Rebirth 99 to become a car giant

The topic of drones is very popular these days.

There are many topics related to drones on the Internet.

It has even driven venture capital’s valuation of drone startups.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, DJI also made a determined investment in advertising to promote its new products.

As a shareholder, Cao Yang would naturally not just watch.

After all, he is very looking forward to the future of DJI.

"Mr. Cao, this drone is really easy to use. In the future, the films we invest in can include a lot of high-altitude shots. For some high-speed tracking shots, the effect is even more unbeatable."

"Especially since our company started investing in the shooting of period films this year, we used this drone to test shoot for two days, and the effect was very good."

"Not only is the shooting efficiency higher, the lens is more beautiful, and the cost is also lower."

"In just one day today, I received contact from several directors, all asking about drone shooting."

Zhang Songwen attached great importance to everything Cao Yang ordered.

This time, DJI’s drone is indeed a powerful tool for various film and television companies, greatly improving shooting efficiency.

Therefore, Zhang Songwen felt no pressure at all when promoting.

He doesn’t even need to specifically promote it. As long as the drone appears on the set, everyone can intuitively feel its benefits.

There are so many people on the crew, and there must be people who want to recommend this great shooting tool to other crews.

To a certain extent, this is also selling someone a favor.

That's why Zhang Songwen received a large number of consultation calls in one day.

“This drone from DJI is mainly focused on aerial photography.”

"This is a drone that ordinary people can easily control, and shooting does not require special professional skills to complete it."

"The camera it carries is developed jointly by our Nanshan Auto Parts and DJI. The clarity and color saturation are very good."

"Now every film crew can feel its effect. It is estimated that all photography companies will buy it in the future, and ordinary drone enthusiasts will also buy it."

Cao Yang was not surprised at all by what Zhang Songwen reported.

This drone from DJI is definitely a disruptive product.

Before this, it was often very troublesome for various crews to shoot at high altitudes.

Higher-end ones require renting a helicopter for filming, which is very troublesome and very expensive.

The lower-end ones also require special equipment to lift the photographer into the air. There are many restrictions and the cost is also high.

Wherever you are now, you can shoot from whatever angle you want.

For example, when a horse is galloping on the prairie, you can have the drone follow the protagonist directly in front of you, or you can have the drone shoot from the air.

Get a few more drones and you can shoot from multiple angles.

This means so much.

This product has just come out now, and many people don’t know about it yet, so it needs to be properly promoted.

From now on, DJI won’t need to do any advertising. It can quickly increase sales by relying on users’ reputation and word-of-mouth.

"I think so too. Even the paparazzi will use drones in the future."

"Our company plans to purchase 100 drones first and train more staff who are skilled in operating drones to prepare for emergencies."

Cao Yang naturally had no objection to Zhang Songwen's decision.

There are many film and television companies that are also aware of the benefits of drones like Zhang Songwen.

You tell me about the goodness of drones, and I tell you about them. Suddenly, film crews across the country are looking for ways to buy drones.

Soon, the customer service phone number of DJI’s drone sales department was flooded with calls.

After all, this is the first time this product has been launched, and everyone still has many questions that they want to confirm before deciding whether to buy it.

Of course, since the entry-level version of DJI’s drone in China is only priced at 4,999 yuan, it is extremely cost-effective, so many people immediately placed an order to buy it after briefly understanding it.

"Mr. Cao, our domestic sales of DJI Phantom 1 have exceeded 2,000 units."

"At this pace, it won't take long to sell 10,000 aircraft."

"At the same time, order inquiries from abroad are also increasing rapidly."

"In the past two days, I have received contact from Sequoia Capital, IDG and other venture capital investors. They are all very confident in our future and want to invest."

"After a few years, we at DJI have finally come out on top."

Wang Tao's mood at this time was quite exciting and a bit complicated.

When he decided to start a business, he encountered a lot of resistance.

After so many years of hard work, it is now considered a true entrepreneurial success.

The setbacks and pressures experienced in the process are beyond the imagination of ordinary working people.

Of course, in this life, DJI met Nanshan Group early, and then there was less financial pressure.

For start-up companies, the absence of financial pressure is equivalent to the biggest burden being lifted.

"This is just the beginning. I believe that DJI will become a unicorn company in the venture capital circle in the future. Let alone US$1 billion, even if it is US$2 billion, US$3 billion, or even US$10 billion, it is not a dream. .”

"The drone market has a very broad space for development. Previous drones cost hundreds of thousands or even millions, which ordinary people simply couldn't afford."

"Now DJI has directly lowered the price to less than 10,000 yuan, and the situation has immediately changed dramatically."

"Look, DJI Phantom 1 will definitely set a new record for drone sales and make DJI drones completely famous in the industry."

Cao Yang's confident look also infected Wang Tao.

Originally he thought that the main market for DJI Phantom 1 was abroad, but now domestic sales have also increased.

If foreign markets also explode in the future, it is really possible to set a new record.

"Mr. Cao, our previous batch of drones must have been purchased by a special customer, right?"

"There shouldn't be any problem if we export the same products now, right?"

Wang Tao is very smart. Combined with the previous situation of Nanshan Robot’s Scorpion UAV, Nanshan Robot then purchased a large number of DJI Phantom 1 from DJI.

Then the end users of this batch of products can be imagined.

Nanshan Group definitely doesn’t need that many DJI Phantom 1s.

"Of course there is no problem, just go ahead and sell it boldly."

"DJIANG produces civilian products. This is true today and will be true in the future."

"Whether it's in China or overseas, we can sell it freely."

With Cao Yang's words, Wang Tao was completely relieved.

DJI can start to make efforts in foreign markets.

…

Smith is the president of AutoZone, one of the largest auto parts distributors in the United States.

Over the years, many parts in their stores have been purchased from Nanshan Auto Parts.

So every year he comes to Yangcheng on a business trip to visit the Nanshan auto parts factory to see how new products are produced.

This year is no exception. Before the first quarter is over, he has already arrived in Yangcheng.

"Dai, what are those people doing?"

When he stood at the door of the Nanshan Auto Parts office building, he saw several people operating what seemed to be drone remote controls. He didn't know what they were doing.

"That was filming our promotional video."

Dai Hanbiao took a glance and immediately knew what those people were busy with.

In the past few days, various business divisions under Nanshan Group have been using drones to shoot their own promotional videos.

Then put it on your official website and official Weibo, and the effect is quite good.

Naturally, Nanshan Auto Parts cannot lag behind.

"Shooting a promotional video?"

"Using a drone to shoot a promotional video?"

"You attach great importance to publicity."

In Smith's eyes, drones are still relatively expensive and require very professional people to operate them.

Especially drones related to photography, these are generally functions only used by military drones, right?

Unexpectedly, a company like Nanshan Auto Parts also used drones to shoot its own promotional videos.

"These are our company's own employees. They just take pictures casually. They are not a particularly professional team."

There is absolutely no pretense in Dai Hanbiao's words.

But to Smith's ears, it was completely different.

Are these employees from Nanshan Auto Parts?

They can actually fly drones?

As if sensing Smith's question, Dai Hanbiao added an explanation, saying: "This is the latest DJI Phantom 1 launched by DJI this month. It is mainly used for aerial photography. It is very simple to operate."

"If you are interested, you can go over and give it a try. Basically, you can learn it in just a few minutes."

"Then you're a photography expert."

When Dai Hanbiao said this, Smith immediately became interested.

There was a time when photography was a field reserved for professionals and niche enthusiasts.

If you want to shoot landscape blockbusters, you not only need solid professional knowledge, but also a lot of expensive equipment.

The higher threshold has deterred many ordinary consumers.

The emergence of DJI drones is to change this situation.

"Dai, I really want to give it a try!"

"If it's as simple as you said, then this drone would be amazing."

Smith immediately had a new idea in his mind.

In your own store, you can not only sell car parts, but also drones.

People who go to stores like yours to buy auto parts for modification or repair tend to have strong hands-on skills.

They are definitely also very interested in using drones for photography and other things.

Maybe by then relying on the sales of drones, my store's business will increase significantly.

While thinking about this, I studied along for a few minutes.

Smith found that he could actually operate this drone to fly freely.

It took another ten minutes for Smith to initially learn to use this drone to shoot.

"marvelous!"

"This is amazing!"

"Dai, are these drones also produced by your company?"

Before coming to China, Smith knew that Nanshan Robotics, a subsidiary of Nanshan Group, was sanctioned for producing large drones.

So he took it for granted that this aerial photography drone was also produced by Nanshan Group.

"No, it is produced by another innovative technology company in Lingnan Province."

"If you are interested, I can contact you."

Dai Hanbiao naturally knew that DJI had investment from Nanshan Group.

Now seeing that Smith is interested in DJI drones, he is naturally willing to help connect people.

Sure enough, after listening to Dai Hanbiao's words, Smith immediately said: "I have always been interested in drones. If the price of this product is not so exaggerated, I would like to cooperate with them and see if I can put it on the We sell it in our store.”

In Smith’s view, for such an excellent drone product, as long as the price is less than 10,000 US dollars, sales can definitely be expected.

However, Dai Hanbiao's words surprised him.

"As far as I know, this drone is a disruptive product, and its price is much lower than the high-end drones on the market."

"Although I don't know how much these drones will eventually cost when exported to the United States, I estimate it will be around two to three thousand dollars, or even cheaper."

Although the low-end version of DJI Phantom 1 is priced at 4,999 yuan, it is less than 1,000 US dollars.

However, exports are different from domestic ones, and Dai Hanbiao didn’t want to lower the price immediately to avoid causing trouble to DJI.

"Two or three thousand dollars?"

Smith was shocked!

The price is so competitive!

Now in the United States, there is no drone that can support aerial photography for less than 10,000 US dollars.

And operating these drones is complex and requires professional technicians.

As a result, although the demand for related drones is relatively strong, sales are not very good.

"Yes, this price should be manageable!"

When Dai Hanbiao said this, Smith no longer even wanted to visit the Nanshan auto parts factory.

Anyway, these parts have never had any problems in the past, and it’s not like I haven’t visited them before.

Now he wants to go to DJI to discuss the issue of drone sales agents.

In this regard, Dai Hanbiao was also a bit dumbfounded.

However, since he is also Party A's father, Dai Hanbiao naturally tries his best to satisfy whatever arrangement he wants.

Soon, he contacted Wang Tao directly, and then personally took Smith to Shencheng.

In the end, the negotiation between the two parties was naturally very smooth.

DJI handed over part of the sales rights of the DJI Phantom 1 in the United States to Smith's AutoZone at an ex-factory price starting at US$1,200 for the entry-level version.

Of course, how much money Smith is willing to sell to American consumers is not something Wang Tao needs to worry about.

Anyway, he is not America's exclusive agent, so he doesn't have to worry about the other party selling at high prices, which will affect DJI's sales.

If he sells it at a high price and others sell it at a low price, he will naturally not be able to sell it.

…

Zeng Tingting's marketing ability is well-known in the industry.

DJI’s sales have begun to expand both domestically and abroad.

But Wang Tao is not satisfied. He hopes that DJI can usher in explosive growth instead of step-by-step development.

"Mr. Zeng, I'm here to visit you this time to specifically ask for advice on the promotional plan for DJI Phantom 1."

There was no point in beating around the bush, so Wang Tao made his attitude clear to Zeng Tingting directly.

Cao Yang had greeted Zeng Tingting before, so Zeng Tingting naturally received Wang Tao's visit warmly.

Many of her marketing skills were originally taught by Cao Yang.

Now if you point me to DJI, there will naturally be no problem.

This means that DJI has shares in Nanshan Group, otherwise there would be such a good thing.

"The DJI Phantom 1 is a very amazing drone. We used this drone when we shot a W9 promotional video the day before yesterday."

"Actually, I think even if we don't do any publicity, its sales will increase very quickly."

Zeng Tingting’s words are not just perfunctory, but she really feels that DJI Phantom 1 is very promising.

"I also have confidence in DJI Phantom 1, but there are many companies making drones now. I hope to establish our dominant position in the industry as soon as possible."

After Wang Tao said so, Zeng Tingting naturally didn't talk about anything else and started to get to the point.

After communicating with Wang Tao and gaining a deeper understanding of this drone, Zeng Tingting came up with her own plan.

"Video websites are very popular on the Internet now. Whether it is Nanshan Film and Television or other websites such as Youku, many users log in every day."

"The DJI Phantom 1 is a professional aerial photography drone. It can cooperate with these video websites, or cooperate with some users with a large number of fans to shoot some videos and upload them."

“Not only traditional landscape photography, but also creative photography, sports photography and other popular video shooting fields on platforms, you can try to use our DJI Phantom 1 to shoot.”

"Photographers, photography enthusiasts, content creators and other people are our target customer groups, and marketing actions around them are most likely to be effective."

As soon as Zeng Tingting said these words, Wang Tao's eyes lit up.

This plan has not been considered by DJI’s sales department.

But after listening to it, I immediately felt confident.

Obviously, uploading some videos on various video websites and cooperating with some content creators can quickly increase the popularity and sales of DJI Phantom 1.

This publicity plan can be used not only in China, but also in other countries.

Even after a video becomes popular, you can change the country and shoot it, and it will probably become popular.

"Mr. Zeng, do you have any recommendation for an advertising company to work with?"

"I think this plan is very good, and I am now ready to arrange people to implement it."

Wang Tao didn't want to waste a day and hoped that all these publicity plans could be implemented.

"I can recommend some advertising companies to you, but I think you can directly cooperate with Nanshan Film and Television."

"Not only do they have a professional shooting team, they also have a video website, and they should also have some cooperative creators."

"Basically as long as you find them, everything can be done."

"Of course, if ordinary companies ask them to cooperate on these contents, they will definitely be willing."

"It's different if you say it. Mr. Zhang should be happy to help you promote it."

Zeng Tingting said this, so Wang Tao naturally no longer hesitated.

Soon, he flew to the Imperial Capital in person to discuss with Zhang Songwen the follow-up promotion of DJI Phantom 1.

…

"Mr. Cao, I feel like you attach great importance to the startup company DJI Drone?"

During this period, DJI drones were frequently exposed on the Internet. Mi Ying would sort out yesterday's news for Cao Yang every morning and would include such content.

And Mi Ying could also feel that Cao Yang was really interested in DJI's information, so she had questions.

"DJI's main development direction is the independent research and development of miniaturized and intelligent drones, and it has opened up a new market field in the drone industry, which is called the consumer market."

"This market mainly relies on stable aerial photography technology and simple operation control features, as well as relatively low prices, and is sold to hobbyists who like photography."

"Of course, in addition to being used in photography, DJI's subsequent products can also be used in agriculture, infrastructure, power inspection, and public safety."

"Don't think that just such a drone is not worthy of attention."

"In the future, it is entirely possible for DJI to be valued at hundreds of billions of yuan with its drone products."

“Even if DJI is successful enough, it can completely monopolize the sales of drones at this level.”

"The impact then will not be the same as it is now."

Cao Yang didn't think Mi Ying's question was so strange.

Not everyone knows the situation more than ten years from now like Cao Yang.

Although many people are optimistic about DJI's current situation, few people think that they can monopolize the consumer drone market in the future.

No one could have imagined that DJI's drone products would not only shine in the consumer market in the future, but also perform surprisingly well in other markets that should not belong to it.

"If you are really optimistic about this market, wouldn't it be easier to let Nanshan Robotics and Drone Division do it?"

Regarding Mi Ying's question, it is estimated that many people within the Nanshan Group have the same question.

Cao Yang attaches too much importance to DJI.

"Our own energy is limited. The key is Wang Tao's team, which has strong technological innovation capabilities."

"The success of DJI is inseparable from Wang Tao and his team."

"Although we can also research small drones ourselves, we may not be able to do better than DJI."

"In this case, it is better to specialize in large-scale drones. Once it is done well, its influence will not be small."

For consumer-grade products, Nanshan Group already has many.

One more is not too much, one less is not enough.

But for military-grade products, Nanshan Group does not have many.

Especially the finished product, there is almost none.

In this way, the importance of the Twin-tailed Scorpion drone becomes even higher.

Since it is important, it is worth investing more resources in developing large drones.

This is Cao Yang's logic.

There are not many people in the Nanshan Group, or even in the whole of China, who can fully understand Cao Yang's logic.

After all, sometimes, it’s really the butt that determines the head.

If you are not in that position, it will be difficult to think about the problem completely in that way.