Chapter 76: Development Strategy
How complex was a marketing promotion for a newly developed online game? When Meng Hao, the CEO of Ayu, brought the marketing proposal to Murong Feng for review, Murong Feng realized it was a major project.
It involved analyzing player consumption habits, advertising through media like the internet and gaming magazines, collaborating with internet cafes, putting up posters and banners, sales tactics of on-the-ground game promoters, various promotional activities like giving away virtual point cards or items for registering, offline events, and more... The final promotion budget reached 30 million RMB.
Murong Feng asked Meng Hao in surprise, "So much?" He had only spent 30 million to acquire Ayu Games.
Meng Hao explained with some difficulty: "The online game market now is different from a couple years ago. Many companies have listed overseas and have strong financial advantages. They invest heavily in promotions. For example, Giant has a ground team of over 4,000 people, basically covering second and third-tier cities in China. If we don't strengthen our promotional efforts, it will be very hard to achieve the expected results! This figure is already a conservative estimate that our marketing department tried to compress as much as possible."
Murong Feng nodded silently. He knew that launching a new online game in the current market required a large capital investment. However, after two years of experience, his considerations were much more thorough than before. While capital investment wasn't an issue for Murong Feng now, he wondered if spending this money would achieve the desired promotional effect.
He recalled an article he had read about Giant's promotion of "Zhengtu" years ago. Why was Zhengtu's ground promotion so successful and impactful? On one hand, Giant had a powerful ground promotion force accumulated from their previous consumer goods business. On the other hand, they used a "street sweeping" approach, perfecting promotional details to the extreme. A typical example was that Zhengtu's posters were larger than those of other games, so even if other companies' posters covered them, Zhengtu's promotional slogans would still be visible around the edges.
Evidently, what mattered most was the thoroughness and effectiveness of the promotional work.
Murong Feng pondered for a moment, then said: "I basically agree with your marketing plan. As for funding, I will provide an additional 50 million in the form of increased investment into the company. However, when using these funds for marketing promotions, there must be a detailed distribution plan and an evaluation on effectiveness, especially for ground promotions. Submit a written analysis report on the progress and effectiveness to the company's board of directors for review once a week."
After Murong Feng and Fengxing Wireless jointly acquired Ayu, Ayu Games' board of directors had 5 members: Murong Feng, Bao Zixian, Liu Xin, Meng Hao, and Wei Bao.
Meng Hao was overjoyed. With ample promotional funds, an industry veteran like him could utilize more channels and have more confidence in the game's future development. He happily agreed on the spot.
In fact, Murong Feng could have fully bought back Fengxing's shares in Ayu, owning the Ayu game company outright and enjoying all future profits. But considering that Ayu's game team was crucial for supporting Fengxing's mobile game project development, he decided to maintain Fengxing Wireless's shareholder position.
Of course, after the capital increase, Murong Feng's shares would still constitute an absolute majority, not much different from full ownership.
After finalizing Ayu Game's "Criss-Cross" promotional launch plan, Murong Feng, who had gradually developed the qualities of a professional investor, felt it necessary to reorganize and take stock of his previous investments.
Regarding the investment in Harbor Technology, Murong Feng was more like a strategic investor, not involved in any of Harbor's operations, just holding a large number of shares. For TOM Beijing Media, although Murong Feng held an executive director position, with only 20% of shares, he was actually a minor shareholder. Management was gradually being handed over to Doris and Ouyang Lanruo. These two companies were essentially investments.
In Fengxing Wireless and Ayu Games, he was the major shareholder. He controlled 45% of Fengxing Wireless's shares, while in Ayu Games, after this capital increase, his investment rose from 10 million to 60 million, with his share percentage reaching 75%, plus an additional 11.25% indirectly controlled through Fengxing, giving him absolute control. So these two companies were truly Murong Feng's business enterprises.
As for Chang'an Capital, he was both an investor and a partner and fund manager, which was more like a job.
After this assessment, Murong Feng more clearly determined his next development strategy.
Through his investment in Harbor, he not only laid the groundwork in the upstream technology and network side of the telecommunications field for Fengxing Wireless's development but could also reap huge growth benefits from Harbor in the future. If, as Li Xiangnan predicted, Harbor's sales revenue exceeded $1 billion within two years, which wasn't impossible given the current timing of 3G networks and next-generation core network upgrades. The shares Murong Feng held might be worth billions of dollars after Harbor's future IPO! So Murong Feng would continue to pay sustained attention to Harbor.
TOM Beijing Media was a company Murong Feng had great affection for. Besides being personally involved in its establishment, it was inseparable from Ouyang Lanruo's careful assistance during his humble beginnings and his memories of working in fashion magazines. So although he wouldn't be involved in day to day management, he was happy to maintain his investment and executive director position.
At an appropriate time, Murong Feng decided he would consider integrating Ayu Games and Fengxing Wireless into a new media entertainment group, with businesses covering the internet and wireless entertainment. This was an industry direction with high growth potential. In the future, new media services in China would inevitably experience rapid growth due to the massive scale of internet users and mobile phone users. This area would be Murong Feng's top priority.
As for Chang'an Capital, Murong Feng discovered that, just as Zhou Haitao said, investing was what he was truly interested in and wanted to do. He enjoyed it immensely, reviewing investment applications from projects all over the country every day, analyzing different companies and industries. This feeling of being deeply embedded in China's overall economic development excited him.
Murong Feng's wealth and assets were already substantial. Although he didn't have hundreds of billions in assets like super-rich individuals in mainland China and Hong Kong, it was enough for him now. He hoped more for a sense of achievement. Participating in the economic development of China by investing in emerging enterprises through Chang'an Capital, participating in social development through associations, policy-making, and social charity - these were the works that gave him a sense of achievement now.
After taking stock of his current business foundation and development goals, Murong Feng couldn't help but think about his emotional life.
Zhao Nian, Ye Zi, Tang Qing - the three women he had loved so far in his life, appeared one by one before his eyes...
....
France, on the banks of the Loire River, Lancôme Castle Estate.
A group of people strolled along the garden path filled with roses and romantic ambiance, listening to Odile Roujol, the granddaughter of the Lancôme's founder Armande Petitjean and the current lady of the castle, as she recounted the history of this beautiful castle.
The essence of the Lancôme brand - delicate, elegant, refined, and extraordinarily charming - originated from these traditional, beautiful, noble, and elegant romantic roses.
Zhao Nian was among this group.
As the six-month training program at the Lancôme's French headquarters was coming to an end, she found that her initial eagerness to return home had long since faded.
Before she left, she had a big fight with Wang Yonghui. She didn't want to give up this global training program for selected middle-level personnel held by Lancôme, while Wang Yonghui didn't want her to leave for such a long period.
This was their first big fight since getting together. She ultimately insisted on going to France, and Wang Yonghui, in his anger, didn't even see her off to the airport.
So Zhao Nian flew to Paris in low spirits.
Everything here was novel, beautiful, romantic, and elegant. Zhao Nian found herself falling in love with Paris at first sight - this world fashion capital, a romantic city full of artistic atmosphere.
The beautiful Seine River bank was dotted with cafes of all sizes. Along the Champs-Élysées, there were countless historical sites and ancient buildings. Here were the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe, the Musée d'Orsay... Here were flagship stores of all the world's most famous fashion brands, luxury brand showrooms, theaters, cinemas, restaurants, bars, and nightclubs...
Zhao Nian quickly forgot her dispute with Wang Yonghui. Besides attending training, she made many new foreign friends and fully enjoyed the colorful life in this romantic artistic city full of dreams.
Half a month after she arrived in Paris, Wang Yonghui called to apologize, and Zhao Nian forgave him. After all, he was just reluctant to see her leave. They maintained weekly phone calls. In the blink of an eye, six months had passed. Now, about to return to Beijing, Zhao Nian found that she wasn't very eager to see Wang Yonghui...
Murong Feng's faint smile suddenly appeared in Zhao Nian's mind.
"Jessica, what are you thinking about?" Zhao Nian's slightly distracted expression carried a kind of ethereal charm.
Gino, the Lancôme Paris headquarters marketing manager walking beside her, leaned close and asked softly in English. This handsome Italian with captivating sea-blue eyes had been unabashedly infatuated and admiring of her since their first meeting, pursuing her ardently.
Zhao Nian smiled and shook her head: "Nothing." She wasn't interested in this handsome foreigner, but since he was a colleague from headquarters, Zhao Nian was always polite to him. Her charming smile made Gino even more infatuated, feeling a surge of love, deeply sensing the mystery and beauty of Eastern women.
This global Lancôme training session was aimed at core employees from regional companies across different continents for comprehensive development. Besides internal training on Lancôme's brand essence and culture, there was also in-depth research on female skin technology, the latest research and clinical trial results from Lancôme's skincare research center, and participation in various world-renowned fashion and cosmetics industry release conferences held in Paris, allowing them to understand the latest trend and aesthetic values.
Zhao Nian was like a fish in water in this environment. She was the kind of person who naturally yearned for success and beautiful things, and fashion was her favorite thing. So during this training program, she shone like a brilliant diamond, making colleagues from all over the world remember this beautiful Chinese marketing manager and catching the attention of Lancôme's top management.
Of course, ardent pursuers like Gino were just a side product of her pursing her career life.
The training program was over, and she would return to China, to Beijing. Everything here was just a small segment of her life; she had no leisure to engage in a romantic foreign affair.
Thinking of this, Wang Yonghui's face - always gentle but inscrutable to her - flashed through her mind again. Strangely, after just half a year of separation, when thinking of him now, Zhao Nian didn't feel much longing. Why did she think he was so excellent and different back then?
And Murong Feng... At the thought of this name, the blurred face that had been deep in her heart suddenly sprang out, instantly occupying her entire mind and heart. There was his youthful and spirited look from university days, his calm smile after setbacks in society, and his dignified and composed manner after becoming famous and successful.
Murong Feng was once the talented man she admired, her most beloved partner, her one and only and someone she once depended on. And now, they were strangers. Thinking of this, Zhao Nian couldn't help but sigh wistfully.
Returning to Beijing, perhaps she would see him again...
....
Wang Yonghui hadn't been in a good mood lately, although on the surface, as the senior executive vice president of Moto China, a well-known foreign enterprise in the Fortune 500, he held a high position with considerable power and unlimited glory.
Zhao Nian had insisted on going to France. Her decision made Wang Yonghui very angry. He was used to having everything around him under his control. Although he loved Zhao Nian very much, this point still couldn't be violated. In his view, as his woman, Zhao Nian should naturally prioritize his opinion, but Zhao Nian had challenged his principles.
But after Zhao Nian really left, he realized how important this beautiful woman was to him. When his anger subsided, he hurriedly called Zhao Nian to apologize. Fortunately, Zhao Nian forgave him. Fortunately, she was about to return!
Besides love, Wang Yonghui's career had also encountered some problems.
As a Senior VP of Moto China, Wang Yonghui was in charge of one of Moto's core business departments, the Mobile Phone Division. Moto's Mobile Phone Division was once the company's most profitable business. In 2006, Moto phones, thanks to the hot sales of the RAZR series and good performance in the low-end market, had a 21% market share in China, second only to market leader Nokia's 28%. Now, due to lackluster product performance, its market share had been surpassed by Samsung, dropping to only 13%. Although he could use the excuse that Moto's global market share was declining as well to absolve some responsibility, it was enough to make Wang Yonghui, who was responsible for the Mobile Phone Division, lose face.
That day, he had just finished a global sales meeting and was walking out of the conference room with a furrowed brow, accompanied by several senior managers. His phone rang.
"Is this Mr. Wang? Hello, this is Gu Changqing." The voice on the phone was calm, but the name made Wang Yonghui's heart suddenly skip a beat!
"Young Master Gu, hello!" Wang Yonghui immediately switched to a tone of pleasant surprise, while waving his hand, causing his subordinates to quickly walk a few steps away.
Wang Yonghui had been introduced to Gu Changqing by a friend and knew well that Gu Changqing's background was mysterious and his power astonishing. He was a true big shot hidden in the shadows. Although Wang Yonghui wanted to establish a connection, he lacked the opportunity. He never expected to suddenly receive a call from him today, and was truly flattered.
"Mm, Mr. Wang, if you're free, tomorrow at two in the afternoon, I've arranged to have tea with a friend at the 'Yicheng' tea house near the Imperial College. Come join us for a chat." Gu Changqing's calm voice contained an undeniable assertiveness.
Wang Yonghui hastily agreed. He was a smart person and naturally knew that Gu Changqing suddenly finding him must have a purpose. But regardless, having such an opportunity to connect with Gu Changqing was something Wang Yonghui certainly wouldn't miss.
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