2003: Starting with Foreign Trade

Chapter 800 Shanghai and the ES6 Spokesperson

"Mr. Tan, are you sure you really want to see me?"

At Hengdian World Studios, Hu Ge, who joined the crew at the beginning of the year to film "The Disguiser," was quite excited.

The agent, Yao Yao, was equally excited. This was a popular entrepreneur who had taken a liking to her artist. Even if they only met once and there was no guarantee of any collaboration, it would still be something to brag about among her peers.

"Let's quickly find out about their company's products, especially their cars. We may not have much information, but it's very likely they're looking for a spokesperson for their cars."

If you were to ask what kind of spokesperson celebrities with aspirations in the entertainment industry would most like to be, it would definitely be consumer products, especially those closely related to people's daily lives.

If we had to pick a few companies in this category, one would be Wahaha, and the other would be Tan Jincheng's products.

Simply because it's stable.

The spokespeople these two companies chose, especially those for Tan Jincheng's businesses, have remained unchanged since the company's inception. Being chosen by him not only ensures long-term exposure but also equates to having a long-term contract.

This is something that all entertainment companies, celebrities, and managers are very happy to see.

We started collaborating with Chris Lee and Liu Yifei in 2005, and with Jay Chou in 2006. Before we knew it, we'd been working together for almost 10 years. We've had advertising campaigns and events every year, and so far, there's no intention to end our collaboration.

Before Wei came to the automotive business, there were several rumors about selecting a spokesperson, but nothing happened afterward, leaving many celebrities disappointed.

"Give me my phone, I'll order an ES6 right now."

The reason this guy has remained popular and maintained a good reputation despite ups and downs is because he knows how to get along with people.

In just a few breaths, he could figure out why Tan Jincheng wanted to see him. It was most likely about getting Wei Lai to be the spokesperson for the ES6. With such high sales of the Yuechi series, there was no need for a spokesperson.

Other products, such as the newly launched Tank 300, which has a considerable following but is relatively niche, may also need a spokesperson, but it certainly wouldn't be someone with his image.

The only one with a chance is the Weilai ES6. This car is also very popular, but because it is an electric car, it is difficult to promote. Having a spokesperson would be more suitable.

The agent looked at Brother Hu with some surprise, but after thinking about it, he also supported doing so.

It's only a few hundred thousand; it's just to gain some goodwill.

Shanghai is a financial city, but it is also an automotive city. The automotive industry accounts for a very important proportion of Shanghai's economy, and Shanghai has always attached great importance to the automotive industry. Tan Jincheng's main purpose in coming to Shanghai this time was to investigate the battery factory.

According to information obtained by Tan Jincheng, a "whitelist" mechanism will be implemented for battery companies in the future. Only battery companies on the whitelist will be eligible for subsidies. The new energy vehicle market has already shown amazing potential.

No car company would be willing to give up this piece of the pie.

Policies are in place, and there's been some support, but that can't guarantee your future success. You still have to prove yourself and have real talent and skills.

The repeated inspections of Weilai and BYD have sent an extremely clear signal, which is why more and more domestic and foreign car companies are beginning to invest heavily in new energy vehicles.

With the accelerated development of new energy vehicles, the scale of power battery supporting facilities has also increased.

For several years, Weilai has been continuously improving its battery research and development and manufacturing technology. BMW provided valuable experience and standards to the power battery company, which was then called Jinshidai. Tesla's large order was like opening the door to a new world.

In the field of power batteries, Weilai can almost certainly be included in the whitelist, becoming a competitor to international battery giants such as Panasonic and LG.

Since receiving a large order from Tesla, Weilai's Xuanwu Battery has been receiving more and more orders, with car companies constantly placing tentative orders with Weilai.

Now, Weilai's lithium iron phosphate batteries have gradually begun to be supplied to other car manufacturers. Once customers are available, Tan Jincheng will need to consider subsequent production, manufacturing, and transportation issues.

The Lingang Industrial Park in Shanghai was his primary focus this time.

This industrial park has a significant advantage in foreign trade, attracting many logistics and automotive-related industries to settle in. In addition, Tan Jincheng also wants to look at other areas in Shanghai.

In his memory, Prince Ning in his previous life should have had a battery factory in Shanghai. He couldn't remember which district it was in, but Shanghai should have had some kind of business in that area.

How could the Shanghai Stock Exchange be left out of the national strategy for new energy vehicles?

As for arranging a meeting with Brother Hu, that was just something I did incidentally.

I spoke with Pony Ma on New Year's Eve. Their lack of influence in the entertainment industry is indeed a weakness. In addition, the ES6 really needs a celebrity spokesperson, which can greatly increase its exposure.

Not wanting to be associated with Huayi Brothers, and also not wanting to reuse the current spokesperson to avoid affecting the product image, Tan Jincheng searched for a long time and it seemed that Hu Ge was the best choice at this time.

Hu Ge has an urban drama that will be released in May this year. Tan Jincheng still has some impression of Bao Jiaming. In addition, he also learned that this guy is currently filming The Disguiser, and there is also Nirvana in Fire after him.

These are all hugely popular TV dramas, and they're also the beginning of Hu Ge's comeback. If we sign him this year, we can ride the wave of his popularity next year.

In addition, according to the information he learned, Hu Ge is quite dedicated to the products he endorses, unlike some celebrities who endorse a certain mobile phone but never use it, and even when posting on Weibo, they use an Apple phone, not even bothering to pretend.

Tan Jincheng has no respect for celebrities with such poor professional attitudes.

Of course, the most important thing is that Brother Hu is from Tangren Media and has nothing to do with Huayi Brothers, which is great.

Knowing that Huayi wouldn't last more than a few years, Tan Jincheng really didn't want to have any further dealings with them. It wasn't that he was being aloof, but rather that he didn't want to risk things. Lao Ma had a good relationship with them at the time, but he was actually quite affected by them later on.

Shanghai's business environment is undoubtedly excellent, and the city has a large area. Each district has its own advantages: Zhangjiang is a chip cluster, Hongqiao and Jiading have many car companies, and Lingang is home to Tesla.

Of course, the Shanghai Stock Exchange has its own vision and standards. It's not that just any new energy company can get a ticket to the market and receive policy incentives.

However, this obviously did not include Weilai Auto, and Tan Jincheng's visit was warmly received.

There was communication before they came. If it's just about building a car factory, the Shanghai Stock Exchange might not pay much attention to it. After all, everyone knows that Weilai has almost designed its production capacity for the next five to ten years.

However, Tan Jincheng proposed investing in Jin New Era and power battery systems in the Shanghai market, which inevitably piqued their interest.

There are countless car manufacturers, and the Shanghai Stock Exchange is lacking a company that will not expand on a large scale in the next few years. However, there is only one domestic company with a certain scale in the power battery industry.

Other companies like BYD and CATL also have good technology and scale, but they don't yet have as many customers as Weilai.

BYD, in particular, has quite good technology, but it almost exclusively supplies its own industry. As for CATL, its development has not been very smooth because of Tan Jincheng's early planning and cooperation with BMW. In addition, its financial dominance in domestic and foreign lithium resources has made it less successful.

Currently, their scale in the power battery field is roughly equivalent to that of Guoxuan.

Over the course of several days, with the cooperation of various district government departments in Shanghai, Tan Jincheng inspected many places, which left him somewhat conflicted.

"Each district has its own advantages, so it's really hard to choose."

First of all, Zhangjiang is definitely going to be included in the list. It is a semiconductor chip cluster. Horizon Robotics focuses on automotive-grade chip design and intelligent driving solutions, not production. Tan Jincheng has neither the intention nor the capability to build a chip factory.

Ultimately, it still has to be handed over to a foundry. As for which chip foundry to hand it over to, that's something Yu Kai and his team need to figure out.

Currently, Tan Jincheng is particularly interested in Hongqiao, Jiading, and Lingang. Each of these three areas has its own advantages, and the three districts have clearly seen Tan Jincheng's intentions and are making a strong effort to win them over.

However, if we are considering deepening our cooperation with Tesla, Lingang is the most suitable location.

Tan Jincheng was quite conflicted after finishing today's inspection tour. He was thinking about it, but he also wanted to gain more benefits, so he certainly couldn't directly reveal his intentions for the time being.

What's the best way to get what you want while also getting more discounts?

Lingang not only has the ability to wait for Tesla's arrival, but also to minimize transportation costs. As a logistics hub, the port itself is a natural advantage.

However, if other regions offer better deals, that's definitely worth considering, such as Songjiang.

"Boss, Brother Hu and his agent have arrived and are waiting for you in the lobby downstairs."

Just as Mr. Tan was struggling with his indecisiveness, the big star he had arranged to meet arrived. This was something he didn't need to worry about personally, but since it was just a side trip, he decided to arrange a meeting.

"Alright, let's go down and meet this big star together, so as not to keep them waiting."

It's a good time to relax and meet Li Xiaoyao. He's a childhood memory for so many people born in the 80s. If I can really sign him, then I'll have both Li Xiaoyao and Zhao Ling'er.
Haha, that's a topic too, we can interact about it later.

Before leaving, Zeng Jixiang said with a smile, "I saw that the two of them drove an ES6. They were able to get a car in such a short time, so they must have paid extra."

The normal delivery time for the ES6 is one to three weeks. To be able to get a car in just a few days means that it must have been obtained through special channels or by paying extra. For a celebrity, this is not a difficult thing.

"Haha, this is interesting."

There are rumors on the internet that this guy has high emotional intelligence and knows how to handle things, and it seems to be true. Not only was he able to guess which car was looking for an endorsement, but he also reacted quickly and showed sincerity. This kind of thoughtfulness alone is quite rare.

Tan Jincheng's social status is incomparable to that of celebrities, but in China, the status of celebrities is not low at all. Sometimes, a celebrity can even affect the reputation of a large company's products, and you can't do anything about it.

Since you're not in the same circle, if he doesn't want to talk to you or is arrogant, there's really not much you can do. Take the spokespeople that Yadi has had, for example; quite a few of them act like divas. By the way, Yadi has changed spokespeople again. This time it's the Korean star who was all the rage last year, and the one who appeared on the Spring Festival Gala this year.

They hired a spokesperson later than Flash, but they've changed spokespeople countless times. Boss Dong was even ridiculed by Tan Jincheng and Zhang Congxun for this. They spent a lot of money, but the results were mediocre.

In terms of sales performance, the original S.H.E. was simply no match for Chris Lee.

Chun Ge's fans might actually buy a Flash Electric car because of her.

"By the way, how much is Brother Hu's endorsement fee now?"

"His endorsement fee is considered that of a top-tier celebrity, mainly because of his good reputation and the high-end products he endorses. Currently, it's around 1000 to 1500 million yuan a year."

Tan Jincheng nodded. In recent years, celebrity endorsement fees have risen rapidly. Zhou Pangzi and Chun Ge, who sign two-year contracts, have also seen their endorsement fees increase year after year. Old Zhou is now earning 1500 million a year.

As for Liu Yifei, although she signed a ten-year contract, Tan Jincheng paid her a generous premium, so she didn't lose out. Besides, her contract is about to expire.

Should we renew the contract? Of course we should.

Liu Yifei, who has evolved from "Little Liu" to "Old Liu," is now pursuing a high-end strategy, and renewing her contract will further enhance the brand positioning of the Fengchi Feiyi series.

Ten years have passed, and the harvest season is approaching.

"Hello, Mr. Tan."

In a corner of the lobby of a five-star hotel, where there were few people, Tan Jincheng and Zeng Jixiang walked quickly. Brother Hu and his agent, with great insight, got up to greet them.

Tan Jincheng smiled and shook hands with Brother Hu, casually glanced at the area outside the glass window, and then looked thoughtfully at Brother Hu's agent.

Agent Yao Yao instantly felt as if she had been seen through.

"You're filming The Disguiser, right? Sorry to interrupt your schedule. Well then, I won't waste any more words. I'd like to hire you as the spokesperson for our Weilai ES6. I wonder what your and your company's thoughts are?"

As a talent agency, Tangren has been quite good to Hu Ge. They don't interfere with what roles he takes, or when he goes to act in stage plays. They also supported him when he was in a car accident, and he has always been Tangren's top star.

Some brainless fans even criticized Tangren Media for limiting Hu Ge's development, causing him to not become a movie star. Little do they know that without Tangren Media's constant protection, in the corrupt entertainment industry, his career might have ended when he was in the car accident.

It's not exactly noble for entertainment agencies to exploit celebrities for profit, but it's considered normal behavior in the eyes of capital. Tangren Media is one of the more humane companies.

At least those celebrities who terminated their contracts didn't seem to cause any major unpleasantness.

Tan Jincheng didn't bother with any more words. He was very busy, and Brother Hu was currently filming on set, so he must have taken leave to come here.

Hu was overjoyed, but also a little flustered. He hadn't expected Tan Jincheng to be so direct.

"Thank you for your high regard, Mr. Tan. I communicated with the company before coming here, and the company will follow my wishes in everything."

"What do you think? I believe your image is a good fit for ES6's positioning, which is also the result of our company's selection process; of course, you can make any requests you may have."

"There are no special requirements, just follow the normal procedure."

Having said all that, Brother Hu had nothing more to say. This was probably the easiest top-tier endorsement he could ever get. He never imagined that getting an endorsement would be so easy.

No need for socializing, no need for drinking, and no need for fighting over resources.

"Alright then, don't worry, we'll give you the proper treatment. You have a new drama that's going to be released in May, right? I don't know if it's too late to advertise now. If it is, I'll advertise a little. Also, let's get the contract signed as soon as possible and find a director to shoot the promotional video."

Coincidentally, Hu Ge's new drama, which premiered on May 22 this year, was also invested and produced by Anhui Satellite TV. It was broadcast simultaneously on three satellite TV stations, including Anhui Satellite TV. I don't know if the other two stations can insert their pre- and post-show broadcasts, but Anhui Satellite TV only needs to say one sentence.

Hu Ge was deeply moved. Not only did he secure the endorsement contract, but the fact that his endorsement advertisement was aired before the new drama was released undoubtedly boosted his market value. This was definitely a great gift.

He rose to fame in 2005, but due to an accident, he did not re-enter the public eye until the premiere of Chinese fantasy drama 3 in 2009. The Chinese myth, broadcast on CCTV in 2010, brought him immense popularity.

In the following years, he had many new dramas broadcast, and occasionally managed to make some waves, but his popularity gradually declined over the years. Filming stage plays was an option, but also a last resort.

No celebrity would be indifferent to popularity.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. Tan. Rest assured, I will arrange the time properly and will definitely not delay your promotion."

Tan Jincheng nodded: "Okay, then you can talk to my assistant about the rest. You can ask him if you need anything or have any questions. I have something to do, so I'll be leaving now."

This matter doesn't actually warrant Zeng Jixiang's personal attention, but since it was Tan Jincheng who came up with it on the spur of the moment, and there's no suitable person to take over right now, Zeng Jixiang will temporarily manage it until the public relations department sends someone to take over.

Tan Jincheng didn't ask Hu Ge or his agent about the endorsement fee amount, believing they wouldn't dare to ask for an exorbitant amount.

In just over ten minutes, the spokesperson for the Weilai ES6 was decided. Tan Jincheng was decisive, and Zeng Jixiang was equally capable. After discussing the endorsement fee with the agent, they immediately had them contact the company and legal department to sign the endorsement contract.

The boss was pressed for time, and so was he; they had no time for idle chatter.

Tangren executives were also dumbfounded when they received the news. What kind of company is this? Why would they choose a spokesperson so hastily?
This is completely unconventional. They received the news a few days ago that Brother Hu would be meeting with Tan Jincheng today. They originally thought that the two sides would have to argue for a while, but no one expected that it would be less than half an hour.

"No, the contract is signed already?"

Mr. Cai from Tangren was also somewhat surprised, but after thinking about it, he felt it made sense: "I heard that this is Mr. Tan's style of doing things. Since he came forward in person, it's not surprising."

"Alright, don't overthink it. This guy wouldn't go so far as to target us. Just have a legal firm draft the contract according to their requirements, and follow all the proper procedures. Don't try anything funny. You can't afford to offend him."

The so-called "yin-yang contracts" have always existed in the entertainment industry. Many entertainment companies and celebrities use this method to evade taxes, and their partners are also involved, some even having financial ties.

Jiji Company dares to tamper with contracts with celebrities, but they wouldn't dare touch Wei Lai. Everyone says that with Nanshan, there's bound to be a winner, but Shanchi's legal team is equally large, and messing with them won't end well either.

Jiji Company may not have many other skills, but it's unparalleled when it comes to gathering insider information.

Tan Jincheng's statement that he didn't have time wasn't just a perfunctory response to Hu Ge. His schedule in Shanghai was extremely tight, and it was indeed not easy for him to spare a few minutes to meet alone with a celebrity whose popularity was currently only average.

Brother Hu didn't feel that Tan Jincheng's behavior was offensive to him; on the contrary, he was overjoyed.

The Weilai ES6 is Weilai Auto's high-end brand, with a guide price of over 30 yuan. Among domestic independent brands, there are not many models priced at over 30 yuan, and this is the only one that is purely aimed at new energy vehicles.

In 2012, BYD's model, which was priced similarly to the Weilai ES6 and sold quite well, was something they were embarrassed to even mention in 2013. They couldn't compete with it, they were completely outmatched.

Securing a high-end brand endorsement deal with Wei Lai would not only bring in a substantial fee, but also enhance his commercial value.

"How is your health?"

Back in his room, Tan Jincheng was greeted by an unexpected visitor: Huang Zheng. He was in a hurry to leave because he had received news that Huang Zheng had come to see him.

Huang Zheng is from Hangzhou, but he basically lives in Shanghai. His company is in Shanghai. Also, like Tan Jincheng, he keeps a certain distance from Lao Ma. Perhaps this is related to the powerful figure behind him?

"It's alright, it'll be about the same after a little more rest. Mr. Tan came to Shanghai but didn't invite me to dinner so I could show him some hospitality."

Privately, Tan Jincheng and Huang Zheng had a good relationship. They would contact each other occasionally, but they didn't have many opportunities to meet. Huang Zheng had some health problems and had been recuperating since the beginning of the year.

However, he did not stop thinking during his recovery period, and his current focus is on the space left in the mobile social networking field.

Over the past year, various data have shown that people spend 40% of their daily mobile phone usage time on mobile social apps. Based on these findings, he believes that some new changes will occur in the e-commerce sector.

Huang Zheng keenly felt that Ali's monopoly in the e-commerce field could be broken one day, just look at Orange Products, whose financial data has improved steadily after connecting with WeChat.

The reason for this is Ahri's weakness in the social sphere.

Ahri is not unbreakable!

"Haha, I was planning to call you, but I haven't had time these past few days. I was thinking of having a meal with you after I've got some results here."

"Since you're here, let's go grab a late-night snack. Do you have any dietary restrictions?"

"As for dietary restrictions, there are definitely some, and that is not drinking alcohol."

Huang Zheng was somewhat moved. From the beginning of their acquaintance, there was a significant difference in their social status, but Tan Jincheng had always treated him as an equal, and even now, he still remembered that Huang Zheng had dietary restrictions when he was sick.

"Alright, let's go then. I'm not familiar with Shanghai, you lead the way."

It seems that Huang Zheng's visit so late at night was not just for a simple reunion, right?

P.S.: I checked Hu Ge's resume and it just so happens that the timeline in the book has exploded in the last two years, so I used a suggestion from a reader!
(End of this chapter)