Chapter 54: The Absurd Advertising Plan

Mighty Bull Group.

Manager Chen gave a detailed report on the recent negotiations with Yu Zhile.

“They refuse to sell the song? They want a bundled endorsement? And now there’s something called a song licensing and naming fee?”

“How interesting. So, he approached us about endorsing our yogurt drink just to go up against Tianyou Yogurt!”

“Incredible! He’s actually asking for double the fee of a top-tier celebrity! If we agree to his terms, the endorsement and song naming fee will come to twenty or thirty million yuan a year!”

Manager Chen continued, “If the song really becomes a hit, it’s equivalent to buying an ad for several tens of millions. The price is outrageous, yes, but there’s no precedent for this kind of bundled endorsement with a celebrity and a song, so we have nothing to compare it to.”

General Manager Yang asked, “What’s our current rate for a top celebrity endorsement for our pure milk this year?”

Manager Chen replied, “A popular top-tier celebrity, two-year contract, twenty-six million yuan. So, if we decide to work with them, the endorsement plus song naming fee would have to go up to at least fifty million!”

General Manager Yang nodded. “What I’m curious about is what’s so special about his advertising proposal that he’s worried we might steal it just by looking?”

Manager Chen said, “He told me, if we choose to cooperate and sign the contract, he’ll present us with the advertising proposal.”

General Manager Yang thought for a moment and said, “Since he’s so confident, why not take a gamble and see how it goes?”

Manager Chen was taken aback, and the other executives were also confused, quickly voicing their opinions.

“General Manager Yang, this Qin Haiyu is just a popular singer who came out of a talent show. At first-tier celebrity prices, we might as well spend the money on a top actress with more traffic!”

“If we were buying both the endorsement and the song’s copyright, maybe, but this is just song licensing and naming. I don’t think it’s worth spending so much on a singer who isn’t even up to second-tier celebrity status.”

Manager Chen remained silent. General Manager Yang said in a low voice, “We’ve invested at least three or four hundred million in advertising this year, right? But compared to previous years, there’s been no significant increase in sales. That means either our market is saturated, or our advertising investments aren’t translating into sales.”

“With all these billions spent already, a few tens of millions more won’t make a difference. This kind of bundled singer and song endorsement is something I’ve never heard of; maybe trying it will bring unexpected returns.”

“And I really want to see what’s so special about his advertising proposal. If it’s really as good as he says, the proposal alone could be worth tens of millions!”

Manager Chen asked, “So, General Manager Yang, you’re confirming we’ll cooperate and let Qin Haiyu endorse our yogurt drink?”

“Yes,” Yang responded with some anticipation.

...

A short while later, Manager Chen informed Yu Zhile of their decision, finalizing the endorsement fee and song licensing and naming fee for Qin Haiyu.

“Wife! It’s done! Manager Chen will come over tomorrow to sign the contract!” Yu Zhile said with a grin.

“Guess how much the endorsement and song naming fee came to?” he asked.

“It’s a two-year endorsement, right?” Qin Haiyu inquired.

“Yes!” Yu Zhile replied.

“Twenty million in total?” Qin Haiyu guessed.

Yu Zhile chuckled, “Wife, are you underestimating yourself or your husband with that twenty million?”

Qin Haiyu guessed again, “Then thirty million?”

That was already equivalent to what some superstars might receive.

“Too low! Try again!” Yu Zhile encouraged.

Qin Haiyu was stunned. “Thirty million is still too little? Are you teasing me? My current endorsement fee would be exaggerated at ten million for two years! And the song naming fee can't possibly be higher than a top celebrity’s endorsement, right?”

Yu Zhile explained, “You may not be a top-tier singer, but the popularity of your song far surpasses those top singers! So your endorsement fee has to be on par with a typical top-tier celebrity. As for my song, it naturally deserves the same.”

Qin Haiyu analyzed, “Top celebrities' endorsement fees are typically over ten million a year. If we count as two top celebrities, that’s twenty million a year, forty million for two years at most. Could they really offer forty million?”

Yu Zhile stopped keeping it a secret, “Perhaps they believe this kind of endorsement will be even more effective than a regular top celebrity. So after some negotiation, the endorsement and song naming fee combined came to fifty-one million!”

“Fifty-one million?” Qin Haiyu was dumbfounded.

Fifty-one million for two years! Was it really so easy to make money now?

She had accepted endorsement deals before, and the most she’d ever gotten was seven million for two years!

Now, with one song added, her fee had multiplied by seven!

Yu Zhile, on the other hand, was calm—likely because he’d seen many sky-high endorsement deals. In his experience, there were several international superstars whose endorsement fees went over a hundred million for two or three years, so he said serenely, “It may seem outrageous to others, but I think we’re actually giving the Mighty Bull Group a bargain.”

“If I’d pushed for more, we’d have ended up with nothing; not only would we scare them off, but they’d think we were greedy to the point of madness.”

Qin Haiyu nodded repeatedly. “They’re already showing us great respect by offering such a high fee! I just hope they don’t back out at the last minute, like Tianyou Yogurt did.”

Yu Zhile reassured her, “Don’t worry, they won’t. Even if they do, we can always cooperate with Yili Yogurt! And as for their financial strength, fifty-one million is nothing—they spend that much sponsoring a single high-profile variety show for one season. I believe they’re willing to take a chance on something new.”

“I’ll call Lingling!” Qin Haiyu quickly phoned Xu Ling, asking her to prepare for the contract signing the next day.

When Xu Ling heard that the endorsement and song naming fee totaled fifty-one million, she was speechless with shock.

“Fifty-one million?” she exclaimed. “Are they crazy or just too rich? What justifies paying you two such a high fee?”

Qin Haiyu replied, “I don’t know why it’s so high either. Maybe because they think my husband’s song is equivalent to an ad worth tens of millions?”

Xu Ling agreed, “That’s probably the only explanation! If it were just you, a ten-million fee would already be a godsend!”

Qin Haiyu huffed, “What do you mean, ‘a ten-million fee would be a godsend’? With my current popularity, there’d be countless brands fighting to pay me ten million a year, believe it or not!”

Xu Ling laughed, “Wake up! Since you started considering endorsements, not a single offer has gone over eight million! Ten million? Pfft!”

“Ouch…” Qin Haiyu sighed. When she debuted through a reality show, she was more famous than her songs; now, after her comeback, she was the classic case of her song being more famous than herself!

After hanging up with Xu Ling, Yu Zhile grumbled beside her, “That’s too much! Xu Ling really knows how to hurt my wife’s feelings!”

He moved closer, reaching out tenderly, “Don’t cry, honey. I’ll give you a massage so your heart won’t hurt anymore.”

Qin Haiyu burst out laughing, patting his hand in mock annoyance. “Stop it, or you’ll get milk all over your clothes again!”

Copying her tone, Yu Zhile pouted, “No, I want to play!”

Qin Haiyu, amused, said, “Alright, while the baby’s still asleep, I need a nap to catch up on my sleep!”

“Perfect, I need a nap too!” Yu Zhile scooped her up and carried her to the bedroom. Qin Haiyu thought he was up to mischief again, but this time, it really was just a nap.

...

The next afternoon.

Manager Chen actually came over to sign the contract. Once everything was finalized, Yu Zhile said, “I’ll send you the ad proposal once you get back. By the way, I forgot to mention one condition.”

Manager Chen narrowed his eyes. “What condition?”

Yu Zhile replied, “It’s nothing unreasonable. During our partnership, I’d like you to sponsor one national chess tournament each year—not a large-scale one, just something at the county level. It’s basically a public service ad, but if you find it troublesome, just ignore me. If I organize it myself, and you’re interested, I can offer you the naming rights at a discount.”

“…”

Manager Chen suddenly felt he’d fallen into a trap and smiled wryly. “I’ll discuss it with General Manager Yang when I get back. If he’s interested, sponsoring one small tournament a year is nothing.”

Yu Zhile shook hands politely. “Great, then here’s to a successful partnership! May you crush Tianyou Yogurt and dominate the yogurt market!”

“Thank you for your kind words!” Manager Chen smiled. Even now, she felt a bit shocked and amazed.

She hadn’t expected Qin Haiyu’s husband to be so young, and so handsome!

She had assumed Yu Zhile would either be a greasy middle-aged man or a sloppy couch potato.

The reality was nothing like she’d imagined.

Watching Yu Zhile leave, she finally drew her gaze back and prepared to report back.

When Yu Zhile got home, he quickly sent the ad proposal to Manager Chen. The proposal was actually quite simple; he’d just adapted the classic “Sweet and Sour, That’s Me” yogurt commercial from his memory.

The script started with Qin Haiyu wearing headphones, singing “Sweet and Sour, That’s Me” completely off-key, making the onlookers laugh. Then she takes a sip of Mighty Bull Yogurt Drink, takes off her headphones, and sings the chorus beautifully and sweetly. Finally, she holds up the yogurt and delivers the slogan: “Sweet and Sour, That’s Me.”

Reading the proposal, Manager Chen felt a pang—not the sourness of yogurt, but the envy of someone fed up with other people’s happiness.

She was actually jealous of Qin Haiyu, who had such a talented and handsome husband.

At first glance, the commercial’s storyline seemed a bit silly, even awkward, but the sequence of singing out of tune, being laughed at, then drinking yogurt and turning the tables was oddly satisfying!

This kind of quirky commercial, surprisingly, was quite fresh and different.

Suddenly, she thought that with this song and this silly ad, they really could take the country by storm and make it into a nationwide earworm.