America 1982-Chapter 266 - 4: The Real Commodity of BT Television_3

"Then my boss left the Playboy Company in Hefner’s fury, and the rest of us in the PR team began discussing alternative strategies. I noticed at that time that the senator, when making public speeches, had expressed with disgust that he and his family had never watched our channel and programs. So I had a bold assumption—if we could prove that he had indeed watched our shows and used it to our advantage, we could neutralize the senator’s attacks. All we needed then was for Hefner to be willing to cooperate with the senator’s congressional adversaries and show goodwill towards women’s organizations, using media for a full-scale public relations maneuver, which could get us through this crisis, at least the immediate one."

"Just at that time, Hefner, infuriated by my boss’s curse, was slightly stroked and left the company in his daughter’s hands, while he went to the hospital to recuperate. His daughter agreed to my plan and was willing to make contact and cooperate with the adversaries later on, talking about possibilities such as investments or collaborations, etc. So, I began approaching the senator’s adversaries because, to understand someone, the best way is to ask their enemies."

"With the help of the senator’s adversaries, it took me about three months to organize a philanthropic event through other organizations. We succeeded in getting the senator and his wife to attend, and during the event, his wife had an intimate encounter with a male actor from the ’Six-Pack Abs’ show. They didn’t sleep together, but for a middle-aged woman to have intimate contact, including touching and whispering, with a young man at an event that was indeed charitable but not quite respectful towards women was morally inappropriate, especially when her husband was righteously lambasting us. After obtaining the photos, we immediately handed them to various media outlets to spread and make headlines, painting the senator as a hypocrite who didn’t want other women to enjoy the pleasures of men and women, yet he and his wife indulged in it themselves. At the same time, I had already prepared some women’s organizations to start attacking him, muddying the waters."

"Caught off guard, to maintain the favor of the female demographic, he announced his resignation from the investigative committee, and the investigation was consequently put on hold, as a new leader needed to be elected. Meanwhile, this meant that I had pulled out all the stops to secure a precious second breather for the Playboy channel."

"Because the adversaries needed to consider why you had the courage to tear off the facade. Once they realized you had found collaborators, they naturally did not want the situation to worsen. First, they had to assess the respective strengths to decide whether it was worth escalating the war, which is why we saw the second lull.">

"Normally, the Playboy Channel would collaborate with the senator’s adversaries. Since they had helped you, they naturally wanted benefits in return. Miss Hefner understood this principle, but regrettably, when Hefner himself was discharged from the hospital, he still chose to refuse... That’s when I knew I better run fast, that guy had become a complete idiot."

"I resigned, and sure enough, as I predicted, the investigative committee rapidly expanded and resumed the investigation. Although the senator resigned, the committee was filled with the adversaries who had helped us before. A year later, the investigation concluded, and the Playboy Channel ceased operation."

"That’s why I say it was only half a perfect PR operation," Sean Lei exhaled a puff of smoke and looked at Tommy, ending his story.

Tommy nodded slightly: "This story tells me, never think you’re so powerful that you can fight against everything, always stand on the side of justice."

"Yes, as a failed case, it provides many lessons," Sean said with emotion.

After digesting the story, Tommy asked Sean, "Want to talk about our BT Television? Some thoughts, opinions?"

Sean took the cigar from his mouth and spoke seriously, "No, Mr. Hawk, I told you all this to say, you’re the boss, I’m the PR, you’re always the one giving orders, there’s no question about that. But you must clearly tell me what you need me to do; that’s very important. Hugh Hefner’s biggest mistake was that he needed us to keep giving him advice, reacting to each move as it came. If PR is only about being reactive, that’s the most elementary use of us professionals by the bosses who hire us."

"So what?" Tommy hesitated. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Sean met Tommy’s gaze with a sharpness that seemed out of place on his honest face:

"Tell me, you need to tell me what you really want to achieve. I don’t want to overstate my job, but it’s similar to lawyers, we must know the real demands of the employer, no matter how extravagant or bizarre they are. That doesn’t matter. You’re responsible for telling me, and I’m responsible for considering if it can be done. You can pretend, we can even accommodate your pretense, create countless smokescreens, take many detours, but ultimately... head towards the destination you wish to reach."

"Of course, if I take on this job, I will also form a team to take care of branding, media, planning, copywriting, liaising, and so on. But those are all nodal tasks; they don’t need strategic thought. I can brainwash them, give them a false answer, and use it to hold various meetings and unify their thinking. But I must know what you ultimately want to achieve."

After toying with his cigar for a while, Tommy looked back up at Sean and said, "I hope BT Television, relying on a large grassroots African-American base, can gradually expand through mergers, partnerships, acquisitions, etc., and ultimately become a television network of sufficient scale in the United States, just like the other three major networks, able to influence election outcomes, to talk about collaboration, deals, and how to become good friends who can discuss anything with those who aspire to be senators or the President. Does it sound as far-fetched as a fantasy?"

"Is it more far-fetched than an actor like Ronald Reagan becoming President? My job isn’t to consider whether something is far-fetched, but to think about how to help you achieve it. So, I don’t know how the people responsible for programming and business advertising should view BT Television. In their eyes, the products might be shows or advertisements, but to me, it’s clear that our only core product is the African-American audience and influential individuals. My job is to sell this product to those with political clout, to tell them that this product is indispensable to their political life. When your network gradually grows, the second product, called ’influential individuals,’ will be sold to your audience," Sean concluded, staring into Tommy’s eyes:

"As an employer, you need to tell me, is my understanding correct?"

"Absolutely correct, Sean. If I have a friend who wants to run for President one day, just like Reagan, I’ll definitely recommend you to be his campaign team manager," Tommy said with a laugh:

"Welcome to BT Television, Sean Lei."