Chapter 398: Brand Endorsement

Chapter 398: Brand Endorsements

No matter how the foreign powerhouse teams viewed Meng Fan’s championship victory and his clean sweep of breaking three world records, the nation was in an absolute frenzy, especially within domestic weightlifting circles.

Whether there was any padding to his performance, they knew best.

With such achievements, as long as he avoided any catastrophic blunders, securing a spot in the Olympic Continental Weightlifting Qualifiers was a foregone conclusion. As for the Olympics themselves, the probability of him taking the crown was immense; at the very least, walking away with a medal would not be an issue.

The reason it was framed as a high probability rather than a certainty was partly due to concerns over potential fluctuations in his performance or foul movements, and partly because the current world record was not the best mark ever achieved by its holder.

This, in turn, went back to the new rules of weightlifting. The world records had effectively been "reset." In other words, the record for the 109+ kg category had initially been non-existent, established only by competition results after the new rules were implemented. This meant the current record holder had produced even better marks in the past, but because they weren’t achieved under the new rules, they did not count toward the official world record.

To put it simply, the Georgian lifter had achieved superior numbers before. For instance, in the snatch, the current world record stood at 217 kg, but he had once snatched 220 kg, and his clean and jerk had previously reached 260 kg.

This meant that even if Meng Fan could fully replicate his current performance at the Olympics, a championship victory was still not guaranteed.

Of course, whether Meng Fan's current performance represented his true limit remained an entirely unknown factor. After all, judging from the competition that had just concluded, he looked as though he hadn't even exerted his full strength.

If that was indeed the case, the likelihood of him charging for the championship remained substantial.

Weightlifting competitions ultimately hinged on execution, technique, and tactics; it was still far too early to predict who would emerge victorious.

Yet regardless of the variables, Meng Fan’s emergence had turned him into a gold-medal hope for Chinese men’s weightlifting, an achievement absolutely worthy of celebration.

"Old Zhan!"

Following the closing ceremony, two leaders from the Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Administrative Center specially sought out Dean Zhan for a talk. Leader Zhou began, "This Olympic cycle hasn't been easy for Chinese weightlifting, and the men's division under the new rules has had it even harder. To have a prospect like Meng Fan emerge is truly rare. Now, his situation is rather unique, and he will undoubtedly spend most of his time in Hangzhou. So, we'll have to trouble you a lot more in the future!"

Hearing this, Dean Zhan laughed heartily. "No trouble at all, no trouble at all! Director Zhou, you are wise. This Meng Fan is indeed unique—his training methods are unique, and his personality is unique too. He's as stubborn as a mule. Don't be fooled by his constant smiling; he is unyielding to the bone. So, hehe, you were absolutely right to keep him in Hangzhou. I was genuinely worried you might force him into a long-term closed training camp. When it comes to training, he has his own ideas, and I merely play a supporting role. In short, leave him to me and rest easy!"

Leader Xiong teased, "Alright, Old Zhan, as if we don't know your character. Once you get your hands on a treasure, you never let it go. However, I still have one thing to charge you with. Meng Fan’s appearance represents a breakthrough not only for the heavyweight class in weightlifting, but also for wrestling and judo. Don't go staring only at weightlifting and ignoring the other two just because Hangzhou is your turf. Your mission, besides keeping a close eye on weightlifting, is to coordinate with wrestling and judo."

Dean Zhan grew slightly displeased upon hearing this and replied, "Director Xiong, I don't quite appreciate those words. Big or small, I am still the dean of a sports institute. How could I lack a sense of the bigger picture? Besides, Old Hu and Old Xiao from wrestling and judo were desperate enough to come up with the bad idea of sending their athletes to train alongside Meng Fan. How could my meager wits compete with those two? I'll thank the heavens if I can guarantee basic weightlifting training time, let alone dare to encroach on wrestling and judo's time!"

Leader Xiong was both amused and exasperated by the response. They were well aware of the arrangement for the wrestling and judo teams to train with Meng Fan, and they had approved it. They knew Old Zhan knew that they knew, meaning he had intentionally insulted even them in his rant, yet he still prattled on about wits. Not a single one of them was easy to manage.

Leader Zhou let the two finish their verbal fencing before turning a serious gaze to Dean Zhan. "Old Zhan, what I am about to say was originally meant for the center's general meeting, but I'll tell you now. Meng Fan spans three major sports and four disciplines. Our center isn't greedy—we only want three medals, and one must be gold! This must be treated as a hard target. You must help the center secure it!"

Before Meng Fan's emergence, proposing such a target for the entire center's heavyweight division would have been absolute fantasy. But given Meng Fan's current strength, it could truly be described as modest.

Dean Zhan nodded heavily. "I dare not guarantee the gold to you, but I will absolutely guarantee a medal! I am willing to sign a military pledge. If it is not achieved, I will voluntarily accept any punishment!"

Leader Zhou naturally appreciated this attitude, though he smiled and said, "Cut that out with us. Our center has no jurisdiction over a grand dean like you! If you have the guts, sign the pledge and send it to the General Administration of Sport!"

"Don't think I wouldn't dare! However, uh, regarding this hard target and all, it's best if only we know. I hope we don't let Meng Fan find out."

"Of course, we mustn't place undue pressure on him!"

The two leaders finished speaking with Dean Zhan and were preparing to leave when they suddenly recalled another matter—one that was slightly awkward and regrettable for them.

"Right, the office recently received quite a few endorsement offers and commercial appearance requests for Meng Fan from various brands. According to his contract, Meng Fan retains full autonomy over matters outside of his training and competitions, so the office didn't pursue further negotiations. Still, since we are aware of it, it's only right to inform him. I'll have the office forward the materials to you so you can pass them along. As for the outcome, that will naturally be his own affair."

Endorsements and corporate partnerships had always been scarce for the Weightlifting, Wrestling, and Judo Administrative Center, usually limited to sports brand sponsorships. And what did sponsorship entail? It meant providing athletic apparel, including shoes and socks, along with a meager sponsorship fee.

Now that an actual endorsement opportunity had finally arrived, it had nothing to do with them, which naturally left a tinge of regret. But who could help it when Meng Fan possessed such immense autonomy?

Of course, it still brought plenty of benefits to the center.

If nothing else, this year's sponsorship fees had risen, and by a significant margin. Once the Olympic season arrived, they would undoubtedly surge further.

A sports brand sponsorship couldn't possibly apply only to Meng Fan alone. If they wanted Meng Fan to wear their brand at the Olympics, they would have to sponsor the entire sport—and all three of them at that!

"Brand endorsements?"

Following the closing ceremony, Meng Fan remained with the Zhejiang provincial team, waiting to return to the sports institute before heading home. Receiving the thick stack of documents from Dean Zhan and listening to his brief explanation, he reflected for a moment and said, "I'll take them back and think about it."

Before this, Meng Fan had received numerous invitations from various brands, but he hadn't possessed the mind to bother with them. Now that he had been handed a whole stack, he could only take them home.

His previous refusal of all invitations was simply because he lacked the time to care. Well, it seemed he still didn't have much time now. However, one variable had changed: Meng Fan was far more famous now than before.

With a superstar older sister at home who held several top-tier brand endorsements, Meng Fan knew a thing or two about the business.

Allowing him to carelessly endorse just any product was out of the question. First, the risks were high; second, it would over-consume his public image; third, the payout was too low.

Some brands, putting aside whether they carried risks, would absolutely drain one's popularity, while other brands could actually enhance it. Even among brands, the gap was immense.

Take the major luxury endorsements Meng Caiwei currently held—far from consuming her popularity, they actually enhanced her prestige.

Meng Fan wasn't someone who turned his back on money; if a good endorsement came along, he was naturally willing to accept it.

After all, there was still a [God of Wealth] waiting for his hundred million yuan!

Previously, there might have been some decent brands, but it was hard to say how premium they truly were. Now, the caliber of offers should rise significantly.

Of course, the larger the brand, the higher the endorsement fee usually tended to be.

And how to convert popularity into capital while simultaneously boosting that popularity was an art in itself.

Meng Fan returned to the sports institute with the team, attended an internal review meeting, and then left, riding back in Wu Tong's car.

He took photos of the documents provided by the center and sent them all to Meng Caiwei. Since he didn't understand the intricacies, he naturally had to consult someone who did.

Very quickly, Meng Caiwei called him back, her very first words being, "In a hurry to take on endorsements?"

Meng Fan replied, "Not exactly. These were all brands that reached out through the sports center, and I just saw them myself. Since I don't really get how it works, I sent them to you to take a look."

Meng Caiwei said, "Then don't rush. Although these sports brands aren't small names, the actual tier of the endorsements they can offer probably isn't very high. Tell you what, if you genuinely intend to take on endorsements, I'll ask Hu Yijing for you first."

"Alright then."

Meng Fan nodded. Meng Caiwei wasn't merely passing the buck; rather, relatively speaking, Hu Yijing was far more professional in this field, whereas Meng Caiwei didn't have a specialized manager of that caliber directly by her side. As for her own endorsements, she also relied on Hu Yijing to handle some of the finer details.

Hu Yijing was Su Qingcen's manager and a gold-medal agent within the industry. Early on, she had wanted to groom Meng Fan into a rugged idol, but after realizing she truly couldn't manage him, the idea had fallen through.

Previously, many people had approached Meng Fan through her, seeking to invite him for endorsements and commercial events, and Hu Yijing had been highly enthusiastic about making them happen. Yet this time, upon receiving Meng Caiwei's call and understanding the gist of it, she uncharacteristically urged them not to rush.

It wasn't that she was unwilling to help, but rather that Meng Fan was no longer the person he used to be.

"Sister Wei, I've been following Xiao Fan's affairs very closely." Even though Hu Yijing was quite a bit older than Meng Caiwei, she called her "Sister Wei" out of genuine respect, having been thoroughly bested by her in the past until she was completely convinced. "In fact, several brands approached me earlier, and I've already mapped out a few strategies."

(End of Chapter)