“Sir, it’s confirmed. All the internet troll companies have completed their work as scheduled. However, we’ve unfortunately encountered this incident, and we can’t suppress the opponent’s popularity!” Billy Howard’s subordinate reported helplessly.
“…” Billy Howard paced nervously in his office. He had guaranteed Motorola that if the mission failed, there would be serious consequences. His $2 million was all in his pocket, and he wasn't about to give it back.
Moreover, all trending news required popularity and continuity. If they couldn’t follow up with counter-reports while the Jiangnan chip's popularity was high, no one would be interested in such reports after a while.
“There’s no other way, we have to increase our efforts!” Billy Howard gritted his teeth and said, “Go tell those internet troll companies that we’re willing to pay triple… no, four times the money, and have them increase their efforts and investment fivefold!”
Well, paying three times the money for five times the effort, though seemingly unfair, was just electricity costs for the troll companies, while the money was real. Thus, these companies were more than happy to accept.
Indeed, these troll companies happily accepted the task. More accounts, big influencers, and trending topics emerged, finally pushing the chip news to the front page of Weibo, at the third trending spot. Many people, not part of the troll network, also began to condemn the Jiangnan Group.
However, Billy Howard’s expression didn’t improve. Although these efforts were made, the volume was small. Most importantly, they failed to create effective social discussions or a wave of public opinion.
Simply put, most people’s focus wasn’t on this matter, but on the racial issue. After all, it was understandable. In the eyes of Americans, Chinese affairs were minor matters compared to their own internal conflicts.
Especially since it involved a white person assaulting a black person, which was absolutely not allowed in the United States. Many black people exploded, and unrest began to occur in various places. Therefore, even with the troll companies’ fivefold effort, they couldn’t achieve the desired effect. They were simply no match for the vast ocean of public sentiment.
Just as Billy Howard was hesitating whether to go all out and add another fivefold effort, Versailles made a statement. She said she shouldn’t have spoken out because the injured black person was her employee, and she needed to avoid suspicion.
However, thinking about how her employee had been harmed, she couldn’t hold back any longer. She fought for fairness and justice for all her compatriots who had suffered violence.
Wow! As Versailles, a top star, began to speak out, no amount of popularity could compete. The front page completely lost any mention of Jiangnan chips; it all vanished into thin air.
Billy Howard hadn't given up yet. He thought that while they might have lost online, he still had traditional media. The influence of traditional media was still strong in this era, even stronger than online media. As long as traditional media… Well, when Billy Howard saw that almost all television stations and newspapers reported on the incident that evening.
Only a few media outlets that had received his money reported on the chip issue at the bottom of the evening news scroll. Billy Howard was completely despairing.
Especially when he later learned that all these media outlets had reported on the matter spontaneously, without accepting a cent, while he had spent over $200,000 on media public relations.
Even more terrifyingly, when some people initiated "0 yuan shopping" that night, Billy Howard completely gave up.
Now, even if an angel descended, they wouldn't be able to capture any attention.
This battle couldn't be fought; it was impossible to fight.
“I’ll have to go and beg for forgiveness!” Billy Howard sighed and went to Motorola to apologize to Edward Zamp.
After all, he had confidently guaranteed the plan's success, but it had turned out like this. Most importantly, he had already spent $500,000, which was non-refundable. So, he had to explain the situation to Edward Zamp.
What Billy Howard never expected was that when he nervously appeared in Edward Zamp's office, the Motorola president had a bright smile on his face. “My dear Edward, your plan was very successful. I sincerely thank you!”
“???” Unfortunately, Billy Howard wasn’t black, or he could have performed the classic meme of a black person with a question mark.
“Sir, I haven’t accomplished anything. You praise me too highly!” Although he didn't understand what was happening, Billy Howard didn’t hesitate to accept it. Regardless, it was more important to find a way to resolve the $500,000 issue. Then he heard Edward Zamp continue, “I’ve been paying attention to your affairs. When I saw that netizens didn’t seem to care about the chip issue, I was worried for you and was thinking about how to get back the $2 million!”
“I didn’t expect you to have a backup plan, to stage this incident involving black people and successfully divert everyone’s attention. Now, very few people are cursing us Motorola on Weibo, and reporters aren’t coming for interviews either. You’ve done a great job!” Edward Zamp said with a smile.
“…There was such a plot twist!” Billy Howard never expected the plot to unfold this way. But on second thought, it was indeed the case. As the news of the black person being beaten continued to ferment, it was clear that no one was interested in Motorola's hegemonic incident anymore.
This also perfectly aligned with public relations techniques and strategies: using the popularity of one major event to suppress the popularity of another, thereby diverting the attention of the onlookers. This had always been a tried-and-true method in the public relations industry.
However, this was not his original intention, and Billy Howard could clearly sense that some of his competitors' tactics were involved. But at this moment, Billy Howard obviously wouldn't expose these things in front of his client, otherwise, he would have to return the $2 million.
Of course, Billy Howard didn’t admit that he was responsible for these actions. He just responded vaguely.
“Dear Billy, how much money do you have left? Are you still executing the follow-up plan? It seems your plan has been disrupted. Can I still see Motorola being completely whitewashed and receiving countless praises from netizens in your plan?” Edward Zamp suddenly frowned and asked.
“I’m such an idiot. Why did I say so much…” Billy Howard regretted why he had bragged to Edward Zamp and revealed his entire plan. Now he had to do more. Originally, he only needed to suppress the matter.
But at this moment, he clearly couldn’t say no. So Billy Howard had to bite the bullet and say, “Sir, because the situation has deviated from my original plan, I’m afraid…”
“I know, so I asked how much money you have left?”
“Well, I’ve spent over $1.2 million. You know, many things must be paid in advance, otherwise, those guys won’t work…”
“Will another $2 million be enough for you?” Edward Zamp directly said, “I believe there’s nothing in this world that cannot be done, only whether the money paid is enough. And I believe in your ability, Billy, you’ll surely find a way to get things back on track, won’t you?”
“I’ll give you another $2 million. I want to see the moment Jiangnan Group’s reputation is ruined!”
“Of course, as long as you’re willing to spend money, these are not problems!” Hearing that there was another $2 million, Billy Howard immediately changed his plan and said without hesitation.
Whatever happens, let’s get this extra $2 million first. As for whether it can be successful… A person must be confident. As long as they are confident enough, nothing can stop them. Everything can be accomplished.
“Very good! I’ll await your good news!” Edward Zamp nodded with satisfaction and then let Billy Howard go. Billy Howard then began to nervously prepare for the next plan.
In fact, getting things back on track wasn't difficult. They just needed to wait for the heat of this racial violence incident to subside, and then find a way to generate interest in the New World among the onlookers.
So, Billy Howard decided to adjust his plan. Instead of trying to detonate a major scandal in a short period, he would subtly spread news about the chips online, continuously accumulating momentum and letting more people know.
When the heat of the racial violence incident completely subsided, and the media began to look for other hot topics, the long-accumulated chip scandal would erupt, which would undoubtedly have a stronger effect. The political impact would surpass the original plan.
Billy Howard’s only concern was that the news about the chips was already circulating online. If the Jiangnan Group noticed this news and made preparations in advance, it would be troublesome.
Therefore, Billy Howard quickly contacted the internet troll companies. He asked them to withdraw some of the big influencers' comments, suppress the existing popularity, and then let the news circulate on smaller websites without causing too much of a stir or attracting the Jiangnan Group’s attention.
This order displeased many big influencers. They had posted a battle cry, and just as they had ignited their fans’ anger, they were immediately ordered to delete the articles. Could there be anything more disgusting than this?
What? They could be paid again? Then it was all fine.
Of course, Billy Howard, who was paying the money, felt deeply hurt. It was like throwing a punch that not only missed the opponent but also hit the air.
Instead, he had to retract the punch and hit himself in the face. This was simply agonizing.