novelraw Chapter 31 BBK Advertising Slogans
Chapter 31 BBK Advertising Slogans
Li Zongming pushed the contract in front of Zheng Hui: "This endorsement fee includes the song licensing fee, because President Duan has another idea. He listened to the song 'I Believe' and plans to use it directly as a 'GG song'."
Zheng Hui picked up the contract and flipped through the terms.
"The music is fine." Zheng Hui closed the contract. "But what about the lyrics? Has President Duan come up with a plan?"
Li Zongming's face showed a complicated expression: "Yes, there is, but I think... how should I put it, it's a bit stiff."
Tell me about it.
"It roughly means: BBK repeater, a great helper for learning English, with clear sound and accurate repeating, helping your English grades improve step by step."
Li Zongming shrugged: "It's standard, they explained all the functions, but I just can't remember them."
The repeater market in 1998 was a chaotic battleground for various brands. Subor, Smartda, and Wanxin were all vying for dominance. For BBK to break through the encirclement, besides CEO Duan's ability to establish distribution channels, GG (a term referring to a specific type of online language) was also crucial. BBK has since produced many memorable GG-related terms.
Zheng Hui immediately recalled the adorable little girl on television in his later years, and the line that was etched into his DNA.
"Do you have a pen?" Zheng Hui asked.
Li Zongming quickly took out a pen and a notepad from his bag and handed them over.
Zheng Hui uncapped the pen and wrote on the paper with the pen tip—"BBK Repeater, read whatever you don't understand, Mom no longer has to worry about my studies!"
After he finished writing, he pushed the notepad to Li Zongming.
Li Zongming looked down and said, "Read the parts you don't understand..."
"Wow! This wording is brilliant! The first half describes the function, and the second half directly hits the nail on the head with parents."
Who buys this stuff? Parents! What are parents afraid of? They're afraid their children aren't doing well in school and they can't tutor them.
The phrase "Mom doesn't need to worry anymore" is like a reassuring pill for parents!
Li Zongming grabbed the sticky note and tucked it into his notebook: "I'll call Boss Duan right now. If we use this phrase, this 'GG' will definitely go viral!"
……
The following day at noon, at the coffee shop of the Guangzhou Garden Hotel.
Mr. Duan was a straightforward person. The moment he saw Zheng Hui, he firmly grasped Zheng Hui's hand.
"Brother Zheng, that's a stroke of genius! Yesterday, Old Li read that 'GG' phrase to me, and I slammed my fist on the table. This is it! Simple, catchy, and auspicious!"
Mr. Duan took a check out of his briefcase and slammed it on the table.
"This is 500,000, not included in the endorsement fee, but as the creative fee for this 'GG' word, and also the performance fee for you to help us shoot a 'GG' video."
Zheng Hui glanced at the zero on the check, didn't refuse, and accepted it: "Mr. Duan is so generous. When do we place the order?"
"There's no time like the present. I've already set up the film studio, it's right over at the Pearl River Film Studio. Let's go there after we finish eating."
Two o'clock in the afternoon, Studio No. 3 of the Pearl River Film Studio.
The lighting is very bright, and the background is a blue cloth. In post-production, it will be composited to create the background of a study or classroom.
Zheng Hui changed into a T-shirt and jeans. This outfit made him look like a vibrant high school student.
The prop master handed over a silver-gray BBK repeater.
"Mr. Zheng, clip this to your belt."
Zheng Hui did as instructed, clipping the tape recorder to his belt and casually hanging the earphones around his neck.
The on-site director shouted through a megaphone: "Attention all departments, Mr. Zheng, in a moment you will be walking towards the camera and singing the climax of 'I Believe'."
Smile, be confident, feel like you're in control of the future. Reach the designated spot, stop, pick up the tape recorder, and recite that line. Understand?
"Understood." Zheng Hui nodded.
"Alright, camera ready! Lights! 3, 2, 1, Action!"
As the music started, Zheng Hui began to walk.
"I believe in who I am, I believe in tomorrow..."
As he sang, he exuded youthful vigor and spirit in front of the camera. This kind of performance was no challenge for him; it's simply his current persona.
The music suddenly stopped when we reached the designated spot.
Zheng Hui picked up the language repeater from his waist with his right hand, tapped a button on the machine with his left index finger, and with a bright smile on his face, spoke clearly and distinctly to the camera:
"The BBK repeater lets me read whatever I don't understand, so Mom doesn't have to worry about my studies anymore!"
"Cut!" the director yelled. "Perfect! One take!"
Zheng Hui breathed a sigh of relief and stood there waiting.
As Zheng Hui watched the director replay the footage on the monitor and direct the lighting technician to adjust the fill light positions, his knowledge about directing involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
The zoom in/out motion was a little too slow; if it were half a second faster, the impact would have been stronger. Also, the top lighting should have had a diffuser added to make the skin tones look more translucent.
But he swallowed those words; today he was an actor, not a director. To boss someone around in their own territory was a major taboo.
Taking the money and doing a good job—that's professional ethics. Once I've made enough money and finished with the album and GG projects, I'll gather a film crew and make a movie to satisfy my craving.
The filming went smoothly. Two hours later, Zheng Hui removed her makeup and got into Li Zongming's car.
……
Three days later, Li Zongming knocked on Zheng Hui's door again.
This time, his smile was even brighter than before, and he was carrying two bottles of Coke.
It's neither the red Coca-Cola nor the blue Pepsi.
The bottle is printed with red background and white lettering – Very Cola.
"Try it." Li Zongming twisted open a bottle and handed it to Zheng Hui, then opened one for himself. Before drinking, he said, "It's supposedly China's own cola."
Zheng Hui took a sip; it was sweeter than Pepsi and Coca-Cola, with a hint of Chinese medicine in the aftertaste. In 1998, to replicate the taste to this extent was not just good, it was amazing.
"It's a product under Wahaha. They just launched a new product this year, and their public relations strategy is to drive foreign cola out of the rural market in China. A couple of days ago, I specifically took your information and the sales data of the tapes to their marketing department and talked to them for a whole afternoon."
"I explained to them that the main consumers of Coca-Cola are young people and students, and you are now the spiritual leader of this group."
Your image is both passionate and righteous, which perfectly aligns with the national brand image they want to create. That's why they sent their interest today.
Zheng Hui had to admire Li Zongming's foresight and decisiveness: "How much did they ask for?"
"800,000 a year, for a two-year contract. This price is definitely top-tier among mainland brands."
But money is secondary; what I value is their distribution network—a network that can reach every village shop in China.
"Yes," Zheng Hui quickly replied. "Who sells carbonated drinks?"
He sells to energetic students and young people, which overlaps 100% with his fan base.
Thanks to Wahaha's extensive distribution channels, his face and name will be imprinted in the minds of every teenager in remote towns along with this bottle of cola.
Zheng Hui put down the bottle: "Just the photoshoots for print and television are ruined?"
Li Zongming was prepared. He pulled out a letter of intent from his briefcase and slammed it on the table: "They also want a GG song. Boss Zong thinks the lyrics of 'Stubborn' are a perfect match for their publicity campaign to challenge the dominance of foreign Coca-Cola. They want to buy the license."
Zheng Hui shook his head: "Stubbornness is not suitable for selling Coca-Cola. Drinking Coca-Cola is for enjoyment and happiness. Stubbornness is too heavy."
He stood up, walked to his desk, picked up his guitar, and strummed a couple of notes.
I'll write one for them.
Li Zongming's eyes lit up: "Write it now?"
"I already had it in my head." Zheng Hui put down his guitar, picked up a pen, and started writing on a piece of paper.
This song was Will Pan's breakthrough hit in his previous life; it was a hip-hop anthem of the new millennium. In 1998, this style of music was absolutely explosive.
"Happy Worship".
The music is upbeat, the lyrics are catchy, and it's all about youth, fashion, and happiness.
Half an hour later, Zheng Hui slammed the completed lyrics and music score onto the table.
"Take a look first."
Although Li Zongming wasn't a professional musician, he still had basic appreciation skills. He looked at the lyrics, hummed the melody, and his toes unconsciously tapped the ground in rhythm.
"Those who have forgotten their names, please follow me. Now, let us worship happiness..."
"That's interesting." Li Zongming put down the sheet music. "The rhythm is so strong, the tune is stuck in my head after just one listen. But, are there female vocals in the lyrics?"
"Yes, this song needs to be a duet between a man and a woman, and it also needs to include rap. I'll be in charge of the rap and the male vocals, and we need to find a female voice, one with a strong, penetrating quality."
"There are quite a few female singers in Guangzhou. Can I get in touch with a few for you?"
"No need, I have someone ready." The image of that legendary duo appeared in Zheng Hui's mind.
At this point in time, they should still be performing in nightclubs in Shenzhen.
"Don't rush to give this song to Wahaha." Zheng Hui took out an envelope from the drawer, made a copy of the sheet music, put it in, and sealed it with glue.
He wrote his name and address on the envelope.
"Let's go to the post office."
"What?" Li Zongming asked, puzzled.
"Send a registered letter to myself." Zheng Hui waved the envelope in his hand: "Copyright protection. The postmark from the post office has legal effect. Before the official copyright certificate is issued, this is the irrefutable proof that I own the copyright to this song."
Wahaha is a big company with many people involved. If someone tries anything funny, we need to have a backup plan.
Li Zongming looked at Zheng Hui and nodded, greatly admiring Zheng Hui's cautious and prudent work attitude.