Originally, the boycott topic was only circulating on the internet, and discussions were mainly among younger, more trendy people who enjoyed spending time online.
However, once the media got involved, the general public became aware of the situation. This included even the older generation, such as grandparents, and people Laila didn't want to know about it, like her sweet and naive mother, Janet.
Laila's grandfather, being a media tycoon, surely knew about the situation early on. Her mother was different; she spent limited time online and wouldn't visit places where such news could be accessed. Now that it was reported in newspapers and on television, her mother immediately learned about it, leading Laila to receive a call from New York.
"Why didn't you tell me about such an important matter earlier? If I hadn't seen it on TV, would you have kept it from me forever?" Janet on the other end of the line sounded quite upset, her voice even choked with emotion.
Although it was a somewhat overused tactic, Laila found her mother's display of emotion hard to resist.
"Mom, I didn't mean to keep it from you. I just thought it wasn't that big of a deal."
"People are protesting on the streets, distributing flyers. You call that not a big deal? What do you consider a big deal then? Do I need to see on TV that your company is surrounded by protesters, or those boycotting are marching to the White House for a petition?"
Laila pinched her swollen forehead, somewhat helplessly, "If it really gets to that point, I'll make sure to send a red envelope to the leader of the boycott. With such a commotion, not only in the U.S., but the whole world will know about it. That would bring so much publicity."
Janet didn't think she was serious and thought she was just trying to comfort herself. She became even more angry, "I will let your grandfather find a solution for you. You don't have to worry. With me around, I won't let anyone treat you unfairly!"
Laila exclaimed, "Huh?" hurriedly stopping her, "Mom, I wasn't joking just now. Listen to me, don't let Grandpa or anyone else get involved. I haven't dealt with this matter all along just to let these people help me promote the movie."
"What kind of promotion is this? It's more like promoting others to boycott your movie, right?" Janet assumed her sensible daughter was trying to comfort herself.
"Of course, it's promotion. Mom, do you realize how many people now know that someone is boycotting my movie? Even if it's not in the billions, it's probably in the tens of millions. Without this incident, how much money do you think I would need to spend to make so many people aware that my movie is about to be released?"
Janet was caught off guard, "You mean the people boycotting your movie are unintentionally promoting it?" she looked at the smiling Quentin, who was holding little William in his arms, and only confirmed her daughter wasn't fooling her after seeing him nod.
"How is that possible?" Wasn't it a boycott? How did it turn into a promotion?
Laila chuckled, "Mr. Quentin should be with you, right? I can't explain it well over the phone. Why not let him explain it to you?"
Quentin, an interesting man, used to be a workaholic, but now he seemed content just being a stay-at-home dad, taking care of his wife. Thankfully, he was the boss, so even if he didn't show up at the company, he didn't have to worry about anyone stealing his money and running away. Still, Laila couldn't help but worry that his subordinates might take advantage of his current state.
"Alright." Janet hung up the phone and turned to Quentin, "Why did Laila say that the boycott would be considered promotion?"
Quentin had already heard Laila's words during the phone call, and he could only smile helplessly. Since she was his wife, he had to explain, even if he didn't believe she would understand.
After thinking for a moment, he used simpler words for an explanation, "An Eastern is saying, 'Good news doesn't leave the house, but bad news travels a thousand miles.' It might not be the most suitable phrase here, but it can be used to explain this situation.
"Here, 'good news' refers to the efforts Laila has put into promoting her movie, which includes investing a significant amount in advertising to let the public know about the upcoming release. Things like putting up posters, advertising during the Super Bowl, releasing trailers in various media outlets—all of these efforts fall under this category."
"On the other hand, 'bad news' refers to the boycott activity. As more people join the boycott, it deepens the impact of the situation and affects more people. This naturally attracts a lot of media attention, and the movie associated with this controversy gets dug up. As a result, more people learn about the movie."
"Honestly, spending money on advertisements to promote a movie isn't the best way; it's just the simplest. Like when we watch TV, we often dislike watching commercials and tend to switch channels or temporarily leave the TV. However, when 'bad news' occurs, we naturally want to know more, to understand the situation better. It's a completely different experience from passively receiving hard-sell advertising."
Looking at Janet's Confused eyes, Quentin felt like he was explaining things in vain. Who knew his wife wouldn't understand...
"In short, the main idea is that Laila allowed the boycott to happen as a way to let more people know about her movie. It might be a somewhat unconventional method, but it's undeniably an effective promotional strategy."
Even he felt a sense of freshness as if a new world had opened up after hearing Laila's words. He now understood that a boycott could be interpreted in this way. No wonder he had heard long ago from clients that Laila's planning abilities were at a genius level. Just listening to her words allowed him to see how imaginative her thinking was.
Janet blinked, "Okay, I think I understand the last sentence. It means that Laila is really fine now, right? But why is she fine? What did I miss?"
Quentin chuckled lightly, gently patting her head, "Yes, she's fine. Don't worry about her. She's your proudest child; you should have confidence in her. And even if something were to happen, there's me and Mr. Oswald here. We'll protect her."
"Well, then I can rest assured." Janet hugged him, picking up William and cradling him in her arms, "I think you got one thing wrong. Not only Laila is my proudest child, but William is too. He's also my proudest child!"
Quentin held her hand and kissed it, "Yes, I misspoke. Our William is also the child who makes us the proudest."
With a wife like this, what more could a husband ask for?
Surely, God must have seen the good deeds he did in his previous life to send such a wife to him, along with an angel as their child.