Chapter 446: The Glory of Five Gold Medals

Chapter 446: Five Gold Glory

Meng Fan's endorsement had always been a subject of intense scrutiny. First, because every Olympic champion in the spotlight received such treatment, and Meng Fan was hotter than ever this time. Second, because Meng Fan had never taken on any endorsements before. Third, a promotional team was actively fueling the buzz.

They had repeatedly pushed Meng Fan's first endorsement into the trending topics, stirring up waves of discussion about who would land his debut deal.

After China's renowned telecommunications company, China Glory, announced Meng Fan as the global spokesperson for its entire line of Glory phones, the internet erupted in heated debate. Two hashtags—#MengFanEndorsesChinaGlory# and #FiveGoldGlory#—immediately appeared on Weibo's trending list.

When news of Meng Fan's endorsement fee leaked, another trending topic emerged: #MengHalfABillion#.

The endorsement fee was 50 million yuan!

This absolutely shattered the record for celebrity endorsements in China!

Previously, the highest annual endorsement fee for a star in Greater China was 20 million yuan, a sky-high contract achieved by only two people: Jackie Chan and Jay Chou.

And 50 million yuan was also the highest endorsement fee China Glory had ever offered, including for foreign celebrities. Before this, the highest fee they had given was to football superstar Lionel Messi—44 million yuan over two years.

Calculated per endorsement, Meng Fan had now entered the ranks of top-tier global sports stars in terms of endorsement fees. Of course, his ranking was still slightly behind, with many superstars ahead of him.

In recent years, the top ten highest earners in the sports world had been dominated by four fields: football, basketball, tennis, and golf, with the latter two far outpacing the former two.

On a global scale, Meng Fan's 50 million yuan endorsement fee was top-tier, but only at the bottom of that tier. Domestically, however, it caused an uproar.

The key point was that this was only his first endorsement. Everyone knew Meng Fan would inevitably take on more, and his commercial value was bound to become the highest among Chinese athletes and one of the highest among all celebrities in Greater China.

Additionally, China Glory not only offered Meng Fan a sky-high endorsement fee but also agreed to sponsor all his activities—non-exclusively—including supporting the three national teams for weightlifting, wrestling, and judo.

Regarding Meng Fan's astronomical endorsement deal, the online discussion was predominantly welcoming and congratulatory. Most felt Meng Fan deserved such a high fee. Compared to other internet celebrities and pop stars, netizens clearly favored a sports star like Meng Fan.

Of course, pop stars landing huge endorsement deals also represented market recognition, and it wasn't entirely wrong. But the general public often didn't fully endorse such market validation, hence the controversy.

Moreover, netizens were thrilled that Meng Fan's first endorsement was with China Glory. After athletes became famous, it was all too common for them to endorse foreign brands like Nike or Adidas. There was nothing wrong with that, but if they endorsed domestic products, the Chinese people were naturally happier.

Many netizens said Meng Fan and China Glory were a perfect match—both brought glory to the nation. Meng Fan, nicknamed "China Meng," truly deserved the name "China Glory," and the Glory brand was worthy of the "Five Gold" certification.

—That was how the trending topic #FiveGoldGlory# came about.

Once the contract was signed and all procedures completed, China Glory immediately finalized the shooting schedule with Meng Fan. The sooner the ad was completed and aired, the greater the benefit for China Glory. As for the ad's quality, they would undoubtedly hire the top industry team to ensure excellence.

A few days later, the first ad poster was released. Almost overnight, it appeared at bus stops, subway stations, and other public places in major cities. The poster was simple: Meng Fan holding the latest Glory phone. The tagline, as netizens had guessed, was: "The Five Gold Glory in Your Hands!"

The tagline was straightforward, lacking innovation, but easy to remember and perfectly suited to Meng Fan's endorsement style. Everyone reacted similarly—"Yeah, that's right." The integration between the spokesperson's image and the brand culture was flawless, and consumer recognition was excellent. That mattered most and was exactly what the company wanted to see.

After Meng Fan's ad poster came out, it once again topped headlines and trending lists. First, because it was Meng Fan's first ad poster; second, because the image was so beautiful that everyone wanted to see more.

On the same day, Vogue's September issue was also released—later than usual. The September issue was the most important of the year, and this time it sold better than usual, much better. Of course, sales were secondary; the key was the number of times Meng Fan's dual covers were shared and the exposure and attention the issue received.

"Dean, what brings you here today?"

The next day after finishing all the ad shoots, Meng Fan was training in the exclusive practice room at Fengji Martial Arts Gym. When he saw the person knocking and entering, he released Old Black, whom he had locked in a submission hold on the ground, trying to break free.

"Haha, I came to see if you've been slacking off in training."

Dean Zhan naturally knew Meng Fan was here before he arrived. To be honest, Meng Fan had resumed training much earlier than he had expected. Having been a champion himself and coached champions, he knew that after the Olympics, athletes had to attend various events. Even if they trained, it was just to maintain physical condition. Meng Fan, who should have been busier than anyone, had started training so early—Dean Zhan was quite gratified.

Meng Fan took a sip of water and asked with a smile, "That can't be all, right?"

"I don't have much to do, but Old Xiao asked me to come and ask you about something. He said it wasn't easy to discuss over the phone." Dean Zhan took the water Old Black handed him, said thanks, didn't unscrew it, and held it in his hand. He continued, "Old Xiao said that in a while, a judo team from Japan will come to exchange and learn with the Chinese judo team. He asked me to check your schedule to see if you'd have time to participate."

Meng Fan asked, "When?"

Dean Zhan didn't answer directly but repeated what Xiao Yunlin had said: "Our national judo team achieved great results at the Olympics, but overall strength still lags behind the Japanese team, especially in the lighter weight classes. Japan is the land of judo; their techniques, tactics, and training systems are more advanced, scientific, and targeted than ours."

"Old Xiao said that there have been exchanges between the two countries before, but they mainly involved Chinese athletes going to Japan to learn—an unequal exchange. This time, with our judo team's performance, we've earned the opportunity for equal exchange, which will greatly benefit the development of Chinese judo. The center and the General Administration of Sport are both paying close attention."

Only then did he give the dates: September 23rd to 29th, a full week.

Meng Fan was now a sports figure himself. He fully understood the importance of exchanges between strong nations in any sport. As for his "Meng-style tactics," they had certainly played a role in facilitating this exchange, but not a huge one.

Industry insiders knew that the technical and tactical moves of the "Meng-style tactics" were evident on the competition floor. The key lay in the training methods, and the core of those methods was Meng Fan himself. Without his personal guidance, even if the Japanese learned everything, they would gain less than one-tenth of the benefit.

Of course, Meng Fan's presence was a major factor—perhaps even decisive—in the Japanese judo team's visit to China. In essence, the Japanese were coming for Meng Fan, hoping to learn from him. Whether Meng Fan was willing to participate in the exchange and how much he would share was something the Japanese team couldn't predict.

"I'll follow the center's arrangements and adjust my schedule. But I can't guarantee the full seven days."

Meng Fan had no reason to refuse such an arrangement. The biggest beneficiary would be Chinese judo.

After finishing Xiao Yunlin's message, Dean Zhan and Meng Fan chatted casually. Among other things, Dean Zhan mentioned that the Zhejiang weightlifting team had received a huge sponsorship a few days ago—the largest in its history. The sponsorship was enough to replace all the team's equipment and cover a full year of training and activities. The reason, of course, was inseparable from Meng Fan.

Similarly, the Zhejiang wrestling and judo teams had also received record-high sponsorships thanks to Meng Fan. At this Olympics, Zhejiang Province had won the most gold medals, and afterward, it received the most sponsorships nationwide.

Part of these sponsorships was aimed at Meng Fan because next year would be the National Games, where Meng Fan would represent Zhejiang. The economic effect of the sponsorship was obvious—though not comparable to endorsements, it was still worthwhile. Even if Meng Fan didn't compete, it wouldn't be a huge loss, as Zhejiang still had many champion athletes.

"How long are you planning to train? Are you free tonight?"

After chatting for a while, Dean Zhan finally brought up the most important task of his visit. Stroking his mustache, he laughed heartily and said, "My wife said that you and I share a half-mentor, half-student bond. It's been so long, and we haven't had you over for a meal. That's not right. She asked me to see if you're free tonight. If so, come over for a simple dinner and get to know the place."

He laughed again, unable to hold it back. "Ah, what do you think? Being forced by my wife and kids to chase after a celebrity like this—it's rare, isn't it?"

Meng Fan understood and smiled. "If you put it that way, you're blaming me for being inconsiderate and not visiting sooner. What time? I'll definitely come!"

After training, Meng Fan went back, picked up some gifts, and not only went himself but also brought Wu Tong. He held Dean Zhan in high regard and took this visit seriously.

When they arrived, Junior Brother Xiao Shi and his wife were also there. The meal was warm and joyful.

It seemed everyone had been waiting for Meng Fan to finish his ad shoots. After Dean Zhan, others came knocking—some inviting him to events, some to personal shows, some to group shows with the national team, and some who couldn't wait for the one-month exclusivity period to end and launched a second wave of endorsement offers.

(End of chapter)