Entertainment mogul: Starting his business with the internet

Chapter 439 Unstoppable
Mid-November, early winter.

The office of the deputy director of CCTV headquarters was warm and inviting.

"Chairman Song, your presence today is truly a rare treat!" Jiang Tao said with a smile as he placed the brewed tea on the coffee table.

"Thank you, Jiang Tai." Song Ci took the celadon teacup and sat down on the guest sofa. "I wouldn't have come here without a reason."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Tao waved his hand and said, "Chairman Song, we're old friends, so feel free to speak your mind."

Song Ci put down his teacup and got straight to the point: "Tengda Group wants to participate in advertising sales for next year's Spring Festival Gala."

"Hey, it's just a small matter like buying advertising space. You could have just given me a call and I would have had my people handle it. There was no need for you to come all the way here yourself."

Jiang Tao chuckled in response, but he was somewhat puzzled.

With access to numerous traffic platforms such as WeChat and Weibo, Tengda Group has no shortage of exposure, so why would it need to spend money to buy advertising space on the Spring Festival Gala?

On second thought, internet giants have abundant capital and might have some kind of business plan, so it's not surprising that they spend tens of millions to lay the groundwork.

“Jiang Tai, Tengda isn’t just buying ads this time.” Song Ci shook his head slightly, his tone suddenly becoming serious. “I plan to spend a huge sum of money to secure the exclusive title sponsorship of the Year of the Snake Spring Festival Gala, as well as all the prime-time advertising slots.”

Jiang Tao's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected Song Ci to be so generous. According to Tengda's plan, it would have taken more than a billion yuan to acquire the project.

After a moment's thought, he immediately asked, "Does Tengda Group have a major product to launch?"

"If Tengda Group successfully acquires all the advertising slots and sponsorship rights on CCTV, I hope that CCTV can engage in in-depth strategic cooperation with Tengda."

Jiang Tao leaned forward and asked with great interest, "How exactly will we cooperate? Please explain in detail, Chairman Song."

Song Ci spoke eloquently: "Tengda Group is an internet company, and its advertising format is different from traditional product displays. It needs to be changed to an interactive experience."

Tenda will also be giving away an additional 5 million yuan in cash and a batch of physical gifts to reward viewers. Viewers can grab these cash prizes every hour on the hour during the Spring Festival Gala by using WeChat's "Shake" function.

"An additional 5 million needs to be invested!" Jiang Tao was shocked and secretly marveled. Tengda truly lived up to its reputation as a giant with massive amounts of cash in hand.

"Tengda spending money to attract viewers is entirely beneficial to CCTV, so why not?" Song Ci chuckled lightly, then changed the subject:
"Young people aged 15 to 24 are increasingly less interested in watching the Spring Festival Gala, and these are precisely the core users of WeChat."

On the day of the Spring Festival Gala, CCTV and WeChat collaborated to use a "shake" interaction feature, which effectively brought back this segment of the audience.

Song Ci paused, picked up his teacup and took a sip, then continued, "Jiangtai, in the Internet age, even CCTV's Spring Festival Gala needs to seek change and innovation."

Partnering with Tenda will not only enable multi-dimensional monetization through "content + real-time interaction + advertising," but also extend the commercial value of the Spring Festival Gala to the internet sector.

Jiang Tao was silent for a moment, then had to admit that Song Ci's suggestion was quite attractive: "I understand why you came! In terms of the plan alone, I personally think it is indeed a good opportunity for innovation in the Spring Festival Gala."

I will report to the station director and the organization, but the prerequisite for all cooperation is that Tengda Group must first secure all the advertising slots for the Spring Festival Gala.

He immediately tightened his tone, "Chairman Song, since the Spring Festival Gala began, the sponsorship process has been mature and stable, and even the station director can't easily change the procedure."

So even with the best plan, it all depends on Chairman Song's decisiveness. If he can't win the advertising bids, it's all just empty talk.

"Don't worry, Jiang Tai, I have confidence in Tengda's strength," Song Ci said confidently.

What can traditional domestic liquor and home appliance companies use to compete with global internet giant Tenda Group in terms of cash reserves?

"I hope Jiangtai will put in more effort regarding the cooperation."

Jiang Tao straightened up and replied solemnly, "I know the gravity of the matter. This is no small thing. I'll go and report to the station director in a bit."

Although he is the deputy director of the station and holds a high position of power, the CCTV Spring Festival Gala is a national-level cultural project, and its organization and management involve the coordinated operation of multiple departments of the Central Radio and Television Station, which is not something he can easily interfere with.

The Arts and Entertainment Center is responsible for the overall planning, program production and execution of the Spring Festival Gala, and has a dedicated Spring Festival Gala Project Team for overall coordination.

The Spring Festival Gala's sponsorship work is managed by the CCTV Advertising Management Center, which has established a Spring Festival Gala Business Team to develop sponsorship plans, connect with corporate needs, and ensure that commercial activities align with national propaganda guidelines.

After the business team handles matters such as investment negotiations, contract signing, and resource scheduling, the directing team will intervene. The general director and special directors will participate in the review of brand integration to ensure that commercial elements are naturally integrated with the program content.

Once the program and advertising content are finalized, they must be submitted to the publicity and cultural departments for final review to ensure that the ideological orientation and cultural values ​​are correct.

In short, advertising work for the Spring Festival Gala involves many aspects and cannot be solved simply by having money. This is why Song Ci personally came to CCTV to meet Jiang Tao.

A few days later, on November 18, Song Ci returned to CCTV headquarters.

At the entrance of the investment promotion hall, Jiang Tao shook hands with Song Ci to say goodbye: "Chairman Song, I won't go in with you."

The station has already held a meeting and approved the collaboration with internet companies, using the Year of the Snake Spring Festival Gala as a pilot program. I wish you a successful start, so that subsequent work can proceed smoothly.

"Thank you, Jiangtai." Song Ci nodded with a smile. "Wait for my good news."

Jiang Tao patted Song Ci on the shoulder and turned to leave.

After watching Jiang Tao walk away, Song Ci, accompanied by WeChat President Wu Yi and his professional business team, entered the magnificent investment promotion hall of CCTV.

The richest man, dressed in a suit and tie, walked with a steady gait. As soon as he appeared, he attracted everyone's attention and immediately became the subject of much discussion.

"Why did you come in person?"

"Why is Tenda getting involved? Haier just placed an ad on Weibo!"

"The richest man personally intervened, probably aiming for the naming rights of the Spring Festival Gala."

Representatives from traditional industries such as liquor and home appliances chatted in hushed tones. They were all frequent bidders for Spring Festival Gala advertising and knew each other well. It was indeed rare for an internet company to participate in the Spring Festival Gala advertising bidding.

The process for attracting advertisers for the Spring Festival Gala is rigorous, and all companies participating in the bidding are required to disclose their brand identity.

Looking around, Song Ci saw established brands in the liquor industry, such as Moutai, Fenjiu, and Jiannanchun; and the three giants in the home appliance industry, Haier, Gree, and Midea. These were all familiar faces from previous Spring Festival Galas.

Other automakers, such as Chery and Great Wall, clearly want to leverage the unparalleled exposure of the Spring Festival Gala to solidify their brand image in the minds of the people.

Guided by staff, Song Ci and her entourage quietly took their seats, their eyes sweeping over the auction stage and the huge Spring Festival Gala logo, waiting for the event to begin.

The head of the Spring Festival Gala's business team gave a spirited opening speech, emphasizing the unique significance of the 2013 Spring Festival Gala. Subsequently, the auction officially began.

Initially, it was an auction for advertising space in the audience seating area, which is highly favored by wine and beverage brands.

Several liquor companies took the lead, and after a fierce bidding war, Yanghe Liquor won the first advertising slot for 3200 million yuan.

Following the audience seating display, three types of advertisements—prop placement, scene placement, and plot placement—were filmed in succession, and were ultimately acquired by brands such as Wahaha and Chery Automobile.

These are just appetizers; soon it will be time to bid for prime-time advertising slots.

The first segment to be filmed was for comedy programs. Sketches, crosstalk, and other similar programs have always been popular with audiences across the country, and the time slots before and after them naturally become prime advertising slots.

Bidding quickly escalated, soaring from a starting price of several million to tens of millions.

Representatives from various companies frequently raised their paddles, but seeing that Tengda remained silent, they secretly wondered: the richest man must be after the exclusive naming rights or the midnight chime. In order to avoid the wealthy and powerful Tengda Group, the bidding representatives quickly adjusted their strategies.

"Representatives of our companies, the next event is the auction of prime-time advertising slots at 9:00 AM, with a starting bid of ten million."

Below the stage, Wu Yi leaned slightly closer and whispered, "Chairman Song, shall we proceed as planned?"

Song Ci remained silent, only nodding almost imperceptibly.

Wu Yi understood immediately and raised his paddle first: "1000 million."

There was an uproar at the scene.

Everyone thought that Tengda was after the title sponsorship, but they didn't expect them to be vying for even the regular prime time slots.

Despite their doubts, the bidding continued unabated, with bids still being placed one after another.

"3000 million for the first time! 3000 million for the second time! 3000 million for the third time!"

As the host brought down the gavel, it was announced that "the 9 o'clock advertising slot has been won by Tengda Group. Next up is the 10 o'clock slot, with a starting bid of 1000 million."

"1200!" "1500!"

. . .

As the bidding intensified, Wu Yi remained calm and composed, raised his paddle again, and loudly proclaimed, "3200 million!"

"What is Tenda trying to do? Is an internet company trying to steal our advertising space?"

"Something's not right! The richest man is personally overseeing things; does he intend to monopolize all prime-time advertising slots?"

"Damn it! Tengda interfered, and the budget is completely overrun!"

The auction continued to heat up. After Tengda Group won the advertising slots at 10:00 and 11:00 respectively for 32 million and 35 million, the representatives of various companies present could no longer sit still.

The richest man himself is not satisfied with just a few hourly slots, so he hurriedly contacted the company headquarters to request additional investment promotion budget.

"Next up is the 10-second midnight countdown naming rights auction, starting at 2000 million, with each bid increment no less than 100 million! Representatives, please raise your paddles."

"2500 million!" Home appliance giant Midea took the lead, determined to win the title sponsorship of CCTV's Spring Festival Gala midnight countdown for ten consecutive years!
"2600 million!" Wu Yi calmly raised his paddle, precisely adding 100 million to Midea's bid no matter how much it was offered.

Prices skyrocketed, and liquor giants, not to be outdone, joined the fray.

The competition for the midnight countdown during the Spring Festival Gala in the Year of the Snake was exceptionally fierce. After several rounds of bidding, the figure had reached 6400 million, surpassing previous records.

The Midea Group representative wiped the sweat from his brow and turned to look at the Tengda seats, only to see that the richest man was actually resting with his eyes closed, seemingly not taking the fierce bidding in front of him seriously at all.

After much struggle, the Midea representative gritted his teeth and decided to raise his paddle one last time: "7000 million!"

Before he could finish speaking, the voice that had ignited his anger rang out again: "7100 million!"

"Damn it!" the representative muttered under his breath, reluctantly putting down the number plate.

For Midea, the advertising bidding for this year has already ended, and they do not intend to participate in the final title sponsorship competition.

As expected, the midnight countdown advertising slot was ultimately acquired by Tengda Group.

"Dear corporate representatives, only one item remains for this year's Spring Festival Gala sponsorship: the title sponsorship of the gala. The rights and benefits of the title sponsor include:"

The sponsorship includes brand logo display throughout the event, at least ten verbal mentions by the host, title sponsorship on opening and closing credits, on-site banners, and title sponsorship display of the program schedule. The starting bid is 1 million yuan, with each bid increment no less than 1000 million yuan.

No sooner had the host finished speaking than the telecommunications giant, China Mobile, fired the first shot: "2 million!"

The air was thick with the smell of gunpowder, and the shouts of bidders rose and fell.

The advertising revenue quickly exceeded 5 million yuan. At this point, the only companies still in the battle, besides Tengda Group, were state-owned giants in industries such as oil, banking, and telecommunications.

"ICBC has 7.2 million yuan. Banks really do have money."

"With Tenda getting involved, this year's bidding is bound to break records."

"I really don't know what business plans Tengda has. They must have spent at least a billion yuan on this, right?"

"Internet companies have plenty of money. Look at Tenda, when it comes to mobile payment, they often use billions of yuan in subsidies."

Amidst whispers, the bidding price had already surpassed the billion yuan mark, breaking the record for the title sponsorship of the Spring Festival Gala.

"11."

As the oil group announced the staggering figures, Wu Yi's previous composure vanished.

Tenda's initial budget was 10 billion, but the oil group and the mobile company seemed determined to compete with Tenda, and they kept raising the bid from 7 million to 11 billion.

Just as Wu Yi was about to ask for instructions, Song Ci slowly opened her eyes, her voice clear and steady, piercing through the noise of the scene:

"Tengda, 12 billion."

The entire venue fell into a deathly silence. Everyone was shocked. How could a bid be increased like that? A hundred million was added directly!
All eyes were on the richest man, filled with shock, disbelief, hidden anger, and deep-seated fear and curiosity.

Song Ci remained calm, unfazed by the 12 billion yuan expenditure. He intended to use his unstoppable momentum to clearly tell everyone present that Tengda Group was determined to succeed.

The mobile company representative sighed and put down the number plate in his hand. He sensed the richest man's determination and knew that there was no point in continuing to argue. Besides, the mobile company was about to cooperate with Tenda, so he was just doing the richest man a favor.

On the other side, the representative of the oil group was about to raise his sign to follow suit, but was stopped by his colleague next to him.

"Old Zhang, there's no need to raise the price any further. After all, the Spring Festival Gala only lasts one day. Spending over a billion yuan on advertising for those few hours is simply not worthwhile from a business perspective."

Tengda Group's Songci can make decisions on its own, and no one can stop it even if it spends 10 billion. But we're spending the country's and the people's money, so we have to be careful with every penny.

The richest man himself spoke up, and even the group's leaders had to give him face; he clearly wanted to end this pointless competition. "You and I are just ordinary workers; it's not worth arguing like this."

After some persuasion from his colleagues, the oil group representative instantly came to his senses and felt deep regret, realizing that he had indeed acted impulsively.

Although the oil group is a behemoth larger than Tengda, he is just an ordinary senior executive, and his status is obviously incomparable to that of the richest man.

More importantly, if the billions spent do not achieve the expected results, he will be held responsible and may even be held accountable.

Having understood this, he remained silent.

When the host excitedly struck the final gavel, announcing that Tengda Group had secured the title sponsorship of the Spring Festival Gala for 12 billion yuan, the entire audience erupted in complex and enthusiastic applause, filled with congratulations, envy, but even more so with shock and awe.

With internet giants getting involved in the Spring Festival Gala, how are traditional industries supposed to compete in the future?
(End of this chapter)