American History 1988
Chapter 365 - 354: Free Mode

Chapter 365: Chapter 354: Free Mode

The Toktok project finally saw the dawn of profitability, not only was Thomas elated, but Dean was also relieved.

It had been roughly two years since the Consumer Division was established to the day the first flash game generated revenue.

During this period, aside from various labor costs, server expenses were also a major outlay.

Although the overall financial situation had not yet been calculated, Dean made a conservative estimate.

Bitz’s total investment in the Consumer Division was at least above the 50 million US Dollar mark.

Without a doubt, this was an expensive investment because there was no return seen in the short term, even Wall Street had some criticisms.

Those guys were only focused on quick money, if it weren’t for Bitz’s financial reports growing every quarter, they might have downgraded Bitz’s stock rating.

Fortunately, the Consumer Division finally made it through, and Dean withstood the pressure, giving Thomas the utmost support in every board meeting.

This time, the nearly fifty million US Dollars in marketing expenses were no different, Dean authorized Thomas with the highest authority to handle this budget.

So, the following week, the entire network’s portal sites suddenly began to heavily promote the Toktok software.

Dean’s own faction’s websites aside, even Yahoo’s competitors were not left out by Bitz.

In those search websites’ search bars, "Toktok" was the default in light gray letters.

Users didn’t even need to input anything extra, they just needed to gently press the Enter key, and they would automatically be redirected to Toktok’s download page.

Television advertisements were also one of the main mediums for promotion, especially since they had made significant advances into Hollywood at the beginning of the year.

This time, Dean leveraged his connections and directly got Bitz to bring onboard Nicole Kidman and Leonardo DiCaprio, two popular stars.

They would both star in an advertisement, and of course, the theme was Toktok.

On the day the advertisement started filming, Dean even personally rushed to the set in Los Angeles.

The scene was designed in a supermarket, a place very commonly visited by Americans.

Leo played a young employee, lingering among the aisles, accidentally encountering Nicole Kidman as she walked by.

When the handsome man and beautiful woman met, it outshone countless others in the world, the girl’s every smile and frown rendered the young man unable to tear himself away.

He forgot why he had come here, he just subconsciously followed her footsteps.

She seemed to have noticed, her peripheral vision reflecting the young man’s figure.

Finally, the two of them, separated by an aisle, completed their first exchange of glances as a squirrel mascot clutching an acorn was taken away from before them.

She smiled slightly, and he was completely enraptured.

But in a blink, the fleeting figure had disappeared, and the young man anxiously circled the aisles.

However, there was no one here, and despite looking around, he found nothing.

It wasn’t until he unintentionally swept over the shelf where she had just paused that there, tucked between items, was a slip of paper.

The young man gently picked up the paper, and on it was a series of digits, not a phone number.

But he wasn’t disappointed, on the contrary, he wore a knowing smile.

The camera cut back to the young man and woman, each sitting in front of a computer.

Leo opened that somewhat familiar squirrel icon, then took out the slip of paper.

As he tapped lightly on the keyboard a few times, Nicole Kidman’s computer soon made a "Toktok" sound.

His friend request note was: "The squirrel and its supermarket."

Nicole Kidman smiled slightly and clicked accept.

Soon, a chat box popped up, and in the upper right corner was a glamorous cartoon persona.

If you looked closely, you’d realize it bore a faint resemblance to Leo.

Below that cartoon persona, Nicole Kidman had her own persona too.

The camera switched to Leo, who, smiling, typed a single word: Hello~

The advertisement ended there, and finally, the screen displayed that classic squirrel icon with the "Toktok" caption slowly emerging below it.

In just a few minutes, these two had introduced Toktok and its convenience to the national audience.

After watching the completed video, Dean nodded in satisfaction.

Just like that, Toktok was a type of software perfectly suited to a young love theme, something young people enjoyed.

This was indeed proven true, according to Bitz’s survey, most of Toktok’s users were young people.

It first became popular in schools and then spread across the entire young demographic.

"Leo, Nicole, fantastic job, the audience will be captivated by you," Dean walked over and greeted them.

"I’m also a Toktok user," Leo acted very enthusiastically.

He was under special care by his manager, who although was about the same age.

Yet, having immense influence in both the tech world and Hollywood, it was better not to upset him, the latter already being a top power player in Hollywood.

"Hearing you say that really makes me happy," Dean shook his hand.

Leo wasn’t yet a household name, but given his good looks, the girls would like him.

As for Nicole Kidman...

"From today onwards, I’m also a Toktok user," this stunner, very astute in handling social situations.

"Your art of speaking is as charming as you are," Dean enjoyed communicating with perceptive people.

"Thank you~" she appeared very happy.

Dean was just about to chat with them a bit longer when suddenly Jennifer Aniston came over.

"Hey, darling, what brought you here?"

"I heard you were on set, and I was shooting nearby in Hollywood," Jennifer Aniston’s eyes scanned the figure behind him.

At that moment, she was guessing if Dean had already found his next target.

However, she really wronged Dean this time, he didn’t have that much time to think about all this messy stuff now.

"By the way, there’s something I’d like to consult you about." Having found no deceit, Jennifer Aniston finally remembered the actual matter.

"What?" Dean looked up, puzzled.

"Someone wants me to shoot a commercial."

Dean furrowed his brows in confusion, wasn’t it quite normal for actors to shoot commercials?

With the popularity of "Friends," Jennifer Aniston was no longer the unknown she once was.

She was a hot Hollywood star who had done quite a few commercials.

"So what does it matter? Dear, just make the decision yourself." Although Dean was a bit of a playboy, he never had an excessive desire to control.

"The client is a bit special, they’re from Seattle." Jennifer Aniston shrugged uncertainly.

"Seattle?" Dean was momentarily stunned and then realized, "Microsoft?"

"Yes~" Jennifer Aniston nodded, "It seems for some computer system, shooting a sitcom."

"OK, I got it." So it was Windows95, looks like Microsoft was placing great importance on its marketing this time.

"So...dear?" Jennifer Aniston knew that Dean and Gates were somewhat in a competitive relationship.

It wasn’t any secret, as subtly guided by media outlets. These two were viewed as if they were battling for the sole throne of the tech empire.

"Jenny, it’s your call. If the pay is right, why not take it?"

Dean didn’t care about the external reports; he didn’t have the time for such competitions.

He was only interested in making money, especially in 1995 when the internet was taking off; there were many opportunities he couldn’t miss.

As for his woman advertising for Microsoft? He didn’t see anything wrong with it; he wasn’t that sensitive.

Besides, Bit and Microsoft weren’t in competition; their businesses hardly conflicted.

"Alright, since that’s the case, then I know what to do." Jennifer Aniston had thought Dean would mind.

But she worried too much; with Dean’s wealth, such matters were hardly within his range of concerns.

"Microsoft values this marketing opportunity; appearing in their advertisement could benefit you.

And..." He hadn’t finished speaking when suddenly his phone rang in his pocket.

After greeting her, Dean turned around to answer the call.

"Simon?"

"Dean, the Price list just received a big order!"

"You don’t sound so excited?" Dean sensed Simon’s hesitation.

"You guessed it~" Simon’s voice sounded somewhat helpless, "Microsoft wants to place an ad on our homepage."

"Wow," Dean raised his eyebrows in surprise, "Windows95?"

"You knew?" Simon was taken aback.

"Alright, cut to the chase, how much are they offering?" Dean was already sensing the extent of Microsoft’s marketing efforts.

"2.6 million US Dollars, it’s the biggest ad deal the Price list has received so far."

Honestly, Simon was indeed torn between Microsoft, which was subtly unfriendly to Dean, and the lucrative profit.

"Simon, as the COO of the Price list, you shouldn’t be hesitant.

2.6 million, I see no reason to refuse. Are Microsoft’s dollars different from the ones we usually see?"

"No, of course not," Simon instinctively denied.

"Then tell them that the Price list is happy to collaborate with Microsoft; don’t waste the opportunity."

Dean was a businessman, and to him, business was just business; one shouldn’t let media reports influence decisions.

"OK, I understand." Having received a definite response, Simon hurried off to manage the matter.

After hanging up, Dean smirked helplessly; the financially powerful Microsoft was flexing its monetary muscle.

"Dear, I’ll leave work early today~" Jennifer Aniston gave him a look.

"Go to Beverly Hills." Dean understood in a second.

...

As Bit’s advertising campaign began to intensify, Toktok saw a surge in traffic during its peak period.

Within just three weeks, its registered users had doubled, reaching a whopping ten million.

The influence of a popular Hollywood star was clearly effective, drawing a large influx of young men and women to Bit’s servers.

Of course, the allure of free software was also key; Americans loved freebies.

With the explosive increase in registered users, Toktok’s active engagement also climbed a significant step.

At its peak, about five million people were online simultaneously, and such massive traffic also boosted Toktok’s value-added services.

Personalized avatars, personal showcases, these could all be unlocked through in-app purchases for more luxurious combinations.

To showcase themselves online, many young people started to make purchases, dressing up their virtual avatars beautifully.

Bragging is in human nature, especially among the youth, who crave attention from the opposite sex.

Of course, the credit spent on these services couldn’t compare to the pop-up reminders from the Toktok Gaming Center.

Those who were new to the internet clicked on the initial pop-up almost without fail.

Then they were dazzled by the various flash games available, which were still free.

From Toktok to gaming, the free model was shaking up the internet economy’s foundation.

But before Dean could check the bank statements, an urgent call from Clark had him heading over.

Search the lightnovelworld.cc website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.