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When it came to brand endorsements, Lu Chen was extremely cautious.
Many celebrities, especially the wave of newly popular artists who shot to fame overnight, often adopted a "drain-the-pond-for-the-fish" mentality.
They would aggressively chase appearances and, even more so, commercial endorsements. The showbiz community mockingly referred to this as "Double Ad Spamming" (meaning back-to-back publicity and advertising blitzes).
The rise of this "Double Ad Spamming" phenomenon had several roots. For one, some entertainment agencies ruthlessly squeezed their contracted artists for profit, wringing out every bit of value within the contract period with no regard for long-term development.
Some artists, however, were more than willing to go along with this approach. The entertainment industry had become hyper-competitive, and survival pressure was immense. If you didn't cash in while you were hot, what was left once the spotlight faded?
So they took on endorsement after endorsement, regardless of the risk, even agreeing to represent high-risk products.
But for artists focused on long-term growth, brand endorsements were handled with much more care and deliberation.
In this respect, Lu Chen took Chen Fei'er's advice seriously.
Chen Fei'er was considered one of the reigning "queens of advertising" in the domestic entertainment scene. All her endorsements were with top-tier national and international brands. Her annual endorsement income reached tens of millions, and she had deep experience in this area.
Her guidance to Lu Chen began with selectivity. For example, she advised him to steer clear of categories such as financial products, pharmaceuticals and health supplements, medical services and devices, as well as agricultural goods like seeds, pesticides, and animal husbandry.
These categories carried relatively high risks. If the product encountered issues, it could severely damage the spokesperson's reputation and potentially lead to lawsuits.
Plenty of stars had taken major hits in their careers due to poorly chosen endorsements, not just one or two.
Even Chen Fei'er herself had nearly fallen into such a trap before, which was why she had since become extremely discerning with her commercial deals. Naturally, she didn't want Lu Chen to repeat the mistakes of others.
So far, Lu Chen had only taken on two endorsements. One was Whale TV, and the other was Senqi Clothing Brand. Both collaborations had been highly successful.
To be blunt, Lu Chen's endorsements brought far more value to the brands than what he was paid.
As a result, both Whale TV and Senqi had already expressed interest in renewing their contracts for the following year, and when that happened, the price would certainly go up.
And now, with the massive popularity of 'Autumn in My Heart', the number of brands reaching out to Lu Chen for commercial partnerships had skyrocketed. Among them, the most significant by far was Zhonghua Auto.
Zhonghua Auto was one of the oldest and most respected domestic car brands. Its history could be traced back over 70 years. The "Zhonghua" name was established alongside the founding of New China.
In the early 1950s, the Zhonghua jeep had crossed the Yalu River alongside Jiefang trucks, playing a critical role in the Korean War. It became a household name throughout the country.
But after China's economic reforms in the 1980s, foreign car brands flooded the domestic market. Zhonghua Auto's market share shrank dramatically, and at one point, it was teetering on the brink of bankruptcy.
Thanks to government support, this national brand managed to survive its most difficult years, reviving itself through technology partnerships and independent R&D.
After Lu Chen debuted, the first car he purchased in Capital City was a newly launched Zhonghua X7, a hybrid city SUV known for its excellent value for money. That vehicle was now mainly driven by Lu Xi.
Ironically, it was precisely because Lu Chen had purchased that Zhonghua X7 that Zhonghua Auto selected him as its next brand ambassador.
At the very least, it was a very important reason.
As a car company with an annual output value exceeding ten billion yuan, Zhonghua Auto was understandably meticulous when it came to choosing a brand ambassador.
Their decision to approach Lu Chen was primarily based on his growing influence among young people, and, just as importantly, his consistently positive public image since his debut.
Lu Chen had once won the championship of Singing China, which was one of the (albeit minor) reasons Zhonghua considered him. He had also performed in Beijing Television's National Day Gala and composed the uplifting, patriotic song 'I Love You, China'.
He had risked his own safety to save others, organized fundraising efforts for fans in need, and was now in the process of establishing a leukemia charity foundation. All of this made him a strong contender for "Top Ten Outstanding Youth" at the provincial or even national level.
By comparison, how many albums Lu Chen had sold or how high the viewership ratings were for his TV dramas, those weren't the key considerations.
Because of their high standards, Zhonghua Auto offered a correspondingly generous deal: a 12 million yuan contract over two years.
However, due to the contract's many detailed clauses, it couldn't be finalized in just a day or two. Zhonghua Auto hoped Lu Chen would take part in promoting their newly launched R-series travel vehicle.
Specifically, they wanted him to film a commercial and custom-write a theme song for the ad campaign.
Given the importance of the deal, Lu Chen and his studio made this project their top priority. Lu Xi continued negotiating terms with Zhonghua's team to secure the best deal possible, while Lu Chen dove into the creative planning for the new vehicle.
The travel vehicle (or "station wagon") was a car model born from the public's growing love for nature and road trips. Compared to SUVs and MPVs, it offered a lower price and cost of ownership, a sleeker body, and greater maneuverability, making it easier to drive and park.
In economically developed countries, especially across Europe, travel vehicles played a significant role in everyday life.
However, in China, travel cars had long been a niche market. In fact, they hadn't even been introduced until recently due to mismatched consumer demand.
But as domestic living standards continued to rise, a new trend had emerged, taking family or friends on a long-distance trip during holidays in a travel car. Among urban drivers, this had become the new cool.
For younger people especially, road-tripping in a travel car was seen as a romantic and stylish lifestyle. It was often idealized by artists and "literary youth," frequently appearing in glossy fashion magazines alongside dreamy travel essays.
Zhonghua Auto had its eyes on this emerging market segment and launched their first-ever travel car, the R100.
Lu Chen first spent two days thoroughly reviewing the materials Zhonghua had provided. He then researched and studied numerous international travel vehicle commercials online.
During this time, he composed a new song and handed it off to Wang Jing to arrange. Their Nirvana Band began rehearsing the accompaniment right away.
In the end, Lu Chen spent a full week creating and editing a complete music video, which would serve as a demo advertisement for the R100, essentially doing the work of a professional ad agency!
Once it was finished, Lu Chen had Lu Xi contact Zhonghua Auto and arrange to present the MV to their team.
(End of chapter)