Although Zhong Qingxian did not really believe Feng Yu’s words, he still gets his men to develop the formula, and he went to contact other factories as their contractors.
Zhong Qingxian needs to look for 3 contractor factories. The first factory must be a factory that can produce milk tea powder. Zhong Qingxian’s target was a milk powder factory. This factory could produce Tang, creamer, tea powder, coffee powder, chocolate powder, etc. It can also produce artificial food coloring and preservatives.
The next type of factory Zhong Qingxian was looking for was a factory that could produce tapioca balls. He looked for some food processing factories and placed some orders. This was only the testing phase. One or two small factories will be enough to provide the supply. If this product was really popular, then Lehaha will produce it themselves in their western region new factory next year.
The third contractor was for producing coconut jelly. Zhong Qingxian contacted a few factories but was not satisfied with the results. Also, the cost of coconut jelly was too high.
Lehaha could produce the packaging by themselves in their factories. Of course, it could also be outsourced.
Lehaha could use plastic cups, but heat resistant plastic cups were too expensive. The cost of the cups was higher than the milk tea powder.
Feng Yu suggested using paper cups. Paper cups have been in the market for quite some time, and the cost was not high. But Zhong Qingxian felt it will lower their milk tea status.
Feng Yu argued that those coffee cafes were also using paper cups. Paper cups were one-time use, and it is more hygienic. The cost was also low and not easily damaged. It was also easy to transport as it is very light. The paper cups just need to be heat and water resistant. No one will feel that this will make the product look, low class. Maybe the office workers might even think this product is a high-end product.
In the end, Zhong Qingxian chose to believe Feng Yu and decided to use paper cups. The packaging designs were handed over to Liu Michael. They had been working together on many past projects.
The paper cup will have the cartoon character of Lehaha printed on it. The other side will be a picture of a cup of milk tea. It was simple and straightforward.
Feng Yu looked at Lehaha’s cartoon picture and frowned. This packaging seems more like a children’s drink. This milk tea was suitable for all age groups, but the main target segment should be young adults.
“Qingxian, I have received your fax. But the designs on the cup…… I feel that we should not add the cartoon character figure on the cup. We should use a picture of a beautiful woman or a handsome man.”
“Picture of a beautiful woman and man? Are you trying to say that we should find someone attractive to endorse this product?”
“That’s right. We do not need anyone extremely famous. We just need to get someone with a good image. This milk tea main target segment is young consumers. Think about it. Who is more willing to accept new things? Is it young adults? Also, when we market this product, we can say this is Taiwanese favor. This will let the consumers have the impression that this is an imported product. This will satisfy the consumers’ curiosity of what overseas beverages taste like.” Feng Yu said.
“Manager Feng, do you have someone in mind?”
“The most suitable artiste should be from Taiwan. I like The Little Tigers. We can also get a pretty young model to partner with them.”
“The Little Tigers? They are quite famous, and their endorsement fees should be very high.” Zhong Qingxian was not willing to spend so much on endorsements. He seldom listens to pop songs, but he knew who the Little Tigers were. That proves the Little Tigers were extremely popular and an artiste’s endorsement fees were based on their popularity.
“Don’t worry about the price. Most importantly, they are Taiwanese idols, and they suit our product. Actually, 2 million RMB per year is enough. If you are not confident, let me speak to them.”
Since the product was Taiwan milk tea, how can they not get Taiwanese celebrities to endorse it? It would be weird if Chinese celebrities were to endorse this product. Furthermore, China’s relationship with Taiwan had improved recently. Taiwanese stars also wanted to enter the Chinese market. Feng Yu was not confident of letting Taiwanese celebrities to perform in the Spring Festival Gala Night, but the New Year Gala Dinner was not a problem. The New Year Gala Dinner was China’s second-highest rating program.
“Ok. I will get my staff to contact the Little Tigers’ manager and invite him over.”
……
“Mr. Song, the conditions we are offering is very sincere. 1 million RMB endorsement fee for a year, and we will let Little Tigers perform on one of China’s biggest stage. No one other than me can promise you this. Also, Lehaha is an influential company, and we will be entering Taiwan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, and other Southeast Asia markets soon. This will be a boost to Little Tigers’ popularity.” Feng Yu said to the Little Tigers’ manager, Song Wen.
“Mr. Feng, our Little Tigers are already well known in Asia. Do we still need other people’s help to boost their popularity? 1 million RMB is an insult to the Little Tigers. My minimum expectation is at least 5 million a year for a 5 years contract.” Song Wen pulled a long face. But he did not walk away.
“Mr. Song, do you think the Little Tigers is more popular than Jackie Chan? Do you know how much I paid him to endorse for my company? 3 years contract, 4 million RMB.” It should be 4 million RMB per year, but Feng Yu did not make it clear.
Song Wen was shocked. How could Jackie Chan’s endorsement fee be so low? He was a superstar and one of the most popular Action Star in Asia. His endorsement fees should be at least 5 million HKD.
“Mr. Song, I have connections to let Little Tigers perform in CCTV. This is not something others can do. To put things bluntly, I can also stop the Little Tigers from entering the Chinese market. Although the endorsement fees I am offering is not high, but it will stimulate their record sales and increase their popularity.”
“Increase the Little Tigers’ popularity? Do you have a record label or artist management company? Our Little Tigers had held concerts in China.” The Little Tigers was one of the earliest Taiwanese celebrities to hold concerts in China, and Song Wen was very proud of this.
“I own the world’s biggest VCD disc production line. I can give a VCD of their concert to everyone who buys a VCD player and helps them develop in China. Wind and Rain VCD and Aiwa VCD are my companies. You should know what this means.”
Song Wen’s jaw dropped. He thought Feng Yu was the son or relative of Lehaha’s boss. He never expects him to be a big boss!
With this big boss’s support, the Little Tigers’ development in China will undoubtedly be faster. If the Little Tigers were able to enter the Chinese market and held more concerts, the profits will be much higher.
“1 million RMB is really very low. 3 million RMB per year for a 5-year contract.”
“5 years? If I remember correctly, men in Taiwan have to be enlisted. The last time the Little Tigers are disbanded is because one of them entered the army. How will I know if this group still exist 3 years later? You expect me to sign a 5-year contract with you? I will take a step back too. 4 years is the maximum. 3 million RMB for 1 year is too high. Jackie Chan’s endorsement fees were only slightly more than 1 million in China. Ok. I will factor in inflation. I will offer 1.5 million RMB endorsement fees. The contract duration is 4 years. The total will be 6 million RMB. This is my final offer.”
“Mr. Feng, I need to consider this.”
“Ok. Don’t let me wait too long. We are also considering Aaron Kwok.”
From Song Wen’s expression, Feng Yu knew he will accept the deal.
