Rebirth of America, this is my time

Wow~Wow~Wow? McDonald's wants to cooperate with us?

When Ethan knocked on the door of the chairman's office and pushed the documents in his hand in front of his sister, the golden color that caught his eye made Evelin put down the books in her hands.

Quickly flipping through the documents, she saw clearly the cooperation intention sent by McDonald's.

Yes. Ethan nodded: McDonald's wants to cooperate with us. They want to obtain licenses from us related to Alien and Starry Sky...

To be honest, when Ethan returned to Palo Alto and calmed down to deal with the long-standing affairs of the company, what came into his sight was the overwhelming cooperation documents, including from North American theaters and North American theaters. Major merchants' purchase orders for electronic arcade machines include plans to introduce Johnson home consoles from major stores in America, and these are actually within his acceptance range.

Because these cooperations are related to their main business.

So when it comes to handling these tasks, Ethan is very handy.

But when he saw the cooperation intention from McDonald's, he was stunned on the spot.

At that time, he just felt that his head was a little out of control. He couldn't understand why McDonald's, the American fast food giant, would be interested in their products? Could it be that they want to open a sales counter in their own store and fill it with Destiny game home consoles?

Ethan admitted that their products may be far ahead, but no matter how ahead he is, he can't let a catering giant start a store business, right?

And when he opened the cooperation documents delivered by McDonald's, he realized that what McDonald's wanted to obtain was the authorization of the characters in Alien and Starry Sky.

McDonald's wants to turn popular and attention-grabbing characters from the Alien movie and Starry Sky game into toys, bundle them with their fast food, and sell them to the outside world.

Uh-what is this Happy Meal?

After briefly looking through the cooperation plan, Evelin pointed to a phrase made by McDonald's and asked with a confused look on her face: Is this one of their... set meals?

The girl who doesn't like McDonald's and refuses high-carbohydrate and high-sugar foods in her daily life frowned and asked, Do you want to talk to me about this project?

Or is this project bothering you?

Uh-Ethan, with all due respect, I don't know much about McDonald's, so...

I'm probably more confused than you are.

Oh - Evelin - you are really - His sister's honesty made Ethan feel dumbfounded.

Although he was indeed a little confused at the moment, what he wanted to show Evelin was not a Happy Meal! However, since his sister asked, he still had to explain.

Happy Meal is actually a package of some McDonald's food and toys for sale. It stimulates users, or children, to come and buy it.

If Evelin lives for a few more decades, she will definitely not be unfamiliar with Happy Meal, because the various linkages between Golden Arches Happy Meal and V50 are well-known products, and they can even be called corporate marketing. A classic success story in learning.

But for current Americans, McDonald's Happy Meal is still a strange thing, because so far, McDonald's has never officially launched this marketing project to the outside world.

I asked Steve Ballmer to check the information for me. This plan originally originated from McDonald's restaurants in Guatemala, where McDonald's franchises designed a separate menu specifically for children, providing small portions of burgers, potatoes, etc. Bars and sundaes,” Ethan said.

This approach can provide a better dining experience for children with families. Because children's tastes are different from adults, and at the same time, their appetites are also different.

As soon as this package appeared, it caused a sensation in Guatemala, and the attentive service caused a surge in the revenue of McDonald's restaurants there. After the news reached McDonald's headquarters, McDonald's sent people to Guatemala to investigate, and then they decided to introduce this idea .”

Ethan rolled his eyes and said while sorting out the memories in his head: Since last year, they have gathered a team to develop this product and decided to make it into a set meal, which includes a burger and a small fries. and a pack of small biscuits, and in order to attract more children, they also prepared some small gifts inside, which are illustrations by some well-known children's painters across the country.

After they were fully prepared, they started promoting it in Kansas last October.

Perhaps because this product captured the consumer psychology of users and also met their consumer needs, it was enthusiastically welcomed by the public soon after it was launched. After the product sold out, McDonald's decided to sell this product next year The package is officially launched across the country. In order to promote this package to more people, they decided to cooperate with a children's company that can attract children's attention.

Then……

At this point, Ethan stopped.

He smiled and shrugged, spreading his hands.

That almost explicit look made Evelin open her mouth, Does it think we are a children's company?

...

These words immediately silenced Ethan.

He curled his lips and tilted his head, looking helpless.

And Evelin also understood what Ethan meant in an instant, and said loudly: That's not right!

McDonald's recognizes the value of our game, right?

They feel that our games already have a brand premium!

“And this price is even the best in the country!”

The girl looked at Ethan with wide eyes!

Those bright eyes sparkled with joy!

Ethan nodded and said with a smile: Yeah~

We are now an intellectual property company recognized by McDonald's.

That's right!

Ethan never expected that a live broadcast across the United States could achieve such an effect!

At first, when he decided to do an all-meter live broadcast, all he could think about was killing Warner Communications! Kill Philips! Kill Superman! Kill Disney’s game! I will shame everyone who dares to bully me!

As for the rest?

Then the only thing left is to attract public opinion and sell goods like crazy!

Apart from these two points, he didn't think about anything.

Of course, he didn't have time to think about it.

But now?

After a nationwide live broadcast, not only did his colleagues lose their temper, but he also easily established a sales channel for home consoles! Not only did he push Ms. Pac-Man into a new history, he also attracted the attention of McDonald's with a special code, giving his game added value that everyone would envy!

This is simply an unexpected surprise!

You know, before entering Hollywood, Ethan's goal was to get more attention for his games by shooting movies for game characters.

Like Disney, he wants to move his company to a higher level while firmly grasping product development, and develop intellectual property rights for popular products from multiple angles.

To this end, he took out Contra and Alien, and was even willing to bear the cost of copying the games himself, preferring to make less money on a single game cartridge.

Ethan originally thought that he would not be able to see the market's feedback and final results until next summer at the earliest, when Alien is released and Starry Night is released.

But suddenly McDonald's showed up.

This situation really surprised him!

The sight of fruiting before it bloomed excited him so much!

Although everything currently is far from the Disney he wanted, it doesn't matter, because even Walt Disney has been running on the road of intellectual property development his whole life!

To be honest, I really didn't expect McDonald's to suddenly appear!

When Ethan found out that his sister had gotten what he wanted, he stopped being hesitant and vented it out with a laugh, Their cooperation plan really surprised me! It made me so happy! Really—— If it weren’t for the wrong time and wrong place, I would have shouted at the top of my lungs right now!”

Oh - Ethan - Evelin lengthened her voice.

After staring at the document in her hand for a few more times to make sure that she had read it correctly, the girl could no longer suppress the excitement in her heart and laughed, I want to shout too!

This kind of accident——

“What a surprise!”

Hahaha--

Although in this era, the development of intellectual property rights has not formed a systematic knowledge, Walt Disney is just an inconspicuous production company, and has not become the future Darth Mickey, but Evelin did it two years ago The person who drew the cartoon characters for Pac-Man and Snake.

So of course she can understand Ethan's happiness.

After she laughed, she touched the file with emotion, trying to imprint this accidental happiness in her brain and hide it in her memory. As she continued to browse the file, she suddenly discovered a problem——

Ethan, wait a minute. The girl put away her smile and said, All McDonald's wants is our Starry Sky and Alien? They... don't seem to be suitable for children, right?

If Evelin remembers correctly, Ethan said that Alien is a horror movie.

When the project was established, Spielberg and others stated that Alien was the space version of Jaws.

When making the game, she also used a lot of horror elements to splice together a bunch of strange creatures.

When project investors, film producers, and game producers all understand that the two works Alien and Starry Sky are aimed at scaring people...

McDonald's wants to introduce such a thing to sell to children?

Is this...

Something is inappropriate? Evelin calmed down and looked at Ethan solemnly.

Can't we sell this kind of thing to children?

If parents take their children into the theater after seeing the promotion, they will be frightened and angry at the movie. By then...

We're going to be in trouble.

Evelin doesn't care about administration because she doesn't want to waste time on trivial matters. It's not that she has no brains and is unfamiliar with the world's people and sophistication.

She understands the consequences of selling some horror elements to children, or...

We cannot be like the cartoons of decades ago that faced resistance from parents.

She emphasized the word parent.

Although the girl poured cold water on Ethan, Ethan didn't care.

Oh—my dear sister—I know what you mean—

He raised his eyebrows and said: Of course I know who the audience of Starry Sky and Alien are, so I will solve this aspect.

For example? The girl was a little confused.

For example, would you go to Chicago with me?

Ethan extended the invitation, How about it? You're fine now anyway.

Evelin was officially liberated when Ethan had already introduced the Destiny Game's home console and the game Starry Sky to all the people in America through live broadcast across the United States.

The home console project that no longer needed to be kept secret and the emasculation work of Starry Sky were handed over to the company's R\u0026D department, letting the R\u0026D director Damio Dean continue to improve them according to the ideas she had written.

And herself?

Now she sits in the office every day reading some of her favorite books, browsing some of her favorite TV shows, listening to some of her favorite music, and enjoying a free life.

Because of this, when Ethan smiled and extended his hand to her, she accepted it without hesitation. When the two chartered a plane and arrived in Illinois, they were greeted by Fred, the current chairman of McDonald's. Turner, Happy Meal creator Bob Bernstein, and —

Oh Mr. Kroc, I didn't expect to see you here. When Ethan, who had just got off the plane, saw an old man with gray hair and a stooped figure, he quickly stepped forward and extended his hand to say hello.

Oh Mr. Jones! Hello! The old man did not reach out, but threw away the crutches and opened his arms.

This situation made Ethan give him a gentle hug.

Then, the power coming from his back made him feel the old man's joy.

Very surprised?

After they separated, the old man asked with a smile: Do you think I shouldn't be here?

Oh yes. The old man's straightforwardness made Ethan nod, I thought you were in San Diego.

Haha—— The old man liked Ethan's answer very much and shook his head: Although I have retired from McDonald's, my soul will always stay here.

That's right, the third person who greeted Ethan was the soul of McDonald's, Ray Kroc.

His appearance also made the negotiations between the two parties very fast and straightforward.

When a group of people came to McDonald's headquarters and listened to the project introduction of Alien and Starry Night brought by Ethan, everyone present already understood that they could not become toys in McDonald's Happy Meals, such as Evelyn As said, things with horror elements cannot be promoted to children.

And just when they were feeling regretful, Ethan's new plan also caught their attention in an instant.

My new plan is actually very simple, that is, to replace the two works Alien and Starry Sky with Snake and Pac-Man. I can license their images to you, and you can They are made into toys and sold in Happy Meals.”

While talking, Ethan also took out the cartoon images that Evelin had drawn before and printed them as postcards to send to Barbara's colleagues.

Although the pattern of the green snake eating beans is a bit childish, and the behavior of the four ghosts running away seems a bit juvenile, these things are just right for children.

After seeing these pictures, the three people present nodded in unison. The chairman of McDonald's pondered for a while and said: Mr. Jones, to be honest, these works of yours are indeed in line with our McDonald's Happy Meal. Project inclusion requirements, but...

He glanced at Bob Bernstein, the developer of Happy Meal, and after seeing him nod, he said: But 'Snake' and 'Pac-Man' are not popular enough in America.

Fred Turner, chairman of McDonald's, said seriously: Happy Meal is one of the most important projects for McDonald's next year. Therefore, in order to ensure that the project can be implemented smoothly and reach the height we expected, we are You have to be careful when choosing toys.”

We chose Starry Sky and Alien because they have extremely high attention in North America. This attention even overshadowed Warner Communications' Superman and made Disney silent.

“That’s the focus we want.”

Although your Snake and Pac-Man are also excellent, they have not caused an overwhelming blow to other equally excellent opponents in the past few years.

The Snake sequel you launched this summer did attract a lot of people's attention, but MGM's Tom and Jerry also gained a lot of market space.

The launch of Ms. Pac-Man this month has indeed excited a lot of people, but to be honest, without Starry Sky, I think Disney and Warner would still be able to make a lot of profits.

McDonald's chairman Fred Turner gave Ethan a look of regret.

Although there was a slight disparagement in his words, Ethan was not angry. Everyone is smart and can naturally see how Ms. Pac-Man won.

Taking advantage of the situation can indeed make Ms. Pac-Man sell better, but at the same time, the behavior of taking advantage of the situation will also conceal the true strength of Ms. Pac-Man and make merchants doubt its ability to attract money.

but--

It does not matter.

Okay, I understand what you mean. Ethan smiled and said: You are full of worries about the influence of these two images, I can understand this.

But what I want to say is that since I took them out, it means they will definitely make money.

The next game of our Destiny game is related to them. I will combine the characters of these two games. If you are interested, then we can continue to talk.

Now that Starry Sky has been completed and Ms. Pac-Man has been released, the project of having Mr. Pac-Man bravely enter Snake's Castle to rescue Ms. Pac-Man should be put on the agenda.

This is not about Ethan’s desire to win, but about game production. It’s like cutting leeks, one crop after another. When the fans’ wallets bulge, hey, then they have to lose some weight. Got pregnant.

If not, what game should he use to meet the public's expectations for the future?

Ahem——

No more nonsense.

Ethan wanted to make a Pac-Man version of Mario, but the main thing he wanted was peace of mind.

After all, in the past few years, he has been scared of being crowded out by his competitors. When things that delay your time, try to get ahead, and create trouble for your development have appeared one after another, the short-term success can no longer let Ethan sleep peacefully. He can only continue to Running brings him peace of mind.

Therefore, if you make a Pac-Man version of Mario, even if it is left there and not sold, he will feel much better. And since he is ready to make this thing, then McDonald's Happy Meal will naturally match it. Yes! When children have a bunch of Pac-Man and Snake toys at home, they will cry, make trouble, and hang themselves to ask their parents for a game, right?

Of course, it doesn't matter to him whether this happens or not.

Because when McDonald's took the initiative to invite him to cooperate, he knew that he had found the right wave of the times. The next step was to learn from Walt Disney and hug it tightly.

With his departure, in the chairman's office of McDonald's headquarters, Fred Turner, the current chairman of McDonald's, and Bob Bernstein, the developer of Happy Meal, also had a heated debate.

Bob Bernstein insisted on not using Pac-Man and Snake, while Fred Turner was impressed by Ethan's idea and wanted to hear his concept.

After they argued for a long time with no result, the two immediately set their sights on the father of McDonald's.

Mr. Crocker, what do you think of this cooperation? Fred Turner asked.

Ray Kroc did not answer immediately, but asked instead: Fred, Bob, what qualities do you think a person should have if he wants to be successful?

Smart brain?

Bob Bernstein, who made a living from marketing, said: “Wisdom is wealth.”

Hard work and luck.

Fred Turner, who had been following Ray Kroc since 1956, said: Boss, when I first applied for a job at McDonald's, the position I got was that of a store chef.

“I worked hard to set the standard for burgers and fries, and then I earned your trust and your trust, and you promoted me to president of operations, then to president of the company, and then to CEO. , now let me take over the position of chairman.

Thank you very much.

Hehe... The believer's speech made the old man laugh non-stop. He waved his hand and said, Let's not talk about things that happened decades ago. I just gave you what you deserve.

The next second, he changed the topic again and said, However, you are right about one thing. After you set the standards for the production of burgers and fries, I am very optimistic about you and believe in you.

And this is actually you, or me, or maybe someone else's secret to success.

“Only if you firmly believe that something will succeed will you have a chance of success.”

If you hesitate in doing something, you will never succeed.

Of course, there are indeed people in this world who succeed casually, but even if God favors these people, these people will throw away the wealth given by God based on their own abilities.

So, if you want to succeed, you must first be confident.

And if you want to be at the top of an industry, you have to be doubly confident.

It could be ego, it could be paranoia, it could be madness.

Ray Kroc looked at the child he raised with a smile.

Then he picked up his cane and stood up.

I have retired and the company belongs to you.

Since I have chosen you, I believe in you.

I support whatever decision you make.

But there is one thing I want to state in advance.

There are few people in the world who dare to negotiate terms with Lawrence Rockefeller.

It's not that people lack courage.

It's not like they don't have a background.

It's that they don't have confidence.

Only those who truly believe that their products or projects can be successful, can be the first in the industry, and can bring endless wealth and power will do everything they can to keep the fruits of their victory.

As the words fell, a crisp clicking sound also appeared.

The old man smiled and stamped his cane, turned around and left the office that once belonged to him.

With the clanking sound, the closed door also made McDonald's Chairman Fred Turner turn his head again, and after he focused his attention on Bob Bernstein...

This time, he didn't give the other party a chance to speak.

Look for him again after the new year.

Okay.

Note: ① The first official appearance of McDonald’s Happy Meal was on June 1, 1979. In order to promote Happy Meals, McDonald's collaborated with Star Trek and launched a series of toys. ②Ray Kroc has been living in San Diego since his retirement. He likes baseball and is the owner of the San Diego Padres. ③ Fred Turner, the second chairman and CEO of McDonald's, is really a representative of hard work. He went from being a barbecue apprentice to chairman. ④Although Bob Bernstein is the developer of McDonald's Happy Meal, he is not actually from McDonald's. He is the owner of an advertising company, specializing in helping companies with marketing and image building, and his most awesome operation is not It created the Happy Meal, but helped Sam Walton establish a good corporate image for Wal-Mart. As mentioned earlier, Wal-Mart did not have a good reputation before 1985. It was synonymous with low prices. After Bob Bernstein took over, Wal-Mart launched the patriotic marketing of Buy American Products (in the 1980s) I won’t write about the pressure from the United States here), which directly brought Wal-Mart back from being synonymous with cheap. This guy is very powerful.