Chapter 667: Let's Disperse

[Chapter 667: Let's Disperse]

The top shows of the four major international fashion weeks usually did not sell invitations to the public. Of course, occasionally a brand would auction off some important front-row seats under the guise of charity, but whether that money was truly going to charity remained unclear. The reason invitations weren't sold publicly was partly because the number of guests was limited, usually only one or two hundred at most, and often as few as dozens. Another reason was to maintain a high-end atmosphere; they didn't want just anyone slipping in.

However, this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show was completely different. The Lexington Avenue Armory, which had originally been able to hold 5,000 people, was modified by the Victoria's Secret project team, maintaining a guest seating capacity of 1,000. The project team held several meetings to determine how to distribute these 1,000 invitations. The confirmed VIP guests included celebrities, media representatives, critics, and business partners, totaling less than 200 people. In the end, over 800 invitations remained unallocated.

While Victoria's Secret was considered a mid-range brand, after several months of hype, the current prominence of the show meant that even adopting the previous strategy of selling invitations for $10,000 would undoubtedly lead to them being gobbled up. This world never lacked high-end consumers. However, if they sold the invitations at that price, even if it was marketed under the industry's 'tradition' of charity, they would be met with scorn and derision from the media for appearing mercenary.

Ultimately, the project team decided to accept public applications through Yahoo to filter suitable guests for invitations. The prerequisite was that recipients had to donate at least $1,000 to the charity designated by Victoria's Secret. The project team did not directly handle the funds, which helped avoid criticisms related to money-grabbing. Most companies and celebrities, except for a few outliers, aimed to maintain a positive public image, which was why countless charities existed. While the project team set a minimum donation of $1,000 and wouldn't disclose the amounts donated by any guests, they also added that the top 100 donors would receive direct invitations to the Victoria's Secret Afterparty.

...

From late September, when the project team stationed in New York, to the end of October, over a month passed. Under Eric's marketing team's expert media handling, a continuous stream of news surrounding the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show gradually escalated the show's topic to its peak.

During October, the powerful advertising effect brought by the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show led to a staggering 100% increase in sales for several hundred Victoria's Secret stores across North America. Last year, the entire LTD Group's revenue hovered around $1.5 billion, of which Victoria's Secret accounted for about $1 billion. However, beginning in the first half of this year, sales steadily improved due to the advertising effects of the fashion show, and by the end of the first three quarters, Victoria's Secret's sales already surpassed $1 billion, marking a more than 30% increase compared to the previous year. It was projected that, with the strength of the marketing campaign surrounding the show in the last quarter, Victoria's Secret alone would surpass last year's $1.5 billion revenue.

...

Simultaneously, the marketing model developed through collaboration with Yahoo also led to a steady increase in the portal's daily traffic. As 1995 approached, Yahoo began disclosing various operational data to prepare for its IPO. Although this rapidly rising tech company had already garnered significant attention, when Yahoo revealed that it had reached a user base in the tens of millions, it shocked the entire industry.

Although the entire internet industry was beginning to show promise, and several similar websites started to appear following Yahoo's lead, only Yahoo managed to reach the tens of millions in user numbers. This subtle trend toward industry oligopoly had most investment banks eager to secure the IPO underwriting rights for Yahoo. Morgan Stanley, which boldly contacted Eric in an attempt to underwrite Yahoo's IPO, even publicly offered a valuation of $5 billion, more than five times what Bill had offered during his attempted acquisition of Yahoo earlier in the year.

...

Back in New York, starting mid-October, rehearsals for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show suddenly became intense. Faced with such a large-scale show for the first time, despite thorough preparation, various small problems still cropped up during rehearsals. In such a situation, anyone's patience could wear thin. Although Eric tried his best to endure, he found himself losing his temper several times a day on average. The Victoria's Secret Angels gradually started referring to Eric privately with a unified nickname: Tyrant. One angel even unintentionally called out that name in front of Eric, leaving the girl who realized her slip-up pale with fear. Eric simply twitched his lips at her.

...

On October 31st, Halloween, the annual Victoria's Secret show held its final rehearsal at the Lexington Avenue Armory. Forty Victoria's Secret Angels, live performers, and a backstage team of 120, including coordinators, photographers, and makeup artists, all gathered, with a few guests in the audience.

As a British guard in a red formal gown struck the first drumbeat, the entire Armory came alive. Backstage was bustling, models were on edge, and the glamorous stage unfolded before the central control room's eight monitors. Eric had a few walkie-talkies beside him, focusing intently on the screens, occasionally picking up a walkie-talkie to relay instructions loudly.

The final show would be edited into a standard 43-minute format, but in reality, the complete performance of six segments, including scenery transitions, exceeded an hour. When they finally finished running through the last segment, Eric breathed a sigh of relief.

He grabbed his walkie-talkie to notify the executing director to gather everyone by the stands. Wiping the fine beads of sweat from his forehead, he walked into the restroom to wash his face before heading toward the front stage.

At that moment, the Victoria's Secret stage had transformed dramatically from when he first arrived. The entrance featured a massive hard surface, high-definition screen adorned with various bright lights, and the runway glimmered with dazzling silver sequins, resembling a luxurious carpet covered in diamonds. The meticulously arranged lights sharply delineated the runway from the audience.

As Eric exited backstage through the archway and scanned the area, he pondered for a moment but couldn't recall anything from the recent rehearsal that needed improvement, so he looked over at the staff gathered in the stands.

Surrounded by more than a hundred people in the center, the Victoria's Secret Angels in pink silk robes looked a little anxious, as many of them seemed to be recalling any mistakes they might have made. Eric initially intended to jump down from the runway, but as he stretched one leg out, he opted instead to sit down on the runway, gazing at the quiet crowd of over a hundred people waiting for him to speak. He smiled slightly and said, "Today is Halloween! Have you all thought about what you want to dress up as tonight?"

Many looked at Eric with puzzled expressions at his somewhat abrupt question, although a few laughed lightly in response.

He pointed to Diane Kruger, saying, "Diane, what are your plans?"

"Uh, I..." Diane Kruger stammered, caught off guard by Eric's sudden address. "I'm... going to go home and sleep."

"Ha ha..."

Laughter erupted around the room.

Eric smiled back, nodding, "That's a choice too. After months of hard work, I'm sure everyone is pretty exhausted. Besides, you have to deal with a Tyrant who might explode at any moment. If I were in your shoes, I would choose to get a good night's sleep after this is all over."

As more chuckles ensued, Eric continued, "But I'm sure you've all noticed the changes happening to you recently. Diane, what endorsements have you received lately?"

Diane Kruger felt a bit awkward being singled out again by Eric. She knew that during the selection process for the Victoria's Secret Angels, the project team hadn't looked kindly on her, but Eric had personally chosen her and made her one of the five spokesmodels for Victoria's Secret.

She had initially thought Eric had some special regard for her and had hoped he would suggest dating, but months had passed, and none of her anticipations had come true. However, Eric's somewhat special attitude toward her had not changed much. Although the forty Victoria's Secret Angels appeared to be good friends on the surface, she knew that almost everyone privately envied Eric's attention toward her, sparking rumors about her and Eric.

Lost in her thoughts, Diane still couldn't ignore Eric's question. But recently, she had been receiving so many endorsement offers, even she wasn't entirely sure of the details; most were being handled by her agent. After contemplating briefly, she cautiously replied, "Um, I think... there's Chanel, Armani, Dior..."

As she spoke, Diane even felt the envious gazes directed at her and suddenly stopped speaking. Everyone present knew each other well, and Diane was undoubtedly the luckiest one to make such a leap. Before joining the Victoria's Secret show, she hadn't even landed an endorsement deal from an average first-tier brand. More often, she was just like many other models: shooting commercials or print ads and participating in some shows.

Noticing Diane had halted her responses, Eric didn't press further. He addressed the group, "I believe everyone has received some brand collaboration offers, right? You may occasionally feel it's a bit lacking to share the impact of this show with forty other people. But I can assure you that you are the forty luckiest among hundreds of thousands of models worldwide. Although you spent months preparing for this Victoria's Secret Show, which might reduce your income for this year, I believe by next year, your earnings will definitely multiply. Importantly, your career longevity will also extend substantially due to the influence this show has brought. Of course, this is assuming you all maintain your interest in collaborating with Victoria's Secret next year."

Noticing a Victoria's Secret Angel in the front row visibly shiver at Eric's last remarks, he couldn't help but laugh as he glanced at her face, which bore a striking resemblance to Audrey Hepburn, saying, "Paulina, no need to be so tense! I can tell you right now that next year, I definitely won't be directing the Victoria's Secret Show myself. And based on the experience from this year, next year's preparation won't require as much time as this year, so you will receive even better compensation, and your work will also be much easier."

The Victoria's Secret Angel named Paulina flashed a charming smile at Eric and said, "Mr. Williams, I will definitely be back next year."

Eric smiled back, changing his position slightly and clapping his hands. "Alright, now let's talk about the recent rehearsal. I am very satisfied with your performance. As long as you all maintain the same standard in two days, I can guarantee that the whole world will be dazzled."

In the midst of excited cheers and applause, Eric raised his hands to quiet them down and said, "Tomorrow, everyone gets a day off! Tonight is Halloween. While I won't forbid anyone from attending various parties, I still hope you all take Diane's suggestion and get some rest. I don't want any surprises in the final two days. Now, you may disperse."

Eric stood up at the edge of the runway and walked backstage. After the majority of people waited for Eric to disappear behind the archway, they excitedly whispered to each other as they made their way out.

...

Emily, Edward Razek, and Eric's assistant, Kelly, had merely been quietly listening to Eric's address behind the arch before eagerly approaching him now.

"Eric, do you think there's anything that needs adjustment?" Emily, who had been managing the scene and hadn't spent time in the control room with Eric, couldn't contain her curiosity. After witnessing the marketing power displayed by the Victoria's Secret show, Emily valued it even more than Eric did.

Eric shook his head, saying, "No, there's nothing. All the shooting effects have been tested, and I just watched the entire rehearsal. I didn't find any issues at all. Moreover, nothing in this world is ever perfectly flawless. If there's any regret, let it be. We have to leave some topics for the media in the future."

Emily rolled her eyes at Eric but didn't press further, smiling as she asked, "Are you planning to go to East Hampton to celebrate Halloween with them now?"

"I just want to go home and sleep," Eric replied, glancing at Kelly beside him. "Come back with me; I have some things I want to discuss with you."

*****

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