[Chapter 529: The Launch of New Products]
After DuPont's lobbying team entered the picture, Washington put pressure on South Korea by reducing the military support.
"Damn it, what's his game? It's just a normal business rivalry, why has it escalated to this level?"
"What he thinks doesn't matter. You need to realize that your actions have hurt our relationship with the Americans. We need to settle this quickly. I don't want to see this on NBC."
"Mr. President, how do we protect our interests?"
"Come on, can't you see our predicament? If the US military base is reduced or evacuated, it will be a disaster. I just don't get it -- William White could have been our ally. Why do you have to treat him as an enemy? Are you that attached to your dirty tricks? Ha! I don't see you holding any technological advantages."
Lee Kun-hee was left speechless by this statement. He was not one of those foolish farmers. Securing a foothold in the American market was far from simple.
"I understand, Mr. President. We will try to ease relations."
"Right. And by the way, I can't control if you want to copy, but don't try to copy anything from William White. He's not just some wealthy man; do you know what a media mogul is?"
He generally understood William White's attitude. You beat me technically, so there's nothing to say. You should spend money when you should spend money, and work hard when you should work hard. It's a bit too much to use the cost advantage to fight me.
If everyone were normal businesses, that wouldn't be objectionable. Unfortunately, Samsung did not do that.
Under these circumstances, you could hardly complain if others used underhanded tactics. It was you who didn't play by the rules first. What annoyed him the most was that many of those low-priced memory chips recently had not even entered circulation.
From this, Lee Kun-hee saw the gap between himself and William White. Clearly, the resources at their disposal were simply not on the same level.
...
The long-delayed James Bond film finally unveiled its secrets. From script to cast, it was unrecognizable from what had come before.
The premiere was held in London, which seemed to cater to the British. Interestingly, the actors were quite impressive and the script was good too. It was surprising that this place didn't produce better films, especially compared to the French films, which were generally better.
England had a strong emotional attachment to James Bond. Regardless of whether the script came from America, they wouldn't thoughtlessly alter the character. James Bond would always be a quintessential British gentleman; otherwise, the so-called premiere would not have been scheduled in London at all.
The opening fight scene was fairly standard. This was a hallmark of the Bond series; if those first few minutes weren't well done, the entire film would be a failure.
Well, the guests attending the premiere were not worried about this film. Over the years, movies produced by White had been quite good, especially those William White was personally involved in.
"Charles, why is this phone so tiny?"
"I think our billionaire is treating this movie like a product launch."
"Ah, that explains it. I was thinking that car looked pretty nice."
Charles was left speechless; to watch a movie and have to spend big bucks felt absurd. He hoped this guy wouldn't play with jewelry too.
...
"William, does the premiere of this movie mean those products are hitting the market too?"
"Ha ha, Lucas, you remain as perceptive as ever."
"Hey, it's quite shameless to make an ad like this."
"Pfft, you know, money is tight. If I didn't have enough sponsorship, my risk would be way too high. It's good now; as long as it makes over 100 million in North America, I won't lose much."
Lucas felt frustrated -- 007 could mix in sponsorship, but Star Wars couldn't. A lightsaber was one thing, but if you put in a phone, that'd be comical.
Product placement was just what it was, pretty straightforward. Over the years, so many companies had tried similar strategies. Unfortunately, besides Columbia, product placements from other companies didn't go well.
Ultimately, whether a film succeeded was the key issue. If your box office wasn't even 100 million, your influence was pretty limited. Comparing to William White's films was just asking for trouble.
"Damn, how many ads did you slip in? It's downright crazy."
"Pfft, you just envy my success! At least I didn't zoom in on that little raincoat Bond just used."
"Seriously, do you even have any shame left?"
"I can't afford to; when there's money to be made, who cares about shame?"
Lucas really had no words for William White; he wondered what the guy could possibly do with all that money.
It's often said how product placements are done. William White's were actually well-measured. At least, he wouldn't let Bond drive a Ford Mondeo.
...
The following morning, London's major newspapers unanimously featured the premiere on their front pages. No matter how impressive a film was, it didn't achieve that level of attention unless the billionaire himself was involved.
Overall, the film received a pretty positive review, even Murdoch's newspapers didn't publish any dissenting voices.
"What's it like being a Bond girl?"
"What? I wanna ask you how it feels," Nastassja Kinski replied, her voice a bit hoarse, evidently the previous fight had been intense.
"Ha, you know, I'm pretty used to it all."
"You're such a jerk, but I like jerks. Come on, I'm not buying it."
"Easy there, this isn't a metal product."
..
London was a great place for sleeping in, with the rain drizzling down, it never wanted to let up on the city.
"Ugh, not more rain."
"Darling, are you heading back today?"
"Yeah, I've gotta go back too; if this weather keeps up, I'll end up moldy. You should head back too; it's a crucial time for publicity, can't drop the ball now."
"Alright, you really are a jerk."
...
Though William White was moldy in London, it didn't stop him from getting updates on the States. White Film's opening was quite good.
During its opening weekend, it raked in 40 million in North America, surpassing 100 million globally. It was said that 007 was more popular in Europe than any Hollywood film.
Well, when it came to saving humanity, it was best not to leave it to the Americans. Although British could be annoying, they were preferable to the pesky cowboys.
...
Japan had fallen and the once ubiquitous Japanese had suddenly disappeared.
Most of the time, people were pretty fickle. When they went on group shopping trips, you complained about how annoying it was. Now, with no one leaving tips for you, you wanted them to pay attention to your business.
This situation wasn't just happening in Europe. In fact, when the Japanese tightened their purse strings, the tourism industry in America was hit the hardest.
"Boss, can we make a move now? There are a lot more spaces in Melbourne, and the locations aren't bad."
"You can wait a while on the Melbourne deal. If it's really suitable, just buy it; there won't be any competition, at least not from the Japanese."
"I got it, boss, so what you're saying is, Japan isn't going to recover anytime soon?"
"Yeah, that's the gist."
*****
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