focused entirely on these few words; this was the highlight moment for Weilai Auto.

"A ten-second close-up? That was worth the money, hahaha."

Tan Jincheng got up from the sofa and laughed heartily. Wasn't this the moment he had been waiting for all night?
As for staying up late on New Year's Eve, that was just something I did incidentally. There were quite a few guests this year, though I said I watched the Spring Festival Gala, it was as if I didn't watch it at all.

(End of this chapter)