The bright and clear glass walls can clearly see the entire city's skyline. It is not as crowded as New York or as regular as Los Angeles, but it outlines the compactness and retro style unique to San Francisco. The steep coastline at the end of the sight is still thin in the early morning. The fog is looming, adding a touch of grandeur; the outline of the Golden Gate Bridge can be faintly seen, and the billowing fog is receding, just like a fairyland.
Today’s contract signing location was chosen in the historic Montgomery District of San Francisco. In fact, the city’s city center is not very big. Union Square is not far away, and next to it are Little Italy and Little Tokyo; but this is San Francisco’s business district. The center is similar to New York's Wall Street, and the towering Transamerica Pyramid is one of the city's important landmarks.
This is San Francisco, where the intersection and integration of different cultures can be clearly felt in the streets and alleys.
"Good morning, good morning." The glass door of the conference room was pushed open, and a steady, powerful, mature and magnetic voice spoke, with a hint of briskness and friendliness in the words, "I hope I didn't keep the guests waiting, otherwise this will happen." It's just my fault. Please accept my apology for not coming to greet you immediately."
"If you feel sorry, it means that my strategy worked. We arrived twenty minutes early, obviously to take more initiative in the negotiations." Laihe took the initiative to greet him and started driving harmlessly. joke.
The other party held Lech's right hand in a friendly manner, "So, is this an American joke? If we interpret it according to the Swiss understanding, then we can now despise each other." The gentle words did not have too many waves, But you can feel a touch of joking in the tone between the lines, which is more elegant and calm.
"It's a great honor to finally meet you, Mr. Lu. I am Wolfgang Muller. I welcome you on behalf of Rolex today and look forward to our cooperation." Then, the other party came to Lu Ke's In front of him, he took the initiative to hold Lu Ke's right hand again. The handshake was solid and strong, but not too aggressive, showing enough sincerity.
One meeting left a deep impression on people.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Mueller. It should be said that it is an honor for me to have such an opportunity." Lu Ke also greeted him politely, "In fact, I am still worried about it until now. Is there any misunderstanding? Are you looking for the wrong person? Maybe it’s another player named Luke."
"People always say that modesty is a virtue of Chinese people. I think you should inherit the traditional culture of your ancestors." Wolfgang's response was still to advance and retreat appropriately and feel like a spring breeze. "Even if we really found the wrong one But what is certain is that when we meet today, the misunderstanding should be resolved."
This is a meme for Asian players. But on the same topic, Wolfgang expressed it in a relaxed and friendly tone, which not only did not offend, but also made people smile.
"But now, I should invite everyone to take a seat. So, I think the misunderstanding should be resolved." It was a pun, which on the surface was in response to Lu Ke's "misunderstanding" just now, but the real meaning was that Lu Ke's idea was a "Misunderstanding", this kind of wisdom hidden in words, is indeed different.
Then, Wolfgang took half a step back and made an inviting gesture, indicating that everyone should sit down.
"How's it going? How's the scenery outside the window?" Wolfgang's opening remarks were a little surprising. He skipped Lech and talked directly to Lu Ke. Moreover, the content of the conversation also hinted that he had noticed Lu Ke's face before entering the door. figure.
Compared with Under Armor a year ago, Lu Ke has also grown up. Although he is still a little excited and nervous, he has relatively settled down. "I finally understand why people always like to climb. Not only because you are overlooking all living beings, but also because you can stand high and see far away, and when the field of vision expands endlessly, such a scene is really hard to buy.”
Wolfgang raised his eyebrows slightly, "I didn't know that you were actually a philosopher." This was a positive and affirmative tone, and he added, "In Europe, we like philosophy." The subtext was , in the United States...
The two people exchanged glances, and a smile appeared in their eyes. Laihe, who was sitting next to him, shook his head helplessly, complaining that he was helpless.
"However, not everyone can stand on the top. The reason why the scenery on the top is beautiful is because it is rare." Wolfgang then added, changing the subject and going straight to the topic, "This is also what we at Rolex always do. motto."
Lu Ke pursed his lips and smiled, gently chinned his head, and said jokingly, "It's a beautiful turn."
Faced with the ridicule, Wolfgang accepted it calmly and continued, "This is also the reason why we at Rolex hope to cooperate with Mr. Lu." Then, Wolfgang noticed that Lu Ke seemed to be about to speak, but turned his head and looked at Lech, with a slight smile on his lips, Wolfgang took the initiative and said, "If you have any questions, you are always welcome to ask."
Laihe spread his hands, neither affirming nor denying.
Lu Ke withdrew his gaze, his smile paused at the corner of his mouth for a moment, and finally said frankly, "Why me? There are countless top players or top rookies in the entire NFL, why did you choose me?"
The reason why I ask this question is because the object is Rolex.
The first thing to note is that sports marketing is one of the most important ways to increase market share. Thanks to the strong market share of sports events, the mass base of the World Cup, Olympic Games, and World Championships is unparalleled, which is very important for enterprises to expand their influence. , increase visibility, and open up emerging markets, this is one of the best choices.
Among them, the connection between watches and sports is even closer. Because time is one of the basic principles of sports events, all sports require timing. Even for field events such as high jump and long jump, there is a time limit between each trial jump and shot. This also makes timing equipment an indispensable part of sports events. A missing part.
Many top watch brands have been integrated with specific sports events, such as Omega in track and field and swimming; for example, among the four tennis Grand Slams, France's Longines, US Open's Citizen, Australian Open and Wimbledon's Rolex; another example is TAG Heuer in F1 racing, and so on.
Watch brands can always appear in the most conspicuous positions on the field, which has become their most important bargaining chip in sports marketing. This popular, high-end event viewing group is generally the target audience of watch manufacturers, so this is also a relatively accurate and effective marketing strategy.
Rolex is certainly no exception.
But it's still slightly different.
Rolex’s global market share is well-deserved to be at the forefront, and has even ranked first for many years. They do not need a large number of endorsements to expand the market, but more about further digging into the brand image and brand depth. Therefore, for endorsement cooperation partners They are always careful in their selection, and often only choose the top few, or even just one, for each sports event.
Prior to this, Rolex had never officially cooperated with the four major sports leagues in the United States, not just the NFL, but also the other three major leagues - the NBA did not have an official timing sponsor brand, Tissot, until 2016.
This also means that this is the first time Rolex has officially cooperated with the four major sports leagues, and they have chosen Lu Ke. Naturally, this gave rise to Lu Ke's question:
Why?
After the question, Lu Ke himself laughed and joked, "I mean, if the answer to the question may cause today's cooperation to fail, then there is no need for you to answer."
Wolfgang did not smile. Instead, he straightened his back and showed a serious expression. Obviously, the humor methods in Switzerland and the United States are indeed different, and the methods of conversation are also different, "Mr. Lu, please know What are Rolex’s criteria for selecting sports?”
Lu Ke did not answer, but looked attentive and waited quietly.
Wolfgang said with a smile, “We have been cooperating with sailing for more than half a century. Whether it is supporting the highly competitive Rolex Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race or maintaining the traditional glory of the Rolex Superyacht Cup, we have always been with sailing. The world's best create unique connections. That's what we're about."
Although Wolfgang only mentioned the sailboat project, more associations immediately emerged in Lu Ke's mind:
Rolex is undoubtedly one of the most enthusiastic brands in the industry to cooperate with sports projects, even far more than other watch brands, such as golf, tennis, racing, skiing, sailing, equestrian, adventure and so on.
The common feature of these projects is that they have a certain threshold and are often accompanied by labels of high-end, noble or extreme challenges. As the world's top watch manufacturer, Rolex has gradually built a brand cultural label through long-term cooperation with top events or athletes in these sports, which has further deepened its influence in the target market.
In other words, Rolex has not cooperated with the four major North American sports leagues such as the NFL and NBA because these sports events are more civilian, more popular, and more market-oriented, which is different from Rolex's brand positioning.
After a slight pause, Wolfgang waited for Lu Ke's digestion and reaction before continuing, "Undoubtedly, the NFL is not only the largest sport in North America, but also one of the most competitive and challenging sports in the world. One, being able to partner with the football program, that’s always one of our goals.”
"But we didn't encounter a suitable opportunity." Wolfgang smiled and cast his gaze towards Lu Ke, "Until you appeared. Unique in the entire alliance, we knew that the opportunity we had been waiting for It’s finally here. If you miss it, you won’t know when the next time will be. Do you know Rolex’s brand statement?”
A Rolex tells a story.
