ON THE CAMPAIGN COUCH ... WITH JB.(Brief Article)

Q I have been anxious for some Urea for my agency to work with Pepsi, so was excited to succeed in arranging a lunch with one of their senior executives. Unfortunately, in my determination to appear incisive and totally focused on the prospect, when the waiter asked me what I would like to drink, I ordered a Diet Coke. Was this lunch rescuable or should I have immediately made my excuses and left?

Not only was it rescuable, any account person worthy of the name would have turned this incident to advantage. You should have waited for the drink to come, waited until your prospect was in full flow before raising it to your lips, and then, with a little shiver of repugnance, put your glass down again. Interrupting him, you say: "I'm so sorry. I'm still trying to understand why some people drink this stuff. Waiter! Kindly take this away and bring me a Pepsi!"

This is known as the Double Indemnity Recovery Ploy. Though unlikely, it is just conceivable that your senior executive would have been gulled by this transparent ruse. But if not, you would still have shown yourself to be quickwitted and resourceful -- qualities much prized by soft drinks clients. Chalk this up as an opportunity missed.

Q We recently completed our first commercial for a new client which has been enthusiastically received by both marketing and research groups. When the chairman arrived to give the film his ultimate blessing, he was accompanied by a well-dressed lady of a certain age. This, it transpired, was his wife. "I never approve advertising unless Noreen likes it," he told us. The question is, should we have presented the strategy to Noreen before showing her the film? On this occasion she did like it, but what about next time?

I bet you thought those days were long since gone, didn't you? Well, they're not. For all this talk of globalisation, there are still a lot of quite big, freestanding companies about--many with a Noreen. You must learn to ...