The Response to the World Cup Advertising
As July arrived, the sweltering heat of midsummer began to envelop the entire Tokyo.
As is customary, Toho Pictures has begun its promotional campaign for the second Pokémon movie, "The Lugia's Explosive Birth".
Matsuoka, the head of Toho's publicity department, excitedly approached Nakayama Takuya with a publicity plan that exceeded the budget by nearly 30%.
"Executive Director Nakayama! The release of <Gold/Silver> has already pushed Pokémon's popularity to its peak! We must press our advantage and use a massive influx of GG to make <Lugia's Explosive Birth> the absolute king of this summer's box office!"
Matsuoka's plan was direct and brutal.
The trailer was played on a loop during prime time on television, and huge posters were plastered all over subway stations, so that Lugia's majestic face would be imprinted in the hearts of every primary and secondary school student.
Nakayama Takuya listened quietly, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, without immediately expressing his opinion.
Seeing this, Matsuoka assumed the other party was hesitant about the budget and quickly added, "Executive Director, this investment is absolutely worthwhile! We're promoting a film destined to go down in history!"
"Matsuoka," Takuya finally spoke, his voice steady, "What do you think is the selling point of our film this time?"
"Is this the role of legendary Pokémon in the Pokémon world?" Matsuoka answered without hesitation.
"Yes, it's the legendary Pokémon's divine role." Takuya turned around. "These legendary Pokémon are like gods of that world; they don't need to be advertised with megaphones. What they need is word-of-mouth, a sense of mystery that draws people in."
He rejected Matsuoka's ambitious proposal and instead pulled out an earlier promotional poster.
That was designed when we were making the promotional menu for the Pokémon Gold and Silver movies.
There are no imposing posters featuring Lugia's face directly.
Instead, three completely different concept promotional images were presented.
The first image is of a dark night with thunder and lightning, and torrential rain. At the bottom of the image is only one line of small text: "When lightning tears the sky---"
The second picture shows a desolate wasteland scorched by flames, a barren wasteland stretching for miles. The caption reads, "When flames devour the earth—"
The third picture shows the polar regions, frozen solid, utterly desolate. The caption reads, "When ice and snow freeze the ocean---"
The three posters, with their oppressive compositions, are filled with a sense of despair and impending doom, but not a single Pokémon is visible.
The mystery was finally solved when the fourth poster was released.
In the deep, boundless ocean, an indescribable, enormous silver figure slowly rises from the darkness, radiating a soft and serene light. Above the image is a caption that aptly describes the scene.
"Only the Song of Soul-Pacification can restore balance to the world."
Matsuoka was a little speechless; the promotional poster was too bland, and even a bit like a riddle.
Takuya noticed Matsuoka's hesitation and explained, "Matsuoka, think about it, who are our main audience?"
"Elementary and middle school students and families." Matsuoka replied without hesitation.
"That's right, so what are all these people busy with right now?"
"Listen to the final exam?" Matsuoka seemed to understand Takuya's meaning. "You mean we just need to maintain our presence, without making a big fuss?"
"Yes, we can't afford to offend our core audience's wallets. Taking the kids to see a Pokémon movie after final exams as a reward for good grades is obviously a good option."
"Yes, you're right. I'll arrange it right away."
In Europe and America, with the end of the World Cup, Sega, as the sole video game sponsor of the World Cup, gained massive exposure during the month-long tournament.
This greatly increased Sega's brand awareness in Europe.
After all, the Olympic Games, an event where the presence of major national teams is strong, doesn't hold the same appeal for people in Europe, a region mostly populated by small and medium-sized countries, as it did in the past.
Europe, being the most developed region for football, receives a completely different level of attention for the World Cup, especially since this edition is being held in Italy Europe country.
Ubisoft headquarters, France.
CEO Yves Guillermo excitedly paced back and forth in his office as he looked at the latest sales report. Finally, he couldn't resist picking up the phone and dialing a number in Tokyo.
"Takuya! My friend! I must say, your World Cup sponsorship is absolutely fantastic!" As soon as the call connected, Yves's heavily France English poured out like champagne being popped open.
Nakayama Takuya had just finished a meeting with the Children of the Star Ring when he heard Yves's exaggerated description and couldn't help but laugh.
"It seems the results are even better than expected."
"Good? This isn't just good, it's an epic victory!" Yves' voice rose an octave. "Our warehouses are empty!"
It's sold out! You know what? My managers now avoid me because all I say is chase after orders! Our distributor's MD
Consoles and games are selling faster than baguettes!
Yves excitedly described the booming Europe market.
"I simply capitalized on Europe ' love for football," Nakayama Takuya said calmly.
"Nintendo's distribution channels haven't expanded much into Europe yet, while Sega practically dominates the Europe." Yves' tone was full of pride.
This flattery only elicited a smile from Nakayama Takuya; he knew this was just the first step.
"Yves, don't just get excited. This is only laying the foundation for our brand." Nakayama Takuya changed the subject. "Europe consumers have different tastes than those in Japan and the United States. Next, we need to tailor some things specifically for them."
Yves immediately calmed down; he knew the real issue had arisen. "You mean...?"
"Get ready for the next wave of impact," Nakayama Takuya said with a hint of mystery. "Soon, a group of cute yet powerful little guys will sail across the ocean to Europe to begin a new adventure."
Yves paused for a moment, then realized what was happening.
It's that game with amazing sales in Japan — Pokémon!
His breath hitched.
If the World Cup's failure was the battering ram that opened up the Europe market, then Pokémon was the iron cavalry that swept across Europe!
"Then I'll look forward to it very much." Yves hung up the phone in a cheerful mood.
Nakayama Takuya put down the receiver, and silence returned to the office.
Outside the window, Tokyo's dazzling neon lights resembled flowing lava, but the heat in his eyes had cooled.
The Europe victory is certainly welcome, but it was merely a preliminary battle.
The real enemy, the giant entrenched in Kyoto that commands the attention of the entire industry, remains silent to this day.
That's the most terrifying thing.
A silent lion only sheathes its claws when it is preparing to pounce.
He turned around, and there lay quietly on the table a document that had just been faxed over, with two striking red characters printed on the cover: "Top Secret".
This is what Sega truly needs to address this year.
After all, Nintendo's silence this year is not a period of hibernation.
He has obtained the specific progress information from special channels.
The contents of the first page of the document are enough to keep any competitor up all night.
"The first batch of one million SFC consoles is about to be ready for shipment."
"The launch title, codenamed ' Super Mario World,' is personally overseen by Shigeru Miyamoto and is currently in its final testing phase."
One million units.
This number is like a huge boulder, weighing heavily on the paper.
Keep in mind that this is only the first batch.
The plumber with the red hat and big beard is coming back.