[Chapter 895: Can't Sell Anymore]
Seattle.
In the large conference room at the Amazon headquarters, several executives were seated around the conference table, whispering quietly. On the wall-mounted screen at the front, a series of backend trading data of the Fireflyer players were displayed. With only five minutes left until ten o'clock, the most prominent sales number on the screen still read zero.
Jeff Bezos rushed into the conference room, having just finished a phone call with a vice president responsible for the logistics of the Fireflyer player in San Francisco. He took his seat, eagerly looking at the large screen on the wall. The other executives, who had previously been murmuring amongst themselves, quieted down as two administrative assistants stealthily distributed some materials.
Just like the pivotal day three months ago when they implemented their hunger marketing strategy, today was another significant day for Amazon.
From April until now, thanks to the hunger marketing for the Fireflyer player, Amazon not only captured attention but also saw a substantial increase in website visibility, registration numbers, and sales figures.
Before this, the company reported only $87 million in revenue for the first quarter, which was already impressive for an e-commerce website established less than three years prior. However, in the second quarter, propelled by the popularity generated from the Fireflyer marketing strategy, Amazon skyrocketed in revenues by 77%, reaching $154 million in just three months. Of this, the 150,000 Fireflyer players Amazon had underwritten contributed nearly $45 million in revenues.
Though Jeff Bezos had always been a rather cocky individual, he could not deny the genius of Eric's skills in the online marketing of the Fireflyer player.
Months prior, Amazon had begun negotiations with Morgan Stanley regarding their IPO, and the official listing date had been tentatively set for January of the following year.
In March, Firefly Investments had injected another $100 million into Amazon in exchange for a third 5% stake, valuing the company at only $2 billion at the time.
Now, with the NASDAQ continuing to rise, and more importantly, with Amazon's explosive growth in the second quarter, the company's valuation on Wall Street had doubled in just six months, reaching $4 billion.
Although the Southeast Asian economic crisis could potentially impact the NASDAQ index, Jeff Bezos remained quite optimistic. If Amazon could maintain its current growth rate, the IPO stock price might very well double from its current valuation. The hunger marketing strategy for the Fireflyer undeniably propelled the company forward. If possible, Jeff Bezos hoped the hunger marketing for the Fireflyer player could continue until the end of the year. However, he understood that too much of a good thing could backfire. While hunger marketing could significantly heighten the website's attention and buzz in the short term, if users were unable to purchase a product for an extended time, their initial excitement would inevitably turn to disappointment or even disdain -- something neither Firefly Electronics nor Amazon wished to see.
...
He pondered these thoughts until an administrative assistant gently tapped him on the shoulder, bringing Jeff Bezos back to the moment. The clock on the big screen read 9:59.
Everyone in the conference room set aside their thoughts and focused on the large screen in front of them.
There was no particular notification sound or dramatic visuals. As soon as the clock struck ten, the simplistic yet prominent number on the screen began to shift rapidly.
During the last pre-sale opportunity, all 5,000 Fireflyer players sold out in just 37 seconds.
However, this time, even as pre-sales opened, the screen showed sales of the Fireflyer players surpassing 5,000 units within a minute. It wasn't until seven minutes later that pre-sale numbers reached 20,000 units, at which point the rate of sales began to slow down -- but this slowdown was merely relative, as the sales figure continued to increase at a rate of over ten units per second.
After the first expansion of production capacity for the Fireflyer player was complete, Amazon retained a third of the sales share -- amounting to 150,000 units.
Based on sales data from previous months, although it was still anticipated that Fireflyers would remain in high demand for a considerable time into the future, Amazon initially predicted that a supply of 150,000 units would adequately meet online orders. After all, e-commerce was still in its infancy, with most consumers preferring to purchase electronics through brick-and-mortar stores. In the three months prior, physical store prices for the Fireflyer had generally exceeded Amazon's by about $30, yet it did not deter enthusiastic purchases from retail customers at all.
Therefore, as time passed, at 10:52, when the transaction volume on the big screen surpassed 50,000 units, Jeff Bezos's initial joy faded. He gradually realized that something was likely going wrong. Selling a month's worth of inventory in less than an hour seemed great on the surface, but if the stock prepared for an entire month vanished in a day or even a few hours, what would Amazon have left to fulfill customer supply?
As these thoughts raced through his mind, Jeff Bezos sprang to his feet, waving his arms and shouting to everyone in the conference room, "Stop! Get them to stop selling; we can't sell anymore!"
...
The buzz surrounding the Spice Girls' talent search was beyond imagination, yet Eric's time in London remained relatively unaffected. He certainly wouldn't waste energy participating in the initial selections; that task fell under the responsibility of Simon Fuller, and he would only get involved at the final stages to finalize the candidates.
Christina spent a week in London and returned to Los Angeles.
Barry Weiss, the president of Firefly Records, hoped to leverage the popularity ignited by Casino Royale to have Christina release another single in preparation for her debut album next year.
Though there weren't any concrete work plans at the moment, Eric stayed tuned in to happenings outside his bubble.
In addition to box office successes in North America's summer slate, Eric continued to monitor various affairs within the Firefly network, such as MGM's acquisition of E! Entertainment and Rainbow Media stakes, the salary negotiations between the 007 project team and Pierce Brosnan, Chris's foreign exchange maneuvers in Southeast Asia, and the next phase of sales for the Fireflyer player. He even made a trip north to Cambridge and to Nokia's headquarters in Finland to check on the ARM chip development progress and Nokia's operations. Despite being far from North America and the absence of women around him, life remained fulfilling.
...
Due to the time difference, it was still daytime in North America while night had already fallen in London.
Even though the 007 series had long been absorbed into Hollywood, the majority of British media still regarded it as a quintessential British film. Perhaps Casino Royale's immense success both in the North American and global box office stimulated a sense of pride among the British people; the film's second week in the U.K. experienced a smaller drop in box office receipts of just 33%, bringing in PS14.27 million, equivalent to roughly $21.4 million at an exchange rate of PS1 to $1.50.
In two weeks, the British box office for Casino Royale reached PS35.57 million ($53.36 million), and with the current trends, the final U.K. box office was projected to surpass PS60 million ($90 million). Though it could not compare to Titanic's PS79.93 million ($119 million), which had just wrapped its run the previous month, securing the second highest box office in British film history seemed inevitable.
In a private club in London's West End, a film industry party was taking place, hosted by the renowned Working Title film company.
At the after-party for the London premiere of Casino Royale, Eric had previously crossed paths with an Working Title producer named Alison Owen. After witnessing Cate Blanchett's performance in the film, Alison expressed her desire to invite her to star in a project the company was developing. However, since Cate had signed an option agreement with Firefly, this decision required Firefly's approval. Luckily, Eric was in London at the time, so the script made its way to him.
Coincidentally, the project turned out to be Elizabeth, a biopic about Queen Elizabeth I.
The original timeline's Elizabeth had earned Cate Blanchett her first Oscar nomination for Best Actress. Furthermore, Elizabeth and Shakespeare in Love had premiered the same year and both were heavyweights for the Oscars. However, facing Shakespeare in Love, which was backed by Miramax, the results for Elizabeth were predictable.
Given that it had the potential to become an Oscar contender, Elizabeth was bound to be solid, and Cate Blanchett was excited about the role. Eric didn't oppose, and the final discussion concluded with Working Title and New Line co-investing in the film, with New Line overseeing global distribution outside the U.K.
During discussions around Elizabeth, Eric gradually grew more familiar with the Working Title leadership, leading to his attendance at today's party.
...
"Eric, I heard you're in the process of selecting a band. Care to share any surprises you have in store for us?" said Eric Fellner, the president of Working Title, as he stood chatting with Eric and a few others while holding a glass of red wine.
"Well, since it's a surprise, we can only reveal it at the last moment. But I can share a little early," Eric said with a smile, lowering his voice to heighten the suspense. "It's a girl group."
The other three paused briefly before bursting into laughter.
The 19 Entertainment recruitment ad clearly specified the age range of 18 to 23, so it was naturally unlikely to be anything else. Eric Fellner nodded with a smile, commenting, "So, Eric, Firefly is planning to expand its record business in Europe, huh?"
Eric shook his head, replying, "It's still just an idea. We intend to test the waters first, after all, Firefly doesn't have extensive experience in the music industry."
"Actually," Eric Fellner continued, "the record industry has a corporate structure very similar to that of Hollywood film studios, and for Firefly to expand in this field, it's rather straightforward."
Hearing this, Eric raised an eyebrow. Just moments ago, they were discussing the development of British cinema, and now Eric Fellner had suddenly shifted the topic to the Spice Girls selection, making Eric feel something was amiss.
As he contemplated this, a warm voice broke through, "Hey, Eric! Good evening."
Eric turned around to see Barbara Broccoli approaching in a black evening gown, a radiant smile on her face. He reciprocated the smile, carefully holding his wine glass as he embraced her. It wasn't surprising in the UK film circle to see Barbara Broccoli here, given her role as a producer for the 007 series.
After exchanging pleasantries with Eric, Barbara nodded to the others and asked, "So what are we all chatting about?"
Eric Fellner responded with a smile, "Of course about Casino Royale, Barbara. You did an amazing job this time."
"Hey, with Eric here, your compliment will embarrass me," she laughed.
"Ha ha."
Another round of laughter followed.
As they chatted casually, Barbara noticed Eric was alone and teasingly remarked, "Eric, I didn't expect you'd come here alone. Do you need me to accompany you for a dance?"
Without missing a beat, Eric extended his hand. "Of course, it would be my honor."
Barbara has only made a jest, but when she saw Eric reach for her hand, she didn't refuse. Handing her wine to a nearby server, she nodded her goodbye to the others and followed Eric to the dance floor.
...
As Eric wrapped his arm around her waist, Barbara placed her arm around him but leaned in to whisper, "Just to be clear, Eric, even if you can't find a girl tonight, don't think of me."
As they danced to the music, Eric replied, "Barbara, I'm terribly saddened by what you just said."
"Ha ha, I'm just giving you a friendly warning. You're just not my type."
"Oh, it seems I'm too handsome for you, and you prefer the rugged type?"
"No, you're too old. I like them younger."
"Well, my heart just shattered a little. But if I recall correctly, you're actually older than I am..."
Barbara interrupted, "Hey, Eric, don't be rude."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Eric quickly stopped, then asked, "By the way, Barbara, do you know Eric Fellner well?"
"Not too much, you know. The circle in the UK is just that small."
"Do you know which record company he's affiliated with?"
Barbara thought for a moment, shook her head, then seemed to realize something and laughed, "I don't know which record company Eric Fellner is connected to, but Working Title has a significant relationship with one, oh, a very big one."
*****
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