Chapter 194 Shameless Guy
Bosses in the Yangtze River Delta region like to place a set of teapots in their offices.
When guests come, they sit around the table, drinking tea and talking about business. As the saying goes, a cup of wine is a good match for the world, while a pot of tea is a good match for the great cause.
After Luo Yang came to the garment factory for lunch, he directly called Shang Guozheng to his office for tea.
While the water was boiling, he briefly explained the concept of trendy clothing.
"Mr. Shang, what do you think about us starting a brand with this as an entry point?"
Luo Yang carried the boiling kettle and washed the tea set while asking Shang Guozheng for his opinion.
“A brand targeting the youth market?”
Shang Guozheng nodded first: "Mr. Luo, this is a good idea. I also know something about this area. Currently, there are similar cultural dissemination in Europe, America, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, which also lead the fashion culture of young people."
After a round of repetitive talking, the next step is the turning point.
"But... this is just the beginning."
"Oh?"
Luo Yang heard the hidden meaning: creating a clothing brand is not as simple as you think.
"Come on, I'm just learning."
After boiling the purple clay teapot, Luo Yang took out half a tea cake, pried out two pieces, one large and one small, with an awl, and put them into the teapot.
"Mr. Luo, what you are talking about is market positioning. This is the first thing a clothing company needs to do when creating a brand."
Shang Guozheng's eyes were also on the purple clay teapot. While watching Luo Yang's technique of brewing tea, he said, "Determine whether to target the male or female market, determine the age group, determine whether to target high-end business people or urban white-collar workers."
Brand positioning sounds high-sounding, but it is actually easy to understand once it is explained.
It is nothing more than men's clothing sold to mature business people in their thirties, or women's clothing sold to young and cute girls in their early twenties, or other definitions with other prefixes.
When brewing Pu'er tea for the first time, wash off the dust and tea foam and pour out the tea soup.
It can also be used to wash the tea sets, and is also a good choice for starching and coloring.
"After we have a positioning, we will then design, produce and sell."
"Recruit fashion designers and build your own sales channels?"
When all commodities are stripped of their complexity, they ultimately come down to production and sales.
"What Mr. Luo said is correct, but it is also idealistic."
Shang Guozheng said this in a tactful way.
Luo Yang smiled and didn't get angry. He continued to make tea and motioned Shang Guozheng to continue.
"Let me first state the conclusion: to some extent, domestic clothing does not have a truly original style."
Shang Guozheng said seriously: "They all went to major fashion shows in New York, Milan, London, and Tokyo to observe and spot this year's popular styles and then copied them!"
At this point, he paused.
“Only big brands have the strength and willingness to do this.”
Shang Guozheng added: "More small and medium-sized brands and street stalls are simply imitating the styles copied by domestic big brands."
Luo Yang: “.”
How could he, a civil engineer, know these inside stories?
Seeing Luo Yang's surprised expression, Shang Guozheng was not surprised. Every industry has its own internal operating logic, and it is normal for outsiders not to know it.
“Why can’t our domestic fashion designers design their own styles?”
Luo Yang was surprised: "Besides, domestic designers have a better understanding of the domestic market. If you just copy, aren't you afraid that the market will be biased?"
"Mr. Luo, clothing is ultimately the definition of beauty."
Shang Guozheng's eyes revealed a hint of hidden emotion: "But at this moment, the right to define the beauty and fashion of clothing is not in our hands."
"."
For a moment, the office fell silent.
Luo Yang might not understand things in the professional field of clothing.
But he still has some understanding of the definition rights mentioned above.
In terms of soft culture, at least around 2010, Eastern culture was severely suppressed.
Especially before the emergence of self-media, many people did not even know another horrible truth: most of the cultural media is in the hands of the West.
A certain hot topic even popped up in Luo Yang's memory: the squinty eyes at a fashion show at a domestic school. The defined oriental beauty!
"Lao Shang, please continue!"
Luo Yang poured the second batch of soup into the fairness cup, then divided it into tea cups and pushed them to Shang Guozheng.
Perhaps Shang Guozheng also felt that the topic was too heavy, so he did not continue talking directly. Instead, he picked up the teacup and smelled the aroma.
"Boss Luo, this Pu'er cake is great!"
"This year's Iceland is fragrant, but a little bit strong, suitable for searching the stomach and cleaning the stomach."
Luo Yang pointed at Shang Guozheng's belly and said, "You are starting to feel a little bloated. This kind of tea is suitable for you in the afternoon. I will give you two cakes later."
"I'm almost 40 years old, how can I compare with a young man like you who is in his early twenties!"
Shang Guozheng laughed.
After waiting for the tea to cool slightly and drinking it in one gulp, he continued his topic.
“Once the popular styles for the season are decided, it’s time for advertising.”
Talking about these things, the topic became relatively relaxed. Shang Guozheng said with a smile: "Mr. Luo lives in Shanghai. You should have noticed that many clothing brands are endorsed by celebrities. This is the only way for domestic clothing brands to take that step forward, without exception."
"I know this."
Whether it is the basketball god Jordan endorsing Nike, Jay Chou endorsing Metersbonwe, or Chen Daoming endorsing Lilang men's wear.
"The spokesperson we choose must be targeted, and the image and temperament we create for the outside world must be consistent with the brand positioning itself!"
Although Luo Yang is a civil engineer, he still has basic logical thinking.
"Mr. Luo is absolutely right."
Shang Guozheng praised with a smile, and took over the conversation and said: "There are two major expenses involved: advertising endorsement fees and advertising fees."
The endorsement fee is the fee paid to the endorsing celebrity, which can be large or small, depending on the status of the celebrity chosen by the company.
Excluding international superstars, the fees for domestic ones range from millions to tens of millions.
In addition, there is advertising.
CCTV, local satellite TV, print media, outdoor, and film and television works.
The cost is even greater. Back then, Shandong Province Qinchi Liquor won the bid on CCTV. It was only in 1995, five seconds after the news broadcast, 6666 million RMB was awarded.
In the second year, it took million yuan to win the bid.
So, although Luo Yang promised to give Shang Guozheng a budget of 6000 million next year, it is not really a lot.
At best, it can only be said to be adequate.
“The costs here can be big or small.”
Sure enough, Shang Guozheng then briefly described the costs involved, as a reminder to Luo Yang in advance.
Luo Yang's calm nod surprised Shang Guozheng for a moment.
"After all these preparations are completed, we will start selecting several markets to open direct-operated stores."
Shang Guozheng further elaborated: "We have limited funds. Considering the effectiveness of advertising investment, it is best to intensively place ads in a certain city or province, and then set up direct-sale stores in that area to create model flagship stores."
At this point, Luo Yang began to understand a little.
As for marketing, it's similar in nature, and pretty much the same thing he was going to do with the milk tea shop.
First, we need to identify the market, develop products, and build a flagship store model. The rest is franchise stores.
"Once the direct-operated stores have achieved success, we will have more options in the future."
Shang Guozheng looked at Luo Yang and said, "At that time, whether we recruit agents nationwide or insist on direct operation by our own company, it will be fine."
We have this choice because we are the manufacturer.
Whether it is a direct sale or an agent, all goods must be purchased from their own factories. The only difference is a matter of how much profit they make.
Having talked about this topic, Shang Guozheng roughly explained to Luo Yang the whole process of creating a clothing brand.
Yes, roughly explained.
When it comes to actual operation, it’s even more complicated.
Shang Guozheng never expected Luo Yang to be able to take charge of the specific operations, as it was not realistic.
Luo Yang added water to the teacup. His hands were free now, so he handed a cigarette to Shang Guozheng.
"It seems that 60 million is not enough?"
"But it's enough!"
Shang Guozheng took the cigarette and said to Luo Yang before lighting it: "Boss Luo, you are already very courageous."
"Mr. Shang, this flattery is a bit too much."
Luo Yang waved his hand, lit a cigarette, and handed over a lighter.
"I'm not exaggerating. Don't look at the many clothing brands in Zhejiang and Fujian provinces. They all started as OEMs in the early years and gradually grew and developed. Only after the production and sales channels were perfected did they create their own brands."
Shang Guozheng lit a cigarette, took a few puffs, and then laughed.
"Look at yourself."
He shrugged his shoulders and said, "I started out selling sexy lingerie on Taobao. It can be said that I have almost nothing. Under such circumstances, I took out 6000 million to start a clothing brand. This courage is really no less than theirs!"
"Now that you put it that way, is it true?"
Luo Yang smiled a little awkwardly.
Why do you want to start a serious clothing brand?
Sexy lingerie, sold on Taobao. Listen, can you tell this to anyone?
Until now, he was too embarrassed to mention it in front of his parents, Jiang Fan, Jiang Yuanshan and his relatives.
Even if this factory is really profitable now.
"Oh, by the way, I have a few things to show you!"
In order to divert the embarrassment of the sexy lingerie, Luo Yang got up and got the laptop from the desk.
During those days in Shanghai, he designed (copied) more than a dozen clothing items based on some of the styles that were once popular in his memory.
There are women's skirts, such as the horse-faced skirt, and men's casual wear, imitating the style of an Arc'teryx he once wore. The rest are T-shirts, and the main creativity is the pattern on the chest, such as Peking Opera masks and cartoon Minions.
Not only are there styles for both men and women, but the range is also very large.
Originally, Shang Guozheng didn't take it seriously, but Luo Yang was the boss, so he had to give him some face, so he decided to just take a look at it perfunctorily.
Once I saw it, I was drawn into it.
"Mr. Shang, how is it?"
Luo Yang leisurely drank tea, smoked a cigarette, and asked Shang Guozheng for his opinion with a smile.
Damn it, I’ve been feeling so frustrated until now.
After all, I am the chief designer of Midnight Phantom, okay?
Can you show me some respect?
Shang Guozheng was looking intently, his eyes fixed on the dozen or so designs designed by Luo Yang without blinking, and the changes in his expression were quite interesting.
Especially the last few patterns you see are the patterns designed by Luo Yang for the future clothing brand.
He realized that these were some patterns from ancient Chinese heraldry.
Don’t underestimate these patterns. For example, the inspiration for LV’s classic patterns comes from the styles of traditional Chinese culture.
The later plagiarism of the horse-faced skirt is a typical example.
Don't doubt the aesthetic vision of our Chinese ancestors. Our ancestors were extravagant more than once or twice. There are several prosperous times recorded in history books. The beauty pursued by the powerful and wealthy who indulged in luxury was unparalleled in the world.
More than ten minutes later, Shang Guozheng raised his head and looked at Luo Yang.
There was a slight blush on her cheeks.
"Mr. Luo, you."
He sighed and said: "You have a natural feeling for the beauty of clothing. If you specialize in fashion design, you will definitely..."
"It's just copying some ideas from our ancestors."
Luo Yang nodded his head pretentiously: "Also, it is to understand human nature, such as the design of Midnight Phantom."
All this babble was just to remind Shang Guozheng that I am still the chief designer of Midnight Phantom.
Shang Guozheng finally reacted.
It turns out that my young boss is not only an LSP, but also has a unique aesthetic sense for clothing art.
“So which direction will the brand we want to create in the future take?”
Shang Guozheng, who no longer dared to underestimate Luo Yang, asked Luo Yang for his opinion.
"Women's clothing is positioned as light luxury, which is the main consumer group, as for men's clothing"
Luo Yang paused before saying, "I don't know if you've ever noticed the market, but men's clothing for those aged 15-18 is particularly hard to find. Apart from sportswear, it's almost impossible to find suitable clothes."
Most boys of this age are still in junior high and high school. Perhaps the market defaults to most of them wearing school uniforms. In any case, there are really no targeted brands on the market.
Shang Guozheng has been working in this industry for many years. After listening to Luo Yang's words, he had to admit that this was a fact.
From another perspective, he also understood what Luo Yang meant.
The goal is to create a trendy brand, targeting the male group between 15-26 years old.
Especially the segmented age group of 15-18 years old, which has a bit of the flavor of a blue ocean market. If you are the first to try it, you might be able to make a name for yourself.
Next, the two of them discussed this topic.
Most of the time, Shang Guo was talking and Luo Yang was listening.
After all, he is a professional.
But every time Luo Yang interrupted, he always hit the nail on the head and got to the point, and some of his opinions even made Shang Guozheng's eyes light up.
This pleasant exchange lasted for nearly three hours.
"Mr. Luo, after talking with you this time, I have a better idea about the future development of the garment factory."
Before leaving Luo Yang's office, Shang Guozheng said sincerely: "I hope we can have more exchanges like this in the future. Although you don't have a deep understanding of the clothing industry, there are some common concepts in the business field. Your genius sense of smell can always give me inspiration from unexpected angles!"
This kind of sincere request is more comfortable than flattery.
“Let’s learn from each other.”
Luo Yang is obviously not even half-baked, but he speaks very seriously.
This shameless guy
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(End of this chapter)
