Chapter 503: The Blind Box Plan

Chapter 503: Chapter 503: The Blind Box Plan

You should know that this was no simple souvenir for the audience, but a new way to drive traffic through blind boxes, meticulously planned by Irene.

In this era when the concept of blind boxes had not yet become popular and the sales model for entertainment merchandise was single-tracked, Irene was the first to understand the public’s psychology of collecting and gambling.

Fixed souvenirs would only bring people fleeting happiness, but unpredictable random rewards, scarce limited-edition hidden designs, and the obsession with collecting the whole set could maximize the buying and collecting desires of ordinary people.

Tonight’s blind box experience for the four thousand audience members was merely an offline test to build anticipation in advance.

Once tonight’s grand finale officially ended, the official website of The Voice would launch purchase links for the fully authorized blind box figurines of the coaches and top four contestants, sold entirely in blind box format.

Among them, Coach Britney’s version and this season’s champion’s version would have the lowest drop rates, becoming permanently scarce hidden figures to raise the overall collectible value.

Not only that, but Irene had already finalized the long-term operational rules: once each season ended and the new top four were born, the figurines of the previous season’s contestants would permanently stop selling and go completely out of print

meanwhile, the coach figurines would follow the principle of "new coach, new figure; same coach, new look." Every year would bring brand-new styles and details to continuously offer freshness to fans, stimulate their desire to collect, and form a long-term commercial consumption loop.

This kind of forward-thinking operational mindset for entertainment merchandise was an unprecedented innovation in the current North American variety show market, easily enough to leverage an endless stream of fan consumption and show popularity.

Just as the entire audience was immersed in the novel experience of the blind box figurines, unable to put them down and showing them off to one another, the production team in the backstage dressing rooms had also customized a set of exclusive blind box figurines for each of the four coaches, four contestants, and core creative staff.

Britney was currently sitting on her exclusive lounge sofa, holding her own exclusive figurine in both hands, her eyes gentle and filled with novelty.

The tiny figurine in her palm was exquisitely crafted beyond imagination, perfectly replicating Britney’s classic blonde hairstyle and sequined stage gown.

Even her expressive eyes, bold expression, and signature slight smile were vividly captured, only with more adorable facial features and body proportions. Each strand of hair could even be styled by its owner, and the fabric’s sheen and accessory details were not overlooked in the slightest—its cuteness level was practically off the charts.

Britney turned it over and over in her hands, finding it more and more stunning the longer she looked. Her eyes were full of admiration. She couldn’t help but lean toward Irene, who was checking the schedule reports beside her, and softly remarked,

"This figurine is so exquisitely made. The likeness is almost one hundred percent, and the details, texture, and expression are flawless. Just to make such an exquisite figurine, opening molds, mass-producing, and finely polishing them locally in the US, the cost must not be low, right?"

After speaking, Britney looked out the window at the grand venue, sincerely marveling at the massive investment in this grand finale.

"To be honest, Irene, you’ve made this grand finale too luxurious.

Radio City Music Hall’s daily rental fee alone is tens of thousands of dollars, and renting and setting up the entire top-tier stage audio equipment, lighting, choreography, and high-definition big screens easily costs hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars.

Add to that the four thousand exquisite souvenirs, custom badges, exclusive blind box figurines, emergency meals for the audience, salaries for all the staff, as well as the long preparation, rehearsals, and material wear and tear beforehand—and the entire gala is completely free to the public, without a single cent of ticket revenue."

Britney did a rough estimate in her head, her tone deeply moved. "Adding everything up, this grand finale without any ticket revenue must have cost at least nearly two million dollars in total. The investment is too huge, completely disregarding the cost."

Hearing this, Irene put down the schedule document in her hand, turned to look at the astonished Britney, and curled her lips into a calm, nonchalant smile, showing no sign of heartache over the investment.

"You guessed right. The comprehensive investment for the entire grand finale is indeed close to two million dollars. But the cost of the figurines isn’t as exaggerated as you think."

Irene reached out and gently tapped the exquisite figurine in Britney’s hand.

"If we opened the molds, hand-polished, and did small-batch fine production entirely locally in the US, the cost would indeed be extremely high, and the production cycle would be infinitely prolonged.

However, I contacted mature overseas precision manufacturers in advance. Relying on mature assembly line processes, we not only compressed the overall production cost to one-third of what it would cost to make in the US, but also shortened the production and delivery cycle by half."

"This way, we can guarantee the fine texture and high likeness of every single figurine, fully meeting top-tier production standards to support the show’s prestige, while also compressing material costs to the maximum, controlling budget expenditures, and avoiding unnecessary waste."

"The free investment now is for long-term returns in the future. A two-million-dollar investment in the stage gets us the show’s top-tier reputation, nationwide popularity, fan base, and the infinite potential of subsequent merchandise, copyrights, and commercial endorsements. This deal is definitely not a loss."

Britney, hearing this, was instantly enlightened, sincerely admiring Irene’s vision and foresight.

What seemed like a money-losing free gala was actually a guaranteed long-term strategic layout. The grandeur and romance before her eyes were never a momentary impulse, but a meticulously planned future.

As the conversation between the two backstage came to an end, thousands of lights in the front stage lit up once again in succession, and the core event of the entire gala officially raised its curtain.

The audience seats had already fallen completely silent. All four thousand public judges sat up straight, clutching their limited-edition badges and freshly unboxed blind box figurines, their hearts filled with anticipation.

For the vast majority of the live audience, this was also the first time they would watch the official performances of the four contestants completely, systematically, and in high definition.

You should know that the full episodes of The Voice had never officially aired on television to date; only scattered clips, contestant rehearsal highlights, and short video snippets had circulated across the internet.

Ordinary passersby and randomly selected public judges had barely followed the entire competition, let alone understood the dramatic process of the top twelve battle and the top four breakthrough.

Their knowledge of the four contestants was practically a blank slate—no filters, no stereotypes, and no choosing sides in advance.

They relied purely on the live stage performance, vocal skills, and emotional resonance right now to build their preferences and favorites from scratch.

Because of this, every single performance tonight would be an absolutely fair "first impression decides the winner."

The five-member fan squad sat in the prime seats of the front-middle section with an unobstructed view, able to clearly watch every move on the stage, the coaches’ seats, and the backstage waiting area.

Compared to the bewildered passersby around them, they were among the few veteran fans in the entire venue who had followed the whole competition and were familiar with the growth of most of the contestants.

In their hearts, they felt both the anticipation of knowing what was to come and the pride of watching hidden gems about to be discovered by the public.