Chapter 686: The Marketing Plan
"You didn't come all the way here just for this, did you?" Lu Ke asked, taking the initiative to test him.
Leigh looked surprised. "Why would you think that?"
"Because in the past few months, I've never brought up the subject of endorsement deals. There was no need for you to bring it up. Even if something changed, it's something that can be resolved with a phone call." Lu Ke knew nothing about business and marketing, but he had a keen sense for news.
Leigh's abnormality was obvious.
Leigh's jaw dropped in realization. "You're right. So, do you know what it is?"
"I'm not Sherlock Holmes." Lu Ke laughed heartily. After relaxing a little, his physical strength was slowly recovering. This small detail showed that the offseason training was starting to show results. "But I think it has something to do with the team or business. There are many possibilities. I won't guess randomly, so I'll choose the most boring and simplest guess. It must be an important plan; otherwise, you wouldn't have come all the way to the training field."
That was a bunch of nonsense.
Leigh's eyebrow twitched slightly, revealing a look of disdain. The deduction was as good as no deduction. He looked at Lu Ke meaningfully. "Don't use your slick talk on me like you do with reporters." Then he saw Lu Ke raise his hands in a gesture of surrender, admitting his mistake without any hesitation.
Leigh nodded with a slight smile, showing his appreciation. He didn't keep him in suspense any longer and went straight to the point. "The league has always had a marketing plan for Asia. Every offseason, there are regular events. Next week, the league will be holding a series of related events in Shanghai. It's a two-day, one-night trip, and Roger Goodell has extended an invitation, hoping that you can attend."
Two days and one night. It was a short trip, or rather, a test trip, to see how effective Lu Ke, as a Chinese player, would be for the promotional campaign.
Sure enough, Leigh added, "During the offseason, the league usually arranges three to four promotional events. It could be a big-name player like Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, or a member of the team that won the Super Bowl last year, or even a blue-collar player who is good at speaking Chinese. This is just one of the invitations, and you are the main focus."
In simple terms, it was a test run.
The NFL's league management wanted to find a suitable marketing strategy for itself.
Europe's top five leagues undoubtedly use the team model. Every offseason, top players go to various parts of the world to play friendly matches, Club World Cups, or warm-up matches, using the overall strength of the club to attract fans' attention and ignite their passion.
The NBA uses the superstar model. Not only do promotional events for top superstars often create a frenzy, but the addition of players like Yao Ming, Yi Jianlian, and Jeremy Lin also brings extra appeal to the teams and the league.
The NFL was still in the exploratory phase.
They couldn't determine whether a top superstar like Peyton Manning was more appealing or a Chinese player like Lu Ke was more appealing.
After all, in North America, Lu Ke, as a second-year player, was rising in popularity, but his influence was still limited. The biggest advantage was that Lu Ke was now the starting quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers, which was equivalent to Yao Ming's status in the NBA. The power of persuasion and the promotional effect were undoubtedly better.
"What do you think?" Leigh asked politely.
Lu Ke pursed his lips and said meaningfully, "Do I have a choice to refuse?"
Leigh also smiled and replied, "Why? Do you want to refuse?"
Although he didn't answer directly, the subtext was that he couldn't refuse.
This was not only a plan the league had high hopes for, but it was also a plan that Leigh was looking forward to. During the divisional playoffs, Leigh and Goodell had already reached a consensus in the VIP box. This was just the beginning, and a series of follow-up plans needed to be put in place.
Although Lu Ke didn't know much about the overall business operations, his keen sense for news was undeniable. "Just now, we were talking about the Asian market and commercial value, and now you're bringing up an Asian promotional event. So, I think I've already gotten on a pirate ship, and it's probably too late for me to escape now?"
"A pirate ship?" Leigh slightly raised his voice, and his narrowed eyes revealed a hint of a threat.
Lu Ke quickly raised his hands in surrender. "An adventure. An adventure! I'm very happy to be a part of this journey. Even if I'm not the captain, but the flag, it's still a great honor."
Looking at Lu Ke's deliberately playful expression, Leigh didn't get angry. He still smiled and said, "Please keep your personality. A talk show would welcome you very much. Although I'm not sure if this would be suitable in China, it's still a valuable trait. Do you still have memories of your homeland?"
"Of course. Many of my childhood memories are very special. Those memories are an irreplaceable part of my growth." Lu Ke paused for a moment, revealing a look of anticipation. "In fact, I've never been to Shanghai. When we went to San Francisco, we had a layover in Beijing. At that time, flights to North America had to have a layover in Beijing. So, this trip back should be a very unique experience."
Suddenly, Lu Ke couldn't help but feel excited. "Is it only two days and one night? Can't I stay there for a little longer? I can visit some places. You know, that would be very interesting."
Leigh also showed a faint smile. "Are you sure?" He paused for a moment and then continued, "What about your offseason training plan? My dear training-crazy maniac."
Lu Ke's mouth fell slightly open. His excitement and thrill gradually subsided.
The offseason training plan was not the issue. Even if he went to Shanghai for the promotion, Lu Ke could still complete his training on time every day. The problem was that training was training, and there were also promotional events, which meant there would be no other time for him to relax and have fun.
Letting out a long sigh, Lu Ke shrugged. "Alright, two days and one night it is. There will be many more opportunities to have fun in the future. Didn't someone say that if you want to relax, retirement is the best choice?"
In response to Lu Ke's look for approval, Leigh spread his hands. "I've never heard that before. Are you sure you didn't say it yourself?"
Lu Ke's jaw dropped in realization. "Hmm... Come to think of it, maybe I did." After a laugh, Lu Ke nodded slightly, and the light in his eyes began to dance happily. "So, I'm going back to my country? It came a bit suddenly, but it's something to look forward to. My parents will be very excited when they find out."
For Lu Ke, it was indeed very sudden.
But for Leigh, it was a trip that he had planned with Goodell for the entire season. Everything was coming together naturally. In fact, the trip should have started after the Pro Bowl, but it was delayed until now, which was a bit behind schedule. Regardless, it was finally happening smoothly.
"I really like Jack and Anne. I know you have a very close relationship, and I also know how much they miss their homeland. But my advice? It's best for you to go alone this time," Leigh advised seriously. "This business trip is very tight. It's only two days and one night, and all your free time will be spent on the training field. They will feel lonely. Even if you are willing to make time to spend with them, it will be very limited. This is not a good opportunity."
"Haha, Leigh, don't worry. I'm not a mama's boy," Lu Ke laughed cheerfully. "What's more, believe it or not? Even if I invited them, they would refuse. Because it's not a holiday. They have to work. If we want to go back to our homeland to visit, we would choose a different time."
Leigh raised his eyebrows and smiled. He didn't dwell on the topic. "There's one more thing..."
"Wow, now I finally know why you came here in person. There's a lot going on today. Or are you just piling everything up and waiting for the right time to come to me so you can be more efficient?" Lu Ke couldn't help but complain.
Leigh didn't mind. He even went along with it, showing a sincere and helpless expression. He said slowly, word by word, "I know. I'm not young anymore. Every joint in my body is aching. Traveling between cities every week is really draining. Watching the games from the VIP lounge is the limit of what I can do. During the offseason, I'd rather stay at home and rest. If it's not something important, there's no need for me to come out."
"You've worked hard. I know you were basically working for free for the first two seasons, so, you've worked hard." Lu Ke showed a big smile, expressing his sympathy.
Leigh gave a big smile at the playful teasing and nodded slightly, as if to say, "I'm glad you understand."
However, Leigh didn't continue joking and immediately returned to the important matter. "Do you remember your jersey number? In college, your number was eleven. After joining the team, you said you wanted to stick with number eleven, but because Alex Smith was also number eleven, you changed it to fourteen."
How could Lu Ke forget? He nodded in affirmation. "I chose number eleven because my birthday is on the eleventh. It was a habit. But after joining the team, Mr. Tom Gamboa said I needed to change my number, so I chose fourteen."
Halfway through his sentence, Lu Ke realized that Leigh wasn't the type to bring something up for no reason. At this moment, bringing up the jersey number without any warning obviously had a meaning. He paused for a moment to think about it and then immediately understood. "You mean, Alex has been successfully traded?"
This was the only logical explanation.
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