Chapter 309: Strategic Moves in Advertising

On Tuesday morning, after classes ended, Xu Chen joined a few guys and headed to the cafeteria.

But he didn’t eat there; instead, he packed a few dishes along with two portions of rice.

After saying goodbye to his roommates Hong Xiaoqiang and Huo Dashan, he walked over to the East Morning Star Advertising office.

He had a phone meeting with Nie Fei at 1 p.m., so he grabbed a quick bite in the office with Sun Aimi.

……

As soon as he stepped into the office, he saw Sun Aimi staring at her computer, notebook in hand, looking completely focused.

Xu Chen smiled; she was clearly getting nervous about the upcoming phone proposal.

In his past life, when Xu Chen first met Sun Aimi, she was already a team-leading manager, carrying herself with the poise of a top executive.

But now, after just two or three years in the industry, she still showed some of the hesitation typical of a newcomer.

Sun Aimi had a solid foundation in design and was quick, clever, and eager to learn, but it would take a bit more time for her to handle projects independently.

“Aimi, time for lunch!” Xu Chen said with a smile as he walked in.

Sun Aimi responded and followed Xu Chen to the meeting room.

Xu Chen had brought extra dishes from the cafeteria; after all, Sun Aimi looked like a real foodie.

As they ate, Sun Aimi remembered something and spoke up:

“Boss, Gu Xinxi messaged me today saying she’s submitted her resignation process.

She can probably start on October 25th.”

Xu Chen laughed. “She hasn’t told me yet, and you’re already in the loop.”

Sun Aimi: “She said she wanted to wait until the process is approved and her start date is confirmed before telling you.”

Gu Xinxi’s current company is Renhe Pharmaceuticals, behind Fuyan Jie.

Xu Chen thought of the vice president Lu Wenhua and the director Zhao Nan; they probably had no idea Gu Xinxi was joining East Morning Star Advertising.

Not only had he snagged a deal from their company, but he was also poaching one of their promising young talents from the marketing department…

Thinking about it, it was probably best not to let them find out.

Xu Chen checked the timeline; that left just over two weeks.

“Perfect timing. The Jeep project and the Kunlunshan Mineral Water project are about to kick off in full swing, and things will get busy.

Xinxi can help share the load.”

Sun Aimi: “And don’t forget Chenfeng Electric Vehicles!”

Xu Chen smiled: “Right!”

These past couple of days, Sun Aimi had been busy retouching photos.

From the provincial capital, photographer Tan Changqiao had sent over a refined sample of Xie Bingran’s photo.

But Aimi wasn’t entirely happy with some details, so she’d given feedback and sent it back for revisions.

……

After eating, the two cleaned up the meeting room.

In their small company with just two people, they didn’t have a dedicated cleaner; they handled the daily upkeep themselves.

Luckily, the office wasn’t large, so it was easy to manage.

They returned to Sun Aimi’s desk; it was more convenient to work on the big computer screen.

Right at 1 p.m., Chen Xinyi’s call came through.

On speaker.

“Hello, Teacher Xu Chen! We’re all set in the meeting room here. We have Fei Jie and several colleagues from marketing.

We’ve received the proposal documents and projected them on the big screen. We can start anytime.”

Xu Chen spoke into the phone:

“Great, let’s dive right in. Today, our design director at East Morning Star Advertising, Teacher Sun Aimi, will handle the presentation.

I’ll add in some extras as needed…”

As he said this, he glanced at Sun Aimi with a smile.

Sun Aimi adjusted her round-framed glasses and cleared her throat slightly.

She looked a bit nervous, but once she started, her voice came out confident and steady.

Xu Chen was quite pleased with that.

……

Today’s presentation was straightforward: the poster plan for Kunlunshan Mineral Water with Xie Bingran as the endorser.

Since it involved future shoots with Xie Bingran, they needed to get client buy-in quickly.

Xu Chen had already reviewed the creative plan with Sun Aimi; there weren’t any major issues.

The core was two key visual drafts featuring Xie Bingran in two poses.

The first key visual showed Xie Bingran holding a bottle of Kunlunshan Mineral Water in one hand, presenting it to the camera.

The second had her opening a bottle and tilting her head back to drink.

The images themselves weren’t overly flashy; it was a standard setup for water endorsers.

The overall style leaned toward ‘snow mountain’ whites as the main color, with subtle blues as accents.

For the text design, they used the brand red typical of Jiaduobao, which matched Kunlunshan Mineral Water’s confirmed bottle design…

These two key visuals could expand into a dozen or more variations.

For example, they could adapt for different ad placements, switching to close-ups, half-body, or full-body shots of the endorser.

The Kunlunshan Mineral Water bottle in the images could be sized up or down as needed.

The ad theme and copy built on what Xu Chen had previously presented and approved: the core idea was ‘The quality of water determines the quality of life.’

On the computer screen, Sun Aimi was explaining one of the core key visuals.

The poster had three lines of text overlaid:

[Kunlunshan Snow Mountain Mineral Water, from the 6000-meter Kunlun Mountains]

[Peak elevation brings peak water quality; the quality of water determines the quality of life]

[For a life of quality, I choose Kunlunshan Mineral Water]

Paired with Xie Bingran’s image and her signature.

The theme stood out, and the design was clean and simple.

……

……

Sun Aimi’s presentation was brief and effective.

Once she finished, she couldn’t help glancing at Xu Chen, her eyes asking for approval.

It was like she was saying: Boss, is this okay?

Xu Chen didn’t speak; he just smiled and gave her a thumbs-up.

Sun Aimi seemed to relax then, letting out a breath before saying into the phone:

“That’s all for the poster creative presentation. Do any of you have questions or suggestions?”

The other end went quiet for a moment, probably as they discussed.

Xu Chen jumped in first, adding some light touches and a summary to the poster draft.

He highlighted a few key points that Sun Aimi had glossed over.

From the other end, Nie Fei’s voice came:

“Okay!

We don’t have any major issues with the draft, including the visual elements, design, and copy.

Thanks to Teacher Xu Chen and Teacher Aimi. We’ll run it through legal and PR reviews, but it should be fine. We can move forward with production.”

Xu Chen smiled and glanced at Sun Aimi, who still looked a bit tense.

Hearing that her presentation had gone well, Sun Aimi beamed, flashing a sweet, obedient smile at her boss.

On the other end, as the project manager, Chen Xinyi added:

“Teacher Xu Chen, let me update you on the endorser side:

The cooperation with endorser Xie Bingran is finalized and in the contract approval process; it just needs a little time.

Next, we’ll coordinate with the national team for Xie Bingran’s poster shoot schedule.

We met with Director Li Yue yesterday; he mentioned Xie Bingran is preparing for the December Asian Games, so scheduling is tough.

He’s suggesting we shoot after the Games…

But that’s not feasible, so Fei Jie is negotiating for time in October or November.

Currently, Director Li Yue has tentatively offered late October or early November, but only for a half-day shoot.”

Xu Chen thought for a moment and replied:

“Half a day should be enough. Our endorser poster shoot isn’t complicated.

Xie Bingran is in Shanghai, so once the national team confirms her schedule, we can find a local studio and get it done!”

Bing Ge had races to prepare for, and Xu Chen didn’t want business to drain her energy.

Chen Xinyi:

“Great! For the ad photographer, we have a long-term partner— the same one who shot the Wang Laoshun ad.

That okay with you, Teacher Xu Chen?”

Theoretically, the ad production photographer should be recommended by East Morning Star Advertising.

But since the client already had a collaborator, it saved Xu Chen the hassle, so he said:

“No problem at all!”

Chen Xinyi: “Good, we’ll send this draft to the endorser team for review first.

If the national team has any other feedback, we’ll loop you in, Teacher Xu Chen.”

Xu Chen: “No problem!”

With that, the Kunlunshan poster creative draft presentation wrapped up smoothly.

From the other end, Nie Fei’s voice returned:

“Teacher Xu Chen, there’s one more thing we need to discuss.”

Xu Chen: “Go ahead, Fei Jie.”

Nie Fei: “As I mentioned before, due to budget and prep time, our single deal with Xie Bingran doesn’t include video ad rights.

The first wave of Kunlunshan promotion will focus on posters and materials…

But we expect to need a TV ad by the end of the first quarter next year for the second promotion wave.”

Xu Chen had anticipated this; he’d thought about it when reviewing Sun Aimi’s plan before National Day.

“It’s not too complex.

For the first and second waves, we’re still building awareness for Kunlunshan Mineral Water and introducing it to consumers.

So the ad video can stick to the existing creative concept.

The core theme remains ‘6000 meters of elevation for peak water quality; the quality of water determines the quality of life.’

End it with a Xie Bingran endorser spot.”

Nie Fei chuckled and said:

“That’s exactly what we’re thinking.

Working with you and East Morning Star Advertising is always straightforward; we’re on the same wavelength.”

Xu Chen laughed: “Fei Jie, just let us know when to start on the video ad. It’s all under East Morning Star Advertising’s services.

Once you give the word, we’ll jump into scripting and execution plans.”

Nie Fei: “I’m just giving you a heads-up; it’s not urgent yet.

Our big timeline is to wrap up Kunlunshan Mineral Water’s launch prep by November.

December will tie into Xie Bingran’s Asian Games campaign, with Kunlunshan starting distribution and trials.

If everything goes smoothly, full-scale promotion will kick off in the second quarter next year.

So we’re eyeing early next year for the ad video.”

Xu Chen pondered:

“That works! By then, the budget might be set, and we can coordinate Xie Bingran’s schedule—maybe even shoot a full endorser video.”

……

They chatted a bit more about details, and as they wrapped up, Nie Fei added with a sigh over the phone:

“Working with East Morning Star Advertising and you, Teacher Xu Chen, is so efficient and smooth.

Dealing with other ad firms often drags on with miscommunications…”

Xu Chen replied with a laugh: “It just means we’re in sync, Fei Jie!”

……

……

After hanging up, Xu Chen sat there, lost in thought.

He was mainly wondering about the situation with Chen Jinru and An Jin Xiong—how was the ‘report’ progressing?

He’d considered probing a bit but decided it wasn’t the right time.

Better to wait and see.

As Fang Jun had said, once the report went through the proper channels, an investigation was guaranteed.

So, Guangzhou Pharmaceutical’s Li Guangmin getting exposed was just a matter of time.

Let the bullet fly a little longer…

On another note, there was Xie Bingran’s schedule issue.

From what Chen Xinyi shared, Bing Ge was gearing up for the December Asian Games, so time was tight.

If the Kunlunshan shoot was set for late October or early November, then the Jeep ad video shoot would likely align.

That way, Bing Ge could focus undisturbed on November and December for the Games.

It seemed the Jeep ad video prep would be even shorter and more intense.

Once the director team was on board, they’d have to move fast.

Luckily, the BBDO team could assist, so the pressure wasn’t overwhelming.

Xu Chen glanced at his phone calendar; the Asian Games were just two months away.

Thinking about it made him anxious for Bing Ge.

With the whole of Asia watching…

Compared to that pressure, his work and projects seemed trivial.

Still, the unflappable Bing Ge always had a steel heart when it came to racing.

Xu Chen thought of a few things and sighed softly.

If Bing Ge had one weak spot, it was probably Xu Chen himself.

He wasn’t sure if that was something to be happy or worried about.

Overall, he figured it was more something to feel proud and joyful about.

……

Sun Aimi turned to Xu Chen and, seeing him quiet, asked:

“Boss, is something wrong?”

Xu Chen snapped out of it, smiled, and said:

“Nothing at all! Congrats, Teacher Aimi—your presentation was a total success!”

Sun Aimi smiled, a bit shy and reserved.

Xu Chen: “I need to head to class. If there’s nothing else this afternoon, go home early.

Our company doesn’t do clock-ins; once the work’s done, no need to stick around the office.”

Sun Aimi: “Okay… thanks, Boss!”

Xu Chen thought for a second and added:

“Take these next couple of days to rest up. Once the Jeep ad goes into execution, I bet we’ll be pulling all-nighters.

If I’m right, Bing Ge’s schedule for that is late October, so the ad prep will be really tight.”

Sun Aimi: “Don’t worry, Boss. I pulled plenty of late nights at my last company; I can handle it.”

Xu Chen walked to the fridge, opened it, and glanced inside:

“We haven’t restocked since National Day. Teacher Aimi, if you have time this afternoon, grab some fruits and snacks to fill it up.

Get what you like; don’t worry about me…

Remember to get a receipt and have Fang Jun reimburse it.”

Sun Aimi lit up: “Sure!”

……

……

In the blink of an eye, it was Friday.

During a morning break, Xu Chen received a message from Jeep’s brand manager Yan Chuan, wanting to set up a phone meeting.

The meeting wouldn’t include bosses Pang Ming and He Da Chang, so Xu Chen scheduled it for noon to avoid conflicting with afternoon classes.

He didn’t feel like going to the Tonghai Creative Design Building, so he messaged Sun Aimi to meet for lunch at the school cafeteria.

Xu Chen took Sun Aimi to the ‘small cafeteria’ on the second floor of West Garden Cafeteria.

The dishes there looked a bit more refined.

“Boss, your school’s cafeteria is seriously amazing!”

Sun Aimi was clearly delighted again.

Xu Chen: “I’ll bring you here whenever I can.

If you come on your own, you can line up at the basement level for meal tickets, but it’s a hassle!”

Sun Aimi: “Sounds good!”

……

After lunch, they went to a wooden table under a tree near the grand auditorium.

They waited a bit, and then Yan Chuan’s call came in.

After a quick greeting, they got down to business:

“Teacher Xu Chen, I have three main things to update you on…”

“We’ve sent East Morning Star Advertising’s plan to endorser Wang Shi for review.

He gave feedback to Vincent that he has no issues and personally loves the copy you created, Teacher Xu Chen.

He even wants to meet you and the East Morning Star Advertising team!”

Xu Chen couldn’t help but smile.

The copy in his plan, including the strategy buildup and ad video script, was tailored to the so-called ‘successful man’ mindset…

Wang Shi’s approval was right on target.

Xu Chen replied over the phone:

“No problem.

We’ll be following up on Wang Shi’s ad shoot anyway, so Vincent can introduce us then.”

Yan Chuan paused, then asked:

“Is Teacher Aimi on the call?”

Sun Aimi: “I’m here…”

Yan Chuan laughed: “Vincent showed the plan to Wang Shi, and he echoed the same concerns as Teacher Aimi…

So he’s not going with BBDO’s ad video idea.”

Sun Aimi adjusted her round-framed glasses and smiled at Xu Chen.

Yan Chuan continued:

“So for the ad video, we’re moving forward with East Morning Star Advertising’s plan.”

“Then, the second thing.

We’ve received the formal invitation from the Sports Administration and national team; Xie Bingran’s endorsement contract is in process.

But scheduling her ad video shoot is trickier than Wang Shi’s.

The national team says she’s prepping for the December Asian Games.

They haven’t given a specific slot yet.”

Xu Chen thought and said directly:

“I have another project with Xie Bingran on the commercial side.

They locked in her schedule before Jeep did, so it’s set for late October.

That means Jeep’s ad shoot will likely be around the same time.”

Yan Chuan hesitated: “That tight?”

Xu Chen: “Yes, so we need to ramp up prep.

Get the director team in right away, sort out the storyboard, and handle all the shoot logistics.”

Yan Chuan: “This info is crucial, Teacher Xu Chen. I’ll update Andy right away.

Since Wang Shi’s schedule is more flexible, BBDO was prepping for November or December, but we need to speed things up now.”

Xu Chen: “Absolutely, time’s tight on production.

Unless we skip Xie Bingran’s part, but I doubt Leo and Andy would agree—they want it for this year’s promo.

The storyboard’s doable, but venues, gear, and crew need early booking.

Waiting on the national team would make us late.”

Yan Chuan: “Got it. Thanks for the heads-up, Teacher Xu Chen.”

Xu Chen: “And the third thing?”

Yan Chuan: “Right! It’s about the cooperation agreement with East Morning Star Advertising; it’s ready to process.

We’re drafting the initial contract; it’ll be internally reviewed today…”

Xu Chen: “No issue. Email it over, and I’ll have our legal and finance teams handle it!”

Yan Chuan paused: “The contract terms follow what Andy discussed with you last time.

Base fees for ad strategy, slogans, and video planning at 2 million.

Supervision for video shoot and production at 15% of costs, not exceeding 450,000…”

Xu Chen: “That’s fine; we already talked about it.”

Yan Chuan: “Great. I’ll push for the contract this afternoon and email it.

I also need to add you and Teacher Aimi as MSN friends; I figure we’ll set up a project chat group next week.”

Xu Chen: “Sure, I’ll send my details over.”

……

With that, the Jeep project was finally locked in.

Sun Aimi couldn’t help but say:

“Congrats, Boss—another project signed!”

Xu Chen laughed: “Now it’s your turn to work hard! Storyboards and ad prep can be grueling.”

Sun Aimi: “Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll get it done!”

As she said this, she felt a surge of curiosity.

Her boss was still in university, yet he had all this skill and experience—where did it come from?

Xu Chen saw it was still early, so he took Sun Aimi to try the famous milk tea on Tonghai University campus.

Sun Aimi held her large cup, looking thrilled.

Xu Chen suddenly realized that Sun Aimi hadn’t really explored Shanghai yet, so he said:

“You haven’t had a chance to enjoy Shanghai properly, right? Go out and explore this weekend!

Before the overtime starts…”

Sun Aimi: “Yeah! I’ll invite Gu Xinxi along!”

She’d thought about asking if the boss wanted to join, but then remembered he was probably seeing Bing Ge, so she just smiled and kept quiet.

“