Chapter 186: No Lack of Business Opportunities, Only Lack of Discovery

"Director Liang, don't get too excited just yet. My main focus will still be on advertising after the Spring Festival. Therefore, for the exclusive naming rights of the Spring Festival Gala, I'll only offer 200,000 yuan at most, and the contract for the exclusive naming rights for the next five years must be based on this one. Do you have any objections?" Zhou Ming asked.

Director Liang quickly shook his head, saying, "No, absolutely not! Boss Zhou, you're so generous. This 200,000 yuan for the exclusive naming rights is like a godsend for our Spring Festival Gala team. We can't thank you enough. I have no objections to any of your terms!"

Listening to Director Liang's excited words, Zhou Ming could barely contain his laughter. As someone who had been reborn, securing the exclusive naming rights for the CCTV Spring Festival Gala for just 200,000 yuan felt like winning the lottery!

If this were 20 years later, whoever obtained this honor would laugh even in their dreams. But in this era, people haven't even started paying attention to TV advertisements. The Spring Festival Gala only became a juggernaut in the 90s, so naturally, no one valued this so-called exclusive naming right, which allowed Zhou Ming to snag this deal.

Even though the Spring Festival Gala hasn't grown to its future stature yet, in this era of scarce television programs, its influence is no less than in later years.

More amusing to Zhou Ming was that, even though he had gotten such a great deal, Director Liang was still excitedly thanking him, as if Zhou Ming had really saved the Spring Festival Gala from disaster.

Hmm... if what Director Liang said earlier was true, then I suppose I did save this year's Spring Festival Gala.

Despite feeling very pleased inside, Zhou Ming maintained a serious demeanor. He still frowned slightly and said to Director Liang, "Director Liang, since I've agreed to invest in the exclusive naming rights for the Spring Festival Gala, shouldn't you show some appreciation?"

Zhou Ming asked this deliberately. After all, Director Liang didn't know the brand value of the Spring Festival Gala and had just sold the exclusive naming rights for 200,000 yuan at a bargain price. Zhou Ming, following the principle of not letting a good deal slip by, had to make more demands, or he would despise himself later.

Sure enough, in response to Zhou Ming's request, Director Liang nodded hurriedly and said, "Of course. Boss Zhou, how about this? I'll arrange for the best team at the station to handle your Eight Treasures Congee advertisement, and our station will cover all production costs. As for the actors you want, as long as we have connections, we'll do our best to bring them in to shoot the ad. How does that sound?"

You have to admit that Director Liang is quite sensible. This is exactly what Zhou Ming had been waiting for. Just to be sure, Zhou Ming asked, "Can you guarantee your word, Director Liang?"

Director Liang immediately patted his chest and assured him, "Boss Zhou, rest assured. Even though I'm only the deputy director of CCTV, I can make this decision. Besides, I believe that even the director or the higher-ups in the bureau would agree to this!"

Satisfied with this guarantee, Zhou Ming nodded in approval. Zhou Ming knew that with Du Peng around, Director Liang wouldn't dare to deceive them. So Zhou Ming raised his glass and said to Director Liang, "In that case, it's settled. Director Liang, I suggest we toast to our cooperation today. Who knows, in ten years when we look back, this cooperation might be seen as a milestone."

"Certainly, Boss Zhou. Here's to a successful collaboration and to another great success for this Spring Festival Gala!"

Amid everyone's well-wishes, they all drank the wine in their glasses in one gulp. However, as Director Liang finished his wine, he suddenly felt a pang in his heart, though he couldn't understand why. It wasn't until many years later that he realized he had been completely tricked by Zhou Ming today—Zhou Ming had gotten an incredible bargain.

…

After the banquet, Zhou Ming and Su Han followed Du Peng to a nearby teahouse, where Director Liang didn't ask to be escorted.

After ordering sobering tea and snacks, they settled into a private room. Du Peng taught Zhou Ming and Su Han how to eat roasted duck wrapped in tofu skin and dipped in sauce. While eating, Su Han asked Zhou Ming, "Are you sure this Spring Festival Gala naming right is really that useful? From Director Liang's reaction, it seemed like he was just eager to finally sell off the naming rights. Even though 200,000 yuan isn't much, don't let it be a loss."

"Don't worry, it won't be a loss. Forget about spending 200,000 yuan for the exclusive naming rights; I'd be more than happy to spend 200,000 yuan just to run an ad during the Spring Festival Gala. Think about it—on New Year's Eve, when families across the country are having dinner, what else can they watch on TV besides the Spring Festival Gala? The advertising on the Spring Festival Gala is incomparable to any other time slot!"

Zhou Ming explained, "As for Director Liang, it's just that he hasn't seen the value of the Spring Festival Gala yet. He'll regret it once he realizes it."

Du Peng, however, had full confidence in Zhou Ming. He said, "Don't worry, Sister Han. Zhou Ming here never does anything where he comes out on the losing end."

"Damn!" Zhou Ming cursed at him jokingly. "Du Peng, you really don't know how to talk. I do have some intention of supporting the development of the Spring Festival Gala. Otherwise, why would I offer 200,000 yuan? I bet even 100,000 yuan would have made Director Liang very happy."

"That's true. The organization of this year's Spring Festival Gala hasn't been great. Besides us, there's no one else willing to invest in it, and CCTV's budget is also very limited."

As Du Peng detailed the situation, he suddenly remembered something and asked Zhou Ming, "By the way, you mentioned bringing a band from Hong Kong to perform and guiding the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals. What's your plan?"

"Of course, it's to make the Spring Festival Gala more entertaining," Zhou Ming replied matter-of-factly.

This answer surprised Du Peng. "No way? Zhou Ming, you even understand art? Are you even human?"

Zhou Ming responded, "I don't really understand art, but I do understand business. I know what attracts people and what's trendy."

"So, if the Spring Festival Gala follows your plan, it will definitely be a hit?" Du Peng asked.

"I can't guarantee that, but I can assure you that it will be much more entertaining than it originally would have been. I can't even imagine what the original program lineup was like!" Zhou Ming said. "And this band, I've heard some of their songs—the melodies are very catchy. Even though they don't sing in Mandarin, I bet this band will lead an entire era, maybe even beyond! So, if the Spring Festival Gala can get this band, the effect will definitely be better!"

Zhou Ming was very confident about this. Perhaps it's still early in the timeline, and songs like *"Glorious Years"* and *"Really Love You"* haven't been released yet, but *"Cold Rainy Night"* and a few other songs that Zhou Ming loved have already been released. Who knows, maybe those other songs have already been created but just haven't been released.

But no matter what, this band represents the pinnacle of an era, and Zhou Ming believed their songs had a unique appeal.

Aside from that, another reason Zhou Ming wanted this band to perform at the Spring Festival Gala was to make up for a regret. In his previous life, this band experienced an accident during their peak and then faded away, never making it to the Spring Festival Gala stage. This was a regret not just for Zhou Ming but for many people of that era.

Snapping back to reality, Zhou Ming noticed Su Han and Du Peng looking at him with astonishment. He realized he had gotten a bit carried away with his emotions and smiled, saying, "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm a fan of that band myself, so of course, I'd have personal feelings when talking about my idols."

Zhou Ming wasn't lying; in his previous life, he was indeed a fan of theirs.

Hearing Zhou Ming's answer, Du Peng looked like he had seen a ghost, while Su Han said she would find a chance to listen to their songs too.

"Han, you don't need to wait for a chance. Since Director Liang agreed to have this band on the Spring Festival Gala, I'll definitely ask Sister Mu Qing for help. As long as they agree, they'll definitely send over some tapes first, and you can listen to them then. I guarantee you'll fall in love with their music!" Zhou Ming said.

Su Han nodded enthusiastically, and at that moment, Du Peng suddenly said, "Why don't we form a group and perform at the Spring Festival Gala too?"

"As long as you don't think we'll embarrass ourselves on stage, I could write a skit or something that would definitely be funny," Zhou Ming said. "And Director Liang would be easy to convince. At most, we'd just invest another 100,000 or 200,000 yuan, which isn't much for you, Du Shao."

Du Peng's eyes lit up at first but then dimmed. "Better not. If I really performed a skit on the Spring Festival Gala, my dad would probably break my legs for not doing serious work."

Du Peng's words surprised Zhou Ming, as performing on the Spring Festival Gala wasn't exactly a disgraceful thing. But considering that the Spring Festival Gala was still a political task at this time, or maybe there were

 other considerations for aristocratic families like theirs, Zhou Ming thought.

Then he said, "So instead of thinking about performing on the Spring Festival Gala, you should focus more on starting a business."

"Easier said than done. Starting a business isn't that easy. If it were, I wouldn't have had to travel all over the country" Du Peng said with a hint of frustration.

Zhou Ming nodded and gave him a piece of advice. "The reason why business opportunities are so difficult to discover is because you're searching in a saturated market. The trick is to find a niche or create one. You need to look for untapped areas or create demand where none existed before."

Du Peng looked at Zhou Ming, intrigued. "You make it sound so simple. Can you give me an example?"

"Of course," Zhou Ming said confidently. "Take the exclusive naming rights for the Spring Festival Gala, for instance. Everyone thinks it's not worth much now, but I can see the future value. By investing in it early, I'm creating a business opportunity where others see none. Another example could be in product placement within popular TV shows or movies. As the entertainment industry grows, so will the value of such placements."

"That's true," Su Han chimed in. "I've noticed that in foreign films, especially in Hollywood, they often use brand products in the storyline. It subtly influences viewers, and I think that's a powerful form of advertising."

"Exactly," Zhou Ming agreed. "And right now, this kind of advertising is still relatively new in our country. If you get in early, you could dominate that space before it becomes overcrowded."

Du Peng was deep in thought. "Hmm, it sounds like a good idea. Maybe I should start looking into this type of investment."

Seeing that his words had sparked interest, Zhou Ming continued, "And there are other markets as well—markets that people aren't paying attention to because they don't see the potential yet. For example, fast food chains. Right now, everyone thinks Chinese food is the only way to go, but what if I told you that in a few years, Western fast food will be huge here?"

"Western fast food?" Du Peng raised an eyebrow. "Like hamburgers and fries? You think that can take off in our country?"

"Absolutely," Zhou Ming said without hesitation. "People love convenience, and as the pace of life speeds up, more and more people will choose fast food over traditional meals. It's only a matter of time before fast food chains start popping up everywhere."

Su Han nodded in agreement. "He's right. I've seen it happening already in some of the larger cities. The younger generation is particularly drawn to it."

"Then maybe that's where I should focus my efforts," Du Peng said, now fully convinced. "If I can get in early, I might be able to establish a foothold in the market before it becomes too competitive."

Zhou Ming smiled. "Now you're thinking like a true entrepreneur. Remember, there are no lack of business opportunities, only a lack of discovery."

The three of them continued to discuss various business ideas well into the night. By the time they left the teahouse, Du Peng felt more inspired and motivated than he had in a long time. Su Han, too, was impressed by Zhou Ming's insights and began to see him in a new light.

As they parted ways, Zhou Ming couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction. He knew that with his knowledge of future trends and his keen business sense, he was on the right path to success. And he was determined to take his friends along with him on this journey to prosperity.