American History 1988
Chapter 140 - 134: When the Map Ends, the Dagger Appears

Chapter 140: Chapter 134: When the Map Ends, the Dagger Appears

"’Sentinel Magazine,’ ’Business Computer Systems,’ ’PC Age,’ ’Byte’..." Dean put down the assorted magazines he was holding. "We’re advertising in all these?"

"Yeah~" Jimmy Trebik handed him a spreadsheet. "In addition to these, billboards, radio, point-of-sale advertising... We expect to cover the whole of California by the end of the month, and next month, Virginia and Florida."

Some magazine advertisements were as cheap as a few thousand US Dollars, while others could cost tens of thousands. This related to the magazine’s fame and circulation, as well as whether there was a need for editors to write specialized promotional articles.

Although more than one hundred thousand US Dollars in advertising costs were being spent, Dean was still not satisfied. "The channels in Virginia and Florida also need to be established as soon as possible, not next month. Start this month."

"But we don’t have enough manpower," Jimmy Trebik pointed out Byte Software’s current situation. "Everyone has been dispatched, and only clerical staff are left in the office. We can’t just send the girls out too; then there would be no one to make coffee for us."

"Then hire more. Byte Software will need to continuously increase its manpower for a long time to come," Dean believed the investment was worth it, even though costs were rapidly rising, so were the sales.

As the sales channels were gradually opened up, the latest weekly sales of Teams had already exceeded seven thousand copies, almost equal to the total of the previous two weeks.

According to the sales department’s estimation, Teams’ total sales in March were very likely to reach 20,000 copies, which would be a milestone achievement.

Especially since the Teams 2.0 version was about to launch, Dean hoped to expand the sales channels as much as possible.

Yes, Teams was about to welcome its first major version update.

In addition to fixing various known bugs, the addition of standard and high-definition voice channel options would be the main update content.

The frame-dropping expansion scheme previously entrusted to Brown had been completed, and the technology department was integrating the new sampling algorithm into the software.

This new algorithm would significantly reduce bandwidth occupancy, and at the same time, Teams’s dependency on gateways and servers would be greatly reduced.

This reflected on the client side: Teams software would run more smoothly, and incidents of freezing and crashing would be significantly improved.

Of course, the new sampling algorithm did have a downside: the quality of the call would decrease. However, for the current era, it was still more than sufficient for voice communication.

Thus, after accommodating the new sampling method, Teams would offer two calling modes.

Standard definition, i.e., the new mode after frame reduction. The voice quality would be relatively decreased, but this mode was available in both standard and VIP editions.

High definition, i.e., the original 64bit/s sampling rate. The voice quality would be more reliable, though now this mode was only available in the VIP version.

This way, the enterprise users who purchased the VIP version of Teams could choose the appropriate calling mode based on their usage environment.

For annual subscription users, Byte Software would upgrade them to the 2.0 version for free.

As for one-time purchase users, sorry, if you want to experience the smoother Teams 2.0, you’ll have to buy it again.

At this point, the advantage of the annual subscription system was demonstrated, and additionally, services for the standard and VIP versions would be more finely differentiated.

Of course, when promoting to customers, Teams would not publicize the fact that call quality had decreased.

At that time, it was very likely that a different marketing term would be used, such as fixed several issues, software is more streamlined, and a new high-definition voice mode is provided.

Users were unaware of the changes in sampling frequency, and as sound is very much subject to subjective judgment, whether it was an upgrade or downgrade depended entirely on Byte Software’s word.

With various talents continuously joining, Byte Software was becoming more and more mature. Catchy advertising phrases came naturally.

The kind of straightforward and honest promotion used in the past would likely disappear forever; times had changed.

However, it was precisely because Teams 2.0 was anticipated to be launched in the first half of the year that Dean wanted the advertising promotion to speed up.

"Jimmy, apart from these traditional advertisements, we should perhaps also consider airplane advertising," Dean suggested.

"Airplane advertising?" Jimmy Trebik was startled.

"That’s right. The main customers for Teams come from enterprises. And those executives who can make decisive choices usually fly back and forth in the sky; airplane advertising can precisely bring Teams right in front of them."

Due to the uniqueness of aviation, customers in this environment can only opt to receive media content through this single channel.

Airplane advertising has the characteristics of complete independence, exclusivity, and extremely high reach rates. The advertising target audience is highly concentrated, effectively covering the potential consumer group.

"But Boss, if we choose airplane advertising, it means the advertising costs we have to pay would no longer be in the thousands or tens of thousands of US Dollars—it could be hundreds of thousands or even millions," Jimmy warned.

Jimmy Trebik was not ignorant of the advantages of aviation media, but its cost was also frighteningly high. For Byte Software’s current size, it was a risky choice.

"How much funding do we still have on our accounts?" Dean pondered calmly.

"About 2.5 million or so, plus some receivables at the distributors’, usually settled once a quarter." As Byte Software’s expansion pace accelerated, so did the rate it was burning through money.

"If we focus our airplane advertising only on the East and West Coast routes, approximately how much would the budget be?" Dean wasn’t considering the inland and Midwest regions for the time being.

"That depends on where our advertisements are placed: airplane bodies, headrest covers, tray tables, paper cups, luggage compartments, boarding passes, magazines... these are the options."

"Headrest covers typically cost 40,000 US Dollars per plane per month; tray tables cost 2,500 US Dollars per seat per year; boarding passes cost one US Dollar per pass, with a minimum print run of 100,000 copies."

"As for the airplane body advertising, I don’t recommend choosing it because the cost to paint an entire airplane for a year runs into millions of US Dollars."

"Magazines are a bit more flexible, depending on the layout, but typically the cost per issue is no less than one hundred thousand US dollars."

After hearing Jimmy’s quote, Dean felt a headache coming on. Damn it, while the delivery rate for airline advertising was high, so was the price.

"Let’s start with magazines, boarding passes, and headrest covers, and have the finance department work out the specific budget."

"OK, within one week, our ads will definitely be appearing at San Francisco Airport!" Jimmy Trebik, who had stock options, was also eager to see Byte Software develop rapidly and then go public.

After discussing the upcoming marketing strategies for Byte Software with the COO, Dean prepared to get up and head back to Stanford. He had another identity, that of a student.

Ding-a-ling-ling... Damn, another call came in, and Dean walked back to his desk, resignation clear in his steps.

"Hello~ Byte Software, Dean Price." Dean had repeated this line more times than he could count.

"Dean, it’s me, Robert."

"What?" Dean was taken aback and then realized, "Robert, I’ve told you, I’m really busy lately..."

"I’m right downstairs from your new company."

WTF? Dean went to the Venetian blinds and pried open the slats with his finger. A travel-weary Robert was waving towards him from a phone booth.

"Robert, you’ve taken me by surprise, but I’m willing to set aside my work and meet you. Do you see that coffee shop around the corner behind you? Wait for me there."

Robert inside the phone booth turned to look and then replied, "OK, heading there now."

Dean hung up the phone and ran through his mind the recent discussions about the privatization of the NSFnet.

IBM’s ANS division was in full swing with its setup, while the National Science Foundation office maintained its silence.

It seemed that the folks at AmericanLink were indeed in a rush, as no one on the East or West Coast was willing to play ball with them.

With nowhere to turn, Robert had no choice but to personally come to California to find his last hope, Dean.

Alright then, Dean was prepared for his second business deal.

Leaving Byte Software, Dean walked alone across the pedestrian path towards "Karen’s Cat" Cafe.

By the end of March, California’s climate was no different from an Ohio summer, with palm trees and oak trees lush and leafy on the streets.

In the short distance of a few hundred meters, one could not only come across girls dressed in cool attire but also sights such as the offices of SRI International and Sun Microsystems.

Silicon Valley was small; every mile passed might find you in front of the gates of a famous company.

Pushing open the glass door, Dean’s arrival set off a tingling of wind chimes. Wearing a dark suit, Robert waved at him, an assistant in tow.

"Dean, did you say you are one of the participants in the privatization of the NSFnet?" Robert didn’t beat around the bush; he had no time to waste.

"That’s right," Dean nodded, understanding from Robert’s anxious demeanor that the time was ripe.

"So?" Robert’s fingers, resting on his coffee cup, tightened slightly, "You can put Compuserve on the list, right?"

"Of course," Dean did not deny it.

"Phew," Robert nodded, seemingly relaxed, "OK, let’s hear your terms."

Robert finally caught on that Dean had been waiting for him to make this visit, and all the talk over the phone had been nothing more than negotiation tactics.

"If it’s about promoting Price’s List, or about payment terms, I can agree to that now.

Dean, but please understand, we don’t have time to waste. If we don’t act now, IBM will keep everyone out."

"No, it’s not Price’s List." Dean shrugged nonchalantly, "In fact, it’s not as important to me as you might think."

Robert spread his hands out in surprise, "If it’s not Price’s List, what is it?"

He couldn’t understand what else Compuserve could offer to attract Dean.

Facing the astonished Robert, Dean smiled and took a sip of his coffee. "Robert, how do you think California’s coffee compares to Ohio’s?"

Robert looked down at the brown coffee in his hands, "Roasted longer?"

Dean’s mouth curled into a smile, "It embodies the essence of various places, continuously improving its flavor. Only by doing so can it attract customers and not be eliminated by ever-growing competitors."

Robert looked thoughtful.

"So..." Dean’s gaze shifted, revealing a sharpness, "I want shares in Compuserve!"

"What?!" Robert and his colleague from Ohio looked at Dean in shock as if he had confused the dates with April Fools’ Day, which was not until tomorrow.

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