In this life, although Tingke and Heximeng were meeting for the first time, they were not strangers to each other.
Heximeng admired Tingke's design talent. The AJ series, designed by Tingke, was world-renowned and unmatched.
While appreciating Heximeng's design talent, Tingke also greatly admired his basketball talent.
The two talked so happily that Heximeng even forgot he had an appointment with Clark from the Operations Department.
It wasn't until Clark's assistant knocked on the door to remind Heximeng that he remembered.
"Brand Operations Department?" Tingke reacted immediately, "Are they going to ask you to endorse our basketball shoes?"
"Maybe!" Heximeng guessed. He didn't actually know the specific reason.
"That's great! When did Clark become so discerning?" Tingke and Clark, as usual, didn't get along.
"How about this, after you finish talking with Clark, come back to my place, and perhaps we can discuss a personalized series for you..."
"Thank you for your good wishes! However, I haven't even entered the league yet, nor have I proven my strength. Having my own personalized series is still too far off..."
"Design first, then execute! Let's talk design first. As for when it will be mass-produced... it could be long or short... that's a matter of commercial operation... nothing to do with us designers..."
Uh, what Tingke said seemed to be correct. Design is design, and mass production is mass production.
Many players have their own personalized series, with designs that are updated generation after generation. However, only the Air Jordan series has truly become an independent brand, selling well worldwide with every iteration.
That is the pinnacle of design and commercial operation! None other.
Heximeng didn't think too much about it. After bidding farewell to Tingke, he went to the floor of the Operations Department.
Clark, the head of the Brand Operations Department, received Heximeng in his office. Since Heximeng was a high school student who emerged from the Nike Basketball Summit and had not participated in any other brand's basketball camps, he was considered a loyal member of the Nike company!
Under similar conditions, Nike would tend to choose Heximeng as its endorser.
Of course, the biggest difference between Heximeng and other players was that he brought the "China attribute" with him, backed by China, a super large market! This alone made Heximeng's future commercial value immeasurable.
Clark invited Heximeng to this meeting primarily to assess his interpersonal skills and his potential to become a commercial endorser! Simply put, to see if he had the aura of a commercial darling!
Don't underestimate aura. Many actors never become famous, not because they lack looks or acting skills, but because they lack aura! If the audience can't remember their image, how can they become popular?
There are also some actors with mediocre acting skills and looks who suddenly become incredibly famous... because they possess a unique aura that makes people unforgettable after just one glance...
The impression Heximeng left on Clark was one of mysterious aura!
Indescribable, unfathomable! If you were to say Heximeng was handsome, there were many Asian celebrities more handsome than him. However, in every gesture and movement, Heximeng exuded an aura of superiority... How to put it, this kind of aura, Clark had felt from his own top boss before...
But how could such an aura of superiority appear on a freshman player?
This made Clark utterly perplexed, and he could only define it as "mysterious"! A mysterious oriental boy!
The conversation proceeded in a pleasant and relaxed manner. Clark's main topics revolved around Heximeng's next steps, whether he would continue playing in the NCAA or prepare for the draft, which team he ideally wanted to join if he participated in the draft, and what plans Heximeng had for his future professional career...
These conventional venture capital questions might be quite difficult for a fledgling college student. However, for Heximeng, who had already immersed himself in the business world of Wall Street, every word he spoke hit the nail on the head for Clark, because he knew all the answers, and even knew more than Clark... If Clark had to give this meeting a score, it would probably be 100 points! Full marks.
No weaknesses, perfect! Heximeng was the superstar potential prospect that their Nike company needed to invest in!
As long as Heximeng could establish himself in the NBA, he would undoubtedly bring in a steady stream of US dollars for Nike in the future...
To put it this way, Heximeng's future status in the Chinese market was likely to be comparable to Michael Jordan's status in the US market...
When Clark included Heximeng's market value in his report to the board of directors, equating it to that of Jordan more than a decade ago, the board members all chuckled in a rather unseemly manner. They thought that Clark, who had always been somewhat impulsive, was once again getting carried away...
As a result, Tingke, who had always been at odds with Clark and who had never thought much of Clark's judgment, unexpectedly agreed with Clark's opinion this time!
Tingke said that if the company decided to sign Heximeng, he would be willing to design a personalized basketball shoe series for him. The design direction had already been confirmed with Heximeng, with inspiration drawn from the purest Chinese element: the Dynasty!
The "Xi Meng One," preliminarily named "Tang," would feature the imperial yellow color of the golden age, inspired by the most prosperous Tang Dynasty of ancient China...
When the board members heard Tingke's continuous descriptions, they were immediately baffled!
Isn't Heximeng a player? Why is he entangled with Tingke's shoe design department? What is this maneuver?
"In fact, if Heximeng didn't play basketball, he would be a top-tier shoe designer! I even had the idea of nurturing him into a rising star in our design department. It's a pity that his basketball talent also seems to be top-tier..." Tingke tried to explain to these old men in the most straightforward language why he had interacted with Heximeng.
Clark and Tingke, the heads of two major departments at Nike, both looked favorably upon this Chinese kid, Heximeng?
"Incredible!"
"Unbelievable!"
"Talent like this should be bound to our company's chariot as soon as possible..."
"Everything for the Chinese market..."
After deliberation by Nike's executive board, it was decided in principle to agree with Clark's opinion and sign Heximeng to Nike.
Of course, this was on the condition that the endorsement fee requested by Heximeng was not outrageous!
So, how much endorsement fee did Heximeng want?