My Lord, you need to stand up!

Chapter 357 The Doctrine of the Mean is the Wise Choice
After playing cards for a few days, I'm quite familiar with them now.

Steve casually mentioned his situation.

Of course, someone as proud as him can put it simply: those idiots don't understand his high-level tactics, and they're just contemptuous like dogs eating shit and wolves eating meat.

He felt like he was being played like a landlord in the company.

Although it wasn't explicitly stated that Macintosh computer sales were the deciding factor, Qin Zhiming and Ren Weidong's analysis was roughly correct.

They are both sales experts. Apple only sells two or three computer products, including both new and old models. If they sell well, all problems can be solved.

Qin Zhiming, who had failed several times, knew this very well.

This led Wei Dong to come up with a bold and outrageous idea.

"I understand your approach of using ads to project a sophisticated and high-end image for your brand..."

Because Qin Zhiming had difficulty understanding Mandarin, Qin Yuye had to translate for him.

The brother and sister didn't know what "pretentious" meant, but they casually described the brand's pretentiousness as "big brand".

The artistic conception is actually quite lacking.

But it doesn't affect the situation: "Your product ads are indeed amazing, but too amazing. They're so amazing that they're out of touch with reality, which is exactly what Vivian Goode meant."

Before Wei Dong was sent to advertise on TVB, the advertisements on TVB were the most straightforward and simplistic kind, just reading out the menu, efficacy, address, phone number, and warranty.

Too boring and simple, too lacking in sophistication.

But Steve's ad went too far.

It was precisely Qin Yuye's advertisement that brought back some of the lost interest.

The mere existence of computers at least demonstrates that computer design is unique and beautiful.

The two newly added programs are also noteworthy: the mini-games add entertainment, you can view pictures of beautiful women, and you can even modify raster graphics within the drawing software.

By the way, this JEGP image compression format is a new program that was temporarily found.

The West Coast region, particularly Silicon Valley, has a very strong technological foundation.

Make sure all of Weidong's previous advertisements follow this style: they can tell stories and use jokes, but they must clearly explain the product's selling points.

Given his standards of appreciation, he would definitely think that Steve's actions went too far.

If he knew the legends surrounding Steve Jobs, he would know that this was just his style, and that he was revered by many bourgeois and intellectuals around the world.

It was precisely this unconventionality that created the final new world of smartphones.

Indeed, it's quite similar to the pioneering spirit expressed in this advertisement.

But Wei Dong didn't know that.

We need to consider the content of the videos the old security guard watches. He doesn't watch anything borderline or care much about technology, so the probability of big data being pushed to Steve Jobs is very low.

There are many more, like Michael Jordan and Huang Xiaoming.

At this time, Steve was a 30-year-old businessman with long hair and a chubby face, completely different from his later famous sage-like appearance.

We can't even get in touch with the appearance.

There might be a very small number of women in the tax compound who use Apple computers, but these women would definitely have no interaction with the disabled elderly security guard.

It's a standard information cocoon.

Conversely, this lack of knowledge about his reputation actually dispelled Wei Dong's mystique; his speculation about Steve's possible connection to Apple phones was merely conjecture.

They even thought they were being innovative: "If you don't want to lower your standards by using these borderline ads, then there's only one compromise: you go on stage yourself to hold a press conference and explain the product's features."

Steve, who was translating, laughed: "Don't you know that when the Macintosh was launched last year, I was the one who went up on stage and gave the launch event?"

Wei Dong must have seen later domestic mobile phone and car launch events, where elite men in turtlenecks or a few white-collar women talked eloquently in front of a large screen.

He believed this was the best approach for Steve.

You never mention these product features in your ads, so why not hold a press conference to discuss them?

Actually, he's the originator of this style, okay!

If even the heavens were watching and giving him advice, and the imposter had met the real deal, Master Lu Ban, if you were to make this saw this way, you would surely burst out laughing.

Fortunately, Wei Dong wasn't embarrassed: "Oh, oh, oh, I really didn't know..."

Steve, on the contrary, thought he was even more impressive: "It worked very well at the time, and we sold more than 100,000 units immediately, but sales gradually slowed down later. You're great, you actually figured out how to use this method to support sales."

As a result, Wei Dong resorted to a scenario that would become common later on: "Then let's open it again, add two programs, change the two-button mouse, maybe change the keyboard style, or change the color of the case, and say it's an upgraded version, then sales will pick up, right?"

Steve almost had his skull explode!

Is it that simple?

But he also knew that it was truly feasible!
Because Wei Dong had seen this well-established tactic before: "Where did you hold your press conference last time? Change the venue this time, invite more media to hype it up, and give the new ad a wider release. I guarantee we can make another killing." Qin Yuye, having fought alongside him in several battles, immediately chuckled to herself. She clearly understood that Wei Dong wasn't after the advertising revenue from pushing her ad to Citibank; he wanted to boost her popularity and then use that to promote his own jeans ad!
Following Wei Dong's logic, once he becomes famous at Citibank, wouldn't it be wonderful to then reap the rewards in Japan, Hong Kong, or Southeast Asia?
Anyway, the money earned from this jeans export business is our own.

This made Wei Dong realize her intelligence and kindness, and he gave her a thumbs up in satisfaction.

When the English reached Steve, he already knew he was completely convinced.

After a moment's hesitation, he said, "Pete, come back with me to organize this press conference. It's a real-world exercise for you, and this battle is also very important to me."

The story of the king's return.

Wei Dong laughed: "I don't have a visa, and I need to stay in Tokyo to finish our jeans sales."

Citibank's top business leader casually remarked, "I'll handle these details."

This was Citibank's most prosperous era.

They have the greatest say and confidence.

For students hoping to study abroad and immigrants hoping to change their destiny, the Statue of Liberty can select, screen, and set obstacles at will, acting extremely aloof.

But for capitalists, it means they can do whatever they want with their legs spread wide.

In the middle of the night, Steve had already secured visas for Wei Dong and his team through a business letter sent from the local government.

Including the female translator he had never really liked.

But after playing cards for several days, they still managed to get the advertising female lead and all that.

Qin Yuye openly expressed her disdain for her older brother: "Could you please step aside a bit? Pete and I can handle this perfectly well at Citibank."

It's so annoying; these past few days have taken up almost all of Weidong's time.

Qin Zhiming was heartbroken: "I raised you, I gave you everything I could, and this is how you treat me? We'll talk about it after we get married. Right now, our feelings for each other are even stronger!"

The brother and sister were joking with each other in Cantonese, of course, without worrying that the person in question would understand.

What left Wei Dong a bit confused was: "Who named me Pete? It sounds kind of cool, but who named me that?"

Because business correspondence always mentions Peter Jean.

Qin Yuye proudly accepted the naming rights.

Then let's go. Let Weidong think that it's a good idea to take this opportunity to set up a branch office and send someone who understands English to serve as an overseas manager.

The main reason was that I had to drive dozens of kilometers overnight to give Lao Gao an explanation.

Wei Dong understood very well that this matter could be a big deal or a small deal, and that he couldn't afford to cause any misunderstandings.

The businesses in Jiangzhou are their core business; they are just expanding their territory now.

Early in the morning, downstairs at the machinery factory dormitory, Lao Gao, disheveled and unkempt, was stunned when he heard Rang Weidong say he had to go to Citibank immediately: "You... will you come back?"

If Wei Dong were to disappear from contact with the public, his professional career would be considered over.

At the very least, failing to strictly enforce work requirements and keeping a close eye on people at all times constitutes dereliction of duty.

Wei Dong patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "If I really wanted to run away, I would have done so without saying a word. I only came to tell you because I was afraid you would worry. We might be setting up an overseas branch, and we would like to invite you to participate if there is an opportunity. This is the business letter and contact number from Citibank. I will try to be back in a few days. The main purpose is to sell more products over there. Please take good care of my engineer these few days."

Old Gao thought about it and agreed: "I can report this to the city."

Wei Dong readily agreed and set off.

This place is close to the airport, so even in exile, Citibank's rising star Steve still had a business jet.

The fact that Wei Dong arrived at Citibank on a private business jet for his first trip there shows how high his status has been set.

However, there was no tense or prepared atmosphere on the way; we played Dou Dizhu (a card game) the whole time.

But while Steve lost $70,000 to Rang Weidong, he had his assistant bring Rang Weidong an agreement to sign: "As the initiator of this new product launch, I will give 3.5% of the profits generated from this launch as your team's compensation, in order to thank my friend for his support."

Qin Zhiming was an expert, and while listening to his sister's translation, he quickly did some mental calculations: "According to him, the profit margin of Macintosh is not high, and based on his proportion as an individual shareholder, this should be the largest dividend he can offer. He gave you the profits from the newly sold computers, but he earned even more because if this sales turn around, Apple's stock price will inevitably rise, and he, as the largest individual shareholder, will make a considerable profit."

To prepare Wei Dong for the capitalists' calculations: "Emphasis still on chip supply. What I need is the 6502 chip; everything else is secondary."

Qin Yuye glanced at the floating clouds outside the porthole and couldn't help but admire the man's talent. He translated it very carefully and even emphasized that it was Wei Dong's original words.

Steve thought that geniuses are just so poetic!

Wei Dong declared that he was determined not to lose this round.

Of course, the advantage of private business jets is that they can pass through customs quickly, allowing Wei Dong and his team to stay at a small airport in Silicon Valley, California, without having to go through the hassle of going to an international airport.

Just hand your passport and visa to your assistant to handle.

Having lived two lives, this was the first time that Rang Weidong had set foot on American soil, and he immediately jumped into a high-level game.

He was traveling in a business jet and looking at the villas and mansions of Silicon Valley's nouveau riche, but he felt that was all there was to it.
What kind of rural area is this?

(End of this chapter)