HuaYu97: Starting as a Singer

Chapter 221 [221] Eight-figure endorsement fee for Wuliangye breaks record for mainland endorsement fee

"Wuliangye offered 1200 million yuan for a two-year endorsement, and they asked you to write a promotional song for them."

This price broke the record for Qi Yuan's endorsement fee, and also broke the record for endorsements by mainland Chinese celebrities.

Currently, there are very few people in the entire country who can earn tens of millions of yuan in endorsement fees.

In mainland China, apart from the liquor and health product industries, it's estimated that no other industry can afford to spend so much money hiring celebrities for advertising.

Health supplements are definitely off-limits, but liquor is fine.

Qi Yuan was really tempted. Twelve million! Advertising endorsements really do bring in money quickly.

Wuliangye was willing to offer Qi Yuan such a high price not because the liquor company was rich and powerful.

Businessmen are very shrewd; they carefully calculate every penny.

Qi Yuan's third album was a huge success, his first film grossed over 50 million yuan at the national box office, he recently won the Golden Horse Award for Best Actor, and was featured in Time magazine, becoming the King of Pop in Asia.

Qi Yuan truly became a household name across the country; even Zhao Yanzi, who rose to fame through the phenomenon of Little Swallow, couldn't compare to Qi Yuan.

Qi Yuan also enjoys considerable popularity in Southeast Asia, and his albums sell well there.

Qi Yuan is China's first Asian superstar, and Qi Yuan is worth the price.

Qi Yuan asked Li Xue to help her get this endorsement.

He remembered that the Wuliangye advertisement in his previous life was very classic, "Love Comes with the Spring Tide" directed by Huang Shengyi, and the visuals and artistic conception left a deep impression on countless people.

The bamboo forest scene is comparable to "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Hero," and this advertisement is somewhat imitating those two movies.

The male and female protagonists' outfits are clearly imitations of Broken Sword and Flying Snow.

Without "Hero" as a reference in this life, Wuliangye set a standard and made a "Dongfeng Po Plus" version based on the music videos of "Dongfeng Po" and "Jiangnan". They have plenty of money!
Wuliangye even wanted to hire Chen Kaige as the director of their advertisements.

Chen Kaige was furious. Was he the kind of person who would bow down for a pittance? Who did he think he was?

Then Wuliangye offered Chen Kaige an irresistible price, leaving Chen Kaige with nothing to say but, "They really know how to judge people!"
Wuliangye said, "We can even smash CCTV, so why can't we smash Chen Kaige?"
In fact, Chen Kaige accepted the job not only because the money was right, but also because of the conversation between Qi Yuan and Chen Kaige.

Qi Yuan was worried that if he found another director, the effect might not be the same.

This advertisement is amazing! It doesn't feel like an advertisement at all; it's more like a well-made short film, or a beautifully produced music video.

There are no lines throughout the entire film, only the image of a perfect couple living in seclusion in a bamboo forest amidst clear waters and green mountains, a scene that evokes longing.

I wonder how many people will be so engrossed in this ad that they won't want to change the channel; it's definitely better than 99% of TV dramas.

This kind of commercial, which doesn't need dialogue or plot and only requires shooting visuals and creating atmosphere, is practically Chen Kaige's comfort zone.

Moreover, having Chen Kaige shoot this advertisement won't diminish the prestige of him as a renowned director.

With the release of this advertisement, Chen Kaige can unlock a new achievement: creating the most powerful classical advertisement, with top-notch sophistication.

"Mr. Chen, I have a small idea. In a bamboo forest, with rolling mountains and rippling lake, a small boat gently sways. The male and female protagonists are dressed in green ancient costumes, one standing on the boat and the other standing on the bamboo..."

Qi Yuan had experienced Chen Kaige's ultimate visual style, and he had a deep understanding of composition.

He analyzed the advertisement from his memory frame by frame for Chen Kaige.

Chen Kaige was already feeling tempted halfway through the conversation.

Those vivid, dreamlike, and poetic images, imbued with the essence of nature, had already surfaced in his mind.

The male and female leads, dressed in green ancient costumes, soar through a sea of ​​green bamboo—the image alone evokes a sense of ethereal beauty. Upon hearing Qi Yuan's concept, Chen Kaige immediately decided he was determined to direct the advertisement. It had absolutely nothing to do with the exorbitant director's fee offered by Wuliangye; it was all for art!
Chen Kaige also made a request: his wife, Chen Hong, had to play the female lead.

Wuliangye naturally had no objection to this. We've already invited Qi Yuan, and we've also invited Chen Kaige. What's the difference between us and Chen Hong? Chen Hong is much cheaper than Qi Yuan, and not even as expensive as Chen Kaige.

Wuliangye is quite pleased. The male lead is Qi Yuan, the female lead is Chen Hong, and the director is Chen Kaige. This lineup is unbeatable.

Qi Yuan is the King of Asian Pop and a Golden Horse Award-winning actor. Chen Hong was formerly known as the No. 1 Beauty in Mainland China and is also a classical beauty, which perfectly matches the requirements of the advertising heroine.

Despite not producing "The Promise," Chen Kaige remains the top director in mainland China.

With this trio and prime-time slot on CCTV, it would be a miracle if this ad didn't go viral.

Wuliangye readily paid the money, but they made a new request: the advertisement must be filmed before the end of the year.

Wine is indispensable for gift-giving, family reunions, entertaining relatives and friends during the Chinese New Year, making it the peak sales season for baijiu (Chinese liquor).

So, Qi Yuan and Chen Kaige worked overtime to fly to the Shulan Bamboo Sea in Yichang City, Sichuan Province to shoot the advertisement.

If you're willing to spend more money, the speed can definitely be doubled.

……

Just as Qi Yuan and Chen Kaige set off, Wuliangye contacted the media to "reveal" the matter, thus generating buzz for its brand in advance.

Wuliangye successfully bid for the CCTV advertising slot and hired Qi Yuan at a sky-high price to shoot an advertisement. The female lead in the advertisement is Chen Hong, known as the "Number One Beauty in Mainland China," and the advertisement is directed by Chen Kaige.

It is reported that Qi Yuan's endorsement fee has risen to an extremely high figure.

[Qi Yuan, Chen Hong, Chen Kaige – no wonder Wuliangye has been advertising on CCTV since 95; they can afford to hire such a lineup. They really have deep pockets.]

This revelation sparked heated discussions among countless people.

On forums like Tianya and Mop, and in various QQ groups, netizens are discussing this matter.

[Does anyone have inside information about Qi Yuan's endorsement fee? Everyone's saying it's astronomical, but no one has said how much that astronomical fee actually is.]

[Damn, with this cast, I'd believe you if you said it was a blockbuster, but for just an advertisement? That's too extravagant!]

[Upstairs, you're really ignorant. The money spent hiring these people is nothing compared to the money spent bidding for the CCTV advertising slot. You should know how profitable the liquor industry is.]

……

Celebrities in the entertainment industry have more access to information than ordinary people outside the industry.

Wuliangye deliberately withheld Qi Yuan's endorsement fee, intending to release it around the time the advertisement was launched to generate buzz.

It wouldn't be difficult for those in the industry to find out the approximate figure for Qi Yuan's endorsement fee.

When people in the industry learned that Qi Yuan's endorsement fee was over eight figures, countless people were stunned.

Currently, the salaries of mainland actors have not skyrocketed. Many actresses now aim to become famous through TV dramas and marry into wealthy families.

Before gaining fame in mainland China, top-tier television actors typically earn between 5 and 15 yuan per episode.

If it's a work by a famous director or a CCTV drama, this number will be lowered even further. The daily wage for a low-level extra is only a few dozen yuan, and they may not even have work every day.

Qi Yuan's sky-high endorsement fee is absolutely shocking in the Chinese entertainment industry!

　Two chapters today, the author will now organize the remaining plot. Next, we'll be writing about Infernal Affairs, concerts, and a combination of movies to conquer the Japanese music scene. I've seen all the book reviews. Since you all dislike Leung, the author will heed your advice. Chen Yongren will likely choose between Zhang Guorong and Guo Fucheng, using Leung Ka-fai to kick out Huang Qiusheng and replacing the guy surnamed Du with Wu Jinglai. Please feel free to offer any suggestions for the future development of the book; let's brainstorm together.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)