[Chapter 710: Inflation is Contagious]
When it came to protecting intellectual property, the U.S. was downright paranoid. Whether it was news or sports programs, if you didn't have permission, you just couldn't quote it.
Did you ever wonder why YouTube was full of cute cats and dogs?
If you filmed it yourself and uploaded it, there wouldn't be any copyright disputes. Oh, and whatever you do, don't use any music in the background. If a video flops, that's fine, but if it goes viral, you could easily be sued.
Ever since the MP3 era kicked in, people making music generally found themselves struggling. The days when you could live well off selling CDs and tapes were long gone.
What? You're talking about paid downloads?
Yeah, those exist, it's easy to destroy an industry, but rebuilding one is another matter altogether. Forget about record sales in the millions; if you can hit one hundred thousand, that's already quite an achievement.
...
Dominic Fain grimaced as he looked at the myriad of game cartridges lining the streets.
He has been in Hong Kong for a few years, but his understanding of the situation in Asia was still lacking. Now that he is in charge of the Asia-Pacific region, of course he has to conduct an on-site inspection.
These street-side game cartridges were so cheap, around ten bucks, which was less than two dollars! And they were sixty-four in one! If the owner knew, he would probably choke on his own blood.
"Mr. Fain, the quality of these cartridges may not be great. Are you really going to buy them?"
"That's nonsense! If they don't work or if I don't like them, I'll just return them to." He pointed out, "Look closely, this is a compilation of Legendary World!"
Before Dominic could say anything, the stall owner got defensive. "What do you mean the quality is bad? These are the latest stock!"
"Xiao Hu, stop making wild comments. Sir, I'll take one of each of these three kinds."
"Sure, just a second. I'll get a shopping bag."
Xiao Hu, the translator, could only stifle his frustration.
"Haha, haven't you noticed how surreal it is? The tapes and game cartridges are cheap, while sneakers and T-shirts are absurdly expensive. Over two hundred bucks for a piece, for heaven's sake. Are you sure that guy we saw earlier didn't lose his mind?"
"Mr. Fain, I heard that Montciel is a French luxury brand and has always been expensive. As for those shoes, I heard they're from the boss's company, so I'm not sure if that's true."
"Diadora? Yes, the boss bought them, but the price is outrageous. I'll send you a couple of pairs when I get back."
"Thanks, thank you! The prices here are steep, and I can't even tell if they're real."
Dominic was merely taking a cursory glance, but since U.S. dollars had international exchange power, inflation clearly had a ripple effect.
With gold prices skyrocketing tenfold, how could consumer prices possibly stay the same?
Now Dominic understood why the boss was so keen on the East Asian market. Cars here practically sold themselves.
It was almost funny; SUVs didn't mean much here. A luxury car meant a Mercedes or BMW, while a Bentley barely got any recognition compared to those brands.
Despite all these issues, Tesla was still highly recognizable. The reason was simple: it looked better than a Santana, and at a similar price point, of course it sold well.
From his observations, Dominic noticed that these consumers tended to be pretty brand-loyal. As long as the brand's quality was satisfactory, they would subconsciously choose familiar brands for their second purchase.
...
"Haha, you seem to have a lot on your mind."
"Yeah, sir. The changes in Silicon Valley have been immense. They seem to have a lot of wealth. Your kind of big bricks (referring to large phones) are everywhere here. Small cars aren't suitable for the time being. Their car use is primarily for commercial and official purposes, so spaciousness and comfort are indeed important factors. Also, brand recognition isn't very high."
"Haha, what, did you get snubbed for riding in a Bentley?"
"Not really; very few people recognize it for what it is."
"Alright, let's develop a long-term advertising plan. Current ad costs aren't steep. Just throw money at promotions."
Dominic didn't bring up issues regarding pirated gaming consoles or movies. He understood that the boss knew all about it -- it was simply a matter of helplessness.
*****
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