Rebirth 09: Starting from taking charge of Running Man on CCTV

Cheng Wu turned to the first page and his brows furrowed.

"The dilemma of targeting younger consumers?"

He read the title aloud, his tone tinged with displeasure.

Chen Yang didn't reply, but picked up his teacup and took a sip.

Cheng Wu continued scrolling down.

The second page contains a set of data: an age distribution chart of QQ's active users. Users under the age of 18 account for more than 40%, while users over the age of 30 account for less than 20%.

A note next to it reads: "Enterprise users' perception of QQ: a student chat tool, not presentable."

Cheng Wu's page-turning speed slowed down.

The business director leaned over for a glance, and his expression changed.

"Director Chen, this data..."

"It's public." Chen Yang put down his teacup. "It's in your financial statements; I just presented it in a different way."

Cheng Wu didn't look up and continued flipping through the pages.

The title on the third page is even more disheartening: "QQ vs MSN: A Complete Collapse in the White-Collar Market".

The document lists three sets of comparisons: among Fortune 500 companies, MSN accounts for 70% of internal communication tool usage, while QQ accounts for less than 10%; in the three high-end industries of finance, law, and consulting, the usage rate of QQ is less than 5%.

The conclusion can be summed up in one sentence: QQ has the largest number of users in the world, but in the minds of mainstream business people, it is still a "toy".

Cheng Wu placed the document on the table, took off his glasses, and rubbed the bridge of his nose.

"Director Chen, this is even more shrewd than our internal brand research report."

"It's not harsh, it's the truth." Chen Yang leaned forward slightly. "President Cheng, QQ doesn't lack users, what it lacks is an opportunity for mainstream society to rediscover it."

"What was the trigger?"

"CCTV's prime time slot."

Chen Yang held up one finger.

"The most authoritative platform in all of China is giving QQ a national-level brand endorsement."

"The show's celebrities can promote products. Moreover, the show airs once a week during prime time on CCTV's variety channel, reaching tens of millions of viewers each time."

"What did the audience see? They saw celebrities like Deng Chao, Wang Baoqiang, and Li Chen using QQ for work and collaborating in QQ groups."

"What will they think? QQ isn't just for kids to chat; even people from CCTV use it."

Cheng Wu tapped his fingers lightly twice on the table.

He was tempted, but he didn't say anything.

"I understand the reasoning. But to be honest, Director Chen, you're too young, and there's no precedent for this program. We're throwing tens of millions into it, what if..."

He didn't finish speaking, but his meaning was clear.

If you fail, how am I supposed to explain this to Pengcheng?

This is exactly what Chen Yang was waiting for.

He pulled a second document from his briefcase. It was thinner than the first, but the title on the cover made Cheng Wu's pupils shrink.

Pain Points and Function Optimization Suggestions for QQ Group Products

"Mr. Cheng, this has nothing to do with the naming rights."

Chen Yang pushed the document over.

"These are just some product suggestions that our project team summarized during actual daily office use."

Cheng Wu looked down and opened it.

Article 1: The group file size limit is 16MB, which is insufficient for transferring large files. It is recommended to enable enterprise-level unlimited group file size and support resume download.

Article 2: Group announcements cannot be pinned, and important notifications are being scrolled through the chat history. It is recommended to add the function of pinning announcements and tagging all members.

Article 3: There is no message recall function, and accidentally sent content cannot be retracted, posing a significant risk of information leakage.

Article 4: Group management functions are missing; only the group owner can manage the group. It is recommended to add tiered administrators, batch banning, and group entry verification.

Article 5: There is no screen sharing function within the group, making it impossible for teams in different locations to collaborate remotely.

Article 6: The group album has a small capacity and forcibly compresses images, making it impossible to transmit high-definition materials.

The six suggestions each include usage scenarios, user pain points, and specific functional design solutions.

Cheng Wu turned the last page, his hand frozen in mid-air.

The way he looked at Chen Yang when he looked up had completely changed.

"How did you come up with these features?"

"We figured it out through experience," Chen Yang said, shrugging. "We collaborate using QQ groups every day, and when we encounter a lot of problems, we summarize them."

Cheng Wu's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

He is not a fool.

Of these six suggestions, at least three were things that their internal product team had been discussing for half a year without coming up with a mature solution.

A young man who works in the television industry wrote "usage suggestions" that were more accurate than those of their product managers.

Excuse me for a moment.

Cheng Wu gripped the document in his hand, stood up abruptly, and pushed open the door to leave.

The business director and the marketing manager looked at each other in bewilderment.

Chen Xi swallowed hard in the back row, her heart pounding as if it would jump out of her throat.

Old Sun glanced back at Chen Yang, his lips trembled slightly, and he didn't dare to speak.

Chen Yang leaned back in his chair, picked up his teacup, and took another sip.

ten minutes.

When the door was pushed open again, Cheng Wu's steps were noticeably three times faster than when he left.

His face was filled with two words: excitement.

"Director Chen."

Cheng Wu sat down again, placing his hands on the table and leaning forward so much that he almost reached over the table.

"I just made a phone call to Pengcheng."

"Mr. Ma personally reviewed your product proposal."

Chen Yang remained calm: "What did President Ma say?"

Cheng Wu took a deep breath.

He said this thing is worth thirty million.

Chen Xi's fingers dug into her palm.

Old Sun's back slammed against the chair back with a "thud".

"Our core strategic partner will receive a cash sponsorship of 25 million per quarter," Cheng Wu announced in one breath. "In addition, President Ma has approved an extra 10 million in promotional resources across all platforms, including full QQ pop-ups, QQ Zone homepage splash screen, and top banner ad slot in QQ Farm."

He paused.

"There's one more condition."

"explain."

"Mr. Ma wants your project team to be among the first beta testers of the features mentioned in that product proposal. We will prioritize their development and use."

Cheng Wu looked at Chen Yang, his tone so sincere it didn't seem like he was discussing business.

"Director Chen, to be honest, you are the least director-like director I have ever met."

Chen Yang smiled, stood up, and extended his hand.

"Mr. Cheng, it's a pleasure doing business with you."

Cheng Wu grabbed his hand tightly, as if afraid he would run away.

......

Five o'clock in the afternoon.

A black Buick minivan drove into the west gate of CCTV.

Chen Yang's briefcase contained two signed letters of intent.

The next generation, fifty million.

Tencent, 25 million in cash plus 10 million in resources.

In total, the business cooperation amounted to 85 million.

one day.

Old Sun parked the car and sat in the driver's seat, lost in thought for a full thirty seconds.

Then he turned to look at Chen Yang, his lips trembling as he said, "Director Chen, I need to take two nitroglycerin pills when I get back."

Chen Yang patted him on the shoulder.

"Old Sun, there's another investment promotion conference coming up, you'll have to help me make it happen."

"No, I'm afraid I won't be able to hold on." Old Sun got out of the car with a wry smile, his legs were a little weak.

Chen Xi walked behind, carrying the file bag, without saying a word the whole way.

She only spoke after they entered the elevator.

"Director Chen."

"Um?"

"I used to think that you were making a mountain out of a molehill by asking me to check Houlang's financial statements."

Her voice trembled slightly.

"Now I think you might have let me check too little."

Chen Yang smiled and shook his head.

"I didn't miss a thing; I used all the data you provided."

The elevator doors opened, and Chen Yang strode towards the Ministry of Commerce.

The head of the station's business department is surnamed He. He is in his early fifties and has worked in GG sales at CCTV for over twenty years. He has seen all kinds of big scenes.

Chen Yang slammed the two letters of intent onto his table.