Chapter 106: An Unexpected Ad Pitch

Monday.

At noon, Xu Chen messaged Guo Liang to tell him he planned to join an ad pitch.

Guo Liang reminded him that pitches can’t be entered under a personal name—they need a legitimate, compliant ad agency behind them.

Plus, if the pitch fails, there’s no payment at all.

Xu Chen had taken part in countless ad pitches in his past life and was already well seasoned.

Of course, as a high school student now, he couldn’t explain all that to Guo Liang.

【Don’t worry, Guo Zong. My dad has already registered an ad agency and leased an office. We can be the backing agency for the pitch.】

【It doesn’t matter if we win or lose. I’ll treat it as training.】

【Great, Teacher Xu. Let me know which pitch you want to enter so I can coordinate with the brand in advance.】

Once Xu Chen sent over the name “Fuyan Jie”…

Guo Liang stayed “typing…” in the chat for the longest time.

【Teacher Xu…this is really unexpected!

I never imagined…】

Xu Chen felt completely helpless.

Given the options, only the “Wash Well for Health” project really fit.

He understood Guo Liang’s shock perfectly.

After all, this category hardly seemed something an eighteen-year-old boy could grasp.

But in fact, the “Wash Well for Health” campaign from his past life hadn’t come from a female creator—it was crafted by a famed male ad veteran.

The embarrassment and shame around that ad stemmed mainly from its product category.

In terms of strategy, spokesperson choice, tagline, and so on, the campaign was top-notch professionally.

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have propelled Fuyan Jie to become the nation’s best-selling intimate wash after just one ad.

…

Ad pitches are usually for “creative proposals”—the ad concept itself.

It boils down to “professional creative ability.”

What seems like a simple ad actually involves strategy, user insights, concept, copy, art direction, and many other professional factors behind the scenes.

Many of those annoying, brain-washing ads have very complex strategic reasons behind them.

Those loud, low-brow commercials were all made by top-tier pros.

They may draw criticism or disgust, but they genuinely drive sales…

When it comes to sales, performance, and profit, everything else takes a back seat.

Reborn, Xu Chen could provide “standard answers” for certain brand campaigns—like his past work with HuiShuang Shenbao and Jin Kela.

As long as a project matched something he’d studied before, he could claim the “standard answer” and almost guarantee he’d win the pitch.

He’d simply package the past solution, reverse-engineer the strategy and insights, make a PPT, and pitch it. No sweat.

After all, Xu Chen was a decent speaker.

He wasn’t afraid to compete on creative skill, especially since he knew the “standard answer.”

However…

Joining this particular pitch felt weirdly awkward.

Awkward or not, that ad had also come from a famous “marketing master” in his past life.

If a master didn’t mind the embarrassment, why should Xu Chen?

Besides, the pitch fee was attractive.

A slogan, spokesperson endorsement, and a 30-second video concept…

The pure creative bid was 1.2 million yuan.

This was the early 2000s—before internet marketing, short videos, or livestreaming.

Traditional TV ad blitzes still dominated the field.

Consequently, creative pitch budgets ran high, often tens of millions.

Compared to a multi-million or billion-yuan media spend, spending a million on a concept wasn’t too extravagant.

1.2 million yuan…

Wasn’t that tempting?

And for Xu Chen, it was nearly effortless—just his skills.

Aside from a couple of days’ work, there was virtually no cost.

He could even use the trip to Shanghai to watch Bing Ge’s match—two birds with one stone.

Thinking big.

Making money isn’t shameful!

…

That afternoon, Guo Liang replied:

【Teacher Xu, I’ve already spoken with the brand.】

【They’re thrilled to learn the HuiShuang Shenbao ad came from you and would like to invite you to this pitch!】

【Great, thanks Guo Zong!】

【I’ll forward your contact info to the brand’s marketing department. They might reach out later.】

【Thanks again.】

【Teacher Xu, you’re too modest! After your Shenbao ad launched, it single-handedly secured our sales for the whole year…

I’m the one who should be thanking you!】

【Where is your agency located? I’d like to visit and congratulate you on the opening!】

Guo Liang, a seasoned sales professional with flexible tactics and high EQ, had long seen Xu Chen’s limitless potential and was cultivating him as a key contact.

Xu Chen thought for a moment…

On Wednesday, his father happened to meet Fang Jun.

Guo Liang’s visit might subtly help secure Fang Jun’s support.

【8th floor, Jin Feng Commercial Building, Caiyuan Street… I’ll be there Wednesday at noon.】

【Great—I’ll drop by Wednesday at noon!】

…

In the office, Guo Liang closed the chat window and felt a surge of admiration.

After interacting with Xu Chen a few times, he was amazed by how mature and polished this “Teacher Xu” was.

He didn’t act like an inexperienced high schooler but more like a street-savvy veteran of the business world.

Guo Liang had spent years in pharma sales, then market channels and regional distribution.

He’d seen all kinds of personalities, yet he couldn’t figure out this “Teacher Xu.”

And the fact that “Teacher Xu” would pitch for Fuyan Jie struck him as both baffling and amusing.

Teacher Xu was genuinely inscrutable—full of surprises.

All the pitches on Guo Liang’s list were for medical and health products: anti-diarrhea meds, vitamins, stomach medicine, anti-inflammatories…

He never expected Teacher Xu to pick Fuyan Jie.

It looked like a joke from any angle.

Yet Teacher Xu had produced those Shenbao and Jin Kela ads…

Thinking back, Guo Liang couldn’t help but look forward to it.

When the Fuyan Jie brand discovered that this “Teacher Xu” had created the “He Good, I Good” ad, they didn’t hesitate to invite him to pitch.

They’ll surely be stunned when they learn Teacher Xu is a male high school senior.

…

On Tuesday evening, Xu Zhiquan happened to come to the city on business, and father and son had dinner again.

“Dad, I can tell how much you want Fang Jun onboard.”

“Of course. He’s from the Mechanical Factory, so he knows the finances and operations inside. Bringing him over would be a huge help.

He’s also a Finance University grad. Our projects are growing, and we need someone to manage accounting and finance.

Complex tax and fiscal issues? Neither Fourth Uncle nor Maternal Uncle can handle those.”

Xu Chen smiled.

“Dad, let me help you again!”

He pulled some papers from his backpack and handed them to his father.

Xu Zhiquan looked and saw printed financial documents.