Reborn Industrial Tycoon

Chapter 483 A journey to pick up leaks

In the Japanese home appliance retail industry, Yamada Denki has always been a relatively strong presence.

In the retail industry, channels have always been king. Yamada Denki is Japan's largest home appliance retailer and controls home appliance sales channels. Even a home appliance giant like Panasonic has to give Yamada Denki some face.

Minister Komura adopted Section Chief Kobayashi's suggestion. He directly contacted Panasonic and asked Panasonic to produce a facial steamer with dual hot and cold jets.

Panasonic's facial steamer has always been a very popular one. Moreover, the hot and cold dual-jet facial steamer is not a complicated technology. With Japan's manufacturing level, it can be easily copied.

Don’t think that Japan won’t copy copycats. Japan’s manufacturing industry relied on copycats. In the 1950s and 1960s, Japan copied all kinds of European and American products and did not pay attention to intellectual property rights.

It was not until the 1980s that, as Japan's manufacturing industry reached the top level in the world, independently innovative products began to explode on a large scale. At this time, Japan suddenly changed and began to advocate the protection of intellectual property rights.

Facial steaming devices are not a new product. As early as the early 1990s, facial steaming devices have already appeared on the Japanese market.

The technology used in the facial steamer is not new. The hot and cold dual-spray facial steamer only adds a cold spray nozzle to the original one.

Therefore, from a technical perspective, the hot and cold dual-jet facial steamer does not involve intellectual property issues. Anyone can imitate it. There is no pressure for Panasonic to copy it.

Here, "Long Vacation" hasn't finished airing yet, and Panasonic's hot and cold dual-jet facial steamer has already entered Yamada Denki's chain stores.

…

Yamada Denki is the largest chain store, and Panasonic’s hot and cold dual-jet facial steamer is placed in the most conspicuous position on the shelf.

Section Manager Xiaolin stood confidently next to the shelf, expecting the Panasonic facial steamer to be snapped up by customers.

In the opinion of Section Chief Kobayashi, Panasonic's products are of course much better than Chinese products. Since Chinese products can sell well, then Panasonic's products should be snapped up by customers.

A few minutes later, a middle-aged female customer in her mid-thirties appeared in front of the shelf.

"Wifes at this age need to take care of their skin the most, so they are definitely potential customers for facial steamers."

Thinking of this, Section Chief Xiao Lin came up to him personally and said, "Madam, we have a newly launched facial steamer. Do you want to take a look?

In the past, facial steamers could only spray hot steam, but this new facial steamer has the function of hot and cold dual sprays, which not only helps the skin detoxify, but also makes the skin firmer..."

After the introduction by Section Chief Xiao Lin, the middle-aged wife showed an excited expression.

The middle-aged wife asked: "Is this facial steamer the one endorsed by Takuya Kimura?"

Hearing this question, Section Chief Xiaolin felt a little embarrassed and thought to himself: Why don't you open and pick up which pot? However, the other person is a customer after all, so Section Chief Xiaolin had to answer patiently:

"Although this product is not endorsed by Takuya Kimura, it is produced by Panasonic. Panasonic's quality is more trustworthy than those random brands."

But the middle-aged wife asked: "Which model is Kimura Takuya endorsing?"

Section Chief Kobayashi had no choice but to reply: "Sorry, our store does not currently have the product endorsed by Kimura Takuya. However, the quality of this Panasonic facial steamer is better than the one endorsed by Kimura Takuya..."

"Simi Marseille..." Before Section Chief Xiao Lin could finish his introduction, the middle-aged wife interrupted Section Chief Xiao Lin, bowed slightly, and then turned and left.

Section Chief Xiaolin looked at the middle-aged wife's leaving figure, secretly said, "I don't know what she's selling!" and then turned to the next target.

This time it was a young mother in her twenties. If it weren't for the baby pouch on her chest, Section Chief Xiao Lin would have thought she was a college student.

"Madam, we have a newly launched facial steamer, produced by Panasonic. Do you want to take a look?" Section Chief Xiaolin began to promote it like crazy.

Professor Kobayashi spent a long time selling it, but the young mother only replied with one sentence: "This doesn't seem to be the model endorsed by Takuya Kimura!"

In one sentence, Section Chief Xiaolin was instantly defeated.

"I shouldn't be looking for young customers like this. Young customers will definitely become fans of Takuya Kimura. I should be looking for an older customer to sell my products to."

Soon, Section Chief Xiaolin saw a guest who was about fifty years old.

Section Chief Xiaolin was delighted. A wife in her forties or fifties was the main consumer force in Japan, so she should be able to sell the facial steaming device.

After World War II, there was a wave of baby boom in Japan. For example, between 1947 and 1949, the number of new births in Japan accounted for one-tenth of the total population. At that time, one in ten Japanese was under the age of three.

of newborn.

The Japanese baby boomers have also most directly shared the benefits brought by Japan's economic boom after World War II.

This generation wanted a house, a car, and money. By the 1990s, they basically became company cadres, and their salaries were very impressive, so they were naturally the main force in consumption.

So Section Chief Xiaolin stepped forward again and introduced Panasonic's facial steamer.

The wife in her fifties listened very carefully, and from time to time she would ask about the details of some products, as if she was very interested in Panasonic's facial steamer.

Finally, when Section Chief Xiao Lin finished the introduction, the guest nodded with satisfaction, and then said: "This facial steamer is almost the same as the one I bought before!"

"Have you bought it before?" Section Chief Xiaolin was surprised.

The customer nodded again: "Yes, Kimura Takuya is the spokesperson. Kimura-kun is so handsome. When I saw the product he endorsed, I couldn't help but buy one!"

"Even this old woman in her fifties likes Kimura Takuya!" Section Chief Kobayashi was stunned.

…

The news that Panasonic also launched a hot and cold dual-jet facial steamer quickly reached Li Weidong's ears.

In contrast, Li Weidong is more concerned about who Panasonic invites to endorse.

So Li Weidong asked: "Has Panasonic conducted a large-scale advertising campaign for its facial steamer? Who did they invite as a spokesperson?"

"There is no advertising and no spokesperson, but their products are being sold by Yamada Electric, which means they have the largest sales channel in Japan." The other end of the phone answered.

Li Weidong smiled indifferently: "Channels are certainly important, but they obviously didn't understand that the key is not the product or the channel, but Kimura Takuya!"

There are not many phenomenal stars like Kimura Takuya in Asia.

The key is that Japan's consumption characteristics, dominated by women, allow Kimura Takuya's celebrity traffic to be monetized smoothly and converted into commercial value, which is unmatched by other celebrities.

If it were a market in other countries, even if such a phenomenal superstar was born, the traffic conversion rate would not be as high.

After putting down the phone, Li Weidong fell into deep thought, and he wanted to think about the next plan.

Li Weidong’s purpose is to let the puppy brand enter the Japanese market. Judging from the current situation, the first step has been successfully taken. Through Kimura Takuya’s endorsement, the puppy brand facial steamer has at least become popular with Japanese consumers.

A familiar face.

But if he wants long-term development, it is not enough to rely on Takuya Kimura alone. Li Weidong still needs sales channels such as Yamada Denki and Yodobashi.

Drug stores like Matsumoto Kiyoshi can sell beauty devices, but you can’t expect them to sell ordinary home appliances!

"Eventually I have to negotiate with the home appliance retailer, but now is not the time. I need more say. I'll be fine when the next product comes out." Li Weidong thought to himself.

At this moment, the phone rang again, and Li Weidong didn't bother to pick up the receiver and directly pressed the hands-free button.

"Chairman, it's time for you to go to the airport." A reminding voice rang from the phone.

Li Weidong sighed softly: "We have to fly for more than ten hours, and when we arrive, we will have jet lag and a headache! But for that man, it is worth going there in person."

…

In a villa in the suburbs of Philadelphia, USA,

A middle-aged black man over two meters tall was sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper.

This man's name is Joe Bryant. He was once a professional basketball player. He played in the NBA for eight years and reached the NBA Finals as a teammate of "Dr. J" Julius Erving.

After retiring, Joe Bryant worked as a basketball coach. As he could only play basketball, he could only be a basketball coach.

Today, Joe Bryant is unemployed, so he is thinking about finding another coaching job to re-employ laid-off workers.

At this time, the phone rang suddenly, breaking the silence in the room.

Joe Bryant walked to the phone and picked up the receiver.

"Hello, it's Mr. Tellem. Yes, I'm Joe. He is packing his luggage now and will go to the airport in a while to go to Los Angeles for a trial training.

Tell me any good news? What good news? An endorsement contract with a sports brand? Really? Oh my God, is there really a brand willing to give a high school student a sneaker endorsement contract?

Five million US dollars in five years? So much! Oh my God, I have played basketball for half my life and I have not earned 5 million US dollars! Okay, no problem, I will tell him the good news right away."

After putting down the phone, Joe Bryant hurried to his son's room.

There, a slightly thin black guy was packing his luggage.

"Kobe, I have good news for you. Mr. Tellem called just now and said that there is a sports brand that wants to give you an endorsement deal!" Joe Bryant said.

Kobe looked up and asked, "Is it Nike or Adidas?"

"No, it's a niche sports brand, it seems called Feiyue." Joe Bryant replied.

Kobe immediately shook his head: "I don't want to sign with any niche brand. If I want to sign, I'll sign with a big brand like Nike or Adidas!"

"You should first listen to the price offered by the other party." Joe Bryant held out five fingers and then said; "They offered 5 million for five years! My dear son, I have played basketball for half my life.

You have never earned so much. For you, this is a sky-high price!"

After hearing this number, Kobe was slightly shocked, but after a few seconds, he returned to normal.

"Then I can't sign! They are willing to give me 5 million US dollars over five years, which shows that they are optimistic about my draft prospects!"

Kobe said with an arrogant expression on his face, and continued: "Don't forget, Philadelphia got the No. 1 pick this year, maybe they will use the No. 1 pick to select me! Since Barkley left, they need a leader

.”

Joe Bryant shook his head: "Everyone knows that Philadelphia will choose Allen Iverson from Georgetown University!"

"I'm no worse than him!" Kobe said stubbornly.

Joe Bryant sighed and said: "Kid, do you really think it is a good idea to participate in the NBA draft this year? You are only 17 years old, this is a huge gamble!

If you are willing to go to college, there are many universities that are willing to give you full scholarships, including prestigious schools such as Duke University, UCLA, and North Carolina.

And our family is not poor, so we don’t need you to make money to support the family. So you can go to college to practice for two years first, and then participate in the NBA draft."

Full scholarships from prestigious American universities are still very popular. If you get a full scholarship, not only will you be exempted from tuition and miscellaneous fees, accommodation fees, insurance fees, book fees, etc., but you will also have a certain amount of money that can be used for personal consumption. This amount

Although I can't buy a house, my daily life is still more than enough.

So if you get a full scholarship, you can go to college and earn money at the same time.

The only reason why talented high school students in the United States do not go to college but to participate in the NBA draft is because they are poor.

Because my family was poor, life was difficult, and I urgently needed someone to make money to support my family, I had no choice but to give up the opportunity to go to college and directly participate in the NBA draft after graduating from high school.

Let’s take a closer look at the players who were drafted by the NBA from high school. Kevin Garnett had to work to earn money to support his family at the age of 13; LeBron James’ family was so poor that he couldn’t even afford a pair of sneakers, and they all came from poor families.

As for Dwight Howard, it was probably because he had too many illegitimate children that he couldn't afford to raise them, so he quickly went to the NBA to make money after graduating from high school.

In comparison, Kobe's family background is much better. Although his father is an unknown basketball player, he has played in the NBA for eight years, and then went to the Italian league to find gold. Although he is not a rich man,

But it's also wealthier than the average American.

However, Kobe did not choose college, but decided to participate in the NBA draft after graduating from high school.

This is probably because of Kobe's innate pride and his spirit of never admitting defeat!

…

James Bond walked into Li Weidong's room with an unhappy look on his face.

"Boss, Kobe Bryant's agent called me back. He said that Kobe rejected the endorsement contract."

James Bond then complained: "A five-year, 5 million contract is not enough! It's so disrespectful!"

"Then add more money! 7 million in six years!" Li Weidong said without hesitation.

James Bond was very dissatisfied and said: "Boss, although this guy named Kobe Bryant is very talented, has achieved very good results in high school, and has won several awards, he is only a high school student after all.

born!

When high school students participate in the NBA draft, even if they are selected, their picks will not be very high. It is good to be among the top ten. There are many outstanding young men participating in the NBA draft this year, why must we sign him! For 5 million US dollars, we can

Signed a slightly famous star!"

Li Weidong laughed and said, "It's just because he is a high school student and is not favored by the outside world that we can pick him up!"

The update arrived today. Thank you for subscribing. I didn’t update yesterday because I temporarily adjusted the plot progress. I’m sorry! I still remember that in the early morning of that day, I woke up inexplicably. I looked at my phone and saw the notification that Kobe Bryant was leaving.

, I thought it was fake news at the time, but later I found out it was true, and I cried at the time. Oh my god, now I can only live in my memory...