Chapter 53: And This Isn’t Even Asking for the Moon?

After receiving the song from Yu Zhile, Manager Chen looked at the lyrics file, then put on her headphones to listen. She was curious why Yu Zhile had contacted them with such confidence yesterday, wanting to represent their brand of sour yogurt, and even claimed that if there were an opportunity to seize the yogurt market, they certainly wouldn't let it slip by.

Apparently, this opportunity was the very song she'd just received.

She listened, reading through the lyrics, and found the tune surprisingly catchy and easy to remember. When the chorus began, she realized it was indeed a song specifically crafted to endorse sour yogurt.

"Sour and sweet—just like me?" The title fit the theme perfectly.

A celebrity endorsement combined with a song might really be worth a try—perhaps it could achieve unexpected advertising results. But soon she noticed a potential issue and called Yu Zhile, asking, "Would it be inappropriate for your wife to sing this song?"

The song seemed ideally suited for a teenage girl, and while Qin Haiyu was still young, she was already a wife and mother. It felt a bit odd for her to sing it.

Yu Zhile replied, "When you listen to the song, do you sense the youthful energy?"

Manager Chen said, "It does sound very youthful, but since yogurt targets young consumers, even celebrity endorsements are best chosen among young stars."

Yu Zhile insisted, "My wife is quite young, and her fanbase consists mostly of young people."

Manager Chen clarified, "Um…by young, I mean teenagers, those in middle and high school."

Yu Zhile responded, "Exactly! The largest portion of my wife's fans are middle and high school students. 'Little Luck' is a campus song, beloved by students in those age groups. 'Sakura Grass' and 'Afterwards' are also popular in schools. Her fans match your target consumers perfectly."

Hearing this, Manager Chen suddenly realized he had a point. Qin Haiyu, though married and a mother, was only twenty-five. With her petite stature and sweet appearance, she looked just like a charming young girl. In this light, having Qin Haiyu as the spokesperson wouldn't seem out of place at all.

Manager Chen pondered for a moment and said, "Alright, I'll discuss it with the higher-ups and get back to you once we have a decision."

Yu Zhile added, "I've also prepared a flawless advertising plan. If you think the song is nothing special and decide not to cooperate, we'll choose to work with Yili Yogurt instead."

Manager Chen asked curiously, "Why Yili Yogurt and not Tianyou Yogurt?"

In terms of strength, Tianyou Group was far superior to Yili.

Yu Zhile explained, "Tianyou Yogurt initially approached my wife for an endorsement and agreed to all the terms, but in the end, they went back on their word. So, I’ll look for a partnership among their two main competitors, to show them that a lack of integrity comes at a price."

"And that price," he continued, "will be their cherished yogurt market, taken away by their rivals."

Manager Chen was surprised. "Mr. Yu, do you truly believe this song and your wife's endorsement can achieve such impressive advertising results?"

Yu Zhile replied, "It’s not just the song and the endorsement—there’s an advertising plan you’ll be absolutely satisfied with!"

Manager Chen pressed, "Could you let us see the advertising plan?"

"Absolutely not," Yu Zhile chuckled. "If you see it and decide not to work with us, and then use my plan anyway, who would I turn to for justice?"

Manager Chen stated firmly, "We're a major corporation. We would never stoop to such shameless acts, as our brand reputation is at stake."

Yu Zhile laughed. "In reality, the bigger the corporation, the more shameless it can be!"

Manager Chen replied awkwardly, "Uh…alright, I’ll discuss it with the upper management and contact you once we have a concrete answer."

After hanging up, Yu Zhile left his study and went downstairs.

Qin Haiyu was gently rocking the baby's crib and asked, "Honey, do you really think they'll agree to let me be their spokesperson?"

"There's a ninety-nine percent chance," Yu Zhile said. "Their milk ads spend billions each year on promotion. Spending tens of millions for you to endorse them for two or three years is nothing."

Qin Haiyu was astonished. "Tens of millions? Is my endorsement really worth that much?"

Yu Zhile replied, "Of course not! But the naming rights for the song are expensive!"

Qin Haiyu looked at him with utter disdain.

Yu Zhile laughed at her expression. "Darling, don't look at me like that! I'm just telling the truth. Your songs are more famous than you now, so compared to you, the song is even more valuable."

Her husband made a convincing point, and Qin Haiyu was suddenly speechless.

Soon after, Manager Chen called back. "Mr. Yu, about the music copyright—"

Before she could finish, Yu Zhile interrupted, "Sorry, the copyright is not for sale."

Manager Chen pressed, "You can name your price."

Yu Zhile replied seriously, "I told you before, the reason I contacted you for my wife to endorse your sour yogurt is because of Tianyou Yogurt. If you now want to buy the music copyright, meaning you don’t want my wife to be your spokesperson, then there's no point in continuing negotiations."

"Wait! That’s not what we meant!" Manager Chen quickly explained. "Having your wife endorse the product is fine. What I meant is that we hope to buy the song as the theme for Mengniu Sour Yogurt’s advertising campaign."

Yu Zhile responded sternly, "That won’t work either. The song and the person are bound together—however long the endorsement lasts, that's how long the song is licensed to you. I don’t want to sell you the song only for it to be exploited to the point it loses its commercial value and becomes disliked."

Manager Chen hesitated. "We're only using it for promotion, not to ruin it."

Yu Zhile replied, "As long as my wife endorses your product, the song can naturally be licensed and named for your advertising campaign. Isn’t that more cost-effective than buying the copyright outright?"

Manager Chen asked, "Could you send us the advertising plan you mentioned?"

Yu Zhile answered, "Once you've signed the endorsement contract and the song licensing agreement, I'll deliver the advertising plan directly to you."

Manager Chen continued, "How would you calculate the endorsement and song licensing fees?"

Yu Zhile had thought it through. "Add the endorsement fee and the song naming rights together, and just double the usual fee for a top-tier celebrity endorsement. The fee is high, but I’m not asking for anything you can’t accept."

Manager Chen almost laughed. Was this not asking for too much? Even at her peak, Qin Haiyu's fame wasn't on par with first-tier stars. Now he was asking for top-tier prices? And the song naming fee was equal to the endorsement fee of a first-tier celebrity!

If this wasn’t asking for too much, what was?

Manager Chen replied with a wry smile, "Let us discuss it further."

"Of course, I'm in no hurry," Yu Zhile answered casually. Right now, he was fishing, waiting for the willing to take the bait.

And clearly, they had already taken it.