บท 348: Chapter 349: Small Strategies
[Chapter 349: Small Strategies]
On the desk, a rectangular gift box neatly contained eight small packages of tissue paper. They looked identical to the kind that sold for a few dimes in stores, but these boxes were made of paper, resembling cigarette packs, and the packaging was exceptionally exquisite.
Eric picked up one pack and examined it. The front featured a poster for Ghost, with the Kleenex logo and a serial number in the bottom right corner. The back displayed carefully selected stills from the movie. The other seven packages inside the gift box had similar designs, but each featured different posters and stills, making it a complete set of eight.
Eric had come up with this promotional idea based on a memory about how some theaters gave away tissue paper to women who cried during Ghost. He designed the packaging out of paper, as opposed to the common plastic found on the market, and created eight completely different designs for maximum marketing impact.
Most people had a tendency to collect things. If Ghost had been a bad movie, this packaging wouldn't have had any collectible value. But since Ghost was destined to become a classic, these paper tissue boxes held significant collector appeal. Collecting a set of eight didn't seem too difficult; with some communication among friends and family, one could easily gather a complete set without needing to go to the cinema eight times.
Of course, Eric wouldn't make it too easy to get a complete set. Everyone knew that what was hard to obtain became even more desirable. Therefore, not only would packs numbered 1 to 6 be released weekly to theaters, but packs 7 and 8 would each only produce 10,000 units, mixed in randomly with the 1 to 6 packs. Ten thousand might sound like a lot, but when spread across 2,000 theaters in North America, they became quite scarce. These packs wouldn't be available for purchase in stores. Although Kleenex had received permission to print certain images from Ghost on their products, the paper boxes would cease production once the film left theaters.
The cost of this small box of tissues was around 10 cents. If calculated based on Ghost's two-hundred-million-dollar box office in North America, only women were targeted for giveaways, and about 10 million boxes would need to be distributed, totaling just 1 million dollars. Including the distribution of the tissues across North America, the overall expense wouldn't exceed 2 million dollars. While this seemed high compared to the overall 10 million dollar marketing budget for Ghost, this funding didn't need to come from Firefly or Disney but was sought through advertising sponsorship.
The sponsor was none other than Kleenex, the largest tissue manufacturer in North America and globally.
After Firefly proposed the partnership and conducted the advertising bid, Kleenex promptly seized the opportunity, paying 1 million dollars for the naming rights to the promotion. They also agreed to cover an additional 2 million dollars for production and distribution costs. Compared to Kleenex's annual advertising and marketing expenses, 3 million dollars was manageable; however, the risk of this business venture was significant.
If Ghost flopped in both box office and public opinion, this advertising campaign might not achieve the desired results. However, Kleenex was wary of letting competitors swoop in on the opportunity. The success of Lamborghini's product placement in Pretty Woman was still fresh in everyone's mind. That had been a turning point for the struggling sports car brand, which had been acquired by Chrysler, suddenly becoming one of the most recognized sports car brands due to that successful marketing.
Sitting across from Eric, Michael Lynn watched as Eric intently examined the tissue packages, feeling a bit anxious. He had previously served as President of New Line, working closely with Robert Shea for over a decade, and was now one of the presidents at Firefly, responsible for the company's most important film distribution department.
Although Robert Shea had always preferred to wield ultimate control during their time at New Line, Michael felt that he was not given much room to operate. Nonetheless, Robert hadn't treated him unfairly, and they were quite close friends. After the merger of New Line and Firefly, Michael had continued to view himself as Robert's trusted aide.
Lately, Michael had been observing Robert's focus on Sleeping with the Enemy while neglecting the distribution of Firefly's other films. He had privately hinted to Robert to maybe tone it down a bit.
But Robert clearly hadn't heeded his advice. Michael understood that Robert aspired to become the next Michael Eisner. However, as an outsider, he knew that Robert was overlooking one crucial fact.
At Disney, Michael Eisner had been the standout performer, gradually elevating Disney from a small, family-run film company to a Hollywood powerhouse, allowing him to remain secure in his position as CEO.
But at Firefly, Robert Shea was not the most exceptional figure. Moreover, Robert's shares were insufficient to compete with Eric. Eric's 72% share ownership gave him absolute control over Firefly. He could easily oust Robert without any consequences.
This left Michael feeling quite uneasy. He knew Eric wouldn't dare move against Robert; otherwise, Firefly would be thrown into chaos. However, as a president with no shares, he risked becoming Eric's scapegoat. From Robert's character, it was clear that although they were friends, if Eric had to vent, Robert wouldn't stand his ground against him.
After fiddling with the tissue pack for a while, Eric finally looked up at Michael and said, "Sorry, Michael. I just had a sudden thought."
"It's fine, and, uh... Eric, I think your marketing strategy is still quite innovative, rivaling the Lamborghini placements in Pretty Woman and the integrations seen in Running Out of Time. Both those marketing campaigns were extremely successful," Michael Lynn initially stammered, but as he continued, his words became smoother. These were not mere polite compliments; they stemmed from genuine admiration. He had been working in film distribution for over ten years and knew that innovating marketing methods and executing them successfully wasn't an easy task.
"Thanks for the recognition, Michael. By the way, I heard that when Firefly acquired New Line, you didn't agree with Robert selling New Line to me, did you?"
*****
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