Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 532: Should I Follow? Nike's Hesitation

After a thrilling final, Chen Ran finally achieved the achievement of "Golden Master".

However, what made him laugh and cry was that when receiving the awards after the game, those leaders looked listless and drowsy.

One advantage of this is that there are fewer long speeches that were originally prepared.

As it was really too late and he was eager to go home, Chen Ran only said a few simple words when he gave his victory speech, and then hurriedly announced the end amid cheers.

The audience at the scene were also eager to go home.

This should be the sports event with the latest ending time held in China.

The post-match press conference was also cancelled. After washing up, Chen Ran returned to the hotel where he was staying. It was almost 1 a.m.

When the excitement gradually faded away, fatigue came over him and Chen Ran fell asleep.

……

After the Shenzhen Masters, the important finale of this year will be the year-end finals held in Shanghai.

However, there is a European indoor season between the Shenzhen Masters and the year-end finals.

So there is plenty of time, about one and a half months left.

Like last year, he will definitely miss the European Indoor Season. Anyway, in terms of points, Chen Ran has already secured the year-end first place, especially since he will also participate in the National Games this year.

This was his promise to the Zhejiang Provincial Sports Bureau three years ago, and it is also a way to repay the support of the Chinese fans.

However, even a rigorous media like CCTV joked that the events with the least suspense about the championship in this year's National Games are men's singles tennis and men's 110-meter hurdles in track and field.

In these two fields, Chen Ran and Liu Xiang are far ahead.

Of course, if Liu Xiang is not in good shape, it is not impossible that he will be overtaken by his younger brother Shi Dongpeng.

Especially under the stimulation of Ms. Dongri's various weird words, it is not impossible for Shi Dongpeng to perform beyond his level and create an upset.

After all, the 110-meter hurdles race lasts only more than ten seconds, and the race is over in the blink of an eye.

In such a short period of time, everything changes rapidly and anything can happen.

But in the men's tennis singles event, even if Chen Ran had a cold and played while sick, it was estimated that no one would be able to defeat him.

Because a tennis match is a long contest, and Chen Ran's overall strength gives him an overwhelming advantage.

However, this is not necessarily the case in women's tennis. Zheng Jie's advantage is far from comparable to Chen Ran's.

After the Shenzhen Masters comes to an end, the Tokyo 500 will follow.

All the Chinese women's tennis players who were selected for the main competition flew to Xiaori to participate in the competition for the sake of points and year-end rankings. Only Chen Ran continued to miss the Tokyo competition as usual, and this has been the case for the past three years.

Even though Xiao Ri Zi offered him an appearance fee of up to one million US dollars, he still refused to do it.

Although the "Chen-Federer showdown" is the main theme of today's tennis, many industry insiders firmly believe that Chen Ran is a player of a higher level than Federer.

So, at the press conference the next day, many reporters surrounded Chen Ran and asked the same question: What do you think of Federer's new contract?
There is an eternal rule in the workplace: if you want a high salary, you have to change jobs. The more you change jobs, the higher your salary will be.

The same is true for advertising endorsement fees.

How could Uniqlo possibly impress Federer by poaching him from Nike without showing utmost sincerity?

The endorsement fee of 2000 million US dollars a year has increased by more than 4 times compared to when Federer endorsed Nike.

So the question is, if Federer can get so much, how much should Chen Ran get? As a seven-time Grand Slam winner who has achieved both the Golden Slam and the Golden Masters, and with the huge Chinese market behind him, Chen Ran's endorsement fee can't be lower than Federer's.

Not only must you not be lower than the opponent, but you must also be much higher than the opponent.

Looking at the reporters' questions, Chen Ran felt secretly happy.

He smiled and said, "Roger totally deserves this endorsement contract. I wish him the best and hope he will make a lot of money."

Do you really think so?

They really wanted to ask that.

The reporters looked at each other. They were unwilling to believe what Chen Ran said, but looking at his expression, it seemed that he was not lying.

Federer gets $2000 million a year in endorsement fees, setting a new record for athlete endorsement fees. Do you think Chen Ran is jealous?
He is jealous as hell!

Chen Ran was even very grateful to Federer for his job change, which might be a great assist for him personally.

First, Federer has raised his endorsement fees, putting tremendous pressure on other competitors. Will you follow suit or not?
Second, after Federer left, Nike relied more on Chen Ran. They could not accept the result of losing Chen Ran after losing Federer.

Unless Nike completely withdraws from the tennis field, they will keep Chen Ran at all costs.

The third and most crucial point is that there is only one year left on the contract between Chen Ran and Nike, and the two parties have already started renewal negotiations.

At this extremely critical juncture, Federer made the decision to switch to Uniqlo at a high price, and Chen Ran was overjoyed.

If you don't take the opportunity to raise the price and make a profit, how can you be worthy of the assist sent by the Swiss king?

When the contract renewal negotiations first started, Nike's offer was a 5% increase, from $1000 million to $1500 million.

Everyone was originally satisfied with the renewal price, and then Federer switched to Uniqlo.

The agency took the opportunity to raise the price and asked Nike to renew the contract for $3000 million a year.

When this price was announced, Nike's representatives were frightened and almost left the negotiation table in anger.

Of course, these are all negotiation techniques.

Both parties are well aware that there is room for bargaining.

Chen Ran’s condition is the endorsement fee plus the commission on personal brand sales, with a guaranteed minimum of 3000 million US dollars.

If the total amount exceeds the limit, the actual amount will prevail; if it does not exceed the limit, Nike will make up the difference of US$3000 million.

The agency has been emphasizing over and over again: Federer can get $2000 million, and Chen Ran's achievements have already surpassed the Swiss, so asking for $3000 million is not too much, right?
After Nike kept pressing down on the price, Chen Ran's representative asked directly, "Sir, do you want Nike to lose both Chen Ran and Federer?"

"I believe that the wealth that Chen Ran has brought to your company is far more than 3000 million US dollars."

Nike's strength is far beyond that of Uniqlo, and the former is a pure sports brand, while the latter is a casual and fashionable clothing brand that has extended its reach into the sports field.

Nike should have some sense of crisis, right?
3000 million US dollars is a reasonable price, but it is definitely much higher than Federer's 2000 million US dollars.

Uniqlo signed Federer with the idea that it could suffer losses in the first few years, while Nike signed Chen Ran with a return in mind.

The offer from Chen Ran's agency put Nike in a dilemma.

Should I follow or not?
……

(End of this chapter)