Chapter 509: Wanshang's Sporting Ambition

The aftershocks of the Wenchuan earthquake still linger in our hearts, and the Olympic torch in Beijing has already ignited the nation's enthusiasm.

June 18, Shenzhen.

Li Yaozong sits in the conference room, and the projection screen before him is playing footage of the Olympic torch relay.

The torch has just reached the summit of Everest, and the television repeatedly replays that thrilling moment— a Tibetan female torchbearer holding the torch, standing at the top of the world, the flame dancing in the thin air.

The head of the publicity department, Fang Wenshan, sits to his left, holding a thick stack of planning documents. Fang Wenshan is forty‑two, has done fifteen years of brand promotion, and always wears an inscrutable smile.

"General Manager Li," Fang Wenshan begins, "the Olympics are approaching; we need to get moving."

Li Yaozong nods.

"Tell me your ideas."

Fang Wenshan stands up, walks to the projection screen, and pulls up a PowerPoint slide.

"The Olympics are the world's biggest stage. Over a hundred years of history, more than two hundred countries and regions participate, and tens of billions watch. This level of exposure cannot be bought with any amount of money."

He circles several keywords on the slide: apparel, automobiles, mobile phones, media.

"What we can do isn't limited to sponsorship."

"First line: apparel." Fang Wenshan points at the sportswear illustration on the slide. "Wanshang Clothing can establish a separate sports brand called 'Wanshang Sports.' It would specialize in designing and producing sports apparel, shoes, and equipment."

He pauses.

"During the Olympics we can sponsor a few teams. Not aiming for scale, but for precision. For example, the gymnastics team, the table‑tennis team, the diving team—these are our traditional strengths, attract high attention, and present a positive image."

Li Yaozong looks at the design, predominantly white with red stripes, the chest bearing the Fenghuang logo.

"Who will do the design?"

"I have already contacted two professors from the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts and a designer who just returned from Italy," Fang Wenshan says. "They are willing to take the job."

Li Yaozong nods.

"Continue."

"Second line: incentives." Fang Wenshan brings up another slide.

The slide shows a table listing various incentive schemes.

"We can promise that any Chinese athlete who wins a place at the Olympics will receive a Fenghuang Phone. Gold, silver, and bronze medals will be rewarded with automobiles of different price ranges."

Li Yaozong looks at the table.

Gold: Fenghuang flagship sedan, market price 250,000.

Silver: Fenghuang mid‑size sedan, market price 150,000.

Bronze: Fenghuang economy sedan, market price 80,000.

"What is the budget for this plan?"

Fang Wenshan flips through his notebook.

"Based on the results of the last Olympics, we'd need to give out roughly thirty golds, twenty silvers, and twenty bronzes. With cars and phones included, the total budget is about fifteen million."

He pauses.

"But that money isn't wasted. Every athlete who receives the reward becomes our spokesperson. The media will report, the public will discuss, and the brand image will instantly take off."

Li Yaozong thinks for a moment.

"This plan works."

Fang Wenshan is about to continue when the door is pushed open.

Lin Jiawen walks in, holding a document.

"General Manager Li, there's something."

Li Yaozong gestures for him to speak.

"People from the Asian Games Committee have arrived," Lin Jiawen says. "They want to discuss sponsorship. For the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, they hope we can become the principal sponsor."

The conference room falls silent for a second.

Fang Wenshan's eyes light up.

"The Asian Games? That's even closer than the Olympics. It's right at our doorstep."

Li Yaozong takes the document and flips through it.

Sponsorship amount: 150 million.

Sponsorship rights: use of the principal sponsor logo, venue advertising space, naming rights for broadcast, athlete reception vehicles…

He finishes reading and puts the document down.

"Why did they approach us?"

Lin Jiawen smiles.

"Because we have money, reputation, and products. Fenghuang automobiles, Fenghuang phones, Wanshang clothing—they all need them."

Li Yaozong remains silent for a few seconds.

"What do you think?"

Lin Jiawen thinks for a moment.

"The Olympics are a short‑term burst; the Asian Games are a long‑term layout. The Olympics are this year, the Asian Games are two years away. Doing both will compound the effect."

Fang Wenshan interjects from the side.

"General Manager Li, I have an idea."

"Go ahead."

"We could create a 'Fenghuang Olympic Cheer Squad.'" Fang Wenshan's pace quickens. "Organize a group of consumers to go to Beijing to watch the Olympics. Stay in our hotels, ride our cars, use our phones. Live‑stream all the way, post to Moments continuously, and keep scrolling Fenghuang Chat."

He gestures in the air.

"That's immersive marketing. Letting consumers experience it firsthand works better than any advertisement."

Li Yaozong watches him.

"What about the budget?"

"About three million, roughly," Fang Wenshan said, "Select a hundred people, all expenses covered—food, lodging, tickets. They must be active users of Fenghuang Chat and can promote us online."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"We can do it."

Fang Wenshan flipped to the next slide of the PPT.

"Item four: event sponsorship," he said, pointing to the list of competitions on the screen. "Olympics, Asian Games, National Games, Grand Games… In the next five years, domestic sports events will increase steadily. We can plan ahead and miss none."

He looked at Li Yaozong.

"Director Li, I suggest setting up a dedicated sports marketing department. Start with two or three people, then expand gradually. It will focus on all events, sponsor when appropriate, cooperate when needed."

Li Yaozong thought for a moment.

"Fine. You find the people."

The door opened again.

This time, Zhou Ye entered.

"Director Li, I have something to report to you."

Li Yaozong gestured for him to speak.

"There are many people on Fenghuang Chat discussing the Olympics now," Zhou Ye said. "Some are posting photos of the torch relay, some are arranging to watch the games together, and some are debating which events have a chance at gold."

He paused.

"Can we create an Olympic special? Aggregate all related content for users to view easily. Also run a prize‑guessing game—guess the number of gold medals, guess the champion, and give a phone to correct answers."

Li Yaozong looked at Fang Wenshan.

Fang Wenshan nodded.

"Good idea. Combining online and offline will double the effect."

Li Yaozong looked at Zhou Ye.

"Can it be implemented technically?"

Zhou Ye nodded.

"Yes. It can go live in a week."

"Then let's do it."

The conference room fell silent for a few seconds.

Fang Wenshan closed his laptop.

"Director Li, I'll compile today's points into a proposal when I get back. I'll have you review it next Monday."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"One more thing," he said, looking at Fang Wenshan. "The Wanshang Sports brand needs to be registered quickly. Apparel and shoes must be ready before the Olympics; at least we need samples."

Fang Wenshan nodded.

"It's already in process. The factory in Guangzhou can produce the first batch of samples next month."

Li Yaozong stood up and walked to the window.

Outside, Shenzhen's summer was in full swing. Sunlight made the buildings gleam, and traffic on Shen Nan Avenue flowed like an endless river.

"The Olympics are approaching," he said. "This is our chance."

He turned around.

"But not for profit."

He looked at the people seated.

"It's to let the world know that China has Wanshang, and Wanshang has Fenghuang. Fenghuang Phone, Wanshang Cars, Wanshang Clothing, Wanshang Sports… all made in China."

He paused.

"That's what we want."

After the meeting adjourned, Fang Wenshan stayed behind.

He walked up to Li Yaozong.

"Director Li, there's another matter."

"Go ahead."

"Regarding the Asian Games, if we become the main sponsor, we need to start preparations. Venue advertising, athlete reception, event vehicles, opening‑ceremony formations… a whole lot of tasks."

He looked at Li Yaozong.

"We have to start a year in advance."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"You take charge. If you need people, pull them from other departments."

Fang Wenshan responded with a nod and turned to leave.

At three p. m., Li Yaozong went to the Nanshan R&D Center.

Building 8, Video Technology Department.

Zhou Ye was leading a meeting with a group, and the projected screen displayed an Olympic special interface design. Seeing Li Yaozong enter, he gestured for the meeting to continue.

Li Yaozong stood at the back, watching the screen.

The interface had five sections: Event Preview, Gold Medal Ranking, Highlights, Prize Guessing, and Cheer Squad Registration.

After Zhou Ye finished speaking, he walked over.

"Director Li, what do you think of this design?"

Li Yaozong looked it over once.

"Looks good. For the guessing part, what's the prize?"

"Fenghuang Phone," Zhou Ye said, "draw ten each day, and those who guess correctly all have a chance."

Li Yaozong nodded.

"Is the budget enough?"

Zhou Ye smiled.

"Enough. The phones we produce ourselves, at cost price."

At six p. m., Li Yaozong returned to the office.

On the desk lay a report that had just been delivered.

It was sent by Fang Wenshan.

Title: Wanxiang Group Sports Marketing Preliminary Plan.

He opened it and looked.

Item one: Establish the Wanshang Sports Brand, focusing on sports apparel, sports shoes, and sports equipment.

Item two: Olympic Games reward plan, gold medals receive Fenghuang flagship sedans, silver medals receive Fenghuang mid-size sedans, bronze medals receive Fenghuang economy sedans, and all medal-winning athletes are given Fenghuang Phones.

Item three: Wanshang Olympics cheering team, recruiting one hundred users to go to Beijing to watch the games.

Item four: Event sponsorship plan, including the Asian Games, National Games, and Grand Games, etc.

Item five: Fenghuang Chat Olympics special, aggregating related content, launching prize-guessing contests.

Item six: Budget summary, totaling approximately 230 million.

After reading, he signed his name on the last page:

"Agreed. Li Yaozong."

The next morning, the Wanxiang Group intranet homepage changed to a new picture.

Red background, white large characters:

"Wanshang supports the Olympics—letting the world see China"

Below are several pinned messages:

"Wanxiang Group officially launches the Olympics cheering plan"

"Gold medals reward Fenghuang flagship sedans, silver medals Fenghuang mid-size sedans, bronze medals Fenghuang economy sedans"

"Wanshang Sports Brand established, first batch of products will soon be launched"

"Fenghuang Chat Olympics special is online, prize-guessing awaits you"

Ten minutes after the message was posted, the comment section was flooded with hundreds of entries.

"Gold medals give cars? Awesome!"

"Wanshang is mighty!"

"I want to guess, what if I win?"

"Is there anyone to sign up for the cheering team together?"

At noon, the cafeteria was once again filled with people.

The television was broadcasting Olympic news. In the footage, the torch was being passed through Shanghai, crowds packed the streets, and cheers roared.

A young worker held a tray, watching the TV, muttering.

"If our China wins a gold medal, can they give a car?"

The woman beside him nodded.

"It was said online, gold medals give Wanxiang flagship sedans, over 200,000."

The young worker's eyes lit up.

"Then I must closely follow the Olympics."

The woman smiled.

"What's the point of you following? You can't win a gold medal anyway."

The young worker scratched his head.

"I can guess. If I'm right, I also get a phone."

At two p. m., Fang Wenshan called from Guangzhou on the Telephone.

"President Li, the sample has been made."

Li Yaozong held the Telephone.

"How is it?"

"Quite good," Fang Wenshan said, "The designer saw it and said it's acceptable. I had someone take a few photos and send them to your phone."

Li Yaozong opened his phone and tapped the photos.

The first picture showed a set of white sports apparel, with a Fenghuang logo embroidered on the chest and red stripes on the cuffs.

The second picture was a pair of sports shoes, also white with red, the soles looking very soft.

The third picture was a sports bag, black, with a Fenghuang logo on the side.

He looked at them for a long time.

Then he sent Fang Wenshan a message:

"Okay. Mass production."

At eight p. m., Li Yaozong was the last to leave the office.

Walking to the door, he stopped, turned back for a glance.

On the desk lay the signed plan.

On the wall hung a map, a map of China, with a tiny red mark on the Sichuan region.

He recalled that afternoon a month ago.

When the news of the earthquake arrived, everyone was crying.

Now, the Olympics have come.

Rebuilding on the ruins, moving forward amid the pain.

This is China.

They turned off the light and walked out the door.

In the distance, the neon lights of Wanshang City flickered in the night.

They took out their phone and sent a message to Fang Wenshan:

"Starting tomorrow, go all out."

Then they put the phone away and walked into the night.