Rebirth: My dad is too obedient

Chapter 547: The Petty Man's Triumph?

Xu Chen naturally kept the "designated vehicle for the Olympic Village" cooperation project in mind.

However, I've been quite anxious these past two days dealing with Xie Bingran's situation, so I haven't been paying attention to the progress of "Chenfeng Technology".

The collaboration on the "Olympic Village" was finalized beforehand, and in order to capitalize on the one-year countdown to the Olympics on August 8th, the plan was for the "Olympic Organizing Committee" to officially announce it on that day, with "Chenfeng Technology" providing public relations and communication support.

Unexpectedly, this matter was also affected by this wave of public opinion, and the official announcement was postponed.

Of course, compared to the losses from launching a new product like "U-Love-Me", it is almost negligible.

Hua Shaojie continued:

"I just spoke with Director Li Yue on the phone. He said he'll go back to the Organizing Committee tomorrow morning and ask the leaders for help."

I'll let Mr. Xu know first.

Xu Chen thought for a moment and then said:

"It's fine.

Postponing this matter for a few days won't have a significant impact. It's just a little regrettable that we missed the August 8th deadline, but it's not a major issue.

Director Li Yue is aware of the situation here, so it is appropriate for him to communicate with the Organizing Committee.

Don't worry, things will become clear in a few days.

Hua Shaojie paused:

"Mr. Xu, is there anything I can do to help with this?"

He was referring, of course, to Xie Bingran's matter.

When the incident first broke, Hua Shaojie and Nie Fei worked together to reach out to various media outlets and help delete some of the malicious articles.

Xu Chen thought for a moment:
"It's not needed for now. I'll call you when it comes to it later."

Hua Shaojie: "Okay, just call me anytime. 'Chenfeng Technology' is ready to serve you at any time."

Xu Chen did some thinking and realized that Hua Shaojie couldn't really be of much help at this stage.

However, when it comes to the actual dissemination and implementation, we will still need the cooperation of "Chenfeng Technology". In addition, we can also leverage the resources of Hua Shaojie's media channels.

However, overall, the main voices that followed were still from "Ranbing Sports".

After all, "Ranbing Sports" is Xie Bingran's own brand, while "Chenfeng Technology," like Jeep, Kunlun Mountain, and Louis Vuitton, is merely a brand that Xie Bingran endorses.

But when Xu Chen thought of "Kunlun Mountain", he couldn't help but laugh.

Gong Ming was eager to cut ties, giving up about a year's worth of commercial endorsement rights, which was truly a "brilliant" move.

Once Xie Bingran's image is repaired, she will likely be ridiculed again by her fans and netizens.

This kind of damage to the brand image is likely to be even greater.

A real "clown".

It's estimated that once the matter is finalized, Gong Ming, the "vice president," will find it difficult to maintain his position within the Jiaduobao Group.

This is the real "critical decision-making error".

……

In the past two days, besides those who came out to criticize, there are still a lot of people who "stand up" for Xie Bingran online, many of whom were fans of Bing Ge before.

For these "loyal fans," it is indeed necessary to clear Bing Ge's name and give them an explanation.

……

When Xu Chen returned to the hotel, it was already past ten o'clock at night.

My phone vibrated, but I received a message from Niu Xiaoli:

[Teacher Xu Chen, I apologize for disturbing you so late at night.]

I just received a notification that the expert group needs to meet at 9:00 AM tomorrow...

Xu Chen's heart skipped a beat. Had the leadership finally given a result regarding the two proposals he had submitted earlier?
However, considering the gold medal Chen Lan won today, the situation is still shrouded in gloom.

……

……

On the morning of the 9th, at the Sports Newspaper Headquarters, in the large conference room on the second floor.

All the "experts" have arrived and are waiting for the project leader, Professor Li Xu, to come over.

Xu Chen and Cheng Hong were originally sitting in the back row, but Peking University professor Li Guangwan called them to sit in the front.

The atmosphere in the meeting room was somewhat subdued.

Chen Lan's gold medal at the Asian Championships yesterday will have a significant impact on the projects being promoted by the "special working group".

The room was filled with true "experts" from various fields and organizations, and like Xu Chen, they all discerned the underlying strategy behind Chen Lan winning the gold medal.

Now that Chen Lan is completely in a difficult position, some of the original plans may no longer be usable.

While waiting for Director Li Xu to arrive, everyone smoked and drank tea, and there was still some discussion going on:

Did you see yesterday's promotional campaign?

So many articles, such a huge volume of voices...

I don't believe there wasn't some behind-the-scenes manipulation; they're practically praising Chen Lan to the skies!

"That's their goal."

Now it seems no wonder they acted with such impunity.

We've been waiting for this gold medal!
Once they get this gold medal, they'll have the ultimate authority.

……

Around 9:30, Li Xu finally arrived.

I apologized to everyone first, saying that I was "on the phone with my boss" and so on.

He cleared his throat and got straight to the point:

"The two proposals we submitted were reviewed and evaluated by the leadership yesterday morning..."

However, based on yesterday afternoon's match results, the organizers have reassessed the situation, so the plan still needs some adjustments.

Upon hearing this, everyone reacted with varying expressions, but ultimately, they all felt a sense of loss, which was in line with expectations.

Li Xu continued:

"We need to make adjustments based on 'Option 2'."

The general principles determined by the leadership are as follows:

The core goal and task is to repair the public opinion and reputation of world champion Xie Bingran and restore the truth to her.

But at the same time, we can't smear the Asian champions and other team members..."

As soon as the words were spoken, someone couldn't help but chime in:

"What do you mean by 'slinging mud'? They did it themselves..."

They even have CCTV footage!

"Yes, if we don't reveal the truth, how can we call it 'returning the truth to Xie Bingran'?"

"Without the exposure of the truth, Xie Bingran's statements will not be convincing."

Even if we devise a public relations statement, it will be taken as fake and won't solve the problem at all.

……

The experts chimed in, each offering their own perspective, all in perfect unison.

Li Xu looked troubled.

He waited until everyone had finished speaking before clearing his throat again:

"I am well aware of the difficulties that everyone is talking about, after all, I was a participant in the entire discussion of the plan."

"But if this weren't difficult, we wouldn't have invited all those experts and teachers; our two secretaries could have handled it." He paused.

"The task is bound to be arduous, but the leadership still believes in the capabilities and courage of our expert team!"

We will definitely complete this mission successfully!

After he finished speaking, the crowd fell silent, but some people still sighed repeatedly.

Li Xu smiled and then said:
"My supervisor also asked me to convey another message..."

All of you experts and teachers are leading figures in the field of news, public relations and communication.

Now that we've entered the Olympic year, both the General Administration of Sport and the Organizing Committee have a large number of news, public relations, and advertising-related projects and budgets.

The General Administration of Sport and the Organizing Committee also have a large number of projects to tender.

All the experts on our project team are definitely on the key invitation list for the project bidding!

The meaning is very clear: once this project is completed, there will be a real budget and orders, which will be presented to the experts present, as well as the news organizations, public relations companies, advertising companies, and so on.

This is a direct promise of benefits.

It seems that the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television and the higher-ups have really gone to great lengths and shown great sincerity.

As soon as Li Xu finished speaking, the expressions of all the experts and teachers present changed slightly.

Having subsequent procurement, budgets, and orders is one thing, but the attraction of being able to participate in the "08 Olympic Games" project is just too great.

The 08 Olympics was a once-in-a-lifetime event, and its appeal to the journalists, public relations professionals, and advertising professionals present was undeniable.

Even if the project itself doesn't generate much profit, being able to participate in the Olympics is enough to make an individual, organization, or company boast about it...

Seeing that the atmosphere had eased, Li Xu spoke again:

"The General Administration and the higher-ups made the decision after careful consideration, taking into account all aspects."

The most crucial point, which the leadership also asked me to convey to everyone, is:

Chen Lan is no longer just an Asian champion. Judging from her performance yesterday, she has a chance to stand on the final stage of next year's Olympic Games alongside Xie Bingran.

The significance of one athlete standing on the final stage versus two athletes standing on the final stage simultaneously is completely different for the national track and field team and even for the entire country!

Everyone here is an industry expert, and I think you can all understand the differences...

Therefore, we must also have a broad perspective and share the burdens of our leaders!

After thinking for a moment, Xu Chen understood what Li Xu meant by "difference".

If Xie Bingran were to reach the Olympic finals, she would likely be seen as a prodigy who had been born out of nowhere in China.

However, the fact that two athletes were competing in the Olympics at the same time points to the entire national track and field team's training system.

This demonstrates that China's athletics has truly risen to prominence, having already reached the level of systematically cultivating world-class hurdlers.

It may seem like just one more player on the field, but the underlying meaning is vastly different.

From the perspective of the national team, the General Administration of Sport, and even the country, such a choice and arrangement should indeed be made.

The experts in the audience, all of whom were mature and had a broad perspective, remained silent.

Coach Cheng Hong frowned and said:
"Chen Lan, are we just going to let this go?"

Li Xu waved his hand slightly, signaling Cheng Hong to calm down.

In fact, Xu Chen had already noticed during the meeting two days ago that Li Xu and Cheng Hong must have known each other before.

Li Xu began to speak:

"Chen Lan will definitely be subject to internal disciplinary action upon her return; there will be necessary punishment measures."

The General Administration of Sport has already had serious discussions with the track and field team. As for the specific arrangements within the team, a conclusion should be reached after Coach Cheng returns.

Having said that much, Cheng Hong decided not to say anything more.

……

……

The two plans we prepared earlier have been compiled, printed, and distributed.

The meeting room was filled with smoke again, and the group of "experts and teachers" were all working diligently, discussing and devising countermeasures together.

Xu Chen did not actively seek to perform; instead, he focused on "listening and learning."

He couldn't help but marvel at how adept the "experts" present were at crafting these kinds of "assigned essays" once they set aside their subjective emotions.

In particular, those teachers in the journalism field, such as the chief reporter of a certain daily newspaper or the deputy editor-in-chief of a certain newspaper group, are very good at sorting out and summarizing news communication techniques.

The underlying thinking and execution still broadened Xu Chen's horizons.

As the deputy editor-in-chief of "Huaxia Press", Chen Hui became the leader in this round of plan adjustments, both in terms of professionalism and background qualifications.

Of course, this was also the result of Li Guangwan, a professor of communication studies at Peking University, voluntarily stepping down.

During the discussion, a public relations expert, looking at a few pages of the proposal, couldn't help but say:
"These two sets of materials from Teacher Xu Chen are really good; it's a real shame they can't be used..."

Teacher Li Guangwan put on his reading glasses, picked up the document again, glanced at it, and said:
"Actually, it can still be used as before, but given the current situation, its persuasiveness and appeal have diminished considerably."

Xu Chen just listened silently without saying anything.

Cheng Hong sat to the side and whispered to Xu Chen:

"You don't seem to be in a hurry at all."

Xu Chen gave an awkward laugh: "I'm anxious too..."

He didn't say much, but in his heart he was calculating how long it would take to get a result regarding the Sanlu milk scandal.

Of course, we hope it will be as soon as possible.

I checked my email this morning; the all-English email sent to Fonterra is already marked as "read".

The bullet needs to fly for a while longer.

……

During the discussion of the plan, the expert group also reviewed the public opinion situation from yesterday afternoon to this morning.

This still has important guiding significance for the formulation of subsequent communication strategies.

Unsurprisingly, the media and public opinion were praising Chen Lan, while netizens, caught up in the hype, were criticizing Xie Bingran.

Anyone who didn't know better would think that Chen Lan's track time yesterday had completely crushed Xie Bingran.

A report by a Beijing-based media outlet also included video interviews with head coach Wu Zhixue and Chen Lan, which were sent directly from Jordan, the match venue.

When everyone saw this interview, their expressions turned somewhat grim.

Coach Wu's interview was nothing special; he talked about how hard the training was and how difficult it was to achieve the results.

However, Chen Lan's interview was noticeably sarcastic and pointed:

"I am very grateful to the coaching team and all my teammates for achieving this result!"

I hope the national track and field team can become more and more friendly and supportive of each other...

Whether they are veteran or junior members, they can all grow together and help each other!

Cheng Hong was so angry she was about to slam her fist on the table.

This seemingly "positive" statement, released at this juncture, is far too blatant in its implications.

"What a petty person who has gotten away with something!"

The speaker was a public relations expert, who was clearly also furious.

Xu Chen didn't say much, and his heart was heavy.

……

……

(End of this chapter)