[Chapter 470: Pill Business]
This year's Super Bowl was scheduled for February 27th at Mountain America Stadium in Phoenix, Arizona, featuring the Dallas Cowboys against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
At the end of last year, the event organizers had invited Linton to perform at the halftime show, but he politely declined.
If it had been the year before, he might have considered it. But now, as the head of Universal Group, that kind of stage had little to offer him in terms of added value.
The main issue was that the Super Bowl demanded a lot from its halftime performers. They had to spend countless hours rehearsing on-site beforehand, which wasn't worth his time.
Moreover, to stand out on such a stage, a performance had to be energetic with singing and dancing, requiring a band and backup dancers, plus coordination practice -- all of which would consume even more time.
All that time could be better spent preparing for his own concert. As it stood, Linton had still never held a concert, something Daniel had been eagerly hoping for, but Linton simply did not have the time.
Nevertheless, football was America's top sport, and the Super Bowl was the biggest sports event of the year nationwide, with enormous impact beyond the 80,000 fans in attendance.
The television ratings were astronomical and continued to grow year after year. Last year, 70 million Americans tuned in, making the Super Bowl the undisputed king of TV ratings in the US.
Beyond North America, over a hundred international networks broadcast the game, with overseas viewership reaching 110 million last year.
In total, the Super Bowl attracted a staggering 180 million viewers worldwide.
Interestingly, the commercials and halftime show often outshined the game itself, drawing even higher ratings.
Because of this unique phenomenon, the commercial value of the Super Bowl platform was extraordinary, with major global brands vying aggressively for halftime advertising space.
According to Forbes, the overall commercial valuation of the Super Bowl stood at $3.5 billion, making it the world's most valuable sporting event.
In comparison, the FIFA World Cup's commercial value was estimated at $1.3 billion and the Olympics around $1.9 billion. Without question, the Super Bowl completely outpaced them all.
Linton's film company followed this trend. For the movies Mission: Impossible and The Long Kiss Goodnight, his team bought 30-second commercial spots each.
This year was special as Victoria's Secret president Les Wexner proposed a joint promotional campaign combining the Mission: Impossible film and the Victoria's Secret Angels during the Super Bowl to generate buzz, with Linton at the center of the campaign.
Therefore, Linton had to attend the Super Bowl in person.
Among the five women in his estate's garden, little Lina was still nursing and too young to come. Madonna definitely couldn't attend either.
Sophie Marceau, Cristiana, and Monica were all over four months pregnant, making them unsuitable guests.
Noriko Sakai felt the Victoria's Secret show and Mission: Impossible campaign weren't really related to her and had to return to Japan for work during her vacation, so she couldn't join.
Linton reached out to Catherine and Winnie, inviting them to accompany him, which would also help raise the profile of Mission: Impossible.
He promised Madonna and the others that he would return to the estate for a vacation with them after the Super Bowl.
...
Before he knew it, it was already February 25th. Linton flew back to Los Angeles with Noriko Sakai, assistants Meena, and Li Xiaoran.
There was no extended stay in LA; after dropping off Sakai, he picked up Winnie and Catherine and flew directly to Phoenix.
Robert and Universal Studios' new president, Scott Flick, had already arrived earlier with their team to make preparations.
Phoenix is the capital and largest city in Arizona.
Its climate was very different from Montana -- hot and dry in summer, warm and mild in winter.
At the end of February, daytime highs reached 70°F (21°C), with nighttime lows around 48°F (9°C), similar to Los Angeles.
Winnie and Catherine wore summer dresses, showing off their tall and sexy figures.
With just over a million people, Phoenix's economy was modest, and the city wasn't that large. However, with the Super Bowl approaching, the usually sleepy city had become vibrant and crowded.
Everywhere, people were painted face to toe with team colors and dressed in wild costumes. Fans from across the US had flocked here, packing the entire city to capacity.
Hotels and inns across Phoenix couldn't accommodate all the visitors.
Temporary tents were set up on street corners. Some fans, unable to find rooms, spent the night in bars or, as a last resort, on the streets.
Of course, Linton had no such worries. Robert had made all arrangements at the Scotts Estate, a luxurious vacation villa nestled halfway up Camelback Mountain on the outskirts of Phoenix.
Linton's film company, Universal Studios, and Victoria's Secret were all housed there, with an entire Villa 18 reserved exclusively for him.
...
That night, in Villa 18's meeting room, Linton convened a brief meeting with Robert, Scott Flick, and Les Wexner to check on preparations.
Besides the game itself, two main Super Bowl-related events involved Linton.
First, the Victoria's Secret lingerie fashion show would close the halftime performances with six minutes on stage.
Second, after the game, Universal Studios, Linton Films, and Victoria's Secret would jointly hold a press conference. The purpose was to hype the collaboration between the Victoria's Secret lingerie brand and the Mission: Impossible film.
Linton, as the focal point, was expected to give a speech and answer reporters' questions.
Robert, Scott, and Les Wexner had finalized all arrangements and even conducted a full walkthrough on-site.
Scott handed Linton a packet, saying, "Boss, this is your speech for tomorrow's press conference, along with the list of anticipated reporter questions. Take a look."
Linton glanced over the documents and said, "You're putting too much on me, crediting everything to me. Mission: Impossible aside, it was Les Wexner who truly planned the Victoria's Secret fashion show at the Super Bowl. How did I end up as the face of it?"
"This is part of the publicity strategy," Scott explained. "Using your name draws media attention and sparks more buzz."
"Linton, stop resisting. Actually, this idea came up thanks to your suggestion when you invested. Don't you remember?" Les Wexner chimed in.
"For the success of Mission: Impossible and to boost Victoria's Secret's brand, you've got to take on more responsibility." Robert added.
...
After the meeting, once everyone else had left, Linton called Winnie in.
He handed her two pills, a beauty pill and a vitality pill, asking her to take them.
As expected, since Winnie had long benefited from Linton's essence, the two pills had little effect on her.
After listening to Linton describe their effects, she was astounded.
Her first thought was, "No wonder sex with you has these miraculous effects. You're not just a messenger of God -- you're His incarnation."
"That's one way to think about it. But I can control these effects during sex," Linton replied.
Upon hearing this, she asked, "Have you patented these pills?"
Linton hadn't considered patents since no one could replicate them.
Hearing no competitor could clone the pills, Winnie didn't press the issue but agreed the beauty pill should go into production quickly, while the vitality pill needed more caution.
"You approved the plastic bottle design. I've found a manufacturer. Delivery will be ready within a month."
"Good, very good."
"And the storefronts you requested -- I've submitted applications in your name to the property managers on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills and the shopping center in Santa Monica. Since these products have no brand recognition yet, renting 400 square feet or more in these prestigious spots will be tough."
"Don't consider other locations. We'll only open one store. Even if they reject us for now, just apply. If approved, we'll speed up renovations. If not, once all paperwork is done, I'll plan a marketing campaign to create competition between those locations."
"Alright, I trust you. I've informed Goodman. He has gone to Montana for the factory setup. Once back in LA, we'll take the sample pills and documentation to the FDA for dietary supplement registration."
"Dietary supplements? These are potent miracle drugs. Isn't that a downgrade? Will it hurt pricing?"
"The medicinal effects are so strong that getting drug approval would take forever."
"How long?"
"At least two years."
"We can't wait that long. Plus, these pills outclass anything else on the market. We don't need their endorsement or to worry about price."
"Dietary supplements should take about a month."
"There is no rush. A month is plenty. Building the factory also takes time."
"Where will the factory be?"
"On the small farm, near the garden town. I picked the location before leaving. The factory doesn't need a large space. After half a month, when the snow melts, construction can begin."
Linton hesitated long over the factory's location but ultimately chose the small town.
Though placing it inside the estate would have been ideal and safer, once operational, the factory would attract many visitors and worldwide media attention, including competitors.
If inside the estate, even in the outer yard, the activity would disturb the peace, disrupting his and the family's life.
The final step in pill production required imbuing the pills with spiritual energy, which needed plentiful "energy" in the air.
While the estate's garden was the center of the farm's protective energy array, it wasn't a perfect circle.
In the initial plan, Linton had reserved a small area on the edge of the core estate for workshops like a brewery, oil mill, or dairy -- food processing plants for estate use.
This area was at the garden's periphery, where spiritual energy concentration was close to that in the outer yard.
With the additional small energy arrays installed there, the energy level was sufficient for the pill's spiritual infusion, though the process took longer.
Linton had tested it: imbuing the beauty pill took just over an hour here, so he set two hours for the actual process to ensure success.
Having this factory helped the town's development and commerce and made estate supplies easier to procure.
Located within the farm's territory and protected by Thunder Guards, security wasn't an issue.
The three-meter-high wall would isolate the factory so the town's noise wouldn't bother the outer yard, much less the inner estate.
---
On the 26th, as arranged, Hillary arrived in Phoenix and checked in at the Scotts Estate villa, ready for the next day's Super Bowl.
That afternoon, Hillary formally visited Linton, who intended to discuss launching the beauty and vitality pills.
But as soon as she entered and closed the door, she threw herself into Linton's arms and kissed him sweetly. "Master, please indulge your slave."
Judging by her mood, she wasn't thinking about business until her desires were satisfied.
Linton had no choice but to pick her up and find an empty room.
...
Two hours later, Linton presented Hillary with two pills and explained their effects in detail, though he told her that with his essence, she probably no longer needed them.
"Master, you really created these two pills. They're America's blessing, the world's blessing. With these, you could earn massive wealth, and the threats lurking over your anti-aging secret would disappear."
"The problem is the vitality elixir's effects are so powerful it can cure most diseases outright. If this pill hits the market, won't the pharmaceutical giants unite against us?"
"That is indeed a major concern. Their combined force is formidable. While you might be fearless, your people could face danger. Avoiding this conflict is wiser."
Hillary, as the First Lady, had broad vision. After a moment, she said, "Actually, no need to worry. We'll use differentiated marketing -- target only the high-end market."
"Wait here. Let's discuss in the conference room."
...
Ten minutes later, in the meeting room sat Linton, Hillary, and Winnie.
Linton introduced them to each other. "You're two people I trust most. Hillary, you said not to worry about the pharmaceutical backlash. Explain."
With Winnie present, Hillary returned to her First Lady poise.
"Alright, first, I need to confirm two things."
"First, these pills' extraordinary effects won't fail or develop resistance, right?"
"Absolutely guaranteed."
"Good. Second: can anyone copy these pills? For products this advanced, patent protection won't stop imitators."
"Absolutely not possible."
"Perfect. Since those conditions are met, we're in business."
"Please explain."
"The strategy is differentiated marketing. Your pills are so powerful they're destined for only a limited customer base. I want to know your pricing plan."
"I haven't decided on the vitality pill price yet. For the beauty pill, one pill lasts ten days. That's three a month, 36 a year. I plan to sell a bottle of 36 for $10,000."
"You're way off. I suggest a bottle of 18 pills, enough for half a year, priced at $100,000."
"Twenty times the price?"
"Yes. With such a miraculous product, only wealthy people can afford it. There are two advantages to this pricing."
"Two?"
"First, you earn extravagant profit. Second, a high price limits consumers, minimizing impact on existing beauty and cosmetics markets."
"I see. Less market disruption means they won't gang up on me."
"You're half right. If you weren't powerful, they would come after your formula. But you're strong enough they don't dare risk it. If anyone crosses the line, the Douglas and Bronfman families are examples of what happens."
"What about the vitality pill?"
"Same logic. It's practically a godsend. How long does one pill's effect last?"
"One month, so twelve per year."
"Then sell twelve per bottle for $2 million."
"Two million per bottle! How many can afford that?" Winnie asked.
"Don't underestimate the global elite. Also, I assume raw materials are limited? Production can't be high?"
"Right. One herb can't be farmed artificially and has a cycle. Without controls, supply would stop in a few years."
"Perfect. The ultra-high price controls total volume, protects supply, ensures profits, and avoids medical market disruption."
As expected from the First Lady, her perspective and problem-solving were unlike ordinary people's. Problems troubling Linton and Winnie for long were solved in just a few words.
*****
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