OBS Chapter 81 Thank God, it's Friday.
Chapter 81 Thank God, it's Friday.
Chapter 81 Thank God, it's Friday.
In the blink of an eye, Zeke and Judy have been back at school for almost ten days.
The peripheral business of Domino's Eye Mask has now been completely sorted out. Old Rossi found a scarecrow from Brownsville that was both unexpected and reasonable to Zeke. He chose Henry's father, Old Henry Hill, who shares the same name as Henry.
Old Henry was a hardworking electrician who worked for a construction company his whole life. Originally from Ireland, he came to the United States after his father passed away when he was only twelve years old, but he had to work to support his mother and three younger brothers.
After marrying Henry's mother from Sicily, old Henry supported his seven children with his job as an electrician. He never got involved in illegal business in his life, and his resume is spotless as he has just retired.
Moreover, he was very short of money. Henry's youngest brother, Michael, was born with a spinal defect and would spend his entire life either in bed or in a wheelchair.
As for why Henry didn't contribute to his family's finances, Henry, as an informal member of the Mafia, was known on the streets as Wise.
"Guy" is also known as a partner.
Their most prominent characteristic is that they spend all their time scheming and making money through crooked means, which is incredibly quick, but they disappear as soon as they get their hands on it. He even served eight years in prison for assault with a weapon. During that time, his wife and children struggled to make ends meet and had no savings whatsoever, so he couldn't help his family.
Henry and his family were very grateful that Rossi could provide Henry with such a stable way to make money. As for the risks of dealing with sweatshops, they considered them negligible.
This well-known candidate was naturally confirmed by the Poly Group executives.
Of course, a portion of the profits must be handed over to Poly Group every month; that's the rule.
Old Henry, the electrician, hired a manager found by Tino's brother-in-law to run the company. Production was handled by the sweatshop controlled by the Wario family.
The cost of a standard eye mask is only fifty cents; the process is simple and mass production is not a problem.
The limited edition, with its superior quality and more refined details, costs just over a dollar to produce.
The prices are tentatively set at $5.99 and $11.99. The profit margin is very high.
As for Rossi Brothers Trading Company's sales channels, they mainly rely on the contact information of record stores across the country that Zeke obtained from Larry Harris. They hire one or two salespeople to make phone calls and send samples to promote the songs and bands. As long as the songs and bands become popular, they are also willing to sell merchandise as well, but they will take a 20% to 40% cut.
Rossi's job as general manager was to handle telephone mail orders, which involved placing "GG" on the band's independent posters and magazines, with a message roughly saying: "Please pay $5.99 + $1.50 shipping fee to Rossi Brothers Trading Company, P.O. Box XXX, New York City."
Fans would send checks or money orders, and Old Ross would hire a few students to pack and ship them. The advantage was that he didn't have to share profits with physical stores; he kept all the profits.
Another portion is sold directly by the Spider Band, which is the most common way for small bands to sell merchandise. This usually involves outsourcing the business to local "merchguys" (many of whom are friends and family members of the band) to set up stalls at the entrance of the performance venue.
These days, artists can only get very limited royalties, and with so many band members, each person gets even less. It's very common for bands to recoup their losses by selling merchandise in the early stages. As long as they don't ruin the brand, record companies usually turn a blind eye.
One Friday at noon, in the lobby of the French school, Tino's face was filled with barely concealed excitement.
"Zike, I've calculated it repeatedly. For the first batch of orders, we'll split the regular and limited edition models 80/20, and produce 10,000 units at once. It's definitely a great idea."
"After we finished our appearance on 'The Murph Griffin Show,' we started nationwide promotion and small live shows in the United States, and then we went straight to selling while the iron was hot. Roughly calculated, the profit from this first batch of goods alone was more than $60,000."
"No, Tino. Limited editions are high-end products for core die-hard fans. There's no need for us to take the risk at this stage." Zike shook his head slightly. "Producing 10,000 regular versions to test the waters is enough. Let's play it safe first. If the market response isn't as expected, we can cut our losses and switch to selling more common printed T-shirts."
Tino immediately protested, "How could it not sell? This is the band's American television debut! And we're going straight to 'The Murph Griffin Show,' a top-tier national stage, maximizing exposure and guaranteed to generate explosive buzz. Besides, the music video will be shown in the UK after the single's release, which will also help boost our sales, won't it?"
"That's true, but the risks can't be ignored," Zik analyzed. "We're completely unfamiliar with Europe; do you really think you could secretly smuggle it over there to sell? The main character in this episode is still the Casablanca-promoted film 'Thank God'."
"It's Friday, the Spider Band is just a supporting character riding the wave of popularity. The final effect of the show and the audience's reaction are all unknown. We can't be blindly optimistic."
Another recent change is the major overhaul of the promotional plan for the single "Sweet Dreams," as PolyGram rejected Casablanca's proposed plan because it was deemed too expensive.
They took over and created a budget-friendly version, arranging for the Spiders' first promotional trip to Europe, planning to make a name for themselves there before returning to the American market.
Tino paused for a moment, then, realizing the pros and cons, shrugged sheepishly: "What you said makes sense; it's definitely right to be cautious."
Okay, I'll contact the factory right away.
"You should keep an eye on Amanda and the others so they can focus on rehearsing and preparing for the new album," Zeke casually advised. "This kind of opportunity is hard to come by, don't waste it."
After briefly finalizing the details, Tino strode away.
Judy, carrying her textbooks, walked over with a light step, her eyes full of curiosity: "Are you going to be on 'The Murph Griffin Show'?"
Almost everyone is aware of the significance of this show. "The Murphy Griffin Show" was one of the most famous talk shows in the United States in the 1970s, and its reputation, popularity, and influence have always been at the top of the industry.
Host Murph Griffin has a relaxed yet stylish style, capable of both lighthearted and entertaining interactions as well as in-depth and insightful conversations with celebrities. The program encompasses a variety of segments, including interviews, musical performances, comedy sketches, and short films, appealing to audiences of all ages and enjoying immense popularity.
The guest list on this show is star-studded, spanning politics, music, and film. Martin Luther King Jr., John Wayne, Orson Welles, and Charlie Chaplin have all been guests, and even three US presidents, Nixon, Ford, and Carter, have appeared on the show for interviews, making its prestige unquestionable.
Zik nodded: "It's probably scheduled for May. Casablanca plans to do two 90-minute TGIF specials on Murph's show, focusing on promoting the company's artists, and will also hold a large-scale disco dance competition to promote the new movie from all angles."
TGIF is an abbreviation for "Thank God it's Friday," which is both a movie title and a common saying.
This idea can be traced back to 1934, when students at the University of Missouri-Columbia created a "Thank..."
God—It's—Fridayclub, which claims to promote weekend relaxation, requires members to swear to drink only beer and avoid anything stronger, and also to hold "academic discussions" (—um).
Some speculate that this half-humorous cliché may have originated from the teaching profession, since only teachers truly understand the sense of liberation that comes with finally arriving on Friday after five days of classes.
In short, this saying gradually spread to all people working five-day workweeks. But the real trigger was the TGIFriday's chain restaurant, which opened in the 60s and directly used this phrase as its signboard, positioning itself as "a place for singles to socialize on Friday nights".
This store is also considered to have pioneered the concept of American singles bar culture and modern casual dining chain brands.
Their catchphrase is: "Here, every day is Friday!"
From then on, TGIF became more than just a slogan; it transformed into a consumption scenario and brand identity, found in bars, campuses, and more.
Radio DJs use the sign-off function on Friday afternoons.
Casablanca plans to directly leverage the deeply ingrained "TGIF = Friday Night Fever" culture, packaging "Friday Night Fever" with disco, clubs, and weekend indulgence to the masses. Zeke and the Spiders have also jumped on this promotional bandwagon.
"Wow, two 90-minute TGIF specials! How did you guys get such great resources?" Judy exclaimed in amazement.
"I heard from Susan, the company's PR manager, that Steve Kitt helped arrange it," Zeke said with a smile, revealing the inside story. "This guy is a relative of Murph Griffin. He works in our PR department on paper, but he actually got in through connections."
Judy smiled, then asked expectantly, "Will you dance on stage?"
"Me? Probably not." Zike shook his head and chuckled. "I'll be on stage as a songwriter and music producer, doing interviews and showcasing my work with Amanda and the others. But it'll definitely be a big event. The company has spent a fortune building sets for these two episodes, including top-notch lighting, a dance floor, and full disco decor."
"Can I go see it live? I want to go with Christie and Stacy." Judy's eyes lit up, her face full of longing.
"Of course, no problem. I'll talk to Larry and reserve seats for you guys." Zeke agreed without hesitation. Judy and Stacy had been getting along well lately and often went shopping together.
"Judy, Zeke! Have you heard...?"
As the two were chatting in hushed tones, Judy's friend Christie rushed over, her face full of shock. As soon as she got close, she couldn't wait to drop a bombshell.