The atmosphere in the conference room at LV's Asia-Pacific headquarters was very pleasant.
President Old Zhou sat at one end of a long table, with a marketing data report spread out in front of him.
He looked at them for a long time, then looked up and scanned the room with everyone present.
Choosing Cheng Che was definitely the right decision.
He turned to the second page of the report, which contained feedback data on publicity efforts from various Asia-Pacific countries.
In Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Australia, the social media buzz on each country surged to number one within an hour of the announcement.
"This young man is incredibly popular. Not just in Xia Country, but internationally, he's a top-tier celebrity. And he doesn't even have many breakout works; he's achieved this level of popularity with just one variety show, one newly premiered drama, and a few tennis matches." Old Zhou shook his head, his tone filled with admiration. "This guy is truly amazing."
The marketing director sitting next to him chimed in at the opportune moment:
"If it weren't for your decisive decision, President, how could we have gained so much popularity and traffic? There were people who objected to signing a tennis player, saying he didn't belong in the entertainment industry. But you were so decisive."
Old Zhou smiled but didn't reply, though his expression showed he was pleased.
He did receive a call from headquarters.
LV's France headquarters saw the promotional data from the Asia-Pacific region and specifically praised the choice of this spokesperson.
The headquarters' assessment was: This decision was very wise; Cheng Che's image and LV's brand image are highly compatible; and the Asia-Pacific region's execution capabilities are commendable.
"Headquarters said," Old Zhou put his phone away, "That we should treat Cheng Che even better from now on. If there's anything we can do for any event, we'll definitely do our best to help."
After the meeting, Old Zhou made a special phone call to Qin Lie.
"Mr. Qin, the publicity campaign was a great success. Thank you for Cheng Che's cooperation." His tone was very polite, even a little ingratiating. "If you need any further cooperation from LV, please feel free to contact us."
Qin Lie responded politely on the other end of the phone.
After hanging up the phone, he put it in his pocket, stood by the office window, looked at the city outside, and smiled.
Meanwhile, the atmosphere was equally turbulent in the offices of Nike, Rolex, and Gucci.
They signed the contract earlier than LV, but the announcement was made later.
Originally, I was just preparing materials step by step, waiting for my own publicity and release time.
But when LV's marketing data came out, the heads of all three companies couldn't sit still.
The head of Nike's tennis division in Greater China is an United States named Jack.
He sat in his office, flipping through LV's marketing report, his expression subtle.
"This level of popularity," he said to his colleague next to him, "Is much higher than we anticipated."
My colleague nodded:
"LV originally intended for promotion in the Asia-Pacific region, but look at these Europe social media platforms, Cheng Che's name is trending. His fans are discussing him in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, and Spain."
"They have fans in Europe too?"
"Yes, and many of them are female fans. They express their love for him online every day, and even go to Xia Country social media platforms just to see his content as soon as it's released."
Jack paused for a moment, then said, "This is practically Incubus from Western mythology."
The head of Rolex Greater China is a United Kingdom - Hong Kong named Andrew.
His thinking was more practical. Rolex signed Cheng Che mainly because he was a tennis Champion.
Rolex's endorsement strategy in the tennis world has always been very clear.
Federer and Li Na are both people who have reached the pinnacle in their respective fields.
Cheng Che is a Grand Slam Champion, and wearing Rolex during matches is the best form of publicity.
But they didn't expect Cheng Che's popularity to be this exaggerated.
Looking at LV's data, Andrew began to rethink his own marketing and promotion strategy.
"The Asia-Pacific region isn't enough," he told his colleague. "His influence has already spread to Europe. Should we apply to headquarters to expand the publicity and distribution globally?"
My colleague hesitated for a moment. "The contract is for Greater China. If we expand to the global market, the fees will need to be renegotiated."
"It's worth it," Andrew said. "His popularity isn't just in the Asia-Pacific region, it's global. If we don't do it now, it'll be too late when other brands react."
Meanwhile, at Gucci, the brand director is having a video conference with the Italy headquarters.
The meeting had only one topic: whether Cheng Che's publicity plan should be upgraded.
After seeing the LV data, the Italy remained silent for a long time. Then someone said:
"This person's fan profile overlaps significantly with our brand's: young, wealthy, and sophisticated female fans. Aren't they our target customers?"
Following the meeting, Gucci decided to upgrade its planned ambassador campaign to a brand ambassador-level promotion.
Amidst all this commotion, Qin Lie was standing at the entrance of Cheng Che's apartment.
He came today to report the news from LV to Cheng Che.
LV has hinted that it will offer a maximum price of 50 million per year for the second year, and that it will directly negotiate a three-year contract renewal.
This is the biggest deal Qin Lie has ever seen since he became an agent.
He knocked on the door, then pushed it open.
Cheng Che was sitting on the sofa, holding his phone, with an expression on his face that he rarely saw.
I was happy, extremely happy, with an excitement I couldn't hide.
Qin Lie was stunned for a moment.
He had known Cheng Che for so long, seen him win the Australian Open, and seen him sign an 80 million yuan endorsement deal, and every time he remained calm.
But today, Cheng Che's smile was different.
"What's wrong?" Qin Lie asked.
Cheng Che looked up at his manager and said something.
My thesis has been approved.
Qin Lie blinked.
What paper?
" Integer-Coefficient Polynomial Root Distribution Conjectures," Cheng Che said. " Professor Liu just called me; the editorial department has sent out the final confirmation. It will be published in the next issue of Annals of Mathematics."
Qin Lie looked at him, his face full of questions.