Chapter 131: Advertising Sales

Words : 883 Updated : Oct 2nd, 2025

Comic book sales reached a weekly circulation of 12 million copies, which indeed made it the right time to start selling advertising space. Advertisements weren't going to come cheap; this was something everyone understood. With almost 50 million copies sold each month, that was 600 million copies a year. The important fact was that there was still potential for growth, an undeniable truth. Undercutting the price? That's a common tactic used by advertisers, especially when the economy wasn't doing well. They would've preferred selling advertising space at a discount rather than having those spaces remain unsold. Unfortunately, such tactics didn't work here. The advertisers refused to sell ads for several months, a testament to their stubbornness. The most frustrating thing was that as long as there was only one similar product, raising a price war was a given. What should advertising companies do if they wanted to acquire exclusive rights? It was not up to one's whims. Beverage ads were strictly for beverages; you couldn't include other kinds of ads. Besides, the best spots for beverage ads were either Pepsi or Coca-Cola, and others might as well take a hike. Such strict requirements did not deter numerous users. The more the economy struggled, the less one should skimp on advertising fees, or risk doom. William White had difficulties acquiring NBC for this very reason. The times were bad, yet TV advertising costs were increasing contrary to the trend. William White was at a loss for words about this situation. There was nothing he could do because it was indeed the golden age of television. The rapid proliferation of TV sets greatly expanded the audience. Ironically, this became quite advantageous for William White. The advertising value for the comic weekly increased significantly. Think about it. A viewership of over ten million was considered quite good in America, and the advertising fee wouldn't be low. Regarding ad effectiveness, just look at grape juice and glacier mineral water. This was just trial production and they were already selling quite well. Alright, the sales were pretty limited, but don't forget that the brand was quite well-known. The low sales were purely due to production limitations. The farmers in Texas were all smiles. They dodged a bullet with this factory; otherwise, who knew how many grapes would have rotted on the ground? ... "William, how much do you think the ad revenue will be?" "A hundred million, perhaps. That's my baseline." "Whoa!" Bush Jr. spat out his drink. How much? You gotta be kidding. How could there be so much? "Too much? We might have 15 million copies by next year. Selling 400,000 copies of a magazine was impressive for you. I'm a weekly, buddy. That's four times a magazine's circulation. Is it really that expensive?" "Dang, you're just robbing people!" "Haha, the fiercest competition will definitely be between the two soda giants, along with those Japanese home appliances, then sportswear and toys. I can't think of a reason for it to be less than a 100 million." William White was an expert at showing off, boasting obnoxiously. "Besides, if the price is too low, I can just not sell them, right? We're launching a new game console next year. Running ads for half a year first shouldn't be a problem." "Darn it, how do all the good things happen to you?" "Hard work pays off." "Man, god must be blind. I work harder than you. How come these good things don't come to me?" ... Ultimately, the advertisement costs indeed broke through a hundred million dollars. Without various restrictions, it might have reached about 150 million. Though it was 120 million, it was already astonishing. This comic company balanced its books and, with this extra income, making 150 million a year shouldn't be difficult, even if they didn't make 200 million. Considering such a company worth only 500 million? That could be the year's funniest joke. Unless William White was out of his mind, he would never accept that. Wall Street went crazy. They suddenly realized their misjudgment had been severe. Their previous estimate was merely 30 million. Now it seemed they were utterly foolish. Marvel was mad with envy. Was he selling comics or ads? Now they understood. No wonder he wasn't rushing to sell standalone volumes. The guy had a comprehensive plan. The Simpsons had standalone volumes out, didn't they? Seemed like they were selling well. William White had little interest in standalone volumes because ad revenue was far more enjoyable. Unless he was permitted to advertise in standalone volumes, he'd just wait. You think it'd affect sales? Not really. True fans who buy standalone volumes wouldn't mind spending a bit more money. The boisterous advertising sale conference ended, with Christie's tasked to handle the advertising auction, a pioneering move in the field. Industry insiders could only praise the ingenuity of a certain someone's money-making methods. Advertisers weren't as thrilled, for it was apparent that fees would be higher the next round. Was it better for the ad to perform well or just average? The whole thing was truly nerve-wracking. ***** https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.

Chapter 131: Advertising Sales

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