Rebirth is fine, but I get eight hundred dollars right from the start?

"Furthermore, when I sent people to conduct research, I noticed a very interesting phenomenon: Emperor's esports fans, in addition to discussing matches, also talked about 'outfits' and 'equipment' on social media."

"In other words, they care not only about the game itself, but also about what shoes the players wear and what peripherals they use. They are no different from fans of celebrities, and this group even has a stronger impulse to buy 'the same items'. If we can link Anta's products with the daily life of HWG players, the conversion path is actually much shorter than that of traditional GG."

Su Ya, representing the publicity department, continued, "So what we're doing this time isn't simply putting a logo on the show and calling it sponsorship. We can have more content integration—for example, a dedicated Anta brand display area, with Anta providing the athletes' clothing during training and filming, resulting in clear brand exposure. We could even collaborate with HWG on a co-branded collection, combining the athletes' personal elements with Anta's design language. This kind of content integration is much more effective than hard advertising."

Someone in the room spoke up: "For a collaboration, we need to consider the development cycle and supply chain coordination. None of our current product lines are suitable for combining with esports."

At this moment, Zheng Mingyuan, who was in charge of product development, finally spoke up. He reached for a pair of Anta basketball shoe samples that had just been delivered and weighed them in his hand: "Actually, basketball shoes and training shoes are quite suitable. Esports players sit in the training room for more than ten hours every day, so they have very high requirements for the comfort, breathability, and support of their shoes—their scenario overlaps with that of fitness enthusiasts, but it's also different. If we can make a product specifically for the scenario of 'long-term sitting,' and combine it with the program and the players' exposure, then it will be a product with real-world usage scenarios to back it up, which is much more convincing than just shouting the word 'comfort.'"

He put the shoes back on the table and looked at everyone: "Moreover, have you ever thought about this—what we've been doing all these years is 'following the events.' We've invested a lot in the CBA, NBA China Games, and marathons, and we've certainly seen returns. But the audience for those events is slowly aging. Esports viewers will be the main force in the consumer market for the next decade. If Anta can get on the esports track first in 2013, by the time this market truly matures, we will no longer be 'entrants,' but 'definitive players.'"

"Yes, we have been promoting a brand rejuvenation strategy in recent years, and the age group of e-sports audiences is exactly our core incremental target group."

Ding Shizhong lamented, "In recent years, offline competition among sports brands has become increasingly fierce, but everyone's tactics have remained stuck in the past, as if there is an invisible hand deliberately restricting them."

"The trend of online shopping has taken off, and I think you should have noticed the decline in offline store consumption data."

"The biggest problem now is brand aging. Our stores are all over the country, and our shelves are stocked with the top sports brands, but young consumers' perception of us is still limited to the simple 'shoe seller' level."

"If we can associate Anta with words like 'e-sports,' 'professional,' and 'youth' through this collaboration, then it will be more than just a sponsorship—it will be a breakthrough battle for brand rejuvenation."

Unlike some beverage companies that are still discussing sponsorship ratios, the strong connection between sports brands and young people led Anta's top management to make the immediate decision to enter the market.

The current small meetings are nothing more than discussing the details of the cooperation, further prospects for the e-sports market, and the next steps after the cooperation.

Fang Yuanshan, head of brand management, said, "Old Ding, I think this idea can be extended. If the cooperation is effective, we can even get involved in esports ourselves—establish clubs, buy LPL slots, and form teams. HWG's success has proven one thing: esports is not a money-burning black hole, nor is it just a hobby for rich kids. As long as a business loop can be established, it can be a sustainable and profitable business."

"Going straight into esports? Wouldn't the investment be too huge, and we don't have any relevant operational experience!"

"Operational experience isn't that hard to come by. We can learn from HWG's experience. If that doesn't work, we can offer some resources to HWG for cooperation. The domestic esports market is big enough that HWG alone can't handle it all. Moreover, based on Emperor's actions after becoming famous, we can conclude that he also wants more capital to join in and expand the market together."

"Let's put aside the topic of directly intervening for now; that's something for later."

Ding Shizhong interrupted the conversation, saying, "Let's secure the exclusive sponsorship for the program first—I want more than just a one-off sponsorship. After this round of cooperation, you need to provide a complete data review: how much brand awareness has increased, how much online conversion rate has grown, and the actual data on reaching young users."

"If this proves successful, then we'll move on to the second step—establishing Anta's esports division. The boundaries of sports are changing, and what Anta needs to do is follow the young generation. Wherever they are, that's where we'll be."

Ding Shizhong paused, a slight smile finally appearing on his lips: "We used to say 'Wear Anta, play basketball.' From now on, we can try saying 'Wear Anta, play e-sports.'"

"Hahaha!"

Inside the room, everyone burst into laughter.

The brand manager said, "Okay. You go and negotiate. After you've reached an agreement, I can coordinate offline promotional activities in the Central China region. During the program's broadcast, stores can have themed displays, and customers can scan a QR code to follow the program and receive coupons, thus driving online traffic to offline stores."

"The Brand Partnerships Department will produce a detailed list of benefits and a pricing proposal this week. Mr. Ding, do you think the initial budget of nine million is sufficient?"

"Not enough, raise it to twelve million, give us an extra three million to leave ourselves a way out."

"OK!"

"As for the specific allocation, one million will be used for the development and initial design of the co-branded products, and one million will be reserved for subsequent online promotion and offline store collaborations. As for the program sponsorship, you can report back to me after we finalize the details."

"..."

Ding Shizhong turned around, a slight smile finally appearing on his lips: "One more thing before the meeting ends—Anta has been a sports brand for over a decade, selling shoes and sportswear, but serving people's passion for sports. Esports, in the end, is also a sport. It's just on a different stage."