Chapter 294: The Boardroom Maneuver

Xu Chen and Sun Aimi had been kept waiting in the meeting room for over forty minutes before the door finally swung open.

“Sorry for the wait, Teacher Xu Chen!”

Yan Chuan, the brand manager for Jeep’s marketing department, walked in, followed by a few others.

Xu Chen stood up with a smile, polite yet firm, neither overly deferential nor rude.

Sun Aimi rose behind him, but her round eyes held a flicker of irritation.

In her view, keeping guests waiting for over forty minutes was just plain rude, no matter the excuse.

Yan Chuan kept up his enthusiastic facade:

“Let me introduce everyone:

“This is Andy He Da Chang, our Jeep domestic team’s brand director.”

He Da Chang looked to be in his thirties, with a dark complexion and large, piercing eyes that sparkled with energy.

He extended his hand to shake Xu Chen’s:

“Apologies, Teacher Xu Chen, we were in a meeting and it ran over.”

Xu Chen smiled. “No problem, Director He, it’s a pleasure to meet you!”

He Da Chang returned the smile, at least on the surface, warm and easygoing.

They each pulled out their business cards and exchanged them with a slight bow.

Xu Chen casually introduced Sun Aimi behind him, exchanging cards with the same courtesy.

He Da Chang glanced back and continued:

“This is Vincent Liu Wenqin, the creative director at BBDO Tianlian Advertising, our Jeep partner.”

Xu Chen kept his smile steady, but inside, he let out a quiet scoff.

BBDO Tianlian Advertising was a major 4A agency headquartered in the US.

Bringing in their partner agency for the meeting made their intentions crystal clear.

It was a subtle way of saying to Xu Chen and East Morning Star Advertising: We’ve got our agency lined up, so we don’t need another one…

Xu Chen’s expression remained unchanged as he exchanged cards with Vincent Liu Wenqin.

Liu Wenqin’s card was in traditional characters, and from his polished appearance and demeanor, it was obvious he was likely from Taiwan.

In the early 2000s, the top creative roles in mainland China’s international 4A agencies were mostly held by people from Hong Kong, Taiwan, or Southeast Asia.

Local mainland ad folks were usually just handling the grunt work.

Those from Hong Kong and Taiwan tended to stick together, looking down on mainland advertisers.

For mainland ad people, reaching senior advisor was already the ceiling; getting to deputy director often meant schmoozing into the Hong Kong-Taiwan circles.

Of course, it wasn’t entirely unfair.

Hong Kong and Taiwan’s ad industries had started earlier, and in the 90s and early 2000s, their professionals did have an edge in expertise.

But as someone reborn, Xu Chen had seen how the ad world evolved later, so facing early 2000s Hong Kong-Taiwan creatives felt like bringing future knowledge to bear.

…

After some warm exchanges, He Da Chang gestured for everyone to sit.

Xu Chen stayed calm and didn’t rush to speak.

Director He Da Chang paused briefly before diving in:

“This Jeep promotion in China is crucial.

That’s why we’re teaming up with the renowned international 4A agency, BBDO Tianlian…”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but smirk inwardly—this was another veiled hint to show them the door.

He Da Chang kept it polite as he went on:

“This year, we’re launching the fully imported ‘Grand Cherokee’ in China, and we’re planning to bring in our flagship ‘Wrangler’ next year.

This brand push is all about reestablishing Jeep as the premium off-road icon—it’s a must-win ad campaign…”

“We’ve selected two endorsers, one of whom is Xie Bingran.

This was actually Vincent Liu’s suggestion from BBDO Tianlian!

We had some initial concerns, but after some market research, we saw that Xie Bingran’s spirit really aligns with the Jeep brand.

So, we’re fully committed to sealing the deal with her as an endorser.

But we never expected that Xie Bingran would specify her own ad partner.”

He paused, his round eyes lifting to meet Xu Chen’s.

Xu Chen stayed silent, waiting for him to continue.

The air grew a bit awkward, so He Da Chang forced a hearty laugh and added:

“We’re serious about signing Xie Bingran, so we’ve talked it over multiple times with Director An Jin Xiong and Director Li Yue from the Sports Administration.

If East Morning Star Advertising insists on being involved…

We could offer an extra 300,000 yuan as a service fee to East Morning Star Advertising.

But we’d prefer to handle the ad strategy and production ourselves, through our partners at BBDO Tianlian…”

Xu Chen felt a wave of exasperation.

Throwing out 300,000 yuan to brush them off again.

Last time, Li Yue had mentioned 100,000…

He wondered if the figures differed each time or if An Jin Xiong and Li Yue had skimmed some off the top.

…

He Da Chang had laid it all out bluntly, then chuckled and took a sip from his cup.

Sun Aimi said nothing, just glanced at her boss.

She was still annoyed, even though Xu Chen had prepped her for this.

It felt like a dismissal right from the start…

Xu Chen replied calmly:

“East Morning Star Advertising is here and willing to join the Jeep project, but not for the business, orders, or that 300,000 yuan.

We have plenty of our own projects keeping us busy, with little spare time.

We’re only in this because of Xie Bingran’s request…

“Directors He and Vincent should know that many endorsers have special approval requirements for their ads.

Not every ad agency gets the endorser’s style and needs right, so their ideas might not fit.

Xie Bingran chose East Morning Star Advertising because she trusts our content control and doesn’t trust others…”

As his words settled, He Da Chang hesitated slightly, while Liu Wenqin’s face darkened for a moment.

Xu Chen had made it clear: We’re not begging for this job!

Xie Bingran’s content is our domain.

If you want her, you go through us for the approvals…

He Da Chang smiled and said:

“In that case, could we try a different collaboration?

Let BBDO Tianlian handle the ad concepts, but East Morning Star Advertising could act as the endorser’s advisor, offering reviews and suggestions?”

Clearly, they still doubted East Morning Star’s capabilities—this ‘advisor’ role was mostly symbolic, with little real power.

Before Xu Chen could respond, Liu Wenqin chimed in:

“Director He, that doesn’t seem right. We at BBDO don’t want third parties reviewing our concepts.”

Xu Chen kept his composure and said:

“Director He, it’s not that complicated!

East Morning Star Advertising can put together a proposal first for you to review, then we can discuss the rest.

As I said, we’re involved purely for Xie Bingran.

We’re concerned that other agencies might create something that hurts her image.

That’s why she specified us, the ones she trusts…”

Liu Wenqin’s expression soured visibly.

He paused, then added:

“Jeep has another endorser besides Xie Bingran.

This creative plan involves both, not just her…

We’re very familiar with the other endorser and are handling their creative aspects too!”

Xu Chen knew Vincent Liu wasn’t being hostile; he was just staking his claim against outsiders.

Xu Chen frowned slightly, running through his past memories before speaking:

“If I’m right, the other endorser is a prominent Chinese business tycoon, right?”

Liu Wenqin froze for a second.

He Da Chang did too, but then looked intrigued.

Brand endorsers were kept under tight wraps until official announcements.

Xu Chen’s only prior connection was likely through the National Team’s Director An and Director Li.

But An Jin Xiong and Li Yue knew nothing about the other endorser…

So how did he know?

As He Da Chang and Liu Wenqin puzzled over it, Xu Chen smiled and said:

“We’ll include the other endorser’s plan in our proposal too. We can show it to them when it’s ready.

East Morning Star Advertising is confident—we can deliver something even a picky tycoon would love.”

He Da Chang replied:

“May I ask, Teacher Xu Chen, how you knew our other endorser is a Chinese business star?”

Xu Chen chuckled: “Just a guess.”

Liu Wenqin: “A guess?”

Xu Chen: “If I’m correct, it’s Wang Shi, the founder of Vanke, right?”

He Da Chang and Liu Wenqin both showed utter surprise.

He’d not only guessed it was a business star but named the exact person?!

He Da Chang thought it over—security was airtight, and An Jin Xiong and Li Yue hadn’t spilled a word.

How on earth did he know?

Xu Chen’s guess about Wang Shi came from his memories of the past life.

In that life, Jeep had several endorsers he could recall: Wang Shi, Liu Qiangdong, Xie Tingfeng, Duang Yihong…

There was also Li Zongsheng, but that was much later.

In 2006, JD.com hadn’t risen yet, so Liu Qiangdong wasn’t well-known.

Xie Tingfeng’s image was too youthful; they wouldn’t pick him for the ‘Grand Cherokee.’ If Xu Chen remembered right, Xie Tingfeng endorsed the younger-focused models like the Cherokee.

As for tough-guy actor Duang Yihong, his breakout show ‘Soldier’s Assault’ had aired in 2006, but it wouldn’t go viral online until 2007, so he was still obscure.

By process of elimination, it had to be Wang Shi from Vanke.

In 2006, Vanke was at its peak.

Wang Shi had made headlines with feats like summiting Everest and the South Pole, positioning him as a ‘star’ among Chinese entrepreneurs.

And his vibe matched perfectly with the ‘Grand Cherokee’s’ rugged luxury.

In the previous life, Wang Shi’s Jeep campaign was the most effective and memorable.

…

He Da Chang took a sip from his cup, then looked at Xu Chen with newfound interest.

He couldn’t resist asking:

“May I ask how you figured out our other endorser, Teacher Xu Chen?

This is highly confidential, even within our team.”

Sun Aimi adjusted her round glasses, her face a mix of surprise and confusion.

She’d caught the whole conversation and was just as baffled.

…

Xu Chen thought quickly, spinning up a plausible story:

“It was just a hunch, and it seems I got it right…

Director He, you mentioned focusing on the fully imported ‘Grand Cherokee’ this year and possibly bringing in the ‘Wrangler’ next.

The ‘Grand Cherokee’ as a full-size luxury SUV targets successful middle-aged men, the classic entrepreneur demographic.

The ‘Wrangler’ is more for the younger crowd, with its rugged, adventurous feel.

So, for endorsers, Xie Bingran fits the ‘Wrangler’ with her bold, wild energy.

The other one needs to match the ‘Grand Cherokee’s’ style…

Xu Chen paused deliberately.

Seeing He Da Chang nod thoughtfully, he continued:

Xu Chen smiled and went on:

“Before coming, I did some research.

Recently, for the ‘Grand Cherokee’s’ pre-launch in China, Jeep held events and released press materials.

In interviews, Jeep’s domestic marketing president mentioned that ‘Grand’ targets successful professionals and entrepreneurs.

They’re mid-career, accomplished, living well.

They seek self-identity and spiritual fulfillment…

For that audience, finding the right endorser is tough.

I ran through options and didn’t think any actors or celebrities would fit.

Then yesterday, I read a few articles on the ‘star entrepreneur’ Wang Shi…

If I were picking for Jeep, I’d go with Wang Shi.”

…

The room fell silent after Xu Chen finished.

BBDO’s creative director Liu Wenqin shifted uncomfortably.

Jeep’s brand director He Da Chang suddenly stood, excited:

“Teacher Xu Chen, you’re spot on with what we thought!

Especially that line—it hit home!

‘They seek self-identity and spiritual fulfillment’!

That’s exactly why we chose our endorsers and how Jeep wants to connect with users!”