1990My Entertainment System

Chapter 121 A plain business war

Milan came home from get off work, holding a sausage and frowning.

Summer asked, "What's wrong? Just eat it if you're craving it!"

Milan angrily shoved the sausage into Xia Tian's hand, "Haven't you heard?"

Summer wondered, "I didn't go out much today, I was writing something. What did I hear?"

Milan said, "There's a rumor going around that Chun Du ham sausages have partnered with a hot pot restaurant and are using..."

Speaking of which, didn't we mention before that Master Kong instant noodles have entered the inland areas?

This thing has become popular in the last two years!

However, most people can't afford Master Kong noodles; they usually eat things like Huafeng Sanxian Yi Mian.

The reason why Master Kong's cup noodles became popular in inland areas is probably because of the long journey on the old green trains!
This stuff is perfect as train food.

And it smells so good!
I don't know who was so genius to invent the way of eating instant noodles with ham sausage!

Of course, it's not that popular yet; it will take a few more years for the economy to improve.

However, sausages have been around for a long time.

And these days, sausages actually contain real meat!
Many families don't even have refrigerators, so they treat sausages as meat because they can't preserve fresh meat properly.

That 85% lean meat content is enough to bring tears to your eyes!
Later, it seems that Shuanghui started a price war, and as the price came down, the meat content also decreased, eventually turning into starch sausage.

However, Shuanghui is not the dominant player in the ham sausage market yet. Shuanghui has only been a newcomer for three or four years since it transitioned from a meat processing plant.

Chundu is currently the leading brand of ham sausages, holding a 70% market share!

However, not long before that, their meat storage warehouse caught fire!

It wasn't a big deal, just that some frozen meat was burned.

However, perhaps because the company was used to being frugal, they used the meat that wasn't badly cooked as ingredients.

As a result, the sausage had a smoky, burnt smell.

Then came this rumor about "jointly operating with crematoriums"!

This is definitely fake!
However, people nowadays are more "simple and honest," and are easily swayed by hearsay, so rumors spread quickly!
Milan, holding the sausage, said, "Even though I know it's fake, the thought of that rumor still makes me feel really uncomfortable!"

Xia Tian slapped his forehead: "Hey, you know what, this really is a straightforward business war!"

Milan was taken aback: "You mean, it was spread by our competitors?"

Xia Tian nodded: "They might not have started the rumor at first, but they heard about it and definitely fueled it. Otherwise, how could it have spread from Luoyang to Yanjing? Did the rumor grow wings?"

Based on the assumption that the company is most likely to benefit from this, well, Shuanghui is a strong suspect.
But it doesn't matter, it's just business competition!
Nowadays, everyone prioritizes the economy and believes in survival of the fittest—a principle exemplified by Hayek.
However, he soon encountered business competition related to him in the summer.

It's not that anyone wants to compete with him; frankly, no one is that stupid. He runs a unique business, making it very difficult to compete with him.

Instead, it was a friend from Guangdong province who called during the summer…

"Brother Tian'er, this is the situation. I think this deal will definitely work! You have no idea, my son is completely obsessed with it now!"

I grimaced while listening to the phone in the summer!
Your son is obsessed with video games, and you still plan to go into this line of work? Don't you have any conscience?!
That's right, this friend from Guangdong province accidentally discovered a factory in ZS city, which is near them, that specializes in making "learning machines"!

It's said that they developed a learning machine that has captivated this friend's second-grade son.

However, he discovered a business opportunity...

Yes, that's right, we need to intercept them!

Anyway, this so-called learning machine is just a knock-off of Nintendo's Famicom (FC) released in 83.

Actually, the Famicom (FC) is basically obsolete, because Nintendo's second-generation game console, the Super Famicom (SFC), was released back in 90.

However, this level of "learning machine" is just right for the domestic market!

Xia Tian asked, "What's the name of that factory?"

"Little Tyrant Learning Machine!"

Summer: "...Fine!"

That's how ruthless business warfare can be!
It's hard to say how far the Subor learning machine can go, but the "Little Genius learning machine" that my friends are going to make this summer is about to appear!
Summer also gave a special reminder: "Remember, even if it sells well, you can't hire Big Nose Dragon as a spokesperson!"

Letting him endorse the brand is dangerous!
A few friends asked, "Brother Tian, ​​can you be our spokesperson?"

Summer: You guys want to get me?!
In the summer, I'll contact some friends and have them engage in a "commercial war." Meanwhile, foreign brands are also waging commercial wars against some domestic brands, such as the eight major domestic soft drink brands.

They are: Yanjing Beibingyang Food Factory, Tianjin Shanhaiguan Soda Factory, Shanghai Zhengguanghe Soda Factory, Jiangcheng Hankou Beverage Factory No. 2, Yangcheng Asia Soda Factory, Shencheng Bawangsi Soda Factory, Shancheng Tianfu Cola Group Company, and Shandong Laoshan Soda Company.

These eight companies' products occupy almost half of the national market share. They are not only local specialties, but also left an indelible mark on the history of China's beverage development.

For example, Beibingyang (a popular Chinese soda brand) was at its peak in 61. At that time, the average worker in Yanjing (a major Chinese manufacturing base in Beijing) only earned 40 yuan a month, yet Beibingyang's annual sales profit reached 878.1 million yuan, making it the undisputed leader among domestic soda brands.

Next door to Arctic Ocean, the Shanhaiguan Soft Drink Factory in Tianjin was even more remarkable. It not only appeared at the wedding ceremony of Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, and Wanrong, but was also designated as the official beverage for state banquets after the 50s.

If "cola soaked with goji berries" is a joke of "punk health preservation" from later generations, then Laoshan Cola from Shandong Province pioneered the addition of traditional Chinese medicine ingredients to cola, making people exclaim "experts" in the process.

In 90, Chongqing Tianfu Cola was exported overseas, and a bottling plant was established in Moscow!

There's a saying: "The spring breeze of reform blows across the land, and all beverages in the country are now carbonated."

However, at this time, the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) was signed in 93, which sparked a joint venture boom.

These highly regional brands began to form joint ventures with international giants like Coca-Cola and Pepsi... then production was reduced, the brands were shelved, and eventually they disappeared.

A grand "borrowing a chicken to lay eggs" scheme ultimately turned into "seeking a tiger's skin," and this business war was dubbed "Two Coca-Cola flooding seven armies"!
Some people might ask: Don't they know that capitalists are all bloodsuckers?

They know it, but they don't care.

After all, this is a test item for the men, and they have to pass!
Economy, commerce... from individuals to nations, all are rife with confusion and uncertainty.

……

In late May, Milan announced some "good news" to Xia Tian, ​​Xiao Xu, and Zhang Li!
"Haha~ The first Miss Yanjing pageant is about to begin accepting applications, and I will be one of the judges!"

They were all taken aback in the summer—you're a judge?!

In previous years, there have been beauty pageants in China, but many of them failed halfway through.

Guangzhou was one of the first places to try this, and the prize was a cloisonné vase and a table lamp!
The events held in Hunan Province and Beijing were both abandoned halfway through and were called off.

But things are different now; a beauty pageant craze swept across mainland China almost immediately.

This Miss Yanjing pageant was even jointly organized by the Avengers and the Youth Federation, and broadcast by Yanjing TV!
92 and 93 were known as the "Chinese beauty pageant years," which kicked off the beauty pageant craze of the entire 90s.

During these two years, various competitions emerged across the country, with 40 to 50 events held a year. In the mid-to-late 1990s, at the peak of beauty pageants, up to 7 competitions could be held simultaneously in Chengdu in one day!
Beauty pageants at that time could be roughly divided into two categories:
The first category is selections linked to a certain profession, such as "Miss Public Relations," "International Air Hostess Election," "Miss Cultural Etiquette," "International Coconut Etiquette Contest," "Queen of Wine Contest," "Miss Advertising Selection," and so on.

The second category is more direct beauty pageants, such as the "Miss Jinling," "Miss Tianjin," and "Miss Yanjing" beauty pageants organized by various provinces and cities.

How popular were beauty pageants back then?

Besides major cities, even places like Wuhu, Bengbu, Huainan, and Ma'anshan hold competitions to select local "Miss Pageants".

The word "Miss" wasn't like it was later...
Why has people's enthusiasm for participating in beauty pageants suddenly surged?

Besides the fact that beauty pageant winners could receive extremely generous and luxurious prizes and cash rewards, another reason was that most beauty pageant champions at the time had good career prospects.

One of the winners of the "Youthful Beauty" competition was assigned to the hotel's public relations department, mainly to receive VIPs. She later received many foreign heads of state and business leaders.

The runner-up joined Wanke Real Estate and became Wang Shi's secretary.

Other contestants who won beauty pageants were hired as television program hosts, advertising spokespeople, and provincial and municipal etiquette ladies, among other positions.

……

Because Milan was a sponsor and one of the few female entrepreneurs in Yanjing became a judge for the competition, they paid close attention to the competition during the summer.

Finally, after evaluation by the on-site judges and audience members via telephone, the three contestants were awarded the championship, runner-up, and third place respectively.

The champion and runner-up didn't attract much attention, but the third place was very eye-catching!

The contestant who won third place was named Bian Mei. Her outfit in the beauty pageant was also unique. Instead of a fluffy skirt or fashionable jeans, she wore a J-shirt as she stepped onto the beauty pageant stage.

She is a real "bodyguard in the middle of the sea"!
She is known as "China's No. 1 female bodyguard"!
Relying on her outstanding professional skills, she quickly became a leader among security guards. Whenever a foreign prime minister visited, she was mainly responsible for protecting the prime minister's wife or female leaders.

Because security guards not only need to protect safety, but also need to be able to communicate and interact with foreign guests to a certain extent, Bian Mei has taught herself five foreign languages!
Born in 68, Bian Mei was already known for her "high standards" when she was young. The reason she signed up for the "Miss Yanjing" competition was because she was urged by her relatives to "find a partner".

(Later, Bian Mei was over fifty years old, but she was still single.)
Milan greatly admired her spirited younger sister and even suggested: "My dear sister, let's start a business together!"
However, after learning about Milan's identity, Bian Mei actually asked if he could meet with Xia Tian.
Milan: Huh?!
The first thing they said to Xia Tian was, "I've seen your 'Ultimate Bodyguard'!"

Summer was amused and asked, "From your professional perspective, isn't the plot of the movie a bit funny?"

Bian Mei waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, it's great. A lot of it is quite professional. We even studied those surveillance and other technological methods... and the fighting was excellent!"

It's just dating someone you're protecting, not very professional...

(End of this chapter)