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Chapter 14 – The Project
The Next Day…(Day 13)

“All right, Brian, I’m looking at the file.  Now what would you like me to see?” Justin said as he scrolled through several files on Brian’s computer.

“Just tell me what you think,” Brian suggested, waiting patiently for Justin to respond.

“They’re just a bunch of ads.  Whoever did these campaigns for Belluss Occhiali doesn’t understand their product line, and they sure don’t understand Eyeconics.  The ads are boring.  They’re not sexy.  They’re not edgy.  But you didn’t need me to tell you that,” Justin responded with a laugh.

“No I didn’t.” Brian said quietly.

 “So do you want to tell me what’s going on? Why am I here?” Justin asked and then sat quietly, waiting for Brian to explain.

Brian tried to gather his thoughts.  

“All right.  All right.  Eyeconics and Belluss Occhiali have formed a joint venture.  They need an ad campaign for both the domestic and foreign advertising.  If Kinnetik can produce the winning campaign, we stand to win not only the ad campaign for the joint venture…but Belluss Occhiali as a client as well.  The problem is Rudolpho Silvestri and Susan Weaver can’t communicate about what they want in the campaign. Signor Silvestri is furious.  Susan is thinking of retiring.  This is really bad, Justin.  To make matter worst Rudolpho Silvestri hasn’t been happy with an ad agency since Vanguard three years ago when you worked on their account.  This account would be huge for the Kinnetik if we could get it.  It would put Kinnetik on the map both in the U. S. and internationally.  So I’m asking for your help on this.” Brian said and finally let out a sigh that it had all been said.

“Brian, you don’t want this account.”  Justin responded.  

“What do you mean, I don’t want this account?”  Brian asked incredulously.  “Of course I do.”

“No you don’t!” Justin insisted.  

Brian was starting to worry about Justin’s sanity at this moment.

“What are you talking about, Justin?  Why wouldn’t I want this account?” Brian asked just in case there was some reasonable explanation for Justin’s reaction that had not been taken into consideration.

“Did you do the research?” Justin asked.

Brian tried not to be insulted by the question.

“Of course.  I know about the Silvestri Family and its involvement in Belluss Occhiali.” 

“Rudolpho Silvestri is the majority stockholder in Belluss Occhiali, yes!  But that’s the least of his holdings.  He has major interest in several of the largest companies in Milan.

“How do you know this?  It didn’t come up in any of my research.”

“Brian, three years ago I was an intern at Vanguard.  Remember the Silvestri family took me to dinner.  We talked.  They were so pleased with my work that they offered me a job.  Rudolpho Silvestri rattled off at least five major Italian firms that he has controlling interests in.  I know because he offered me my choice of work assignment with the company of my choice.”

“But, he doesn’t show up on any of the other companies.”

“I know.  Italian business operates differently than here in the U.S.  He also has multinational operations in Paris, Milan, and Switzerland too.  If you create the campaign that will make Signor Silvestri happy, then you’d better be ready to move to Europe to operate Kinnetik International from there.  Trust me on this one.”

“Eyeconics is counting on us to wow Signor Silvestri with our ad campaign.  Susan is desperate.  I’m out of ideas.”

“What do you mean, you’re out of ideas?  Brian you’re the best in the business.  So again I ask, why am I here?”

“First of all Cynthia won’t let me ask any of my existing staff to work on this one with me.  She mentioned something about how I drive everybody so hard that they all would threaten to quit.  She keeps mumbling something about me being a perfectionist and a demanding boss.  But, she said that you understood me, so she demanded that if I wanted to go after this account, I had to call you to see if you’d work on this with me. ”

“I see.  And of course you are totally terrified of Cynthia?  Right?  Brian, this is crazy.  You had me come all the way back to Pittsburgh to work on a project you’re perfectly capable of doing without me.  I’m waiting for you to tell me the real reason why I’m here?”

“You’re the only one who has any hope of figuring out what Rudolpho Silvestri wants.  Nobody else can get through to him.  Justin, six of the top ad agencies in the world have tired.  Think of the staffs involved!  Justin, I want to win this.”

“Ok! If it’s that important to you!  What do you want me to do?”

“Can you do a series of quick sketches so I can get some kind of a campaign idea?  I know I usually work the other way, but I’m creatively blocked right now.  Maybe you can come up with a fresh approach for me to think about. Or, maybe you will just brainstorm with me.” 

“Thank goodness, I brought all that stuff from my ‘just in case’ list,” Justin said with a smile.

“Justin, what are you talking about?” Brian asked, completely puzzled by the last statement.

“Never mind.  Just stay out of the storage room.  You’ll scare yourself if you go in there,” Justin commented with a smile but didn’t bother to explain further.

Justin knew that if Brian saw how much stuff he brought with him from New York, that Brian would pitch a fit, and there would be arguments.  So Justin knew it was best that Brian didn’t have any ideas about what was in the storage room.  Justin figured he would bring things into the loft, one item at a time.

“I’m not even going to ask,” Brian responded.

“Brian, I’ve been thinking.  From what I remember about Signor Silvestri, you can go in to the meeting with a planned campaign, but you need to be prepared to create a new campaign from scratch, instantaneously during the meeting.  He likes sketches based on his thoughts as of the moment.  He does come to the meetings prepared, but he’s very flexible.  He mentally readjusts his thinking based on discussions at meetings.  He’s very opened to suggestions.  His persona terrifies most people, so they don’t usually try to persuade him of anything.  So, he just mows them down.  That’s probably why Eyeconics is having so much trouble, I bet.  So as I see it, you need to prepare a few draft campaigns, but you should go to the meeting willing to listen.  Then all you have to do is just not get flustered if we have to do it all over again DURING the meeting.”

“What?”

“Unless he has changed his style of working with an agency, which I doubt, that’s the way Rudolpho Silvestri works.  Part of the reason I got to work on the account when I was an intern, was they needed someone with the ability to sketch on the fly.  So they allowed me to participate.  Also, Vanguard really didn’t care about the account, so they figured this would keep me occupied until they found something useful for me to do.  My suggestion is that you don’t take written notes during meetings with Signor Silvestri; he’s a very visual person.  All you have to do is have one of the artists from your office sketch the ideas exchanged during meeting.”

“That’s why I need YOU on this project.”

“Brian, you have an entire art department at Kinnetik.  What do you need me for?”

“First of all, I like having you around…but more than that you’re the only one, who can sketch a campaign DURING a meeting.  I have a whole staff of people who can take notes during a meeting, and several days later produce rough sketches, maybe.  But to do sketches like you are describing, on the fly, that requires an artist.  I need someone who can multi-task…someone who can suggest while they sketch.  I know you can do this; you do it all the time. I can always have my art department try to finish things if you get pressed for time because of your exhibit.  I know you have a show coming up.  But to get the campaign right, I really do need you to work with me on this.”  

“Well, I do like being needed,” Justin said with a smile.

Brian and Justin spent several hours just batting ideas back and forth.  If an outside observer had been there, their discussion would have felt like a championship tennis game between two well-matched equals.  The verbal ideas were converted to imagery, while the graphic ideas were reformed as words.  Cynthia was right, Brian would have probably driven Kinnetik’s art department to the breaking point, working under these conditions.  But Brian and Justin knew each other so well that the exchange of ideas just flowed naturally.  They managed to entertain and challenge one another during the brainstorming process.  Brian couldn’t remember when he had so much fun while working on a campaign.