Zhu Zhaojiang had just gotten off the plane and was packing his things in his room when he suddenly heard a knock on the door. He went over to open the door, and Bai Yongxiang was standing outside with a smile.
"Mr. Bai!"
"From now on, we'll be on the same boat. Just call me Lao Bai. I'm three years older, so I don't need to be so polite."
Bai Yongxiang entered the room, took a look, and asked casually: "Have you had dinner?"
"I haven't eaten much. I've been in Africa for a long time and I have to get used to it every time I come back."
"Yeah, I have lingering fears about that Fufu and Eggus soup... Oh, by the way, Mr. Yao will be here soon."
"Mr. Yao is coming too?"
"Of course I did. The group attaches great importance to this in-depth cooperation."
In February, Lao Bai went to Africa alone and knocked on the door of Zhu Zhaojiang's heart. Zhu Zhaojiang had been working in Nigeria and Kenya and had not received any approval.
But when he came back, he acted very decisively, and the terms were settled in three strokes, five divided by two. Bai Yongxiang admired him very much. He didn't hesitate after thinking about it, and just did what he said. This is a person who does big things.
The two sat idle for a while, and someone knocked on the door again.
Bai Yongxiang went over to drive, and sure enough, Yao Yuan came right after.
"Mr. Yao!"
Zhu Zhaojiang hurriedly took a few steps forward, only to feel the other party flash over and hold his hand: "I have admired your name for a long time, and I have wanted to pay you a visit for a long time. I really don't have time. I just saw you for the first time today. I am so ashamed!"
oops!
Regardless of whether it is true or not, this attitude is very useful to people, and Zhu Zhaojiang also said a few words of sincerity.
The three of them sat down and Yao Yuan asked directly: "How many Transsion mobile phones are expected to be shipped this year?"
"15 million+"
"1500 dollars?"
Yao Yuan and Bai Yongxiang looked at each other and sighed: "Africa is indeed a dreamy blue ocean. Our Meizu 3+ Meilan 1 will only ship 15 million units this year at most."
"You are being modest. What Meizu does is quality, and it has just opened up overseas markets. It is inevitable to keep data conservative. Unlike Transsion, it is still selling feature phones."
"Do you plan to keep making functional phones?"
"There are too many differences among regions in Africa. There is still a huge market for functional phones. Maybe in 10 or 20 years, they will slowly phase out feature phones."
"..."
Yao Yuan nodded, carried out the purpose of tonight's visit, and made a promise: "After we sign the agreement, Meizu will not participate in the management and voting of Transsion. The two parties will mainly conduct in-depth integration in channels, promotions, and ecological chains.
Just like Lao Bai said to you, we sell mobile phones first, then content, then smart electronic products to create an African product ecosystem."
"With your words, I feel relieved!"
Zhu Zhaojiang was very complimentary and curious, asking: "What is your original intention for the idea of going to the sea ecosystem?"
"Actually, there is no original intention. It was slowly formed as the business developed. For example, in the first few years, we found Facebook with the game "Stealing Food" and then sold it to the world. When Apple rose, we also brought "Angry Birds" to Facebook.
"Sold to users around the world... just like this, little by little, we have the direction we are today."
Yao Yuan smiled and said: "The group now has three large overseas business divisions. One is centered on games and Hugelive, radiating to Europe, America, East Asia, and Southeast Asia. One is for the Middle East market, and the other is for Africa.
Some do hardware first, and some do content first, but in the end they all combine software and hardware to create a localized ecosystem. This thing will not be clear for a while. You are a person who does big things, so you must know it well. We are now achieving it
Agree and work together.”
"Thanks to Mr. Yao for taking it seriously!"
Zhu Zhaojiang was able to carve out a niche in Africa, so naturally he was not someone to be trifled with, but both Bai Yongxiang and Yao Yuan gave him enough respect, and driven by practical interests, they were happy to accept this investment.
"To be honest, the sound transmission business is small and the profit is small. I am in need of funds. Your money can solve my urgent need."
"Oh? What should I say?"
"I have personally investigated in Africa and have been doing localized development. I have considered the local language and local aesthetics, including the problem that African hands tend to sweat. I have taken them all into consideration.
One of the key projects is that the current camera and video functions of mobile phones in the African market are very unfriendly to black people. When they come out, they are all black, with only their eyes and teeth left.
We are collecting a large number of photos of local people, analyzing and debugging them based on their characteristics, and want to develop photography and camera modes suitable for dark skin..."
Zhu Zhaojiang pushed a cup of coffee in his hand and said: "To put it simply, the result is a beautiful brown color, or a sexy chocolate color, which Africans will definitely like!
But R&D requires funds, alas..."
Needless to say!
Yao Yuan's eyes were already sparkling. He was really talented. He immediately said: "You don't have to worry about funding and future listing. If we don't completely win the African market, we will be sorry for our cooperation!"
…………
Yao Yuan came over in person just to say a few words and left quickly.
In the blink of an eye, the next day, a press conference was held at the International Convention and Exhibition Center. At the meeting, it was officially announced: "Meizu invested US$100 million in Transsion, accounting for 17.45% of the shares!"
"We will take the Meilan brand as the core and share channels, Barabara..."
Yao Yuan, Bai Yongxiang, and Zhu Zhaojiang were all present. He supported the event and did not dominate the scene. The main thing was to see the two of them compliment each other.
Finally, he concluded a few sentences:
"As of May, the sales of Meizu 3 have exceeded 5 million units, and the sales of Meizu Blue have also reached 4 million units. Going overseas has always been the strategy of 99 Group, and we have chosen the African market as the first landing point for our mobile phone business.
, Transsion has mature operating experience in Africa..."
"In the second half of this year, Meizu's first flagship phone will be available to everyone... With the rapid upgrade of hardware, our mobile phones will be better integrated with content and we will develop more products."
As soon as he finished speaking, a reporter asked: "Are you referring to map navigation?"
Um?
Yao Yuan was stunned and did not answer for the time being.
The reporter asked again: "There are rumors that 99 Group is preparing to enter the navigation market. Is it true?"
"I don't know where you heard the news from, I can only say that I have no comment!"
"So is it true? What kind of strategy will 99 adopt? Is it charged or free?"
"Sorry, this has nothing to do with today's press conference."
"When you launch navigation, it will inevitably compete directly with Baidu. May I ask what you will... Zizzi!"
Reporters were silenced.
That day, news was flying all over the Internet.
"99Doubt develops mobile navigation products, and the market may be reshuffled!"
"Yao Yuan's attitude is ambiguous!"
"Informed sources revealed that 99 is indeed preparing for relevant work!"
“Expert analysis: Navigation is a powerful supplement to the 99 ecosystem!”
"Mobile navigation may enter the free era, and the anti-virus software shopping scene will reappear!"