Sean Carlo, Under Armor West Coast Marketing Manager.
When Lu Ke signed a contract with Under Armor, it was Sean who personally completed all the signing procedures. This was the first contract of Lu Ke's career, and he left a very deep impression; even after that, the two of them had never met. , but Lu Ke still recognized the other person's face at a glance.
However, Lu Ke never expected that Sean would greet him personally, with such a grand ceremony - if it was just a small matter like designing a sneaker series, senior management at Sean's level would not need to come forward at all, it would be completely overqualified; and Sean also lowered his He made a gesture to introduce himself again. Such treatment is really rare.
That's why Lu Ke made a joke: Could it be that Sean was demoted because he decided to sign a contract with Lu Ke, but the revenue was lower than expected and the company's senior management was furious?
In fact, not only was Sean not demoted, he was promoted. He is now Vice President of Market Operations for all of North America.
This time when he came in person, Sean did not mention that his position and identity were different, because he believed that even if Lu Ke couldn't notice it, Andy would definitely understand it, and if he deliberately emphasized it, then visiting in person Sincerity becomes cheap.
In the final analysis, Under Armor sent Sean to take action in person, hoping to express enough sincerity. Facing the menacing Nike, this is their biggest advantage.
But Sean still underestimated Lu Ke. Without Laihe's special explanation, Lu Ke could already sense Under Armor's seriousness from Sean's attitude and tone. Although Lu Ke was deaf to what was going on outside the window and knew almost nothing about the so-called fierce competition; but after a brief encounter, he could faintly smell some gunpowder.
"Meeting old acquaintances again is always a joyful thing." Lu Ke responded simply and politely.
Sean didn't say anything more, turned around and made an invitation gesture, and said meaningfully, "Really? It seems that we have another consensus. I can now be sure that it will definitely become a Wonderful morning. Please allow me to lead the way for you.”
The place we visited today has left the center of San Francisco and is located in the suburbs of the city. If we continue in this direction, we can go to the famous Silicon Valley and Stanford University. The neighborhood is full of small studios or start-up technology companies. The neat streets, tall sycamore trees and neat shrubs all give off a quiet atmosphere of a middle-class living area in every corner.
The studio in front of me looks like a greenhouse. The main colors of white and mint green appear elegant and natural among the surrounding evergreen shrubs. The large and neat skylights are completely opened, opening their arms to the sun, even now. In winter, you can still catch a hint of summer in the air, which is dry and warm.
Walking into the studio, each office cubicle is covered with a large piece of transparent glass, and you can see the end at a glance. Some studios have drawn down the lake blue blinds to ensure that meetings and work can be held in a relatively independent environment. Some are carried out; some are not. The entire spacious space reveals a translucent and refreshing feeling.
Then Lu Ke saw Stephen Curry.
The office diagonally to the right did not lower the blinds, and Curry, who was sitting in the corner of the round table conference room, entered the field of vision without any obstruction. He was immersed in reading a thick album. On the other side of the round table, there was Several people sitting there were exchanging opinions in low voices with relaxed expressions.
Lu Ke turned his head and saw Sean's brisk eyes. Obviously, this was the real meaning behind Sean's words "wonderful morning" just now.
Sean nodded and said with a smile, "Then I won't disturb your work. Today's situation is really not my area of expertise. I think I'll leave the work to the professionals. After the meeting is over, if time If we’re not in a hurry, we can have a cup of coffee. Wait, you still can’t drink coffee now? I’ve always been very curious, can professional athletes drink coffee?”
The words are basically finished in one go, and from time to time he pauses to complete the supplements by talking to himself. It has a touch of intimacy but is not too deliberate, making people's mouth curl up involuntarily.
"At least I won't." Lu Kez also joked half-seriously, "But I can accept bottled mineral water."
At this moment, Curry raised his head and noticed Lu Ke's arrival. He couldn't help but reveal a cheerful smile on his face. He stood up quickly and kept waving his hands to indicate that there was obviously less than twenty years between the two of them. meters, but Curry's exaggerated movements seemed like two people standing on two hills, which was really funny.
Sean led Lu Ke to the door of Curry's office, took the initiative to open the door for Lu Ke, stuck his head in, and shouted, "Chris, the rest is up to you! The unique Lu Ke has arrived Live." Then, Sean said hello to Lu Ke again, turned around and left.
Following the sound, a middle-aged man stood up. Without the need for words, his size had already attracted attention. He had a standard basketball player figure, even slightly taller than Lu Ke, plus the appearance of the big bald head. , just like a bright light bulb lighting up the whole place.
"Chris Stone, now responsible for player management at Under Armor. I have talked to Lech on the phone many times before, but I have never visited you. Today I finally met the legendary Skywalker. God , you are much more handsome than I thought, after all, you usually wear helmets, just like superheroes, it is really difficult for me to judge."
They had just met, but Chris didn't give Lu Ke any time to interrupt. From self-introduction to talking to himself, he talked a lot, with his distinctive personal characteristics - chatty.
"Oh, by the way, looking at my memory, I actually forgot. Stephen also came here today. If I remember correctly, you and Stephen are friends, right? I vaguely remember that before, in the news or in photos What photos did the wall see that prove you are friends, wait, is it Facebook? So, you know each other, right?"
There was no need for Lu Ke to answer at all, Chris had already finished asking and answering himself.
"Hey, Stephen, why don't you come over and say hello to Lu Ke? Today we need to finish the work together. Oh, Stephen is already here. Look, this shows that my memory is correct, you are indeed friends, then again It couldn't be better, our meetings can be combined to discuss together, so that we can save time and improve efficiency."
In the midst of Chris's endless and airtight chatter attack, Stephen gave Lu Ke a big warm hug, but had no chance to interrupt. He just kept winking and bumping into Lu Ke's shoulder, as if to say: Hey, man , you are here too! How about it? How does it feel?
"Today, we are going to tailor-make our own sneaker series for you two players. It is not just about naming a series after you. We also hope that you can integrate your own hobbies and styles into the design to make this pair The sneakers are truly your own, as if they are an extension of your image."
“We have now completed some design concepts and ideas. You can look through these designs, and then feel free to put forward your own ideas and discuss them with the designers to be as close to your needs as possible while maintaining our Under Armor style. By the way, these two are the designers, Alexander and Victoria, and the two of them will work together, which is the main thing we need to accomplish in this morning’s meeting.”
"Great, now you can use your imagination as much as you want. Of course, if you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'm always here to accompany you."
This is the talkative one among all the friends Lu Ke knows. He can ask and answer all questions by himself, just like a cell dividing itself. He explains everything without stopping, and then answers all questions. , Chris's words have not stopped since Lu Ke entered the office.
Finally, Lu Ke deliberately raised his right hand, like a primary school student asking a question in class. This simple action made Stephen laugh non-stop next to him.
Chris could understand Lu Ke's teasing, but he didn't mind. He gestured with a smile and waited for Lu Ke's question.
"My sneaker series? I can understand the Curry series, but... rugby sneakers? Are you serious?" Lu Ke asked the question directly without hiding his surprise.
Chris was slightly stunned. He had not expected such a question at all. It's not that the question itself is surprising, but that Lu Ke took the initiative to raise it - most of the time, players welcome such opportunities with open arms and gratitude. After all, they are always the ones who benefit, and the risks are borne by the brand itself. Take it, the players are enjoying their achievements, so there is no need to ask questions.
But Lu Ke is obviously no ordinary player.
"Ha, I've heard before that you got perfect scores in the Vondrick test. Now I finally understand why. Wait, I mean, these two things are directly related, right? The Vondrick test is It means higher IQ and keen observation, right? I’m not sure, but I’m sure that you are not just an ordinary player.”
Before giving a formal answer, there was another chatter.
"Of course, of course, it's something to consider. The market for professional rugby is very limited, and the market for exclusive ranges is even more limited. But, we will design a whole range of boots for you, I mean, covering Boots for all parts of your training and life. These two ranges are our first steps, including running shoes and cross-training shoes, and of course, professional rugby boots!”
