Paul Woods

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As a marketer servicing a dozen or so internal customers… all with their ideas of what marketing is and what it should be… I am inspired to pull this one out of the bag every now and then.  Whether it is a campaign or a piece of copy… I think this would get my point across!

(From the Pacifica Group blog)

This is a true story.

Steve Cosmopulos is an old art director in Boston.
(Hill Holiday Connors & Cosmopulos was his for awhile.
It got too big and he left, but he left his name on the door.)
He’s a tough little fireplug of a high-school-educated Greek guy.
Always wears a tailored suit and tie.
Always.

He walks into a presentation.
Late.
Big conference table at client offices.
Everyone sitting expectantly.
Silence.
He has a duffel bag.
Sets the bag on his chair.
He doesn’t sit.
From out of the bag he pulls a board.
With a bed of 100 nails sticking up out of this board.
Sets it carefully on table.
Pulls out an aluminum frying pan.
One of those nonstick Silverstone jobs.
Silence.
Holds up frying pan.
Silence.
Slams it down as hard as he can on bed of nails.
Repeatedly.
Holds up frying pan.
Shows dings in bottom.
Silence.
Puts board back in bag.
Pulls out another identical board.
But this one with just one nail.
Puts it on table.
Silence.
Slams down the frying pan on the single nail.
Pries frying pan off nail.
Holds up frying pan.
Hole in bottom.
Shows it slowly to everyone.
Asks:
"Now how many copy points do you want to put in this ad?"

Proof that an art director named Stavros Cosmopulos is
THE PATRON SAINT OF MARTYRED COPYWRITERS.
This is not only a Boston legend, it’s a true story.
I asked him.

I am off to buy some nails now!

The other day Microsoft launched its latest round of big ticket products - Windows Server 2008, SQL Server 2008, and Visual Studio 2008. 

For the last few months, a few of the team at Data#3 (where I work - a big Microsoft partner in Australia) have been working on our campaign to support of the launch - in particular around Windows Server 2008.  Basically we are positioning Windows Server 2008 as the core foundation of an organisations Managed Operating Environment (for all the marketers out there - a Managed Operating Environment basically means a really well run and managed fleet of desktop computers, laptops, mobile phones etc in your organisation - the advantage of that is much lower IT support costs, and being able to give end users the tools they need to be more productive a lot faster.)

The first event in Australia was in Sydney this week, and one of my colleagues Jo Cass (pictured here*) from our Sydney office tells it like it is on Mike Heald’s blog.

"Data#3’s Project Deploy, our Integrator of the Year movie headline & our Popcorn stand was a huge success at Microsoft Wave 08 - Heroes Happen."  Read more on Mike’s blog

In a month or two once the launch is over I might do a post campaign analysis on how Data#3’s Project Deploy campaign has rolled - from concept right through to results - stay tuned.  Being a classic B2B campaign with a B2C twist, I think the results might be interesting.

(*Photo credit to Mike Heald from Microsoft Australia)