Chapter 492: Corporate Strategies and Collaborations

Tuesday afternoon.

Xu Chen skipped half a class to rush to the company for the meeting.

The Cadillac ad was already in A-Copy stage, and today was the first online feedback meeting.

Xu Chen had reviewed the clip in advance and organized his feedback notes.

On the call were director Luo Jingchen, known as Big Beard, and his team, along with Cadillac’s brand director Hua Shao Jie.

As the supervisor for the clip, Xu Chen first outlined East Morning Star’s opinions.

This project was extremely important.

The shooting budget was huge, and it was a rare high-end auto brand project in the industry, so Young Xu Chen didn’t dare slack off.

Xu Chen’s revision suggestions were very specific and detailed, and director Luo Jingchen noted them all down.

Once Xu Chen finished, he shifted the topic to Hua Shao Jie, waiting for his input.

To everyone’s surprise, Hua Shao Jie paused for a long moment, then smiled and said:

“I’ve compiled over a dozen points of feedback, but they’re all already in Young Xu Chen’s list.”

“Let’s just go with Young Xu Chen’s suggestions!”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but smile, improving his impression of Jack even more.

At the same time, he couldn’t help worrying about Chenfeng Technology on Hua Shao Jie’s behalf…

Director Luo Jingchen offered a few points of feedback, mainly on which revisions could be adjusted immediately and which might be tricky, though he provided alternative solutions.

Overall, it was very reliable and thorough.

With the meeting wrapped up, Xu Chen let out a breath and turned to Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi:

“You’ve both worked hard!”

“I didn’t go on set for this project, so I was worried about major slip-ups.”

“But after seeing the A-Copy, I’m relieved. Looks like I can hand off big projects like this to you two in the future.”

Sun Aimi and Gu Xinxi exchanged glances, both pleased by their boss’s praise.

Then Gu Xinxi remembered something and said with a smile:

“The ‘China 4A’ plaque has arrived; I put it in the display area with the award trophy!”

Xu Chen: “Great! I’ll send a text later to thank Mo Kangxun.”

Earlier, industry bigwig Mo Kangxun had recommended East Morning Star Advertising for the China 4A system.

The process was complete, and East Morning Star Advertising was now an officially certified China 4A organization member.

Gu Xinxi added:

“China 4A’s official site posted the announcement today. I’ll add the certification logo to our website later.”

…

After a short break, Gu Xinxi called a meeting for the You Le Mei project.

She projected a simple document summarizing data she’d gathered privately over the past couple of days—this was another task from Young Xu Chen.

“I checked into the Xi Zhilang client’s situation; they’ve been working on the You Le Mei project for a while.”

“Apparently, they’ve approached nearly twenty ad agencies, including several domestic 4A firms and even ones from New Taipei in Taiwan.”

“None of the dozen or so proposals have passed; some got rejected internally at Xi Zhilang, mainly by founder Li Yongjun.”

“The ones Li Yongjun approved were shot down by Zhou Jielun’s team…”

“So, this project looks pretty tough right now.”

As she finished, everyone, including Sun Aimi and Tang Xiaowei, showed signs of concern.

The challenges of securing this project were clear.

The real issue wasn’t the creativity or the proposals themselves, but the dominant and unpredictable stakeholders behind them.

Young Xu Chen remained unfazed and urged Gu Xinxi to continue.

Gu Xinxi flipped through the document and went on:

“I heard about a proposal that just passed internally at Xi Zhilang—it’s from the Inthree team in Yangcheng, but it got rejected by Zhou Jielun’s management team.”

Sun Aimi murmured:

“The Inthree team? Their current executive creative director came from Taiwan.”

“And apparently, he handled two of Zhou Jielun’s ad projects back in Taiwan’s ideological advertising scene.”

“Even their proposal didn’t make it…”

Xu Chen thought about it; this could be a good thing.

Since the latest proposal hadn’t passed, it meant that precious ‘standard answer’ hadn’t surfaced yet, so there was no risk of overlapping ideas.

Gu Xinxi continued:

“I got the details on Inthree’s proposal; we can take a look.”

“It’s based on what others described, so I summarized the key ideas…”

Then, Gu Xinxi briefly shared Inthree’s creative concept.

Xu Chen listened carefully; it didn’t stand out much.

Inthree Advertising had submitted two proposals that passed Xi Zhilang’s internal review.

The first one created several typical user scenarios for You Le Mei milk tea, with Zhou Jielun as the consumer representative, showing his love for the product.

The four scenarios were romantic encounters, girls’ nights out, esports gaming, and late-night overtime.

The concept featured young people in these settings, with Zhou Jielun as the ‘product endorser,’ recommending You Le Mei milk tea.

The idea itself lacked flair, focusing mainly on stunning visuals and production, plus each scene included one of Zhou Jielun’s songs as a background element…

The second proposal was a bit more interesting; it was titled ‘You Le Mei Edition.’

The concept was ‘My Maiden Youth,’ using the words ‘elegant,’ ‘happy,’ and ‘beautiful’ to express a girl’s youthful memories.

These three words together formed the brand name ‘You Le Mei.’

It aligned well with young consumers and added a clever twist to highlight the brand.

But its downside was clear—it focused too much on ‘girls,’ ignoring other consumer types.

…

After Gu Xinxi’s rundown, Xu Chen leaned back in his chair, pondering for a moment, then said:

“Set the proposals aside for now. I’ll organize something over the next couple of days and pass it to Aimi to refine into a presentation-ready version.”

Sun Aimi adjusted her round-framed glasses:

“Boss, don’t you want us to brainstorm together?”

Xu Chen: “Not for this project. You all have too much on your plates; no need to waste time.”

“Aimi, you focus on the Cadillac clip first.”

“And the Red Star Erguotou project is crucial—make it top priority.”

“I’ll have the You Le Mei proposal ready by tomorrow; just turn it into a presentation PPT for me.”

He paused, then turned to Tang Xiaowei:

“I’ll need you to handle editing a clip for me, Xiaowei.”

Tang Xiaowei straightened up quickly:

“What’s the specific request, boss?”

Xu Chen: “Edit a promotional clip for Bing Ge.”

Tang Xiaowei: “For Bing Ge?”

Xu Chen smiled: “Zhou Jielun’s being difficult, so why stick with him?”

“We’ll prepare two sets of proposals: one tailored to Zhou Jielun, and another swapping him out for Bing Ge…”

As he spoke, everyone in the meeting room paused in surprise.

But soon, Sun Aimi chuckled:

“Using Bing Ge? That could actually work!”

Gu Xinxi looked puzzled:

“Bing Ge for a milk tea ad? I can’t picture it.”

Xu Chen seemed confident:

“Wait till you see the proposal! You’ll get it then!”

…

…

The next morning.

During class, Xu Chen received a message from Director Li Yue.

It was timely, as Xu Chen had been thinking about updates from Li Yue’s side but didn’t want to push too hard.

[Young Xu Teacher, I’ve connected with the Olympic Committee’s commercial department. There’s a project in the works, so I recommended Chenfeng Technology along the way.]

[Please send me a company, brand, and product introduction document for Chenfeng Technology. It needs to highlight your strength and scale, so make sure to package it well.]

Xu Chen: [Got it, thanks Director Li Yue. I’ll put it together and send it over in the next couple of days.]

Li Yue: [To be honest, Young Xu Teacher, both the Olympic Committee and the General Bureau really value corporate strength for Olympic collaborations.]

[For instance, they require things like a ‘national brand’ and a ‘large-scale enterprise’…]

Xu Chen thought it over; this would take some time, so he reassured:

[Don’t worry on that front, Director Li. I’ll showcase it in the company document.]

[Chenfeng Technology is already distributed across the North, and by year’s end, our sales channels will cover the whole nation, making us a true national electric bike brand.]

[Our strength and potential are solid; it’s just that we haven’t done much promotion yet, so recognition isn’t high.]

[We’re also collaborating with the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Physics Institute on motor tech, positioning us as an innovative enterprise in the industry…]

Xu Chen laid it on thick, boosting Chenfeng Technology’s image.

But he knew that to land Olympic deals, Chenfeng Technology needed real growth—at least a nationwide dealer network.

Then, with some CCTV and national media ads, they could meet the ‘national brand’ and ‘large-scale enterprise’ criteria.

Director Li Yue gave a light laugh and said he’d wait for the document.

Xu Chen sensed that Li Yue’s support wasn’t overly enthusiastic—probably due to Chenfeng Technology’s current size and concerns about handling the Olympic Committee.

Putting down his phone, Xu Chen mulled it over.

Securing the Bing Ge endorsement for You Le Mei was essential.

It would give Director Li Yue another favor to owe, making him more proactive.

Then there was Chenfeng Technology’s development.

The path ahead was clear: solidify the Northern market, then expand South.

But on timing, he’d need to discuss with his father Xu Zhiquan and Guo Liang.

At least enough to support Olympic negotiations.

…

…

That evening, in the company meeting room.

Xu Chen only invited his core team: Sun Aimi, Gu Xinxi, and Tang Xiaowei.

Tang Xiaowei had edited an intro video for Xie Bingran, and Xu Chen watched it twice, offering a few specific tweaks.

“Don’t use all competition footage; this is for brand partners…”

“Include the ads where Bing Ge endorsed, especially Louis Vuitton, Jeep, and Kunlunshan Mineral Water.”

“Gu Xinxi, pull together supporting data for Kunlunshan Mineral Water, like the buzz, engagement, and sales boosts from Bing Ge’s endorsement…”

Tang Xiaowei nodded.

Gu Xinxi thought for a moment and smiled:

“I’ll just ask Chen Xinyi; she’s starting soon.”

Xu Chen: “Oh, right—I almost forgot. When?”

Chen Xinyi from Jiaduobao’s marketing department was Nie Fei’s former subordinate, having worked under Fei Jie for three years.

They’d recruited in a rush before the holiday, and Nie Fei had mentioned Chen Xinyi, who was interested. Xu Chen had already discussed it with her.

Nie Fei suggested another interview, but Xu Chen knew she was reliable, especially since Nie Fei had trained her.

Gu Xinxi: “Chen Xinyi starts next week.”

Xu Chen: “Didn’t realize her handover took so long.”

Gu Xinxi: “Jiaduobao didn’t want to let her go; they waited for her replacement to start before she could process her resignation.”

“Great, another solid team member—Chen Xinyi is really dependable.”

Xu Chen took the mouse and switched the document to the screen.

It was the You Le Mei proposal he’d drafted.

He’d knocked it out in about twenty minutes during class breaks on his phone.

Without saying much, he flipped through the document quickly.

As experienced ad pros, Sun Aimi, Gu Xinxi, and Tang Xiaowei grasped the concept and its strategic layers almost instantly.

[What am I to you?]

[You’re my You Le Mei…]

[Oh, so I’m milk tea!]

[That way, I can hold you in the palm of my hand…]

Sun Aimi: “It’s a romantic, sweet theme—perfect for milk tea and aimed at young university students.”

Tang Xiaowei: “And it fits Zhou Jielun great; most of his songs are feel-good love ballads.”

“This vibe would suit him.”

Sun Aimi: “Plus, the clip could have that thick Taiwanese idol drama feel, matching the milk tea and Zhou Jielun.”

Tang Xiaowei: “The ‘hold in the palm’ concept is brilliant!”

“It weaves in the milk tea usage scenes perfectly!”

Gu Xinxi: “And it cleverly includes that female actor Zhou Jielun’s team pushed for…”

“It’s a spot-on solution.”

Xu Chen nodded.

His three subordinates had pieced together the strategy and persuasion logic behind the clip—it showed they were sharp talents.

Sun Aimi adjusted her round-framed glasses and added:

“Boss… you’re amazing!”

Gu Xinxi paused:

“Wait, didn’t you say we’d push for Bing Ge? This seems tailored for Zhou Jielun?”

…

…