Chapter 251 Speech
"I will not bore you anymore with my superfluous talks. Next, I would like to invite Samuel to come on the stage." After the discussions subsided, the old man sent an invitation to him.
At this moment, while walking toward the stage, he became to focus of the audience. They also noticed the scene of him affectionately talking with his companions.
But Samuel\'s charming aura was what they admired; he casually got to the center of the stage while smiling at the public.
Under the intense light, his extraordinary appearance was hard to notice as he shined like an angel. Many people had only seen him in papers, and it was their first time seeing him in person.
This was the temperament of the top second-generation? He was not even nervous under the gaze of so many celebrities; instead, he appeared to be in his element!
Was it because he knew there was no comparing with him? As a Rothschild, he must be very proud of it. All they could do was speculate.
Georgio finally released his hanging heart; he was worried because Samuel was still young. Having stage fright in front of so many people would be normal. If that happened, it would severely impact the company\'s reputation and directly result in him becoming a laughing stock!
Although he had asked him about it, he couldn\'t exact pressure given his unique background. Fortunately, the young master was great, even beyond what he had in mind.
Samuel came to the stage and hugged Georgio politely while he took the microphone and looked around the scene to match the audience\'s energy.
The venue gradually became quiet, and everyone waited for him to speak.
"First of all, I like to thank Armani for choosing me. Of course, I have to say they made a wise decision."
There was a slight laughter from the audience while a small chuckle escaped Georgio\'s mouth. He continued-
" As you have heard, Armani boldly decided to enter the Asia-Pacific market. The company may be grateful for this decision in the near future. It is hardly a surprise because Armani, as a company, is known for pioneering creativity and adventurous decisions.
I hope we can quickly seize the market, which is why here I wish the company to achieve new heights!" His last line was a little loud, naturally encouraging strong public reactions.
Applause rang out, but Samuel\'s expression changed at this time. It was no longer like a spring breeze but was replaced by some seriousness. It was not hidden from everyone else.
"As the company representative, I would like to make some amends. It may make some people uncomfortable, but I have to say it. As a Rothschild family member, I am not shy to receive criticism if I deserve it. So, I will say sorry beforehand.
At present, we are still carefree about entering the Asian market. So much so that we unconsciously neglect the huge potential that is dormant in that region.
When asked, most people here would refer to it as a mysterious and novel region, but I can say that you are very mistaken in that assessment. It might be true that you are not paying that much attention, but let me give you some insight.
Have you heard about the company Uniqlo?"
To His questions, the room was filled with murmurs as they began discussing among themselves. The name itself sounded very unique with how Samuel pronounced it.
" Scratch that, What about the company Fast Retailing?" He was able to build up quite an interest.
" Fast Retailing is a public Japanese multinational retail holding company. In addition to its primary subsidiary Uniqlo, it owns several other brands. Last year they closely missed the fifth spot in the top fashion brand by revenue.
Their reported revenue was just shy of seven billion USD! And they are ambitious enough to announce their plan to reach above fifty billion by the end of next decade."
Some hissed hearing the numbers; one had to consider that Armani as a company didn\'t even reach one billion revenue this year. Even in a room full of wealthy people, these numbers were nothing to scoff at!
" Honestly, It may sound like empty talks, but you have to know they definitely have some advantage regarding numbers. Let me talk about one recent event; as fashion enthusiasts, you must have heard about the Fila company that started in Italy. "
Several people nodded while a few shouted to say they finally understood what he was talking about.
" Recently, the American company that acquired the brand sold it to a Korean Holding company for four hundred million dollars. It might seem excessive for a dying company, but you must have heard one man\'s trash is another man\'s treasure.
With the right plan, if they succeed in reviving the brand, you can understand their influence in the Asian market."
Someone raised his hand to ask a question. Samuel felt like he was teaching a class and felt weird about it but his question was valid, why would they care such companies were dime a dozen. It was not the first time someone bought a company, right?
" Good point, but let me ask you why did I say they might succeed? The answer is simple because it is their home turf. No matter how much we research, they will still know the market better than we do because they live and breathe it daily.
Moving on, why am I blabbering nonsense here? If you look to that corner, you can see an Asian girl standing there. Her name is Koo Hye-sun, and she is an actress from the very same country, South Korea."
When everyone\'s gaze landed on Hye-sun, she looked around, confused. Did she do something? Why was Samuel pointing at her? She shrunk back even more, trying to avoid it.
" She was one of the few artists that were invited by Armani and came here to attend this press conference. However, the reception department of the company didn\'t pay attention to it. They failed to arrange for her and didn\'t pick them up at the airport.
It might be common for us to fend for ourselves, but as our guest, to let her completely fend for herself in the strange land was our negligence.
It might look like I am picking up on the company, but I have talked with Mr. Armani, and when he knew about it, he was furious with his staff. So why am I mentioning it now?
Here, any new brand that wants to make the same move must understand the people first. If you want to do business with foreign countries, your culture, their needs, and our differences, you have to think about how they think.
It might be a small incident, but small wounds could fester over time; we might even have to cut off the limb if people are not careful about it. Right?"
It was only now they understood what he was saying; it was a brilliant move on his part. Showing compassion in the public eye, the media would go crazy over it and propagate his thoughts while also mentioning the Armani name.
" Today\'s Asia-Pacific is developing rapidly; it is better to give them the recognition they deserve. With that, I again apologize for taking so much of your time. Thank you! "
Samuel finished his speech, but the scene was quiet. Everyone was lost in thought. Some people took it seriously, but few of them sneered.
Each had a different expression, but they couldn\'t outright neglect his words, given his standing as the heir of the Rothschild family. It was not Samuel\'s task to change their perspective, the smart ones would make the right move while others would soon regret it in future.
Samuel had nothing to do with it; he had already begun capitalizing and expanding his influence in every continent. If they knew how much he had made over the past few years, they would die of shame for ever doubting him.
It was not farfetched to think of them worshiping him as a business god if they ever found out!
Surprisingly it was the old man who clapped first, after which Liliana and Rosaline joined him. Even though the old man didn\'t know what would happen because of his speech, he had the same attitude as him.
The girls, they unconditionally supported Samuel. Although Koo Hye-sun did not fully understand it, her agent filled her up, albeit he was also sloppy with it.
Julia and her husband supported him; they soon joined in on the fun and gave big claps to the kid.
Georgio took the microphone: "Here, on behalf of Armani, I again express my sincere apologies to Ms. Koo Hye-sun. I will personally look into it and punish the person in charge of reception after the party. It is the least I can do for her inconvenience."
He never wanted Armani to become another corporate entity, it was his legacy which meant a lot to him.