information
he’d provided.
"So the object is to convey a younger, racier
image for the Avion," Glo-Jo said as I finished.
"Yep. Not exactly a snap. Research says most
people consider Avion a car for the geriatric set.”
"No problem. I know just what to do," said
Pickard.
"Great," said Glo-Jo. "What is it?”
"Simple. We use subliminal persuasion."
Glo-Jo raised an eyebrow. "We use what?"
"Subliminal. Remember that movie theatre
experiment where that guy flashed ‘you’re thirsty’ on the screen
too fast for the conscious mind to see and soda pop sales shot
through the roof? And where some art director retouched s-e-x in
the ice cubes in a liquor ad to attract readers."
Glo-Jo tried to decide whether to take him
seriously. "Yeah, so what?"
"Don't you get it? We retouch the words 'buy
an Avion' lightly in the paint of the car in our ad. Readers see
the words subliminally and buy an Avion without ever having a
conscious thought about it."
"I don't think anyone who believes that BS
would ever have a conscious thought about anything," Glo-Jo
sniffed.
"Some people fall for it, Darlin'. Hey, the
guy who wrote the book about that liquor ad made a fortune."
Glo-Jo turned to me. "What's your take on
that subliminal stuff, Darcy?"
"I’m with you, Glo-Jo. I read where someone
challenged the man to repeat the movie theatre experiment and he
came up empty-handed. But whether you believe in it or not, it's
still illegal. "So you'd better get to work on the real thing.
Higgins is expecting an Avion ad by five o'clock."
21
4:58 p.m.
Higgins lined up a putt into the electronic
ball return as I strolled into his office carrying Glo-Jo’s ad
layout.
I handed Higgins the layout and he stood
motionless, staring at it. Finally he looked up.
“The headline: This pedal will test your
mettle. I just don't know."
"You wanted a headline that grabbed
attention," I said.
"Yes, but..."
"This pedal will test your mettle. Don't you
get it?"
“I get it," Higgins said. "But I think it
goes a little
too far."
"Too far?" How could the man back down from
the direction he had given me just that morning? "What kind of
headline would you suggest?"
"The headline on our last ad was: The family
car that didn't forget the family."
"The family car that didn't forget the
family? What the hell kind of headline is that?"
"You think it's dull?"
"Dull? That ad should carry a warning label
against operating heavy machinery while reading it."
Higgins looked at the layout again. "I just
think this ad is too strong."
"How about letting the client judge?"
"Okay, but give me an alternate. When this
one goes up in flames, I want something to fall back on besides my
ass."
"I'll write one. If you stick around, I’ll
have it for you by six. But promise me you'll show him this ad
first."
Higgins gave the layout one more look. "Yeah,
sure."
I walked out hoping Higgins was a man of his
word.
***
Next morning, I found Higgins at his office
closet, carefully placing a blue blazer on a hanger.
"Just got back from the breakfast meeting."
He smoothed the blazer with his free hand. "Your pedal, mettle ad
hit the rocks."
"Don't tell me," I said, "Murphy didn't get
it."
"He got it. He just doesn't think the public
will."
"Apparently Murphy doesn’t give the public
credit for having intelligence. He wants to spoon feed
information...and that makes for dull ads."
"Don’t get upset. He loved the other ad you
wrote."
"That's not the point. I wrote that ad to
give Murphy a choice. It's nowhere near as good as the one Bob Roy
wrote."
"Well that's the one the client's going
with."
"Let me see that ad...the second one."
Higgins reached into the briefcase on his
desk and retrieved the layout. I took it and scanned the copy.
"What's the matter?" Higgins asked.
"I wrote this last night with one eye on the
clock. Maybe I can't change the headline, but I can make damn sure
the copy is the best I can write. Let me brighten it up. I promise
not
he’d provided.
"So the object is to convey a younger, racier
image for the Avion," Glo-Jo said as I finished.
"Yep. Not exactly a snap. Research says most
people consider Avion a car for the geriatric set.”
"No problem. I know just what to do," said
Pickard.
"Great," said Glo-Jo. "What is it?”
"Simple. We use subliminal persuasion."
Glo-Jo raised an eyebrow. "We use what?"
"Subliminal. Remember that movie theatre
experiment where that guy flashed ‘you’re thirsty’ on the screen
too fast for the conscious mind to see and soda pop sales shot
through the roof? And where some art director retouched s-e-x in
the ice cubes in a liquor ad to attract readers."
Glo-Jo tried to decide whether to take him
seriously. "Yeah, so what?"
"Don't you get it? We retouch the words 'buy
an Avion' lightly in the paint of the car in our ad. Readers see
the words subliminally and buy an Avion without ever having a
conscious thought about it."
"I don't think anyone who believes that BS
would ever have a conscious thought about anything," Glo-Jo
sniffed.
"Some people fall for it, Darlin'. Hey, the
guy who wrote the book about that liquor ad made a fortune."
Glo-Jo turned to me. "What's your take on
that subliminal stuff, Darcy?"
"I’m with you, Glo-Jo. I read where someone
challenged the man to repeat the movie theatre experiment and he
came up empty-handed. But whether you believe in it or not, it's
still illegal. "So you'd better get to work on the real thing.
Higgins is expecting an Avion ad by five o'clock."
21
4:58 p.m.
Higgins lined up a putt into the electronic
ball return as I strolled into his office carrying Glo-Jo’s ad
layout.
I handed Higgins the layout and he stood
motionless, staring at it. Finally he looked up.
“The headline: This pedal will test your
mettle. I just don't know."
"You wanted a headline that grabbed
attention," I said.
"Yes, but..."
"This pedal will test your mettle. Don't you
get it?"
“I get it," Higgins said. "But I think it
goes a little
too far."
"Too far?" How could the man back down from
the direction he had given me just that morning? "What kind of
headline would you suggest?"
"The headline on our last ad was: The family
car that didn't forget the family."
"The family car that didn't forget the
family? What the hell kind of headline is that?"
"You think it's dull?"
"Dull? That ad should carry a warning label
against operating heavy machinery while reading it."
Higgins looked at the layout again. "I just
think this ad is too strong."
"How about letting the client judge?"
"Okay, but give me an alternate. When this
one goes up in flames, I want something to fall back on besides my
ass."
"I'll write one. If you stick around, I’ll
have it for you by six. But promise me you'll show him this ad
first."
Higgins gave the layout one more look. "Yeah,
sure."
I walked out hoping Higgins was a man of his
word.
***
Next morning, I found Higgins at his office
closet, carefully placing a blue blazer on a hanger.
"Just got back from the breakfast meeting."
He smoothed the blazer with his free hand. "Your pedal, mettle ad
hit the rocks."
"Don't tell me," I said, "Murphy didn't get
it."
"He got it. He just doesn't think the public
will."
"Apparently Murphy doesn’t give the public
credit for having intelligence. He wants to spoon feed
information...and that makes for dull ads."
"Don’t get upset. He loved the other ad you
wrote."
"That's not the point. I wrote that ad to
give Murphy a choice. It's nowhere near as good as the one Bob Roy
wrote."
"Well that's the one the client's going
with."
"Let me see that ad...the second one."
Higgins reached into the briefcase on his
desk and retrieved the layout. I took it and scanned the copy.
"What's the matter?" Higgins asked.
"I wrote this last night with one eye on the
clock. Maybe I can't change the headline, but I can make damn sure
the copy is the best I can write. Let me brighten it up. I promise
not
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