Julian's Pursuit Read Online Free PDF

confusion, comprehension, and delight.
    I studied their body language and watched their reactions.
    I even paid special attention to Mark Nessman.
    Fuck me. It wasn’t simple at all. Reading the Jensen execs was like trying to tell the difference between a wink and a blink.
    While I was plainly out of my depth, Sadie seemed to have a good read of the room.
    In short, she controlled the entire meeting.
    When she sensed the Jensen execs were unreceptive, she spoke up, formulating a defense that showed she understood their discomfort. “The idea in this board is so cutting edge it will startle the consumer and cut through the clutter of competitive advertising.” She paused. “Now, I understand this approach might make you a bit uncomfortable, but it’s precisely the kind of advertising the Jensen brand needs right now.”
    Mark Nessman twisted his lips and tapped a finger against them as he studied the storyboard. “Do you think the humor might be too cutting edge?”
    Sadie didn’t miss a beat. “We can test it among focus groups to see if we’ve gone too far. And if we have, we can easily dial it back down.”
    Another exec spoke up. “We’re selling deodorants in this ad. Don’t you think it needs more sex appeal? Like Unilever’s Axe?”
    Unilever’s Axe? He has to be fucking kidding me.
    I had to bite my tongue. Axe body spray was synonymous with douchebags, douche-nozzles, douche lords, and douche McGouches alike. And contrary to what the Jensen execs might think of the Axe campaign, it did not have the Axe effect.
    Not in my opinion, at least.
    It also didn’t help that the deodorant smelled like Hugh Hefner’s balls dipped in kerosene. Not that I’d ever caught a whiff of Hefner’s nuts.
    Exhaling sharply, I pushed away thoughts of Axe and Hef and reminded myself that Sadie had this all under control.
    Instead of going on the defensive and knocking Axe’s campaign, she went an entirely different route. “Remember when Proctor and Gamble released those outrageous Old Spice commercials?”
    Everyone in the conference room nodded, and Sadie went on. “With The Man Your Man Could Smell Like campaign, the person selling the product had a larger-than-life personality, and situations that would never occur in real life flashed across our TV screens. But no matter how ridiculous and how outrageous those ads were, you remembered them because they were funny. They did not have as much sex appeal as the Axe commercials. But what I loved about them was how they cleverly poked fun at the stereotypes in sexy advertising. They pulled off sex and humor. Overnight, the brand turned from your grandfather’s scent to how to smell like a man with barely any change to the product.”
    One of the high-level execs loosened his tie and chuckled. “Welcome to advertising.”
    “Yes,” Sadie said, relieved to have the tension in the room diluted. “Welcome to advertising.”
    And just like that, she had them hooked like fish.
    Though Sadie was young, she spoke with authority. Her voice carried across the room, and she spoke with the cadence of a woman who spent most of her time in the boardroom. “And that’s exactly what we’re trying to achieve with this storyboard.”
    I watched Sadie with envy tantamount to awe. It was only my second week at Hall and Heinrich, and the Jensen campaign had been passed down to me from my predecessor, so this was my first time seeing Sadie Frost in action.
    As the meeting progressed, it was clear she’d carefully prepared all her arguments.
    And she chose her positions based on where the room would “land.”
    She was whip smart, and I loved how quickly her mind worked.
    She was skilled, focused, professional, and dynamic without being overpowering.
    There was a fine line between confidence and arrogance, and Sadie never once crossed that line. She entertained when it was appropriate and became grave when required. She chose her statements carefully, ensuring that the meeting never