Although rejected, the old man was quite pleased. As a boss, it's unacceptable to do whatever others say. One must have judgment, decisiveness, and determination to firmly grasp the company.
Suddenly, a hint of awkwardness appeared on the old man's face. "Leila, do you not have much to do lately?"
Leila looked at him curiously. "Is there something you need me to do, Grandfather?"
"Well, it's not anything, if you're busy, never mind." Oswald was starting to regret promising things outside and then having to ask his granddaughter for help. It was a bit embarrassing for him, as a grandfather, to plead with his granddaughter. But once the words were spoken, not fulfilling them would be even more embarrassing.
"There hasn't been much to do lately. The promotional plan for the movie was handed over to Louise and Anthony early on. They just need to follow the plan step by step. Also, films like this horror movie usually don't have a long screening period. We've done what we needed to do, just waiting for the box office returns."
In simple terms, Leila was a hands-off manager. She was only responsible for directing movies and setting up promotional plans. She knew she wasn't cut out for other tasks and didn't bother to deal with them.
"Isn't there still a martial arts movie to film? Premiering in September?"
"That one doesn't have much to do with me. I've already allowed them to use my name for hype, which is already giving them face." She was someone who didn't even participate in the promotion of her movies, so how could she possibly participate in promoting someone else's movie?
Oswald cleared his throat and coughed a couple of times into his fist, hesitating for a moment before saying, "Have you ever heard of Limited Brands?"
Leila wasn't too clear about the fashion industry, but thanks to her mother, she had absorbed some knowledge. "I know, it's a company that provides clothing for young people, especially young women."
"That's right." Hearing that she knew, the old man breathed a sigh of relief. "Their CEO is an old buddy of mine. A few days ago, when we were out playing golf, we unintentionally talked about the promotional strategies you've been doing. Les, that guy, wants you to help promote one of his brands, and come up with a plan."
"He's looking for me?" Leila raised an eyebrow. It seemed like Grandfather had been taken seriously while boasting outside, right? Otherwise, why would someone who could play with him take an interest in her promotional planning skills? "Isn't he able to find people to do that? I'm just a film director."
The old man couldn't stand her downplaying her abilities. "Who can compare to you? What's wrong with being a film director? Look at the publicity for your movies, they've always been talked about!" And most importantly, it hasn't cost much money! Even he had to acknowledge that.
"And look at the publicity brochures you did for Janet, the promotional photos for Burberry. No one else can match any of them!"
Oswald initially wanted to praise his granddaughter, but as he spoke, he realized she was even more capable than he had imagined. Leaving aside other matters, just consider the American Idol program that NBC is currently preparing – even his think tank gave it high praise.
"Am I asking for too little?" He started to ponder if he had underestimated her value.
Leila's eyes twitched. "Grandfather, don't you think it's quite inappropriate to discuss how to exploit me in front of me?" Maybe save these calculations for when she's not around?
Only then did Osweide remember they were discussing business, He cleared his throat and asked, "So, where were we?"
Leila remained silent. The conversation was getting a bit awkward. "We were talking about your friend wanting me to help with promotions."
"Oh, right!" Osweide clapped his hands together. "In any case, everything you've done has been noticed. They admire your abilities, so they came to me."
Wasn't it because of your constant boasting? Leila thought to herself.
"What about the price?"
Americans value the distinction between friendship and business. If you use friendship to negotiate prices, the other party might perceive you as naive. This is a Western way of thinking. If you let sentiment lead to a loss, you'll be seen as a fool.
As they say, business is business. Besides, it's not just because they're the old man's friends; even if the president were to ask for her help, she would expect a fair exchange.
The old man chuckled, proud as he stroked his beard. "5% of the brand's shares. That old guy said as long as you deliver results, even more is possible."
"What brand?" A company could have many brands, and Leila was not particularly knowledgeable about this field. Knowing the company's name was impressive enough; she didn't expect herself to know all the subsidiary brands.
"Um." Oswald suddenly became awkward, his gaze wandering around, and his voice softening. "Victoria's Secret."
"What?" His voice was too soft, and Leila didn't catch it.
"Victoria's Secret..." The old man repeated, raising his voice a bit.
It was just slightly louder, so Leila still didn't hear it.
"What?" She couldn't help but lean in.
"Victoria's Secret!" The old man shouted in frustration. If it weren't for the fact that she seemed to genuinely not hear, he would have scolded this little fox who dared to play with her grandfather!
Leila burst into laughter. It turned out to be Victoria's Secret – no wonder Grandfather had that expression.
In the future, few young people would be unfamiliar with this lingerie brand. It represented sexiness, allure, and romance. The beautiful models strutting down the runway in sexy lingerie always captured everyone's attention. Women went crazy for their lingerie, and men went crazy for the models.
"Done laughing?" The old man's cheeks were flushed, a bit annoyed and embarrassed. Having an old man discussing lingerie with his granddaughter was not very dignified. That rascal Les, why couldn't he have asked her to promote something else instead of an underwear brand?
Seeing her grandfather getting annoyed, Leila finally suppressed her laughter.
"Enough with the laughter, now tell me, are you going to help or not?"
Leila smiled confidently. "I can create a strategy for them, but these shares are far from enough."
The Victoria's Secret of '98 wasn't as powerful as it would become in the future. 5% of shares might sound like a small amount, especially when compared to their potential worth. She believed that the other side was offering these shares out of respect for Oswald; otherwise, a person in charge of promotion wouldn't need to be compensated with shares.
Leila knew about Victoria's Secret's future success and the advantages they were offering were hard to refuse. That's why she made her statement straightforwardly.
"Tell them I can make Victoria's Secret the world's number one lingerie brand within a year. Ask them what they're willing to offer."