Chapter 470: The Blaze of Momentum
"How's the situation?"
Seeing Ma Qianjun's calm demeanor, Xia Yu asked softly.
"All obstacles blocking Xia Thunder have been cleared. The Black Dragon Hall has suffered a significant blow. Liu Hailong will be kept around to establish Xia Thunder's reputation. The police have arrested a batch of Black Dragon Hall members, and as for New Yi An, they haven't emerged."
Ma Qianjun calmly reported the specifics.
"And the three pirated factories? All of them have been burned down."
"Good job!"
After hearing Ma Qianjun's report, Xia Yu smiled and clapped his hands, pleased with the strength of the Luowang.
How long has it been?
Luowang had already completed the entire series of actions from laying the groundwork to reaping the benefits, and achieved all the goals.
Xia Yu had mobilized his forces not just for the pirated factories; that was just a side issue. The main objective was to clear obstacles for Xia Thunder and push him into power, which was most beneficial for him.
Of course, it was also an opportunity to set an example and eliminate potential future problems, making people in the community think twice before pirating his goods.
As for legitimate businesses pirating his products, Xia Yu would handle that easily. With just a word, the forces on the white side could bring those companies to their knees.
It's likely that if someone linked these two events, it would spark endless speculation, which is exactly the effect Xia Yu wanted!
With the plan accomplished, he was in high spirits!
It was time to let a small spark grow into a blazing fire!
Soon, the Wind and Cloud Daily published an article written by a professor from the Chinese University of Hong Kong. The article scientifically discussed the benefits of Rubik's Cubes for children and confirmed the reputation of Rubik's Cubes as an "educational toy."
The article immediately sparked heated discussions. Many people became interested, thinking that if it were true, their own children could play with Rubik's Cubes to exercise their thinking and intelligence.
This was just the first wave of the promotional offensive. As public opinion began to heat up, the professor who wrote the article appeared on Global Television for a lecture and answered questions from the audience in person.
This impromptu program achieved unexpectedly high ratings, showing that parents in Hong Kong were indeed very concerned about their children's development.
The fact proved that for consumers, the endorsement of experts and professors was very effective, especially in 1978 when this tactic had not been overused.
As soon as this program aired, Rubik's Cube sales exploded. Ma Tengdong, deeply impressed by his boss Xia Yu, immediately accelerated production and launched more tiers of Rubik's Cubes, aiming to make a significant profit and push the Rubik's Cube to the forefront!
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At Global Television, Xia Yu looked at the planning proposal for the Rubik's Cube series competition provided by the planning department and nodded in satisfaction.
This plan fully implemented his instructions and was a mature competition plan that could be put into production at any time.
Xia Yu handed the plan to Huang Xizhao beside him and said, "Xizhao, according to this plan, start organizing personnel for publicity and the preliminary selection immediately. Other companies will cooperate with you in promoting it. For the first Rubik's Cube competition, do your best to organize it well! You can give the broadcasting rights for free to other TV stations. For the first session, we're not looking to make money from viewership; that's something to consider for the second session!"
"Yes!"
Huang Xizhao solemnly took the plan and nodded heavily.
"Go ahead, it's up to you!"
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"Ah Feng, Ah Feng, good news! You're going to make a fortune!"
A young man, upon accidentally seeing the sensitive headline on the newspaper his father left on the table, was immediately attracted to it. After reading the article, he was excited and ran to his good friend's house next door.
At that moment, a young man wearing glasses, with a slightly pale complexion, was watching TV while his hands were working quickly on a 3x3 Rubik's Cube. The cube was constantly being solved, even though he wasn't looking at it.
This young man with glasses was solving the cube blindfolded!
"What's up, Ah Bo?"
The young man with glasses, Ah Feng, turned to his friend who had burst in, puzzled.
"Don't you play Rubik's Cubes very well? Look at this, if you top the charts, you can win a prize of 500,000!"
The young man, Ah Bo, said excitedly, seemingly very confident in Ah Feng's ability to win the prize.
Ah Feng immediately became unsettled, tossing the solved Rubik's Cube aside, grabbing the newspaper, and quickly scanning it.
"Jiuding Toys Company, in conjunction with Global Television, is holding the first World Rubik's Cube Competition. The prize pool is one million Hong Kong dollars, with 500,000 for the first place, 300,000 for second place, and 200,000 for third place. The detailed rules for participation are as follows…"
After reading the news, Ah Feng's pale face turned red with excitement. He clenched his fists and said, "I must sign up!"
"Ah Feng, with your skills, winning first place is no problem. I support you!"
Ah Bo was also excited and encouraged Ah Feng.
Ah Feng humbly replied, "No, there's always someone better. It's my chance to compete with real experts this time!"
"Let's go, we need to register first. There will be preliminary selections, and only the top three from each region will get a ticket to the finals! Hong Kong only has three regions with nine spots for the finals."
Saying this, Ah Feng hurried towards the preliminary selection site in his Kowloon district.
When he arrived, the preliminary site was already crowded, with many children among the participants, each holding a Rubik's Cube. Many in the queue couldn't help but start demonstrating their skills, and some less skilled participants were discouraged.
Despite this, they were reluctant to leave, eager to witness true expertise. After all, Rubik's Cube enthusiasts had never gathered so comprehensively, and they didn't want to miss this opportunity for交流 and exchange!
On the same day, Global Television began promoting the event with an exhilarating trailer, coupled with the temptation of a one-million-dollar prize, immediately igniting viewers' enthusiasm. Discussions about the Rubik's Cube competition were rampant across Hong Kong.
Of course, the promotional effect was even better through Jiuding Newspaper Company's newspapers. While Global Television had not yet reached satellite coverage and only covered Hong Kong and Macau, Jiuding's newspapers were widespread throughout Asia, and through them, readers in other countries and regions also learned about the event.
The preliminary selection sites around the world were met with a surge of participants.
They hadn't anticipated that playing with a Rubik's Cube could be so grand. The first World Rubik's Cube Competition, organized officially with a million-dollar prize, demonstrated the grandeur of the organizers!
With money at stake and the opportunity to aim for the title of world champion, this win-win situation was irresistible!
Soon, with the first episode of the edited preliminary highlights broadcasted on Global Television, it caused a sensation, with ratings hitting 28 points!
Other countries' TV stations, who had been hesitating despite Global Television's promotion, saw such high ratings and the chance to get the broadcasting rights for free, immediately rushed to acquire the rights.
Thus, the first World Rubik's Cube Competition's popularity soared, driving the sales of Rubik's Cubes through the roof!
Total sales in Asia directly surpassed two million!
Moreover, some insightful individuals, waving cash, approached Ma Tengdong, seeking to become agents for Rubik's Cube sales!
These individuals came from the UK, Germany, and the USA!
Everything was progressing exactly as Xia Yu had planned!
The Rubik's Cube's blaze of momentum was in full swing. As long as the first World Rubik's Cube Competition was successfully held, it would take the Rubik's Cube to the peak!