Chapter 440: Endorsement Catalog

Chapter 440: Endorsement Directory

So far, Meng Fan's "Strange Tales of the Mountains and Seas" had been published in China up to the eighth volume, with the previous seven volumes continuously being reprinted. The highest-selling volume, the fifth, had reached an astonishing 1.5 million copies, while the others had all surpassed or neared one million. Total sales had exceeded ten million, a massive sales volume. In terms of copyright revenue, on this year's Forbes Chinese Writers List subcategory for comic authors, Meng Fan was certain to secure a spot, and most likely at the top.

During his book signings in Japan, Meng Fan had already thought about doing them in China, and certainly not just one stop. The timing was set to coincide with the release of the ninth volume—of course, at the signing event, fans could bring any single volume they wished.

Comics were Meng Fan's original passion, so his first private event would naturally be a comic signing, a way to give back to his fans and any other followers who came.

From a fan's perspective, a signing event was the most cost-effective and practical option. You got the comic, met Meng Fan, and received an autograph. The only extra expense was a ticket, which was cheaper than a movie ticket. Meng Fan even planned to lower the ticket price to the absolute minimum—market order had to be maintained.

After finalizing things with Damei Studio, Meng Fan contacted Senior Yixin from Penguin Comics. He had mentioned it before, and they were fully prepared, having assembled a professional team and held preliminary discussions with several venues, just waiting for Meng Fan to confirm the dates and cities.

Meng Fan informed them that the timing would be set for the release of the ninth volume, with the locations initially being Hangzhou, Shanghai, Beijing, and Shenzhen. Depending on the situation, they would decide later whether to add more.

After settling that, Meng Fan called Hu Yijing, asking her to help find a professional related to signing events—someone with a strong track record in planning and coordination, to help Damei Studio's team grow quickly.

Naturally, the conversation then turned to advertising endorsements. It was too complicated to discuss over the phone, so Meng Fan asked Hu Yijing to come to Shanghai for a face-to-face talk. Conveniently, Meng Caiwei had already come from Shanghai to Hangzhou for the second round of her "weight loss" plan, so she could help Meng Fan with advice and oversight.

Endorsements were definitely something to take on, and money was certainly to be earned. As for what to do with it, aside from planning to buy a yacht for his future mother-in-law, there was the task from the "God of Wealth"—a ridiculous task requiring him to give away a hundred million.

Otherwise, Meng Fan wasn't in a hurry to spend money, especially since his comic income was already substantial.

Beyond the royalties from the single volumes, the electronic subscriptions for "Strange Tales of the Mountains and Seas" on Penguin Comics were also very high.

Royalties from single volumes weren't paid monthly, but the "manuscript fees" from Penguin Comics were paid on time every month. That money was enough to cover all of Meng Fan's expenses except for the yacht and the charity.

Additionally, after the competition, Meng Fan had extra income from government bonuses. The national team's hadn't been paid yet, but those from Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou City, and Ruicheng City had already been delivered to him. The amounts were substantial—the highest ever offered by local governments. Meng Fan, in turn, donated them back to support local sports initiatives.

Of course, there were also bonuses from local companies, which Meng Fan also donated. The funniest part was several real estate developers offering him houses, but he refused—too commercial. Besides, using a single house to get Meng Fan as an advertisement was far too cheap.

Speaking of houses, the prices in Meng Fan's residential complex in Ruicheng City had been defying market trends lately. Oh, and the complex where he lived in Hangzhou was also rising rapidly.

Both complexes had coincidentally put up banners like "Congratulations to Meng Fan for Winning Five Olympic Golds"—without explicitly stating "resident of this complex." But the nearby complexes were even bolder, directly hanging banners that read "Congratulations to the Resident of the Adjacent Complex, Meng Fan, for Winning Five Olympic Golds." That was a classic case of "riding the housing price wave."

Hu Yijing moved quickly, arriving in Hangzhou just after five in the afternoon, bringing along the professional Meng Fan had mentioned.

This professional was Huang Dian, who had some connection to Meng Fan. He had once been the publicity planner for Meng Fan's sister, Meng Caiwei. After she left her company to become a "freelancer," many of her publicity staff still worked with him, maintaining a good relationship.

So when Hu Yijing needed someone with that expertise, Huang Dian was the first person she thought of.

Meng Fan brought a few young faces from the studio to meet Hu Yijing and Huang Dian. It was just the right time to invite them to dinner, chatting while eating, allowing the two groups to get a preliminary understanding of each other. Later, back at the studio, everything was handed over to them.

Hu Yijing's main purpose this time was still endorsements, and she had brought the compiled materials. They went into another office, where she showed Meng Fan the documents and gave him a general overview.

Hu Yijing had selected several brands, all top-tier international and national names, with very high endorsement levels.

Endorsement levels were actually quite complicated. By region, from high to low: Global Ambassador, Asia-Pacific Ambassador (in the narrow geographical sense, referring to the West Pacific region, same below), Greater China Ambassador, and China Ambassador. By product, from high to low: Full-Line Ambassador, Sub-Line Ambassador, Series Ambassador, and Product Ambassador.

That's why you often see multiple celebrities endorsing the same product—they have different levels or endorse different products.

Take Zhao Xiaodao, for example, who was once mocked as "rustic," out of touch with fashion, and having zero sales influence. She signed on as Dior's China Ambassador. In the same year, Dior also signed Yang Tianbao as a China Ambassador. They had the same endorsement level but endorsed different products.

—The brand wasn't stupid; the contrast brought significant attention.

In a broader sense, endorsements themselves were divided into three levels, from high to low: Ambassador (Brand Ambassador), Image Ambassador, and Brand Friend/Confidant. Note: Brand Muse was related to designers and not counted in the endorsement category.

These three levels also represented the closeness between a celebrity and the brand, implying different treatment. Simply put, ambassadors got paid; image ambassadors and brand friends did not.

Ambassadors received an endorsement fee, plus the brand would produce hard ads and custom products. Image ambassadors got no fee but had soft promotions, custom products, and event appearances. Brand friends only got to borrow clothing, handbags, etc., from the brand for events.

These three levels were also the progression path for celebrity-brand relationships. Especially for top-tier luxury brands, one usually needed to be a brand friend first to be considered for image ambassador, and finally secure an ambassador role. Of course, some celebrities skipped the entry and intermediate stages and went straight for the final ambassador title.

Even if some celebrities knew they'd never get an ambassador role, they were still happy to be brand friends, as it was an important way to increase exposure and recognition. Especially for top-tier brands, they wouldn't pay, but if they could pay to get in, they would.

The brands inviting Meng Fan this time were all offering ambassador roles. Hu Yijing had compiled a list of top-tier domestic and international brands, spanning clothing, food, watches, automobiles, electronics, finance, aviation, and telecommunications. Some, like banks, telecoms, and airlines, were clients that ordinary celebrities rarely had access to.

"Two fashion-related brands; you choose one. The endorsement offers are listed below, along with some additional conditions. You can also propose conditions, all within negotiable range."

"Two foreign sports brands and one domestic; you can choose one."

"For food, I've prepared two: Kua Kou Kua Le and Danone, both Asia-Pacific full-line ambassadors."

"Two watch brands."

"Two electronics brands: one domestic, one Japanese. Huawei for domestic, global full-line ambassador; Sony headphone series for Japanese, global ambassador."

"One commercial bank in finance."

"Four airlines have extended invitations: one domestic, three foreign."

Speaking of this, even though Hu Yijing had known beforehand, she couldn't hide her surprise. These were airlines, each a Fortune 500 company. How many ordinary celebrities had such opportunities and qualifications?

In China, the only celebrity to have served as an image ambassador for an airline was Hu Ge for China Eastern Airlines. Abroad, they mostly invited top-tier superstars. For example, Qatar Airways had previously had endorsements from football clubs like FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich!

Among the three foreign airlines this time were Qatar Airways, Japan's All Nippon Airways, and Singapore's Lion City Airlines.

My god, what kind of endorsement level was this!

These endorsements were far more impressive than the previous top international brands.

Those endorsements were easier to get; airline image ambassadors were incredibly hard, and these top airlines were even harder.

Only after seeing the endorsement invitations from the three foreign airlines did Hu Yijing truly realize that Meng Fan had become a global sports superstar!

Like Cristiano Ronaldo, he had the fame to personally endorse an airline!

Of course, Hu Yijing knew Meng Fan well. She knew about the wrestling competition in Qatar, where he "tamed a tiger" and met a Qatari tycoon. She also knew more than the average person or journalist: that Meng Fan's father had business dealings with the tycoon's father, and that the tycoon's family had influence in Qatar. Well, perhaps it was just because she was familiar with Meng Fan that she needed an extra reason to accept it more easily.

As for Japan's All Nippon Airways and Singapore's Lion City Airlines, she couldn't find any additional reasons—though there might be some, not everyone could connect the dots. After all, Meng Fan's popularity was indeed on that level.

(End of chapter)