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Innovation

Rupert Goodwins' Diary

Tuesday 9/9/2003Here's a handy hint to top executives everywhere: if you must read your corporate emails on the train, do it with a tiny font size. So tiny you can just about read it, because then you can be sure that the ZDNet journalist strap-hanging behind you can't glance over your shoulder.
Written by Rupert Goodwins, Contributor
Tuesday 9/9/2003
Here's a handy hint to top executives everywhere: if you must read your corporate emails on the train, do it with a tiny font size. So tiny you can just about read it, because then you can be sure that the ZDNet journalist strap-hanging behind you can't glance over your shoulder. Last night, a senior bod from an ad agency failed to take this simple safeguard, and I fear the results do not reflect well on anyone.

It's a bit difficult to give the names of the very large telecoms company and the top-flight agency involved and remain a free man, so you'll have to plug in whichever ones you like. Nevertheless, the agency concerned has the job of handling an ad campaign (which you've seen) for the business division of the telco, and the memo in question concerned the relationship between them. You may be able to guess the tenor of the communication (if not the identity of the client) from the title: "Talking of total wankers…"

The memo went on at some length concerning the experience the agency had enjoyed with the telco, detailing the complete ineptitude of the telco's management, the way the internal structure was set up to prevent any spark of sanity -- let alone creativity -- from taking hold, and the extraordinary lengths taken to prevent anyone making a decision or taking responsibility about anything whatsoever. It concluded by asking whether any amount of money could compensate for the sheer agony of working for such a client

Our intrepid spy on the 19:15 somewhere in the Thames Valley was unable to further question the laptop-wielding rail warrior, but does say he feels the final question was rhetorical.

We are deeply saddened that such bad feeling exists in the intersection between those twin beacons of brilliance in management, telecommunications and advertising, and can only hope it was all a horrible misunderstanding.

Blaine's Diary, Day 4
Looked out of windows. Drank water from tube B. Peed in tube A. Crowd waved back. Are they trying to tell me something?

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