Bab 147: Chapter 147: Going in a Different Direction
[Chapter 147: Going in a Different Direction]
Eric had initially kept his head down, flipping through the documents in front of him, but his mind had wandered a bit. He reflected on how successful things were going, yet he couldn't shake the memory of Warner Bros. embarking on their long journey with the Batman series.
Over the next decade, Warner continued to produce several Batman sequels, each with investments averaging over a hundred million dollars. However, the North American box office grossed only about a hundred million, and even when considering global earnings and merchandise, Warner could only break even. For a blockbuster with a budget exceeding one hundred million, merely breaking even, or making a small profit, was in reality a loss. After all, that kind of cash in a bank could yield a hefty interest over a few years, and investing in other projects could potentially double it.
It wasn't until Amy lightly poked his arm with a pen that Eric noticed he had become the focal point of everyone's attention in the conference room, with many glances tinged with apparent dissatisfaction.
...
While this project cost Columbia a significant amount to acquire from Fox, it didn't mean that Eric was liked or welcomed by Columbia's executives. In fact, there weren't many in the office who had a good opinion of him, not even Amy Pascal, who had previously maintained a decent relationship with Eric; her feelings towards him had become somewhat complicated.
This sentiment was primarily because the box office numbers of Home Alone had started rolling in, and it was well-known that Eric would receive approximately $120 million from the film's earnings, while Columbia would only net a little over $40 million in profit. Additionally, Fox had seized the overseas distribution rights for various reasons. Consequently, Eric taking most of the profits meant that the year-end bonuses for all the executives present would see a significant cut.
Moreover, due to the profit-sharing agreement, regardless of the film's box office performance, Eric was actually the biggest winner. He had invested not a penny in the current project, yet the other side would see a high percentage of box office proceeds. Thus, it was natural that many of the executives would feel disgruntled. Although many shareholders stood to benefit from the stock price increase of Columbia, most of the executives in the room didn't possess any Columbia stock.
Given this complex emotional backdrop, it was understandable that the executives deliberately or inadvertently ignored Eric's presence during the meeting.
...
Eric had already anticipated this kind of situation since he hadn't received any response to a promotional proposal he submitted earlier. Although he had prepared a few remarks beforehand, the cold shoulder he received during the conference made him reluctant to jump in and draw more negative attention.
Under the signed agreement, Eric was set to be the biggest beneficiary regardless of the film's outcome; it was simply a matter of whether he would earn more or less. For someone like him, who hadn't invested a cent, there wasn't any risk of a loss. Initially, Eric was somewhat concerned about the film's box office prospects, considering it was a completely new project that hadn't existed in Hollywood. However, after a series of internal screenings and positive reviews from critics, Eric started to feel at ease.
Internal screenings could generally determine a film's commercial value. Although mistakes could sometimes happen, the insights of seasoned professionals who had spent decades in Hollywood tended to be reliable, and the outcomes of critics' screenings indicated how well a movie would be received by audiences. Before the digital age, a film's reputation was largely established through various media reviews, and many fans decided whether to watch a film based on what they read in newspapers.
With both elements now assured, Eric no longer worried that this movie might turn out to be his Waterloo; if disaster struck, it would simply be a matter of bad luck, not a failure of his making.
When Amy Pascal noticed Eric's slightly bewildered expression after he lifted his eyes, she leaned in and whispered a few words into his ear.
"Sorry, everyone, I just zoned out for a moment." After Amy's reminder, Eric apologized before continuing, "Actually, I already forwarded my promotional ideas to Columbia's distribution department via a written document. Perhaps it's due to my inexperience in this area, but none of the strategies I saw reflected what I submitted."
A buzz of discussion arose in the conference room; most of the attendees hadn't even realized Eric had submitted such a document, and the head of the marketing department shifted uncomfortably. He had been promoted by Cohen Blount, who had since left the company, yet he maintained a cordial relationship with Blount.
Because of his past association with Cohen Blount, he had no fondness for Eric. Upon receiving Eric's document, he had scoffed and tossed it aside without reading it. He didn't want Eric to interfere with the marketing and didn't think Eric could propose anything innovative.
Faced with everyone's scrutinizing gazes, the department head stammered a defense: "I... I thought Mr. Williams' proposal wasn't... wasn't anything out of the ordinary, so I didn't pay much heed, I just..."
"Enough, you don't need to elaborate," Columbia's current president interjected, waving a hand to cut him off. Everyone could already see he was lying, and continuing to argue would only make him look foolish. "Eric, since everyone is here, why don't you briefly outline your... um, proposal?"
"Sure, it goes like this," Eric said, standing up and moving to the whiteboard at the front of the conference room. He picked up a black marker and wrote down one word: "I call my proposal 'topic marketing.' Of course, this is just a fitting term I came up with on the spot. If this concept doesn't exist in formal marketing theory, I hope you won't hold it against me." The concept of topic marketing, as Eric remembered, had only begun to mature with the rise of online blogs; before that, while there were similar promotional tactics revolving around gossip, Eric wasn't sure when the concept had formally emerged.
"The previous promotional efforts had already reached their peak, so we couldn't push further with traditional advertising strategies. To break new ground, we could choose a topic that seems tangentially related to the film for marketing. In fact, I believe some movies that spark interest among fans through rumors of a romantic relationship between the leads fall under my definition of topic marketing."
After gauging the crowd's reaction, Eric continued, "The earlier discussions mainly revolved around whether to delay the release by a week. I believe my plan perfectly addresses this dilemma -- there's no need to postpone the movie. If executed well, the second week's box office could yield unexpected results, compensating for the losses incurred during the first week due to competition."
With curiosity evident in the attendees' expressions, Eric wrote two more lines on the whiteboard: "product placement" and "TV series."
"As you all know, there are a lot of product placements in films, which has led to some minor disputes between us," Eric said with a smile, pointing to 'product placement.' The executives exchanged forced chuckles; after all, Eric had previously made $6 million from product placements in this film, and Columbia had wanted a piece of it since $6 million was no small sum -- it could fund an entire film. However, through specific contracts, Eric had converted that advertisement income into personal profit rather than revenue for the film, leaving Columbia with nothing.
Once the laughter died down, Eric added, "My strategy revolves around the topics related to product placement and the TV series I'm about to produce. I'm confident the product placements will be cleverly integrated, as even those critics who participated in the previews didn't recognize any discrepancies. They also failed to notice the three instances throughout the film when the TV series was shown, and if those critics didn't catch that, then the audience certainly wouldn't. They would likely be engrossed in the film's story. When I refer to topic marketing, I mean after the film's release, we artificially generate topics to draw viewers' attention. If we successfully pique the fans' curiosity about how many ads are in the movie and the fleeting portrayal of the TV series, that could lead to a substantial number of returning viewers in the second week."
At this point, one executive interjected, "Eric, the topic of your TV series might be worth trying, but I recall you specifically instructed us not to mention any product placement during promotion. Wasn't that to avoid annoying the fans?"
Eric explained, "Of course, that was the intention; what I just mentioned would only be revealed after the movie premiered. By the time of the three-day opening weekend, the film's reputation would indeed be established. I trust that everyone has confidence in this film's reception. Since fans already recognize it as an outstanding movie, revealing this afterward won't provoke complaints; they will see it as an intriguing aspect. Just like how we are generally forgiving of the minor faults of exceptionally talented people; no one criticizes Napoleon's height, Einstein's aloofness, or Madame Curie's... ahem, well, this will need media guidance. We must ensure that most media attitudes towards this become playful rather than critical. The detailed proposal is already in that document I submitted -- of course, it will require adjustments from professionals since I'm just an amateur at this."
Once he finished, Eric walked back to his seat. The president of Columbia turned to the marketing executive: "Ryan, is Eric's document still around?"
Ryan rubbed his knees under the table, unsure, "Maybe... I'll have my assistant look for it."
"You go and find it yourself; make sure to get several copies for distribution, and hurry."
"Sure, I'll go right now." He stood up and rushed out of the conference room, leaving the meeting in a temporary standstill as everyone discussed what Eric had just said, and Eric was no longer met with hostility. A group of people gathered around him, discussing his ideas animatedly.
*****
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