Chapter 311 Public opinion exploded, Nike suffered a heavy blow!
The first person to fire the shot was ESPN's well-known commentator - A-Smith.
Smith was at the scene and narrated the entire game.
As early as the first half, when Curry and Yao Ming were called for fouls consecutively, he complained about the referee's call on the spot.
During the intermission, Smith said: "These three referees should quickly watch the video replay. They can't make similar mistakes in the second half!"
However, in the third quarter, Yao Ming was once again whistled for an offensive foul because of an unwarranted move in the pick-and-roll.
Mark Jackson also paid the price of two technical fouls for protesting.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Curry was whistled for his fifth foul in a very short period of time.
All this completely angered A-Smith!
After suppressing his anger and completing his commentary work, he immediately sent a tweet after the game:
"Strict investigation, today's three referees must be strictly investigated!"
"This has seriously exceeded the scope of the 'home whistle'. Every time the Rockets want to open up the score during a game, these three referees will jump out and force the suspense to continue!"
"I propose that the league send out a commissioner to investigate whether they have any contact with betting companies!"
a-Smith's words are very serious.
He is not an NBA employee, and the league cannot issue a fine to him.
Therefore, he can speak freely and say things that Rockets players and coaches dare not say.
Moreover, because A-Smith has great influence in the circle, this tweet was quickly retweeted and quickly became a trending topic on Twitter.
Not only that, with him as the one who "started the group", those who followed up and "kept up with the output" became even more unscrupulous.
Some people were weird: "You are obviously blind, but you still stick to your position as a referee! I am touched, this is professionalism!"
Some people were filled with indignation: "Stern, did you gamble on the game? Or did these three referees gamble on the game? Find out who has the problem and clean it up quickly. Don't tarnish my beloved basketball!"
Someone dug into the underlying issue: "Let's just say, it's not Nike controlling the game again, right? Yao Ming and Curry, two players signed by Under Armor, were targeted by the referee today. Are they really haunted?"
Of course, some people praised Nowitzki's behavior: "I lost two points, but won everyone's respect. I think after today, who would dare to say that Nowitzki is soft! After watching football for so many years, this is what I have learned
The toughest performance I’ve ever seen!”
Among them, the comment "Discover the essence" received a large number of likes and quickly reached the top position in popularity in a short period of time.
Not only that, many people forwarded this comment and attached their own views on "Nike's manipulation of the league."
Moreover, only a small part of them are trolls arranged by Shen Fei, and the vast majority are real fans.
This means that more and more people are beginning to believe that Nike is behind the scenes and is interfering with normal competition!
............
As the saying goes, if the people's hearts are broken, it will be difficult to lead the team.
Early the next morning, in less than 10 minutes after the stock market opened, Nike's stock price fell by about 1%!
You may not have any idea about this, so let’s convert it into real money-Nike Group lost nearly 500 million US dollars this morning!
After Under Armor's marketing director learned of the news, he immediately called Shen Fei.
At this time, Shen Fei was in the office, drinking coffee comfortably.
After receiving the call, he just smiled and was not too surprised.
This is just the result of his previous layout and his accumulation today.
Among this, there is the factor of Nike's own suicide.
Of course, the bigger reason is that Shen Fei used various means to guide and control public opinion.
These methods of his should not appear until many years later.
Using it during this period is somewhat of a dimension reduction attack and bullying.
Moreover, after hearing the news about the decline in Nike's stock price, Shen Fei suddenly thought of a new idea.
[This method is a bit bad...]
[But the effect should be very good.]
Thinking of this, Shen Fei's lips couldn't help but curl up with a sly arc.
"boss?"
The marketing director's words brought Shen Fei out of his thoughts and back to reality.
"Well, that's good news."
"Strike while the iron is hot, let's announce our cooperation with eliesaab."
"I want to tell you some details, that is..."
Shen Fei told the other party the arrangement in detail.
"Boss, were you really just a basketball manager before?"
"These things...the previous boss couldn't even tell you!"
After hearing this, the marketing director called him an expert.
"Okay."
Shen Fei responded lightly.
These ideas of his are all derived from the successful cases of business giants in previous lives.
Stones from other mountains can be used to attack jade. Shen Fei's ease and confidence come from this.
In the afternoon of that day, Under Armor’s official Twitter had an additional tweet like this:
"'Diversified integration, collision of inspiration' is the brand culture that Mr. Shen Fei has laid for Under Armour since he took office."
"Soon, we will cooperate with the 'mysterious guest' to launch a series of blockbuster collaborations! Note that these are exclusive collaborations!"
"This cooperation is a new attempt for Under Armor and even the sports brand industry, so stay tuned! #ANDEMA国##INDUSTRY FIRST#"
This tweet was quickly forwarded by Curry, Yao Ming and other contracted players.
For a time, the fans were talking a lot.
During this period, Under Armor is definitely a "screen-smashing" presence in the eyes of the public!
Under Armor's advertisements can be seen on TVs, on social platforms, in major variety shows, and even in subway stations, amusement parks, and online games.
This kind of promotion method is unprecedented even in beautiful countries with extremely developed advertising industry.
If we say that a month ago, only people who were keen on sports, especially those who liked to go to the gym, knew about Under Armour.
Now, if you pick up a random passerby in a first- or second-tier city in the beautiful country, there is a high probability that he will know the existence of Under Armor!
It is this growing influence that makes Nike feel pressure.
However, these previous promotion methods will not actually damage Nike's fundamentals.
After all, a sports brand must ultimately rely on its products to speak for itself.
Whether it is sneakers or other sports equipment, Nike has its own exclusive achievements.
This is the "moat" they rely on for survival.
Although Under Armour's advertising campaign is overwhelming, from the time Shen Fei took office until now, it has not actually launched a quality product.
Everyone at Nike is very happy about this.
This means that they still have time to think of countermeasures.
But the news announced by Under Armor today undoubtedly gave Nike a chill!
To this end, Nike executives held an emergency high-level meeting.
"Exclusive cooperation? Industry first?"
Nike's big boss Phil Knight fell into deep thought after seeing these two words.
"Isn't it just to make a joint product? Then it will most likely be a collaboration with some trendy brands. If it is top-notch, it will be a joint name with a first-line trendy brand."
"Everyone, don't be so surprised, right?"
A senior executive with a Mediterranean hairstyle questioned.
"But if it's just a joint name with a trendy brand, how can it be said to be the first in the industry?"
"Furthermore, we at Nike have cooperated with countless trendy brands in the past few years, and we have basically co-branded with first-line brands."
"Under Armor also emphasized that it is an exclusive cooperation, which shows that it is definitely not a trendy brand."
A gray-haired senior executive retorted.
“It’s not a trendy brand, is it a joint name with a luxury brand?”
Mediterranean guessed.
At this moment, the big boss, who had been silent for a long time, spoke.
"Probably."
"However, if it is an ordinary luxury brand, it cannot be said to be the first in the industry."
"So... maybe it's a collaboration with a first-class luxury brand."
Phil Knight tapped his fingers on the table and said slowly.
“Under Armour’s experience in the industry is so low, what first-tier luxury brands are willing to cooperate with them?”
"My guess is that most of them are cooperating with a brand that I have never heard of, creating some weird joint names, and then claiming that it is the first of its kind in the industry."
"Just like that bullshit air vest they released before, it has no practicality at all and is ugly! I didn't know it was so expensive and there were so many idiots willing to buy it."
Mediterranean said indignantly.
"You know shit." Phil Knight said speechlessly: "Listen, you must be prepared for a tough battle. Under Armor's new boss is a genius."
With that said, Phil Knight pointed to the Mediterranean Sea and continued: "If you are as arrogant as him, what Shen Fei said at the previous press conference will become reality. This is not alarmist!"
"Under Armor's current main base is still in the NBA. So, let's seize the time to make Kevin Durant's sneakers."
"As long as it can defend the territory of the NBA, Nike can maintain its suppression of Under Armor. Do you understand?!"
All the senior officials nodded.
"Dest, you've had a hard time during this time, I know."
"But... you still have to be careful. Public opinion has become increasingly unfavorable to us recently."
"First put aside all arrangements related to the referee."
Phil Knight changed the subject and said to Dest in the corner.
It was actually Phil Knight's idea for Dest to threaten Stern before.
But the boss is always right, and the only ones who are wrong are the people under him.
Durst nodded quickly and kept apologizing.
If Stern saw him like this, he would definitely be shocked.
After all, the contrast between Durst's current humble posture and his previous display of power is so great!
............
Time flies, and it’s night in a blink of an eye.
Shen Fei finished his day's work and drove back to the villa.
Just as he was taking a comfortable bath, a cold metallic sound suddenly sounded in his mind.