America's No. 1 financial conglomerate

Chapter 93 Program Countdown

Los Angeles is still a bit chilly this time of year, and sunlight streams in through the gaps in the blinds, casting sharp shadows on the floor.

Having learned about the television network, Ernst's gaze finally settled on Christie, who was seated on the right side of the conference table.

Although the current CEO of Playboy Group maintained a professional sitting posture with her hands folded on the table, her slightly clenched knuckles betrayed her inner panic.

Upon noticing Ernst's gaze, the other person did not begin reporting on the Playboy Group's situation. Instead, they instinctively turned their gaze to their father, Hugh Hefner, who was diagonally opposite them.

A barely audible sigh escaped Ernst's nostrils, his thoughts rewinding to the office half an hour earlier.

The cigar was stubbed out in the crystal ashtray, the sound of the ash falling particularly clear in the quiet room.

"I know Christie's management skills very well." The old man's voice carried a hint of helplessness. "Although she has always worked very hard and diligently, some things really require talent."

Hugh Hefner paused, took a puff of his cigar, and exhaled a smoke ring. "If a businessman always looks at the seagulls on the shore instead of the storm in the distance when making decisions, then the ship beneath his feet will run aground sooner or later."

"Christie's indecisiveness and hesitation make it impossible for her to lead the company to success."

"You don't need to worry about my problem. I think Playboy needs a new CEO and a more capable management team."

Ernst originally wanted to observe the situation further. Playboy Group had just joined the MGM family, and then immediately removed Hugh Hefner's eldest daughter from the company. This would draw criticism both internally and externally.

Seemingly aware of Ernst's concerns, Hugh Hefner suddenly smiled, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes spreading out like a spider web.

"You're worried about internal turmoil? Those old buddies who fought alongside me to build this empire will be thinking, 'If even the boss's daughter can be taken down, won't it be my turn to clean up my desk tomorrow?'"

"Are you still afraid of external criticism? Do you want the media to label you a cold-blooded capitalist, making future acquisition negotiations more cautious?"

Ernst did not deny, "I can have Robert take care of her, or maybe we should wait and observe for another quarter."

"No need," Hugh Hefner interrupted him, his voice suddenly becoming firm.

"Playboy needs a captain who can adjust the sails in a storm, not a caretaker watching over an antique clock in the cabin. I'll handle this, and I guarantee it won't involve MGM."

Ernst suddenly realized that this seemingly pleasure-seeking old man was, in his heart, the revolutionary who had withstood moral pressure to found Playboy in the 1960s.

After a moment's thought, Ernst replied, "I see. We'll talk about it after the show airs and things settle down."

Hugh Hefner smiled and gave Ernst a grateful look. "I knew I hadn't chosen the wrong person."

He understood perfectly well that Ernst was giving Christie face, and also giving him face.

The Super Bowl ignited the restless spirits of men across America. With the broadcast of the show, both the influence and revenue of the Playboy brand saw a significant surge.

Letting Christie leave now would be a sign of incompetence; once everything has settled down, it would be a graceful exit.

There's a reason behind the saying that wealth doesn't last three generations. Dragons beget dragons, and phoenixes beget phoenixes, but even dragons and phoenixes can't control their restless hearts.

No matter who the dragon or phoenix cheats on, it's always the dragon or phoenix that suffers, but it's different for the rat; mating with anyone is an improvement in its bloodline.

Therefore, wealthy families often produce spoiled brats, while ordinary people often achieve great success.

Christie is a case in point. Hugh Hefner's true dragon blood, when combined with her mother's unknown species, clearly resulted in abilities that couldn't reach Hugh Hefner's level.

"What's the current situation with production capacity?" Ernst asked again, his voice as calm as a frozen lake.

Christie's Adam's apple bobbed as if she was swallowing her words. "We've already produced over 100,000 pieces of each style of the new lingerie in our factory in Mexico. Once the show airs next week and the new styles are released, we expect to have at least 150,000 pieces in stock."

Ernst frowned. "Why so few? Didn't I say that each style should have at least 50 pieces before the new lingerie styles hit the market?"

Christie argued, "But our factory is already operating at full capacity; this is the limit of our production capacity."

What era are we living in? They're still building factories in America to produce textiles.

No wonder Playboy's profits are so low and its business is declining.

High costs and low profits result in low company earnings.

Without money, how can we hire more and better designers?

Without money, how can we promote our products?

Regardless of the product, promotion is of paramount importance. Without the courage to innovate and adapt to the times, this woman is truly incapable of supporting the future of the Playboy Group.

She secretly glanced at Hugh Hefner. If even her only reliable daughter was like this, how good would her son be?

No wonder he donated all his assets before he died in his previous life. With these children, the Playboy Group would go bankrupt in less than twenty years.

Having slept with so many women, don't you know how to have more children? Even if you choose the tallest among them, there are still plenty of short ones.

"Go to China to find a contract manufacturer. Before the new product is launched, the inventory must meet my requirements."

Ernst's tone left no room for argument, and Christie didn't dare to refute him at all.

"What about promotion? Has a promotional plan for the show been prepared?"

Even though the Super Bowl is a nationwide sensation, it still needs to be promoted.

With more than ten days between the start of the show and the Super Bowl, many people may have already forgotten about it, so it's essential to keep reinforcing the memory.

"This is the promotional plan we came up with; you can take a look."

Christie handed over a folder, which Ernst took and looked at, his brows furrowing.

The plan is quite standard, but it's not particularly outstanding. It's nothing more than relying on media and Google, which are the same promotional methods used by all businesses these days.

Ernst fell into deep thought. The meeting room was eerily quiet; even breathing became much more cautious.

Finally, he looked up and his gaze swept over everyone before he spoke, but what he said made everyone's eyes widen in surprise.

"In that case, find someone to protest and sue the Playboy Group."

These words were like a bomb dropped into a calm lake, leaving everyone speechless.

Christie's pen fell to the table with a clatter, and Hugh Hefner's coffee, which he had just brought to his lips, froze in mid-air.

Playboy's marketing director opened his mouth, seemingly thinking he had misheard, "You mean—employment protesters?"

Who would hire someone to protest against their own company? That's utterly ridiculous.

Robert Iger recovered quickly, realizing that Ernst must have his own ideas.

What are your plans?

Ernst's lips curled into a smile as he countered, "If a religious group or parents protested against a company, claiming that its program was 'soft QS' and shouldn't be broadcast on television, wouldn't you want to watch it to see what kind of program it was?"

Hugh Hefner's eyes lit up. "It's like Playboy magazine back in the day. Everyone said it was vulgar and obscene, but its sales skyrocketed. Those moral guardians waved the banner of justice while secretly reading every issue and enjoying it more than anyone else."

"That's right," Ernst nodded and smiled at Hugh Hefner.

"Whether we genuinely like it or view it with a critical eye, does it make a difference to us?"

"What we need is an audience, a number of users. How they watch it, or how they watch it, is not something we should be concerned with."

"It's just sexy lingerie. There are plenty of people on the beach who are more uninhibited than this. How many people don't wear clothes? The government has no reason to restrict us."

I'm not afraid of criticism, I'm afraid of not getting any attention.

Black or red, just get involved.

"This is just the first step." Ernst stood up and walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the Los Angeles skyline.

"In addition, they hire models to perform pop-up shows in shopping malls across major cities in the United States."

"What is a flash mob?" Christie was hearing the term for the first time.

"It's just a sudden fashion show, without any prior notice, without any publicity, and they don't even care if there are any customers or audiences."

"The time limit was set at half an hour. Once we finished, we would leave and then publicize it through the newspaper."

Humans are strange creatures; the more unattainable something is, the more curious they become. Ernst was determined to stir up the curiosity of men across America.