Generation Z Artists

Chapter 143 Crazy Advertising Fees
The concubines unleashed all the passion they could muster, but Fang Xinghe remained indifferent.

He didn't respond to anyone, but quietly moved forward under the protection of his team.

There was no waving, no autograph, no smile.

The fans of 2000 were completely different from the fans he knew in later generations. Perhaps because they had so few opportunities to see their idols, they were too enthusiastic, too crazy, and had no sense of propriety or distance.

Due to various special reasons, the Japanese princess is acting unusually erratically today.

Struggling through the crowd, Fang Xinghe's cold exterior concealed a sense of unease.

Damn it, please don't let it cause a stampede...

In this situation, the best course of action is to remain silent and leave as soon as possible, rather than escalating their emotions further.

"Fang Xinghe様(さま), private love will last forever!"

The female fans' heart-wrenching screams failed to move Fang Xinghe, but just looking at his cold, hard profile, they felt a response, and after screaming, they suddenly burst into tears.

Fang Xinghe stared straight ahead, and felt the scream suddenly stop. He glanced at the corner of his eye and found that the petite but loud-voiced Japanese girl had fainted.

Exclamations rang out as her companions helped the girl up, and airport security rushed over to handle the situation.

"Don't stop!"

Kadokawa's urgent reminder rang in my ears: "Keep going, it's a common occurrence, they can handle it."

As Fang Xinghe walked to the parking lot, he finally understood what "commonplace" meant—it was not just one or two people who had fainted; chaos and commotion were everywhere.

Once inside the van, the noise level dropped by 80 decibels instantly.

Wang Charlie loosened his tie, his forehead covered in sweat.

"Damn, these cherry blossom fans are insane! It's like they want to tear us apart and devour us..."

The senior student, still shaken, pressed her hand to her chest and asked worriedly, "Is everything alright? Will this attract media criticism?"

Kadokawa replied dismissively, "What could possibly happen? Would one or two people die in the crush? That only proves the boss's charm. What reason is there to blame us?"

His coldness came from his very bones, which Fang Xinghe disliked, so he closed his eyes and remained silent.

Upon arriving at the hotel, news reports had already covered Fang Xinghe's grand trip to Japan. Only then did everyone realize that in the short time at the airport, twenty or thirty fans had fainted and had been rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment.

"Buy some fruit for me and take it to the hospital to express your concern."

Fang Xinghe casually gave an order to Kadokawa, and the old man responded with a smile, flattering him profusely: "Your Highness, you are so kind-hearted! You are truly born with a kind heart!"

Shit!

Fang Xinghe glanced at him sideways: "You may not care about your people, but I have to care about my fans."

The barbs in his words did not move Kadokawa in the slightest. When it comes to treating people as less than human, Japanese and Korean capitalists are cut from the same cloth.

"Yes, sir!" Kadokawa replied loudly, "I'll definitely do my best to protect your fans!"

Fang Xinghe didn't trust him.

After harvesting this batch of chives and making a quick buck, it's hard to say how much motivation this old guy will still have to do things for me.

As a literary icon, Fang Xinghe's weakness is very obvious—his popularity is not sustainable.

TV dramas can be replayed repeatedly, songs can spread throughout the streets and alleys, and entertainment stars can stay on variety shows for a long time, but literary works are only suitable for one person to read quietly at home.

If this period is missed, Fang Xinghe's popularity will inevitably drop significantly until his next phenomenal work emerges.

But who can guarantee that their next work will be a phenomenon?

Even Haruki Murakami couldn't do that.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe saw right through Kadokawa Ryohiko's thoughts—we're not just cooperating this time, but our honeymoon period of going all out is only for this moment.

"Your Highness, let's seize this opportunity and begin the final negotiations!"

Kadokawa rubbed his hands excitedly, clearly impatient.

"Okay, please."

Fang Xinghe nodded. He was also very curious about what kind of results the current buzz would achieve in Japan.

Just like when "My Love from the Star" became a hit in China, and Kim Soo-hyun's journey of gaining popularity in China was similar, everyone knew it was a one-time thing, but they still flocked to it.

On that occasion, it is said that the man surnamed Jin embezzled more than 200 million RMB in the country.

This time, Fang Xinghe's peak popularity was high enough, but the average was only average, his general favorability was very poor, and his fans' enthusiasm was off the charts.

What will be the result?
Three days later, a rough outline of the answer emerged.

Thanks to Kadokawa's tireless efforts, and perhaps because business owners saw the fervor of the fans, the initial 8 interested companies grew to 24.

Six of these were Japanese food brands, which ultimately offered an exceptional contract of 7.5 million yen per six months and quickly signed the agreement.

These are Meiji Milk Chocolate, Lotte Snow View Daifuku Ice Cream, Calbee Natural Potato Chips, Fancoo Jelly, Cororo Gummies, and Asahi Silky Low-Calorie Ladies Beer.

The senior students were very puzzled: "Why are there only snacks?"

Fang Xinghe chuckled and said, "Because the areas where I am most deserving of high-priced endorsements right now are skincare products and snacks, and clothing should also be endorsed again."

"Then why are they all six-month terms?"

"Because these snack brands only need my short-term popularity, and their main sales are in Japan and South Korea, it is most cost-effective to sign short-term contracts at high prices."

Actually, this situation is also quite advantageous for Fang Xinghe.

These short-term endorsements, which are only six months long, do not, strictly speaking, occupy his high-end endorsement slots. They are essentially a one-time way to exploit his popularity and make money.

There's no need to do this domestically; it's too much trouble and affects our image. But in overseas markets like Japan and South Korea, where we're not going to operate long-term, we might as well take advantage of the opportunity.

You can earn a whopping 4500 million just by shooting a single advertisement. Once it's saidonara every six months, there's no business more profitable than this.

The other dozen or so companies had a different approach.

Wang Charlie humbly asked, "Who should we finalize our decision first?"

Kadokawa Tsutohiko pulled out a document and said confidently, "Once we get this, the rest is ours to handle!"

Fang Xinghe stared intently, and the company turned out to be Suzuki.

Suzuki hopes that Fang Xinghe will endorse the TL1000 series of road racing motorcycles.

Fang Xinghe had never ridden a motorcycle before. Da Fang didn't like it, and Xiao Fang didn't have the means. This was a completely unfamiliar territory for him.

Is there anything special about it?

"Hmm..." Kadokawa pondered for a moment, "Extremely expensive, extremely poor sales, yet it perfectly matches your style?"

Suzuki's top management shared the same view.

"Fang Xinghe, no one's temperament is more compatible with these two road beasts than yours!"

Fang Xinghe observed the two two-wheeled beasts with great interest for quite a while.

They're beautiful, the kind of heavy motorcycles that you have to lie down to ride. You sit alone, and the wheels are wide. If you want to take a girl with you, she has to lie on top of the driver.

The series has two models: the TL1000S and the upgraded TL1000R.

The former is a sporty street bike, which is relatively easy to ride, while the latter... well, if I had to describe it, it's the kind of pure beast bike where the average rider life is less than 3 years.

When Dafang later started using Douyin (TikTok), he followed about 20 female motorcyclists, the cool girls who rode these heavy motorcycles. They all died, not one of them survived. The longest survival time was 14 months.

The male knight might live longer?
Fang Xinghe didn't know, he wasn't sure, but he had a natural aversion to endorsing this kind of product.

It's not a big deal if my domestic fans dye their hair, wear earrings, act nonchalantly, or even fight; that's how kids go through their rebellious phase. But if they were to imitate me by riding a heavy motorcycle like this... how many people would die?

As he resisted, Kadokawa and Suzuki executives chatted nearby: "Hirokawa-san, the TL1000R is priced at over 25 RMB in China, which doesn't fit our boss's market positioning at all. Why would you want us to be your spokesperson?"

Take less? !
Fang Xinghe's mind went blank for a moment, then all his resistance vanished. This thing wouldn't be common in China even in ten years; it would only be a collector's item for a few rich kids. How could Fang's fans possibly learn how to make it?

As for whether fans in Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia are wild or not... I don't care.

In Fang Xinghe's mind, domestic fans and international fans are not the same concept.

He is an absolute nationalist. Although Japanese and Korean fans are more enthusiastic about him, spend more money on him, and value him more, from the most basic emotional point of view, foreign fans will never be one of his own.

For example, if, under his influence, Chinese fans, Korean fans, and Japanese fans all strive for improvement, study hard, and become the backbone of their respective societies, then...

Chinese fans are developing BeiDou, South Korean fans are defending THAAD, and Japanese fans are enlisting in the Self-Defense Forces. Whose confidence is it?

The idea that fans have no nationality is nonsense. Idols have nationalities, and so do fans. Even if their nationality is blurred for a time due to their fervor, they will mature eventually.

The bond between international and domestic fans is not permanent. Once fans leave the fandom and return to their daily lives, there will be no connection between international fans and Fang Xinghe, and they may even become adversaries. However, domestic fans will remain compatriots. This is the biggest difference.

As idols, it is their duty to spread Chinese culture to foreign fans and to strive for goodwill towards China. In addition, they should keep in mind the distinction between Chinese and barbarians.

This distinction doesn't necessarily need to be outwardly expressed; it's enough to know which side to lean towards at crucial moments.

In Fang Xinghe's mind, all public figures who fail to do this are rootless.

The idols of the post-00 generation did a much better job in this regard than public figures of this era.

……

Of course, Wada Hirokawa had no idea what Fang Xinghe was thinking; he looked at the boy in front of him with an appreciative gaze.

"Yes, of course I know that Fang Xinghe's fans do not yet have the financial means to independently purchase the TL1000R, but our choice of Fang Xinghe to endorse the TL1000 series was made after careful consideration."

In terms of personal image and personality traits, no one is more suitable for Suzuki's philosophy than Fang Xinghe.

The TL1000S is a rebel, the TL1000R is a challenger. Compared to short-term sales boosts, we hope to spend time building a brand image—together with Tongfang Xinghe Sang, we will construct our wild foundation…”

He talked at length, but the key point can be summed up in four words: "matching tone".

The Suzuki TL1000R, which Suzuki poured its heart and soul into developing, was originally intended to compete with the Ducati 916 and Honda VTR, but it ultimately failed to win the track championship, finding itself in an awkward situation of being cool enough but not powerful enough.

Meanwhile, its two domestic competitors, the Honda CBR900RR and the Kawasaki ZX-9R, are in no way inferior in terms of appearance and technical strength. However, because they have better sales, they have not yet turned their attention to Fang Xinghe.

Suzuki has already lost the head-on competition without any suspense. Now they don't expect Fang Xinghe to save the TL1000R's market position. They just want to gamble on Fang Xinghe's future and build the TL1000R's reputation through his success.

This is completely at the opposite end of the spectrum from the snack industry's strategy of capturing the market through short-term hype.

"Fang Xinghe-san doesn't need to be responsible for Suzuki's sales, but I hope you can always maintain this personality, becoming a unique and prominent figure among literary icons, and becoming a part of history..."

Suzuki offered a full five-year contract with a 2+3 clause.

Sales figures don't matter; the TL1000 series only has two models, and it won't determine the life or death of such a large company as Suzuki.

However, once that high-profile, rebellious, dignified, and unique style seeps into the very bones of motorcycle enthusiasts along with Fang Xinghe, Suzuki's brand power will naturally benefit in the long run.

"This is Suzuki's unique and long-term vision, and we are willing to grow together with you!"

While Wada Hirokawa's impassioned voice had some traces of performance, his thoughts still moved Fang Xinghe.

This guy is a great business leader.

This is also a great endorsement.

In a group of Japanese companies that only value Fang Xinghe's short-term popularity, the sudden emergence of such an outlier is very beneficial to Fang Xinghe's personal brand power.

No wonder Kadokawa wanted to talk to Suzuki first. If they could secure Suzuki's endorsement deal with them at a high standard, the rest of their non-snack endorsements would be on another level.

"In principle, I agree to your request."

Fang Xinghe stepped onto the prototype vehicle, twisted the accelerator, felt the engine's roar, and revealed a big smile.

“But I need a special ride, red and black with gold accents, and more defined edges… I won’t ride it often, but it has to be worthy of me, you understand?”

Overjoyed and extremely excited, Wada Hirokawa exclaimed, "Yes, yes, that's exactly the attitude! That's how domineering we are! We will do our utmost to meet your demands!"

The negotiations with Suzuki went very smoothly.

The contract term is 2+3 years, with 2 million yen per year for the first two years and 2.5 to 3 million yen per year for the last three years if the contract is renewed. The specific figure will be determined based on Fang Xinghe's international influence at the time.

2 million yen, based on the current exchange rate, is roughly equivalent to 1300 million yen per year. The price is slightly lower than a six-month short-term contract, but in terms of advertising spending, they are not even in the same league.

After signing the contract, other Japanese companies immediately opened the door to long-term endorsements for Fang Xinghe.

Yamaha electronic keyboards, Yakult, Kao shampoo, Shiseido's Aupres cosmetics (China line), Canon cameras, Casio watches, Toshiba laptops...

One contract after another was signed.

These products are targeted at the entire Asian market, unlike snacks which are limited to the domestic market. Therefore, they are more willing to pay a long-term premium for Fang Xinghe's influence throughout Asia.

Among the eight major brands, Yamaha pays the least at 200 million yen per year, which is approximately 13 million RMB. Yakult and Aupres pay the most at 300 million yen per year, which is close to 20 million RMB.

The amount of money depends on their market position. True dominant products do not need Fang Xinghe's influence. For example, Sony game consoles, Nintendo Game Boy, Panasonic TVs, Nikon optics, etc. It's not that they did not send offers to Fang Xinghe, but that the offers and detailed terms could not satisfy Fang's ambition.

The eight brands we've signed with all have a strong intention to establish long-term partnerships, ranging from two to five years.

Yamaha and Canon have no incentive to raise their prices further because their products are strong enough. Casio's 2.5 million, Toshiba's 2.6 million, and Kao's 2.7 million all fit their respective marketing dilemmas.

Having secured endorsements from these eight major brands, Fang Xinghe's annual endorsement fee in Japan jumped to over 1.6 million RMB, a price that even local celebrities couldn't command. Only Hendrik Willem Van Loon and Teresa Teng surpassed him.

Undoubtedly, this is a premium for short-term popularity combined with long-term brand value, as well as Fang Xinghe's special treatment due to his widespread popularity throughout Asia and his fervent fan base.

However, many South Korean media outlets were sour about this: "Fang Xinghe's face alone is worth 1 million. The Japanese market is so big, yet he acts stingily, far less generous and sincere than our South Korean companies..."

When the news reached China, fans were shocked and the media was in an uproar. Of course, the happiest people were Jeanswest and Xtep – they were ecstatic.

What the heck? That newcomer they bought for 100 million back then is now worth more than ten times?!

Jeanswest's performance in East Asia has been mediocre. In Japan, it can't compete with Uniqlo and Muji, and in South Korea, it can't compete with Dongdaemun streetwear brands. However, Xtep's Galaxy Generation 1, thanks to Fang Xinghe's Southeast Asian hurricane, swept the local running shoe market and made a fortune.

In just over two months, 120 million pairs were sold!

Moreover, this 120 million is only the upper limit of the processing plant, not the upper limit of sales, which makes domestic merchants green with envy, wishing they could compete with Xiao Ding.

Fang Xinghe's nickname "Ziwei Star Lord" began to circulate in the business world, and you know what? Quite a few people believed it.

Looking at his endorsements, each one was a huge success, even the ads he ran in the "Post-80s" magazine were known for their extremely high cost-effectiveness.

Domestic companies naturally couldn't sit still. Wang Charlie was receiving 50 advertising quotes and 50 commercial performance invitations every day.

However, by now, Fang Xinghe really doesn't have many advertising slots left.

Car manufacturers, luxury brands, McDonald's, coffee, large home appliances... theoretically none of these fit his market positioning, and even if he forced it, state-owned enterprises couldn't afford the prices.

Therefore, Fang Xinghe became the first celebrity in China to be decked out in Japanese and Korean brands, once again causing a small stir in the media.

He didn't take it seriously, and after two days of criticism in the media, he calmed down.

The main reason is that most Chinese people feel this is bringing glory to the country and have not been led astray into accusations of treason.

Just kidding. Fang Ge's endorsements in Japan and South Korea were earned through criticism, not flattery. Are you blind to criticize him for selling out his country?
Anyone else would be dead by now.

Instead, the discussion surrounding this money was more heated and prolonged.

The entire East Asia tour generated 3 million yuan in revenue. Such a huge figure, especially at this critical juncture in 2000, must have made countless people envious.

The endless newspaper reports and the enduring public discussions, regardless of the overall situation or the big picture, are not as stimulating as real money.

After finishing the advertisement shoot and returning to China, Fang Xinghe's first action, naturally, became spending money.

He had no plans and no intention of keeping the child to breed, so he simply decided to smash it!

Wherever it hits, a commotion ensues...

　I'm finally almost out of pneumonia, and I feel great.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)