America: My Time

Chapter 278 The power of capital

Chapter 278 The Power of Capital
When Akio Morita told the Japanese companies about John's promotional plan, these financial forces quickly sprang into action, creating another storm in the Japanese entertainment industry. The company's spokespeople also received requests to get their big-name stars to cooperate with their plan.

Under the influence of these capitalist forces, the stars in the Japanese entertainment industry acted swiftly, as did several Japanese television stations. Although unwilling, they had no choice but to compromise in the face of capital. Soon, those Japanese figures chartered planes to New York, flying there as quickly as possible.

Regardless of their thoughts, at this point, Japanese celebrities could only accept their fate and rush to New York to attend the fashion show in Times Square. They had no choice; unless they wanted to leave the entertainment industry, they had to accept the demands of these large corporations. Their agencies dared not offend these money-makers.

When John's plan was fully implemented, Wall Street was stunned, and Rockefeller was stunned! What was going on? Why was John, this little fox, not focusing on the acquisition of the two airlines, but instead putting his energy into this trivial matter?

Yes, in the eyes of these old guys, New York Fashion Week was just a trivial matter, not worth mentioning at all. John didn't need to waste his energy on it. They wanted to persuade John to complete the acquisition of the two airlines as soon as possible, but they didn't want to bring it up again, since they had already said everything they needed to say.

John's move was interpreted differently by the Wall Street tycoons. Everyone has a different perspective, and naturally, different opinions. But this time, they were overthinking it. John simply wanted to use Fashion Week to promote his advertising campaign; he had no other intentions.

"Saint Seiko-chan, you're here too. It seems this is quite a big event. Almost every star in the Japanese entertainment industry has received an invitation. Is it really necessary to go to such lengths for a New York Fashion Week? It doesn't seem to have anything to do with us."

"Fang Hui-chan, there's nothing we can do about it. No one can refuse a task assigned by the agency. It's not just us small fry; even the major TV stations are getting involved!"

"It's strange, why don't I see Naoko-chan and Akina-chan? Didn't they receive an invitation?" Kashiwabara Yoshie asked Matsuda Seiko with a puzzled look, not seeing any familiar faces on their plane!
Such situations kept unfolding on the plane. All the Japanese idols and celebrities were talking about this incident, and since it was the first time they had encountered such a situation, they all had many questions in their minds.

Naoko and Akina weren't uninvited; rather, they weren't seated with these people. They were on a separate chartered plane, where the environment was much better than that of celebrities like Matsuda Seiko.

This operation was no ordinary one; Japanese companies took it very seriously, so they wanted to do it the best. Under the influence of capital, the firms had no choice but to compromise.

"Wow! What's going on? How can there be so many advertisements from major Japanese companies in Times Square? This is incredible!" On the day the Chanel and Yves Saint Laurent fashion shows began, Times Square was filled with many beautiful Japanese celebrities and television stations.

At this moment, not only were the Japanese shocked, but the American media was also stunned, because this was the first day of advertising in Times Square. Although many people knew about the renovation of Times Square, they did not expect that there would be so many Japanese corporate advertisements here, which shocked them all. The scale of this project was truly amazing.

The impact of Hollywood stars and celebrities invited by Japanese companies gathering in Times Square was astonishing. These guys were there to attend a fashion show, and the sheer scale of the event was something other fashion brands couldn't achieve, shocking the entire fashion industry.

The sheer number of media outlets present was a win-win situation for celebrities, fashion brands, and major Japanese corporations. Watching Hollywood stars strike poses astonished industry insiders attending the fashion show. There were simply too many people; it was unbelievable.

Of course, not all celebrities were invited. Many Hollywood stars were just there to ride the wave of popularity. After learning about the fashion show in Times Square, they couldn't resist coming to join the crowd, especially those who had been suppressed by Legendary Entertainment. This was an opportunity they naturally wanted to seize.

John hadn't originally planned to attend the fashion show, but he couldn't resist Andrea Jung's persuasion. She believed that if her boss were to appear, the effect would be much better, attracting more media attention and making the Forever Group an instant success. With the advent of the Dream World's online system, many people wanted to interview John.

Although everyone knew John was in New York, no one could interview him. Jung Hen-han saw this as an opportunity; if the boss came to watch the fashion show, there would be even more media coverage, which would be a huge boon for the Forever Group. This time, not only John was there, but also Akio Morita and the CEOs of automotive giants like Toyota and Nissan. They all wanted to know if John's plan would succeed. When they arrived in Times Square, they found it packed with people, the atmosphere was electric, and there were all sorts of celebrities and media present.

Akio Morita sighed softly and said, "John, it seems your plan has succeeded. The atmosphere here has exceeded our expectations!"

John shook his head and said, "No, it should be said that we succeeded. After today, I believe the whole of America will know about these ads in Times Square and your brands! Although these media outlets didn't come specifically for these Times Square ads, the effect will be even more ideal. It's just that we didn't invite so many celebrities or models, so how did so many people come?"

"Boss, actually most of them are just crashing the show; they weren't even invited. Compared to fashion shows held in the park, these guys would rather crash our show. Plus, there are so many media outlets here; it's a great way to boost their fame. It's not just the models who do this, but even some minor Hollywood stars!"

"Let's go in first. Chanel will be the first to start." John and his group didn't linger in Times Square but went straight into the venue.

"Saiko-chan, look! That's Naoko-chan and Akina-chan!" Kashiwabara Yoshie, standing in the crowd, quickly spotted Naoko and Akina entering the venue with John, and beside them was a big shot like Morita Akio.

It wasn't just Yoshie Kashiwabara who noticed Naoko and Akina; many Japanese celebrities did too, but everyone tacitly kept quiet. Even the Japanese media turned a blind eye because they had all seen business tycoons like Akio Morita, and it was clear that all of this was related to these tycoons.

"Fanghui, don't be surprised. This is normal. If they hadn't shown up, there would have been a problem. Didn't you see that they were surrounded by a group of business tycoons? It seems that our trip to New York to watch the fashion show was at the request of these tycoons. The advertisements around the square are the best proof of that."

Nowadays, the advertising around Times Square is almost entirely occupied by Japanese companies, which has shocked the people from Japan. Such a large investment has shocked everyone. This is not something that can be done just by having money, nor can it be achieved by throwing money at it. Without strong connections, it is simply impossible.

Was the Cultural Oriental Group's advertising plan in Times Square profitable? Absolutely. Major Japanese companies invested heavily, and now that Akio Morita and his team had witnessed it firsthand, they were all incredibly satisfied. Although advertising in Times Square was expensive, even shockingly so, it was well worth the money. This single fashion show alone had made them extremely happy; the sheer volume of media coverage undoubtedly boosted their company's publicity.

"John, I think you should hold more fashion shows like this. If you need anything, we can help you out. I believe everyone would be willing to invest money to sponsor such shows!"

"If Mr. Morita thinks it's feasible, I have no problem. There are two fashion shows every year. If you are willing to sponsor it, it's not impossible to hold a big one. However, the effect will not be as obvious as this time. After all, this is the first day of the advertisement. If we hold another one later, the influence will be less."

"I understand, but it's nothing. I believe others would be willing to contribute a little sponsorship in this regard. No one would be foolish enough to refuse such a win-win situation. Twice a year, no company would pass up such an opportunity, after all, not everyone has such convenient conditions!"

Akio Morita is right. Not all companies have such convenient conditions. Take the fashion brands that participate in New York Fashion Week, for example. How many people can achieve this level, hold a fashion show in a building in Times Square, and attract so much attention?

No, no fashion brand can do that, and John has no intention of renting the building to other brands as a venue for their fashion shows. Such a favorable environment is naturally reserved for his own brand's use only; other fashion brands shouldn't even think about it. The Cultural Oriental Group isn't short of that small amount of rent. Even if someone wanted to hold an equivalent fashion show, they wouldn't have the capability. John has acquired all the buildings around Times Square, dashing their hopes.

(End of this chapter)