America: My Time

Chapter 348 An Unexpected Appearance

Chapter 348 An Unexpected Occurrence
"John, we meet again. This time, we all want to hear your plans for the Olympic advertising. You know that many people are not optimistic about advertising at the Olympics, and we need to give everyone an explanation!"

To John's surprise, this time his discussions with the Japanese regarding the advertising were not led by Akio Morita, but by Matsushita. This took John by surprise; it seemed the infighting among the Japanese was quite intense. However, this wasn't really his concern. If these guys interfered with his plans, he could simply abandon them.

"If you feel there's a problem with Legendary Entertainment's advertising arrangements, or with our advertising placement, that's understandable, given the general distrust of the Olympics. Bentley, Nvidia, Dreamworld, Game World, Global Online, and 7-Eleven will all be included in our advertising plans for this Olympics. If you still don't believe me, there's nothing I can do; words alone aren't enough. I can only say that Legendary Entertainment has put a lot of effort into this Olympics, and there won't be any problems with our advertising plan. Of course, if you feel it's inappropriate, then we can give up. We still have several months; we can choose another option."

John didn't want to get too entangled with these guys when it came to advertising. The Japanese were too persistent, and continuing to negotiate with them would only be a waste of his time. So, when the development wasn't represented by Akio Morita, John made his choice directly: join if you want, give up if you don't. There was no need to waste each other's time, and he didn't have time to explain things to them!

John's answer surprised the Japanese team. In many people's minds, this advertising collaboration meant that Legendary Entertainment needed their help, which was why they held the initiative. But now it seemed that John wasn't making any demands on the Japanese companies, which made them vaguely worried. Could it be that their investigation was wrong? The Olympics really is a great publicity platform.

Seeing the surprised looks on everyone's faces, John smiled calmly and said, "I don't know what your research is like, but in my personal opinion, the Olympics is a great publicity platform because it's not just for one country, but for the whole world. As for the advertising slots, we have access to absolutely top-quality resources, and NBC will broadcast the entire event live. This will be of great benefit to everyone here. The entire United States will be paying attention to your brands. I believe Mr. Akio Morita is well aware of how influential that is. Our previous advertising collaboration was very successful!"

At this moment, Akio Morita nodded and said, "Yes, our previous advertising collaboration was very successful, and I believe Legendary Entertainment will not disappoint us this time either. However, I can only represent Sony!"

As soon as Akio Morita finished speaking, some Japanese people couldn't help but turn their attention to him, feeling that Morita shouldn't have made his statement at this time, as it would influence everyone's judgment. However, Morita didn't care about their opinions; he only cared about Sony's interests. These people only saw the Olympic investigation report and felt there was a problem, but they hadn't seen Legendary Entertainment's preparations, nor John's arrangements for his subsidiaries. If he didn't have absolute certainty, why would this shrewd businessman invest so much money and secure so many advertising slots?

"If you find it unacceptable and think there are problems with the advertising plans and advertising slots provided by Legendary Entertainment, then you can give up. There is no need to pursue too much, because this is not something that can be explained in a few words. Many things cannot be expressed. Our cooperation is equal, and you do not need to feel any burden!"

John reiterated his thoughts and then sat quietly to the side, waiting for the Japanese guys to make a decision. Although he might lose some income without them, he didn't necessarily have to compromise with them. The more you compromise with these bastards, the more self-righteous they become, thinking they are right.

"Mr. John, could you give us a moment to discuss this?"

"No problem, but we only have three days at most. If you are not willing to participate, we need to cooperate with other companies as soon as possible to avoid affecting the overall advertising and promotion plan for the Olympics."

This situation was unexpected for the Japanese business representatives. Many of them were working with John for the first time and were not used to his methods. They were all confused and did not understand what the situation would be like at the Olympics, and began to doubt the authenticity of the investigation report in their hands.

“John, I’m sorry to have made you laugh this time. I never expected a simple collaboration to turn out like this.” After meeting with John alone, Akio Morita couldn’t help but sigh. “It’s nothing. I can accept that they don’t understand. But I don’t have time to waste on these trivial matters. Legendary Entertainment had already explained everything clearly to them beforehand, and the advertising plan was all arranged properly. I just didn’t expect such a sudden change at this time.”

"To be honest, this isn't Legendary Entertainment's problem, but Sony's problem. You've been dragged down by Sony. These guys saw that even after Sony's acquisition of Columbia Pictures had been in chaos for so long, they thought I had a problem with my judgment, which is why this situation happened, and why they think Legendary Entertainment's plan is flawed?"

"For such a trivial matter to elicit such a ridiculous reaction, Columbia Pictures' situation cannot be entirely blamed on Sony, nor is it Columbia Pictures' own problem. It's more of a Hollywood problem, a problem caused by Warner Bros., Disney, Fox, and MGM. This situation will likely continue for a long time, since those bastards are bullies who prey on the weak and fear the strong. Only by hurting them can we earn respect. I don't think Sony has any problems, nor do I think Columbia Pictures' situation is wrong. If it were them, I'm afraid their situation would be even more difficult."

"Speaking of which, I have to thank you for your help, John. If it weren't for the help from Paramount and Universal Pictures, Columbia Pictures would have faced even greater pressure. Originally, I thought that Sony had already made full preparations and could take over Columbia Pictures at any time without any major problems. Now I realize how terrible Hollywood's xenophobia is." At this moment, Akio Morita already felt some regret. Why hadn't he listened to John's advice before? But now it was too late.

"In fact, no matter how much preparation Sony makes, it is impossible to avoid this situation. You are aware of the pressure Legendary Entertainment is facing. As the number one giant in Hollywood and the number one media giant in the United States, it has suffered from the crazy suppression of these guys. If Legendary Entertainment had not used its power to give them enough counterattack and hurt them, it would not be like this now. The same is true for Sony. Only by defeating these guys can we achieve peace."

"John, how do you think Sony should adjust Columbia Pictures?"

"Adjustments? I don't think that's a good decision. If you had this idea before the acquisition, you could have discussed it with Morgan. Now it's too late. Even if some guys are uncooperative, you have to endure it until they make enough mistakes before kicking them out. As for the actors, I can't give you much advice. Legendary Entertainment and Phoenix's solution is simple: follow our rules. They have no choice but to accept or get out. Only by hurting them will they submit. Actually, Sony could have Columbia Pictures scale back its film production plans and focus on records first. Once you've mastered and integrated the records business, then turn around and deal with the film business. Things should be done one step at a time. Columbia Pictures' reaction is too hasty."

Akio Morita was aware of Columbia Pictures' current situation and understood where the chaos came from. However, reducing the filming schedule would seriously affect Columbia Pictures' development and could even have a greater impact.

John was aware of Akio Morita's predicament; it was all his own doing. He had overestimated his understanding of Columbia Pictures and Sony's capabilities. Instead of reorganizing the company after taking over, he wanted to expand the filming schedule. How could this not lead to chaos? Even when Legendary Entertainment took over Universal Pictures, they didn't dare to do this, but Columbia Pictures did, and Sony even approved it. John found this laughable.

What a foolish person would make such a stupid decision. Knowing John's understanding of Hollywood, those additional filming projects were mostly shell companies, just attempts to take advantage of the situation to squeeze money out of Sony. This kind of thing is perfectly normal in Hollywood. John didn't even think to remind Akio Morita of his thoughts; it wouldn't have mattered anyway. They would still do what they were told. Sony's rash acceptance of these filming projects without understanding the industry only shows their arrogance. There are plenty of con artists in Hollywood.

"Is there no other way but to reduce the scale of the filming project?" Akio Morita looked at John with resentment. Reducing the filming plan would mean that Columbia Pictures' influence would be impacted, and Sony's reputation would also be affected.

"At least in my opinion, there is no other choice. This is the only way. Legendary Entertainment has grown step by step in this way. This is the best way! As for how to choose, it depends on Sony's own development needs. After all, what is suitable for Legendary Entertainment may not be suitable for Sony or Columbia Pictures. The time and environment in which we took over are different!"

(End of this chapter)