Kyrie Irving, the No. 1 pick of the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2011, performed well in his rookie season and was elected the Rookie of the Year with a high vote. Irving, like Curry, serves as a point guard; moreover, the height, weight, and body shape of the two are very close, and their images overlap to a certain extent.
Nike chose Irving between Irving and Curry. This is an inside secret that Curry doesn’t know.
"Why?" Lu Ke really started to get curious, not because he was Curry's friend, but objectively speaking, Irving and Curry have many similarities, but... why Irving? In other words, why can't it be Curry?
Lech shrugged, "Because Irving can sell sneakers."
"In a short commercial for Coca-Cola, Irving transformed into an old man named 'Uncle Drew' and went to play basketball on the street. Drew is the nickname of Irving's father. This advertising image allowed people to understand Irving's family background and circumstances. His character, as well as the story of him and his father supporting each other and growing up, are all things that can bring the audience closer," Leh said simply.
Lu Ke nodded in realization, and then looked at Laihe meaningfully.
Lech nodded calmly and admitted, "Yes, yes, I hope Jack and Annie can be interviewed, or even tell the story between you, for this reason. You know, as a second-generation immigrant, you came to San Francisco at the age of eight. , started working hard, and with the support of my parents, I got to where I am today step by step. These stories are all things that can be converted into money.”
Lu Ke replied with a smile, "But for us, it is memories and life."
"I finally know why you and Stephen can become friends." Lech laughed dumbly. Curry is also very protective of his private life. There is very little news about his wife and children, and he almost never talks about it in the media. , and the same is true for Lu Ke’s other friend Watt.
So Lech returned to the topic, "Comparing Curry and Irving, Irving is the cool guy, and he knows how to entertain himself. Nike made their choice. Last year, Irving's sneakers The total sales volume exceeded 20 million, and Nike is very satisfied with this data."
"But Irving, James and Bryant are not the same type of players." Lu Ke recalled what Lech said just now.
Lech nodded in affirmation, "Indeed, Nike prefers muscular players. They like such beasts. Because this is a brand image and playing style, for those young people on the streets, they tend to like James, Bryant has such a consistent brand image."
"So, the images of Irving and Curry overlap, and they have to make a choice." Lech finally settled on the focus of his talk, "Curry is closer to an ordinary person. He also has a baby face and looks It’s very cute and that’s not what Nike wants.”
"At the same time, Curry is not as good as Irving and has a selling point, so Nike made a choice." Lu Ke said, and now all the questions suddenly became clear.
Laihe nodded in affirmation, "Actually, Yao was also like this at the beginning."
"On the one hand, Yao is a center, and the contribution of centers to the sneaker market is too little; on the other hand, when Yao entered the league, Asian players were still very, very rare. No one knew how his performance would be, and no one knew We know how much he can drive the sneaker market."
Later, Lech once again raised a question, "Do you know the difference between big brands and small brands?"
"With or without money?" Lu Ke said with a raised voice.
"Haha, this is one of them." Leh laughed happily.
"Another thing is that big brands have achieved enough success. Through repeated failures and setbacks, they have accumulated enough experience, so they have their own style and formation of doing things; but small brands have just started, and the future is full of challenges. To open up countless possibilities, they must keep trying and challenging. Therefore, big brands tend to be more stable, while small brands are more willing to take risks. Of course, this is only relative, not absolute."
Lech's explanation made Lu Ke pause slightly and said doubtfully, "So, why did Nike choose me? This is definitely an adventure."
"Indeed. In fact, Nike has always been laying out the plan and has not rushed forward. The fundamental reason is here." Since Lu Ke took the initiative to bring it up, Laihe took advantage of the situation and talked about it.
"They are eager to open the door to rugby in the Asian market, which will inevitably become another important step in their territory expansion, just like Yao back then; but at the same time, they are also questioning your ability to sell sneakers, just like Curry now. Same, in a sense, there are too many similarities between you and Curry."
The careers of Curry and Lu Ke are indeed very similar. He was given up by Duke University and went to Davidson College. He was always underestimated. He was too thin and too short and seemed unable to withstand the physical confrontation on the basketball court. , he is not the kind of player that people have in mind.
"But here's the problem. What Nike thinks are shortcomings are actually what I think are strengths." Lech then said, "This is true for Curry and you."
"Why? Just imagine those kids, they're never going to be like LeBron James or Cam Newton, 6.5 feet (2 meters), 250 pounds (114 kilograms) and then be able to jump 40 inches (1 meter), it seems like Without such talent, it would be impossible to enter the professional arena.”
"Then, you and Curry appeared. You looked like the boys next door you see everywhere in daily life, but you created your own miracles and completed incredible feats on the court. So, since If you can do it, those kids can do it too."
"Remember last year's rookie season? Everyone was marveling at all the miracles you did. Yes, you're not Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, and you're not Cam Newton or Robert Griffin III, but you That's you, even more amazing than Kurt Warner or Joe Montana."
"Times have changed now. After the rise of social networks, what we need are grassroots civilian idols, just like 'American Idol' has been broadcast for so many years; rather than those unreachable gods and heroes, even among superheroes, Spider-Man and Batman were also always the favorites, the former because he was a high school student and the latter because he had no superpowers."
"You and Curry, you are Batman and Spider-Man."
Just now he was talking about things seriously, but then the conversation changed and Laich started joking.
Lu Ke couldn't help but smile and shook his head, but he still emphasized his choice seriously, "Very good, from now on Stephen will be Peter Parker, and I will be Bruce Wayne."
Vincent in the driver's seat whistled, "So, I am Robin?"
"No, you are just a driver." Lech extinguished Vincent's illusions, and then continued, "In the subsequent negotiations and negotiations, I will mainly emphasize this matter. Times are different now. Now, the idea of selling sneakers also needs to change."
"But what is certain is that it is difficult for rugby players to sell sneakers. Whether it is Nike or Adidas, they must be prepared. Under Armor's idea today is one way; I don't know if other brands have other ideas. , if it just stays in the field of rugby shoes, this endorsement seems not very cost-effective, and the amount will definitely not be too high."
Lu Ke gently nodded to express his understanding, but did not say anything more.
Lech waited for a moment, and then asked Lu Ke frankly for his opinion, "So, what's your opinion? If you don't like Nike, we can stay with Under Armor, or choose Adidas."
"I don't know." Lu Ke said truthfully, "As you know, I don't have any special requirements for sponsors. I don't think Nike and Under Armor are likely to undergo earth-shaking changes. Maybe Nike's sneaker design Better looking?" Such honest words made Vincent laugh heartily, and even Lech couldn't help but smile.
"But in the final analysis, I have no special ideas." Lu Ke continued, "However, I must admit that Nike seems to have more to offer, and they naturally have more to consider, and they hope to ask for more in the future. Much. So far, the cooperation with Under Armor is very pleasant. After several conversations and negotiations, I can feel their sincerity. That’s all.”
There is another thing that Lu Ke did not emphasize, but Laihe will not forget: Nike used Lu Zhengze and Jiang Youning to get close to Lu Ke. This step is really not a clever one; fortunately, the subsequent correction was considered timely. In place, otherwise Nike may completely miss Lu Ke just because of his parents' relationship.
As an agent, Laihe must have a sufficient understanding of Lu Ke's preferences and insistence, and be thorough in everything. This is the secret to the sustainability of long-term cooperation.
As for now, Laihe has enough understanding of Lu Ke's attitude and opinions. No matter which brand is chosen in the end, Laich will inevitably mediate among several brands for a period of time, dealing with each other to stimulate each other, triggering healthy competition, and ultimately they will choose the best partner.
It is true that top brands have the initiative to choose and have deep pockets; but if the players reach a high enough level, they can also have some say. Lu Ke is like this now, not to mention, he is still a unique existence in the alliance.
When the business came to an end, Lech then said, "Oh, by the way, Under Armor will update a batch of your exclusive sneaker series before the weekend at the latest. You can adapt to it in training first. If there are no problems, , you can wear it in the playoffs, and then they will arrange a relevant press conference to officially announce it; if your feet feel uncomfortable, even if there is any minor problem, then postpone it later, it doesn’t matter.”
"Okay, no problem!" Lu Ke nodded simply.
Lu Ke is responsible for training and competition, and Laihe is responsible for business and negotiation. Their division of labor and cooperation are still going well.
