Chapter 57: Franchise Formula
No matter how successful Creed Comics is and no matter how wildly popular its titles are to that industry, it still only sells comic books.
With each cover issue only selling a fraction or about three-fourths of a dollar, the high sales doesn't necessarily translate into enriching profits.
Creed Comics' profits and success are still ludicrous but that is only for comic book industry standards.
The disdain of this era's businessmen and general disregard of most societies for comics could be attributed to this.
With Reeve's Superman movies running low in fumes, even Warner was losing confidence in their subsidiary and pushing to transfer the comic book making business to DC's rival.
Tim Burton's Batman and the industry-shaking MCU has yet to be put into existence, so the comic industry still hasn't exactly become a hot commodity that it would be in the future.
Alexander knew that reality of past-future history and so did Sullivan, but his analysis viewpoint was more on the capital turnover of things.
Hence, the expansion is a necessity to truly break through from the predicament of being low valued.
The popular franchise formula was thus put into the spotlight as the strategy to emulate.
Movies, games, comic books, books, toys, peripheral authorizations, TV shows, and cartoons. Each would go hand in hand with bolstering an intellectual property's value.
Star Wars started from its extremely influential movie trilogy and grew from there. George Lucas and his Lucasfilm turned from being doubted into one with great prestige.
Super Mario starts from a game and would slowly become an undying and expanding franchise for Nintendo.
Star Trek began from an underappreciated TV show into a cult classic franchise that would always try to butt heads with Star Wars.
Representing comic books is of course DC's Superman which is still the most successful theatrical movie to date and a character franchise that embodies the red and blue of America.
For the cartoons, Mickey Mouse is representative given that Walt Disney's empire wouldn't be built without it.
As of this year, the representative J.K. Rowling still hasn't shown her prowess but author Stephen King's series of works is an expansive horror franchise of its own.
Toy originating franchises that are undeniable in recent years is G.I. Joe's toy line that recently started its franchise expansion through the 1983 animated series.
Franchises through peripherals isn't exactly a known thing but non-entertainment businesses involving cars and society-wide products are integral franchises that expand further into lives.
Just citing those references of recent years is enough to make Sullivan look forward to everything while Alexander's ambition grew higher.
Whichever factor of the franchise formula you choose to start first, one could always expand towards the others.
Comic books would be the starting point for the Creeds as three comic book titles are already gaining rave traffic that everyone in the comic book industry is envious of.
Creed Comics titles are already spawning a lot of changes to that niche market after all.
One could only look forward to how that tripartite success would develop when it steps foot to the other fields of the franchise formula.
Being a truly popular franchise meant that the disdain would be turned to admiration and the Creeds could just sit back while the profits would flow into their pockets.
For Alexander, whose mind is a franchise almanac, the only failure he could have is being unable to manage them all properly.
Dragonball, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and ThunderCats are just the start, which means that they would be the experimental ones that would accommodate and train him for what's about to come.
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It had to be mentioned that the Creeds aren't the only one eyeing their creations as their company telephones rung with questions regarding possibilities of cooperation.
Their offers were tempting but the Creed duo decided to take matters into their own hands and considering the pesky callers like Stan Weston was not within their options.
Unlike old Mr. Williams with his failed Troy-jan endeavor, Sullivan considered a lot of angles and pitfalls that they may fall into.
Old Creed had dabbled in toymaking but not really on animation matters and that has to change.
They had to extensively study those parts and it could also be considered as Alexander's hands-on business lecture.
In Sullivan's opinion, risk assessments, talent factors, and the value of purchases needed to be ingrained earlier into the young and entrepreneurial boy if he wants him to succeed in his place.
With all the necessary reference books and articles, the duo went ahead and combined their efforts.
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Alexander did not spearhead much on the decisions being made but he still used his manipulative means while keeping his kid sensibilities, disguising his methods by being a curious who is eager to taught and doing some seemingly random things.
Whenever the boy would give his curious questions, Sullivan would find that the question asked pertains to a blindspot he hadn't considered.
When it came to hiring animators, Alexander would ask about cheaper and better options. From this, his old grandpa then turned his sights further than high-priced locals and towards foreign options.
When it came to buying pieces of equipment and animation methods, Alexander would inquire about possible alternatives being studied and sure enough, Sullivan found one after some digging.
When it came to key animations persons, Alexander would suddenly blurt a certain animated movie after remembering that he watched it. Thus, Sullivan would be able to note potential point persons to recruit.
When it came to toy design considerations, the boy would seem to absentmindedly draw things but Sullivan could gleam on the toy manufacturing possibilities of his doodle.
When it came to factory options, Alexander was holding a peculiar pen and coincidentally read out 'Made in China'. Sullivan would thus have an 'aha' moment for Chinese exploitation.
The hidden hint and enlightenment scenario continued until the old Creed finally found the pattern.
Sullivan's eyes squinted with suspicion but he obviously couldn't gain much from Alexander's stable expression and masterful methods of doing things.
Eventually, the planning and lecture were concluded with the old man gleaming on nothing but the fact that his grandson's intuitive 'talent' in business is something exceptional.
Sullivan was pretty convinced that Alexander's coincidental business solves through randomness is by virtue of the Creed blood inside his young figure.
As for how he could polish such untapped potential, the old man was already formulating plans that extended further than the motorbike companies.
Of course, Alexander would take that misinformed credit and hide the fact that he read a lot of business books during his free time in CREED.
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In the end, everything was underway but it would take a long time to set up.
Even calling it as summer expansion plans may be wishful thinking as Alexander's summer break might not be enough to foresee everything happening.
Nonetheless, the days would go on as little boss days would commence onwards while the old Creed didn't forget to remind his grandson about interacting well with the mother and daughter Jovovich.