Chapter 26: Contract Reached

Although Maroni had rejected the idea, Ethan's expression seemed unaffected, and before he could speak, his good friend Jimmy spoke up.

"But I think Ethan's idea is more direct and hits the audience better," he said, pointing to himself. "I use ketchup regularly, and I don't buy those seasoned ketchups because they feel fake to me; they're not really made from tomatoes. That's why I choose Heinz."

"But you only represent Heinz's loyal users, right?" Maroni retorted. "We're dealing with new buyers who don't know what Heinz offers; they only know its ketchup. We need to attract these new buyers, don't we?"

"But if it were me, I'd want the ad to give me exactly what I want," Jimmy said with a shrug.

Apollion also seemed troubled. "I think Jimmy has a point."

Seeing Apollion wavering, Maroni raised his fist. "Alright, let's vote! Those who think my idea works, raise your hand."

Apollion and Maroni raised their hands while Ethan and Jimmy just looked on.

"Damn, I should have brought one more person."

This was the downside of a four-person panel, and Maroni seemed somewhat resigned.

"So why not let the client choose?" Ethan said with a shrug.

"What do you mean? Let the client see both ideas?" Maroni asked in confusion.

"Why not?" Ethan said nonchalantly. "Just say we value the client and present two options. What's wrong with that?"

"Okay, but this will put us in a passive position with the client," Maroni's expression showed reluctance.

"Fine, let's go with that," Ethan said, unwilling to argue further. "Let the client decide!"

Half an hour later, Ethan and Jimmy were having a meal at a restaurant.

Jimmy couldn't help but complain, "Look at that guy, always talking about new buyers. Seriously, who in America doesn't eat ketchup?"

He squeezed a large amount of the restaurant's ketchup onto his fries and then shoved a fry into his mouth. "This taste is definitely not Heinz. It doesn't taste like tomatoes at all, just sweet!"

"So Heinz must be really worried about their market share being invaded by these seasoned ketchups," Ethan raised his eyebrows. "That's why they're holding a pitch. Too bad Maroni didn't realize this."

"Watch, he's definitely going to make a fool of himself in front of the client!"

After the meal, Ethan hurried back to the Bronx and met Giorgio, the Vice President of Republic Records, at a coffee shop.

He had changed into a blue shirt, but it was still neatly pressed.

His expression wasn't as relaxed as their first meeting; it seemed he was also worried about the new song's promotional strategy after discussing SBK with Yesan

When he saw Ethan, he greeted him and then asked, "I heard from Yesan that you have a promotional idea?"

"Yes," Ethan took a sip of coffee, wrinkling his face at its bitterness, but he had to admit it made his current life feel more real.

"You can add sugar if you don't like it," Giorgio said quietly, lifting his own cup. "I added three packets myself."

"Haha." Ethan and Giorgio laughed simultaneously, then got straight to the point.

"I have an idea, but honestly, whether this single succeeds or not doesn't really concern me. I approached you because I think you're a better fit than Edmond," Ethan said.

Giorgio nodded slightly, sensing that Ethan was approaching him with an equal attitude rather than as a beggar. However, facing a music video director with a strong sense of color and the ability to enhance the quality of the song, Giorgio could accept this approach.

"I also dislike Edmond. He's known for his arrogance in the industry, but he did say one thing right: the fake name promotional idea is outdated."

Giorgio stirred his coffee and continued, "If we stick to this promotional strategy, you'll soon see major radio stations exposing Raymond's real name and his previous single 'Beast Star.' Fans won't buy it."

"So we need to do the opposite," Ethan's seemingly simple statement made Giorgio frown immediately.

"What do you mean, the opposite?"

"I'll explain the specific idea later," Ethan said, deliberately creating suspense. "First, let's talk about the compensation."

"Oh, please!" Giorgio's face contorted in discomfort, clearly unsettled by Ethan's withholding. Nonetheless, he seriously considered how much to offer Ethan.

Finally, just before Ethan finished his coffee, Giorgio decisively said, "Four percent."

"What?"

"I mean, four percent of the song's sales revenue," Giorgio didn't keep the suspense, stating his bottom line directly. "That's the maximum we can offer after discussing it with Yesan."

Offering Ethan four percent meant both parties would take two percent each. Although it wasn't a huge amount, it would add up once sales increased.

The best way to motivate someone is to tie them to the benefit. When everyone on the same boat aims for the same goal, they work diligently.

Ethan was quite satisfied with Giorgio's straightforwardness. He appreciated Giorgio's directness and candor.

"Agreed. Now, let me explain the promotional method..."

After Ethan described his idea, Giorgio was astonished. He didn't expect Ethan to be so creative in promotion.

"Impressive! Ethan, you should consider a career in promotion. How did such a brilliant idea come to you?"

Giorgio clinked his cup with Ethan's and smiled. "I think our team here should learn from you. Goodness, it's fantastic. I'm already looking forward to it just hearing about it."

"Only this way will Edmond's plans be thwarted."

"Exactly. He thought we would follow the script? No, we're going to do the opposite."

The two reached an agreement and then went to Kirk's office, where Kirk drafted the contract, and they signed the agreement.

Before long, Ethan received news that Giorgio and yesan had finalized the music rights agreement.

They had decided to release the new single this Thursday. Since Billboard's chart changes on Tuesday, the five days would be used to build up sales and streaming numbers, which would help the song make a strong debut on the Billboard charts and enhance its promotional impact.

However, the most pressing matter was the Heinz ad pitch.

Jimmy was already preparing the ad materials for Ethan. He was eager to see Ethan defeat Maroni and the other companies' proposals in the presentation tomorrow and persuade Heinz.

....

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