America: My Time

Chapter 189 Cooperation
Chapter 189 Cooperation

As his thoughts wandered, John's fingers unconsciously tapped out notes. Fortunately, the touch of his fingers on the table quickly brought him back to his senses; the timing was wrong, and he couldn't record the music.

Just as John was getting a little bored, a change occurred in the venue. The big shots upstairs finally came down, causing a shift in the reception! However, to John's surprise, these big shots seemed to have no ideas at all. Instead of sitting together to discuss important matters as before, they went their separate ways and dispersed throughout the reception.

"What are these guys up to now? Does First Industrial Bank really have no ulterior motives at all?" Although somewhat surprised, John's face remained unchanged. Having experienced so much, John was no longer the naive young man he once was; his every word and action was transparent, making him easy to read.

Soon, something surprising happened: Akio Morita, that old fellow, approached him again, accompanied by several people he didn't recognize. It seemed he had something to discuss with him! But was it really appropriate for this guy to choose this situation to discuss things with him? Wasn't he worried about something unexpected happening?
John was puzzled when these people quickly appeared in the corner where he was. At this moment, some of the celebrities, including Yoshie Kashiwabara, hurriedly got up and left. The originally lively atmosphere completely dissipated due to Akio Morita's arrival. Of the group of beauties, only Naoko and Riko remained. The others left to avoid getting involved in unnecessary trouble!
After the introductions, everyone sat down again. John was completely baffled by the arrival of Akio Morita, who brought representatives from Toyota and Honda. He could understand Toyota, as they were both part of the Mitsui Group and mutual assistance was to be expected. But what about Honda? Honda was part of the Mitsubishi Group. How could they be working together? He had never dealt with either of these companies before. Cooperation was out of the question. Although he also manufactured cars, it was far inferior to Honda and Toyota, and there was no possibility of cooperation between them; their business models were completely different.

"John, the Tokyo TV matter is resolved. There were indeed some troublemakers within Vanguard, mainly influenced by Warner. After all, Vanguard and Warner have a lot of cooperation, so some people within Vanguard couldn't resist the temptation from Warner and did these things they shouldn't have. They will give you a satisfactory explanation soon."

“Oh, I see. It seems Warner Bros.’ has considerable influence in Japan, even affecting Vanguard. But it’s nothing to worry about. The real battle isn’t in Japan, it’s in the US. I can handle this.” John wasn’t surprised by Akio Morita’s words. Everything was expected. Vanguard and Warner Bros. did have a lot of cooperation, and it was understandable that Vanguard would cause trouble. But Vanguard alone didn’t have that much power. However, John didn’t intend to learn more from Akio Morita.

"That's right. Entertainment is just a minor matter, there's no need to worry too much about it. After learning about the collaboration between Sony and Legendary Entertainment, some of my friends also want to join the advertising promotion. The situation in the United States is very chaotic right now, and everyone urgently needs to improve their image. They can't continue to be smeared like this, otherwise it will affect their own development."

“Oh! Toyota and Honda also want to do an advertising collaboration with Legendary Entertainment in the United States. It’s not a big deal. There’s no need for you guys to get involved!” John didn’t believe that Akio Morita and the others were only concerned with an advertising collaboration. Why would such a trivial matter warrant the involvement of these big shots?

"Advertising cooperation is just the beginning. The most important thing is brand promotion. You know the situation in the United States right now. Nobody wants to see a crisis emerge. And right now, we can't find suitable partners in the American media. The most important thing is that we don't trust those media groups. So we need Legendary Entertainment's help. After all, your reputation is guaranteed. And right now, only Legendary Entertainment has the ability to eliminate the hostility of Americans towards Toyota and Honda in the shortest time and prevent damage to brand value!"

It seems Toyota and Honda are also getting anxious. The ongoing car-smashing incidents in the US have severely provoked them, making them fear that a crisis could spill over and damage their interests in the US. The trade deficit between the US and Japan is widening, and the two countries have serious economic and trade issues. If this continues, these car companies will face pressure from the US. However, it's too late to avoid this now, because the battle has already begun.

"Hospitality? No, Mr. Morita is wrong. Not all Americans are hostile to Toyota and Honda, or even to Japanese companies in general. It's the American automakers and the United Auto Workers who are causing trouble, trying to eliminate problems. That's impossible. Behind them stands a bunch of incompetent members of Congress. Instead of worrying about damage to your brand value, you should worry about trade issues between the two countries. Any sharp changes will be a heavy blow to you! If Toyota and Honda want to expand their brand value, it's actually quite simple: advertise. The advertising cooperation we discussed before was quite good. The renovation of Times Square is almost complete. If Toyota and Honda also join this advertising plan, they will definitely benefit greatly! In the United States, the wealthy are still a minority. Don't be fooled by their loud protests; those who truly boycott Japanese products are not the majority."

The first wave of advertising in Times Square will be a tremendous boost for all participating companies. This is a meticulously prepared plan by John, and it will definitely cause a huge sensation once it's launched, with outstanding results—John is fully confident of that. John paused to give the group time to process his words, and then continued, "Of course, the number of advertisements that can be placed in Times Square is limited. To create the biggest sensation, we must do it the best, so the investment will be substantial, perhaps even exceeding your expectations!"

“Funding is not a problem. We will not impose any restrictions on advertising. In fact, the more we do so, the more we will definitely join this advertising campaign. We are very satisfied with your design, and your plan is indeed very attractive!”

For car companies like Toyota and Honda, advertising costs aren't the issue; what they want is influence. The impact of a giant ad in Times Square is undeniable. It would be foolish for them to miss this opportunity because of the cost. Most importantly, joining this advertising program will reduce the attacks Toyota and Honda face in the US and provide more publicity, at least sparing them from attacks from Legendary Entertainment!
"The situation in the United States is chaotic. Not only are Toyota and Honda under attack, but I am no exception. The United Auto Workers are our biggest enemy. As long as these bastards are around, there will be no shortage of trouble for everyone. To be honest, I have to compromise now and acquire an American car brand to shut these bastards up. I just don't know how effective it will be."

Taking this opportunity, John also revealed his acquisition of Jeep, serving as a warning to Toyota and Honda about the perilous situation in the United States and leaving himself a backup plan.

“John, the situation in the United States is changing again and again, and it’s getting worse and worse. I don’t know when you’re going back. To be honest, I’m really looking forward to the moment when the Times Square ad will be launched. I’m feeling a lot of pressure right now!” Akio Morita couldn’t help but sigh. It seemed that Sony hadn’t suffered too much of an impact yet, but the series of changes in the United States had made him feel the pressure and made him uneasy. He wanted to get Legendary Entertainment’s help as soon as possible.

"I need some more time. My trip to China left me with some thoughts that I need time to process. There are also some things to take care of in Europe. I'm afraid it will be a while before I return to the US, but I will definitely deal with these issues before the start of the semester at the latest. The game world will be going public soon, and I need to prepare and discuss many things with Morgan regarding the IPO! With so many things happening at once, I'm under a lot of pressure. But don't worry about the advertising; professionals will handle it. Legendary Entertainment will definitely not let you down!"

When Akio Morita heard John mention Morgan, he couldn't help but sigh. Morgan had indeed been a great help in John's development. Without Morgan's dedicated assistance, John wouldn't be where he is today, able to develop to this extent in such a short time. Morgan's contribution was indispensable! Of course, Morgan himself also benefited greatly. It can be said that their cooperation was a true win-win situation.

At this moment, Akio Morita was somewhat tempted to acquire Columbia Pictures, but he quickly dismissed the idea. It wasn't the right time yet. If Sony were to acquire Columbia Pictures now, it would have too much of an impact, would arouse resentment among Americans, and would cause Hollywood to reject it outright. Even Legendary Entertainment had not been accepted by these Hollywood giants, let alone an outsider like Sony. If things escalated, it would seriously damage Sony's image.

Sony cannot withstand such an impact at present, and acquiring Columbia at this time would not benefit Sony itself. It would only put Sony in the spotlight. Although Sony needs to expand its influence and increase its publicity efforts in the United States, this does not mean that Sony can ignore the United States' rejection, especially in a publicity arena like Hollywood, which is not easy to interfere with, otherwise it will inevitably bring danger to itself.

(End of this chapter)