18 APRIL
‘You’re past it, Pops, don’t flatter yourself,’ said the waitress to herself, in the busy dining room of the Hay-Adams Hotel, Washington, four blocks from the White House, as she carefully topped up three glasses of claret. Christ, if this blond guy touches my arm and winks at me one more time I’ll smack him one. But her instincts on maximising tips won out and she fluttered her eyelashes and said a flirty ‘Thank you, gentlemen’ as she turned away with a wiggle of her hips. Professor Alan G.F. Milton followed her curvy walk with an admiring gaze and then returned to business.
‘So, Oscar, Anton, what do you think?’
Professor Oscar Kolsen and Dr Anton Cook had made flights earlier that day from Dallas and Toronto respectively. Professor Milton had reserved a corner table where they could chat discreetly. At the other end of the dining room, the elderly pianist faked enthusiasm in his rendition of ‘The Girl from Ipanema’. The discussion hadn’t been proceeding quite as smoothly as Milton had hoped.
‘I’m not entirely sure, Alan,’ said the Dallas professor, raising his crystal glass to take a sip of claret. ‘It all looks a bit flimsy to me.’
‘These weight loss findings after taking cephalosporin antibiotic,’ added Dr Cook. ‘Surely if someone has a bowel inflammation, the weight loss is down to being sick? Some patients naturally lose their appetite for weeks after being ill. And wouldn’t people say that they have more energy, as they are recovering?’
‘I don’t doubt the veracity of the data,’ said Professor Kolsen gravely. ‘I’m sure we can trust the research results of these Japanese doctors. And yet . . .’
‘Oh, one hundred per cent,’ affirmed Milton, pushing his blond locks back off his forehead. ‘Yamoura operate to the highest standards worldwide – they have their reputation to uphold you know.’
‘Of course, of course,’ Kolsen nodded.
‘And really, they’re not asking us to challenge the core findings of the research,’ added Milton, a little anxious now. ‘Just to add our opinion as to the possible positive effects of cephalosporin on general health. And they want us to confirm whether we feel the findings are as likely to hold true for Americans as for Asians.’ Professor Milton paused, then added, ‘They’re very concerned, you know, not to use any data which hasn’t been thoroughly challenged on every front.’
‘Well, I suppose,’ said Professor Kolsen, ‘with suitable caveats.’
‘And the fees are incredibly generous,’ said Dr Cook.
‘I’m comforted by the fact that they seem to be interested in new beneficial side effects of an established antibiotic,’ continued Professor Kolsen. ‘We’re not being asked to promote a new drug and if any doctor wants to prescribe cephalosporin because he thinks it has some new benefit, then that’s “off label” prescribing. It’s each doctor’s decision and no comeback to us. It sure as hell won’t help with all this resistance to antibiotics that’s building up, though.’
There was a tense pause for thought. Professor Milton knew that the next few seconds were vital. The pianist moved from Ipanema to Copacabana.
‘Well, all right then, let’s have a go,’ said Kolsen.
‘I agree,’ said Dr Cook. ‘Yamoura have been great friends to us in the past and I trust them implicitly. The deadline’s tight, though.’
‘Very tight,’ agreed Professor Kolsen.
‘Terrific. Well, let’s get started tomorrow then, gentlemen,’ said Professor Milton. ‘We’ll formally review their data. Anton can address the weight loss findings. I’ll look at the overall beneficial effects on health, energy gain and so forth.’
‘And I’ll give an opinion that the findings should hold true for westerners,’ said Kolsen.
‘Excellent, gentlemen. Can you let me have your papers in, say, three weeks max?’
Kolsen and Cook nodded their agreement. All three raised their glasses and clinked them together over the centrepiece candle.
‘To Yamoura Pharmaceuticals,’ said Professor Milton, as the pianist slid into ‘Ain’t Misbehavin’’.
‘To Yamoura Pharmaceuticals,’ his esteemed colleagues replied.
*
Ibrahim Fallah smiled to himself as he killed the engine of his five-year-old brown Nissan Versa. It had to be the best possible car for going unnoticed. Discretion was everything. He was parked in the rear yard of the New York Metropolitan Library on Fifth Avenue, close to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. He turned the key in the back door and went into the office that came with his job as chief librarian. He changed out of a loose-fitting cream suit and back into his more familiar black jacket and pants and put on his turban.
The contacts over the years from his old comrades in al-Qaeda had been most welcome and he had been glad to assist in this new battle, the fatwa against the Americans. He had been the contact man in New York for Mohammed Atta, one of the 9/11 hijackers, and had recommended that the hijackers of Flight 93 should stay at an airport hotel the night before the hijackings, in case of any traffic delays that morning on the New Jersey Turnpike. And, now, he found himself energised by these new instructions from Afghanistan. Nothing should be rushed. No chances taken. Absolute secrecy would be the key to success.
As he stepped into the public library, he noticed the large sign hanging on chains over the centre of the room . . . Silence Please. His smile widened into a grin.
*
PARAMOUNT BUILDING, TIMES SQUARE – 20 APRIL
Victor Dezner of Dynamic Communications was slowly pushing a cashew nut around the edge of his writing pad with the manicured nail of his right index finger. There was silence in the boardroom.
The tense silence continued as Katie, Mark, Arlene and Anna watched the nut successfully take a tight ninety-degree turn around the top corner of the pad. Eventually, Victor Dezner looked up.
‘We can do it, guys – we just have to.’
‘I feel like I’ve put us under such pressure,’ said Katie.
‘You did the right thing, honey. There was no way we could let a new client with a hundred million dollar budget walk down the street to Saatchi’s.’
‘The funny thing is,’ said Mark, while he topped up his glass, ‘not only do the Yamoura Pharmaceuticals and the restaurant jobs have the same launch dates, but there’s a lot of overlap on the activities side of their marketing plans.’
‘How so?’ asked Victor.
‘Well, not only do both products seem to be targeting the same consumer sectors, there’s even a strong locational overlap for where they want to focus branding activity. It looks like we’re gonna be creating clusters where lotsa people are buying SuperVerve tablets – and burgers!’
‘So, you can do a bit of cut and paste from the Yamoura plan to impress this new guy with your speed,’ said Katie teasingly. They all laughed.
‘On the ground,’ Mark continued, ‘we’re gonna have huge pressure on billboard locations and neon advertising. What’s the story with print media, Arlene?’
‘We’re in reasonable shape,’ she replied. The ambitious young professional was responsible for advance buying of advertising space. One of the cornerstones of the agency’s success had been taking a ballsy approach to advance media buying in the most popular newspapers and magazines.
‘It’s gonna be real tough for full-colour advertising at this short notice, but I’m gonna pull every trick in the book. And all the online advertising can be done quick enough.’
Arlene’s colleagues were convinced. She had a hard-earned reputation for always delivering the goods.
Victor Dezner turned to face Anna Milani. ‘Anna, how are we on the celeb for SuperVerve?’
‘Aye, we’re okay. It’s crazy notice but we’ve got a budget that makes a lot of problems, like, disappear. I’ve talked to some of the leading agents – I’m thinking a sports star. I think you’re going to be happy. I’ll let you know.’
‘Sounds good. What about product placement?’
‘Well, I’m talkin’ turkey with the networks about some subtle brand integration in primetime slots. We’re looking at about four hundred K for visibility in two episodes of a top five ranked show. And we’re at about three-fifty K for a three-second visibility on a shelf in a judge’s dressing room in one of the talent shows. I’ll get a deal.’
‘Nice one, Anna,’ said Katie, ‘can’t wait to hear more.’
‘And,’ Arlene chipped in, ‘the medical info seminars for the doctors are pretty routine at this stage. We’ll throw big money at the production and staging and include some really valuable giveaways.’
‘Okay, ladies, thanks,’ said Victor, feeling better by the minute. ‘With a little luck, I think we can pull off the BurgerFantastic launch too. The storefront signage was a challenge for us, but I’ve found a company who can do it pronto. So that’s taking shape.’
‘All right, team,’ said Katie, wrapping up. ‘We’ve put our heads on the block, and it’s time to deliver. Let’s pull the ideas into two smoking hot presentations and let’s go wow some clients.’