Chapter 525: Fast Forward
"... As for what has changed, I can't really tell you now. Perhaps, we will only know the answer when we see me on the court again after this storm is over."
Wise, calm, mature and profound.
It was just a simple question, but Kelly could deeply feel the life wisdom hidden in Gawain's words. This open-mindedness and calmness were obviously not what an eighteen-year-old boy should have. But before Kelly and Raul could speak, Gawain changed the subject and added another sentence.
"But now this storm is still wonderful, let it fly for a while."
Light, playful, teasing, humorous.
With a small turn, Gawain showed the vigor and vitality that had just made history by winning the championship. The confidence emanating from the inside out made people smile, and then a smile lightly rose at the corners of his mouth. Kelly and Raul exchanged glances, and both sides could see the appreciation in each other's eyes.
The "Today Show" has been on the air for so many years, and the hosts have interviewed thousands of people from all walks of life, including many superstars and legendary players in competitive sports. However, this young player who suddenly emerged can still make people's eyes light up and leave a deep impression, which is really rare.
Before the end of the interview, Raul said with a smile, "I must admit that I haven't watched your game yet, but I am now interested. I am looking forward to your return to the court."
Gawain silently raised his right hand, interlaced his index and middle fingers, and made a prayer gesture, "Let us hope that it will be a victory."
In an instant, laughter broke out again in the Fish Tank Live Room.
From inside the fish tank to outside the fish tank, there were crowds of people and constant laughter. The surging crowds of people stretched out continuously in Rockefeller Plaza.
From inside the live broadcast to outside the live broadcast, heated discussions were endless and overwhelming. The huge discussion frenzy covered all corners of the social network with unstoppable momentum.
When the live interview of "Today Show" ended, the average audience was fixed at 5.2 million, and the highest instant audience reached 6 million. This audience figure created a new high in the program itself in three years, and it was the first time that the highest instant audience exceeded 6 million since 2008.
Everyone in the program crew was in high spirits; no one expected that this live broadcast would be so successful.
More importantly, when they were interviewed later, both Raul and Kerry said that they actually had an interview outline in the beginning. They both thought that the young player would be very nervous for his first live show appearance, and even if he had a good interview outline, his answers would probably be stiff and formulaic, lacking vitality.
However, in the end, the content of the interview completely deviated from the outline. Even during the ten-minute interview, Raul and Kelly did not want it to end so quickly.
"I like his tone of voice and expression, which makes me smile. To be honest, I am looking forward to having more conversations with him."
Raul said so.
The success of the "Today Show" is only a part of it. The sensation on social networks is the main body of the wave, and everyone is a witness to it.
After the live broadcast, Nike and Gao Wen’s official social network accounts released press releases one after another:
Gao Wen officially signed with Nike!
Although all netizens had guessed it, the official confirmation still caused a stir, and the entire publicity effect exploded with amazing energy——
Nike, as expected of Nike, acted quickly and decisively. It completed the signing just sixteen hours after Gawain won the championship. Some people even speculated that Nike had actually signed the contract with Gawain after the semi-finals, but tactically postponed the announcement until after the finals.
If this is true, then Nike's courage is even more admirable.
At the same time, Nike's official press release also announced that at 2:00 p.m. New York time that day, they will officially hold a press conference to announce Gao Wen's joining; and will announce a series of major events at the press conference.
“Please stay tuned.”
Just one sentence, but you can deeply feel Nike's confidence.
Afterwards, all major news media were in an uproar because Nike and IMG agency jointly sent out invitations to more than 600 media outlets from all over the world to the famous Lincoln Center, where they were about to hold a grand press conference.
Such treatment is unique. Even the signing of the Big Four was not so solemn, so that all the news media are trying to find out the inside story and try to get the exclusive news in advance.
In just a few hours, the situation became tense.
But Nike remained tight-lipped and various speculations arose until the press conference was officially held at 2 p.m., at which point the mystery was finally unveiled.
Nike signed a contract with Koeman under the spotlight of media cameras and showed Koeman's US Open championship commemorative jersey to the media. Nike then announced its decision to officially develop a Koeman product line, including a full range of jerseys, shorts and shoes.
Big news coming one after another!
The latest novel is published first on Liu9shuba!
Although Nike did not inform the media of the 1.5% dividend, the existence of the product line already demonstrated Gao Wen’s unique position and truly soared to the sky.
Later, Nike leaked the news that the most noteworthy thing about Gao Wen's exclusive contract was not the top salary of two million US dollars a year, but there was another more noteworthy focus. As for what the focus was, it was left as a suspense, allowing the media to speculate and the industry to circulate rumors.
But this is still not the end.
At 5 pm, Wilson, a century-old tennis racket brand with the highest market share in the world and which has been the world's top seller for many years, held a surprise press conference and invited 300 reporters to the scene to officially announce the strategic cooperation with GAWN. They will tailor-make a special racket for GAWN and accompany GAWN on the court.
Following legendary superstars such as Sampras, Graf, the Williams sisters, Federer and others, Gao Wen also became a member of Wilson tennis rackets.
Just before and after, Gao Wen's tennis equipment sponsorship has been fully announced. Even as a new Grand Slam champion, the speed of brand sponsorship is still amazing. It can be deeply felt from the side that Gao Wen is in high demand. The bigger the sponsor, the more they understand the importance of seizing the market.
Gulu, just as Gawain himself said, everything happened too fast. Ever since he reached the summit and won the championship, time seemed to have pressed the fast-forward button, whizzing by like a whirlwind. Before he had time to savor them, breaking news came one after another, leaving him breathless.
Of course, this is definitely not all. There is still a long list of brands waiting in line to sign Gao Wen as their spokesperson, but Tobias was very smart to slow down and did not rush to finalize all the endorsements overnight. In the first step, he still focused on Gao Wen's identity as a tennis player and established Gao Wen's professional image.
As for other brand sponsorships, you can wait.
Moreover, sponsorship is not everything. After Gawain made history, the radiation range of the championship halo is beyond imagination, and the crazy operation of the world is still accelerating.
(End of this chapter)