all her energies into her work, leaving precious little time
for a social—much less a sex—life. She was good at it,
and she knew it, which only heightened the frustration when her
material was not as well received as she'd anticipated. She felt she
really needed to pull off a major coup: an elusive campaign that
succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations. It would give her the
name recognition needed in order to successfully launch her own
business.
Her company
announced the challenge on Friday afternoon, three days ago.
Not a competition . Oh, no! That word was too laden with—well,
competitiveness. Advertising executives, ever attuned to nuance,
instead challenged the staff to produce, by one week from
Monday, the outline of a multimedia ad campaign for a big new client.
As incentive, the employee best rising to the challenge secured the
position of lead project manager for that campaign with the freedom
to handpick the project team.
As she drew
her bath, Stormy recalled the rampant speculation preceding the
announcement. Who was the client? What were they selling? Why an
agency-wide challenge instead of just a regular assignment?
Management assured them that the details would be revealed at
four-thirty, on the dot. It was so typical of an ad agency to make a
big announcement that there would soon be a bigger announcement.
First rule of advertising: hype the hype!
At precisely
half past four, the P.A. system crackled to life.
"Ladies
and gentlemen, we have been blessed with an unprecedented
opportunity," the voice of the CEO boomed. "We have been
given the chance to succeed where several of our major competitors
have failed. If—no, WHEN—we succeed, we will have landed
the largest account in the history of this firm. I know you will each
give this challenge your best effort.
"The
client is the government of Costa Rica. Tourism is a major source of
income for this country. However, that income fluctuates
significantly throughout the year due to the vagaries of the weather.
The challenge, therefore, is to produce a multi-media ad campaign
intended to increase tourism by at least fifty percent during the
country's rainy season.
"The
deadline is nine o'clock sharp Monday morning, ten days hence. Get
busy."
For the last
few minutes of the workweek, an eerie silence encompassed the office.
Staff spent what typically would have been a time of jovial chitchat
about weekend plans deep in thought. Everyone retreated to their
cubicles and put on their proverbial thinking caps. Challenge indeed!
What could be more of a challenge than making a vacation destination
appealing in bad weather?
Over the
weekend, Stormy immersed herself in the project. The Internet
produced a trove of information about Costa Rica. All very
interesting, but the ideas—brilliant or otherwise—continued
to elude her. She flipped on the television and plopped onto the sofa
with her coffee, mulling over what she'd learned. The Central
American rainy season lasted from May through November, with the
Pacific slope getting the most rain in September and October. She
also learned that the Pacific slope featured the country's most
popular tourist attractions: the active Arenal volcano with its hot springs and the Monteverde cloud forest.
Why ,
she pondered, would anyone want to go there this time of year? Was
there a particular demographic group that could be targeted? The
answers completely escaped her. Perhaps, Stormy told herself, she
should just go there and find out for herself.
Impulsively,
back on the Internet, she had no trouble finding a last minute spot
on an abbreviated five-day/four-night Costa Rican tour. The charter
flight departed Pittsburgh in less than four hours. Her passport was
still valid. She had—just barely—enough cash. With
surprisingly little internal debate, Stormy convinced herself to go
for it. She dialed her supervisor's line and got through to the
receptionist.
"Della,
it's Stormy. I won't be in today. In fact,
for a social—much less a sex—life. She was good at it,
and she knew it, which only heightened the frustration when her
material was not as well received as she'd anticipated. She felt she
really needed to pull off a major coup: an elusive campaign that
succeeded beyond anyone's wildest expectations. It would give her the
name recognition needed in order to successfully launch her own
business.
Her company
announced the challenge on Friday afternoon, three days ago.
Not a competition . Oh, no! That word was too laden with—well,
competitiveness. Advertising executives, ever attuned to nuance,
instead challenged the staff to produce, by one week from
Monday, the outline of a multimedia ad campaign for a big new client.
As incentive, the employee best rising to the challenge secured the
position of lead project manager for that campaign with the freedom
to handpick the project team.
As she drew
her bath, Stormy recalled the rampant speculation preceding the
announcement. Who was the client? What were they selling? Why an
agency-wide challenge instead of just a regular assignment?
Management assured them that the details would be revealed at
four-thirty, on the dot. It was so typical of an ad agency to make a
big announcement that there would soon be a bigger announcement.
First rule of advertising: hype the hype!
At precisely
half past four, the P.A. system crackled to life.
"Ladies
and gentlemen, we have been blessed with an unprecedented
opportunity," the voice of the CEO boomed. "We have been
given the chance to succeed where several of our major competitors
have failed. If—no, WHEN—we succeed, we will have landed
the largest account in the history of this firm. I know you will each
give this challenge your best effort.
"The
client is the government of Costa Rica. Tourism is a major source of
income for this country. However, that income fluctuates
significantly throughout the year due to the vagaries of the weather.
The challenge, therefore, is to produce a multi-media ad campaign
intended to increase tourism by at least fifty percent during the
country's rainy season.
"The
deadline is nine o'clock sharp Monday morning, ten days hence. Get
busy."
For the last
few minutes of the workweek, an eerie silence encompassed the office.
Staff spent what typically would have been a time of jovial chitchat
about weekend plans deep in thought. Everyone retreated to their
cubicles and put on their proverbial thinking caps. Challenge indeed!
What could be more of a challenge than making a vacation destination
appealing in bad weather?
Over the
weekend, Stormy immersed herself in the project. The Internet
produced a trove of information about Costa Rica. All very
interesting, but the ideas—brilliant or otherwise—continued
to elude her. She flipped on the television and plopped onto the sofa
with her coffee, mulling over what she'd learned. The Central
American rainy season lasted from May through November, with the
Pacific slope getting the most rain in September and October. She
also learned that the Pacific slope featured the country's most
popular tourist attractions: the active Arenal volcano with its hot springs and the Monteverde cloud forest.
Why ,
she pondered, would anyone want to go there this time of year? Was
there a particular demographic group that could be targeted? The
answers completely escaped her. Perhaps, Stormy told herself, she
should just go there and find out for herself.
Impulsively,
back on the Internet, she had no trouble finding a last minute spot
on an abbreviated five-day/four-night Costa Rican tour. The charter
flight departed Pittsburgh in less than four hours. Her passport was
still valid. She had—just barely—enough cash. With
surprisingly little internal debate, Stormy convinced herself to go
for it. She dialed her supervisor's line and got through to the
receptionist.
"Della,
it's Stormy. I won't be in today. In fact,
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