Read Online Madison Avenue Shoot by Jessica Fletcher - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jessica Fletcher
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Cove, dissecting the script, analyzing the lines, and discussing how best to say them.
“Jessica, this is a commercial,” she said, circling the problem copy. “No one expects you to have done comparative research on the veracity of the client’s claims.”
“I understand that,” I said, “but the agency must believe that people will trust what I say—or else why would they want me to make their commercial?”
“Exactly! I’ll bet they were thrilled when Grady suggested you. I doubt he could have talked them into it if they’d been resistant. Not that Grady isn’t persuasive, but these are advertising professionals, Jessica. Mindbenders is an established agency. You have to assume they know their business. You have to trust them.”
“I do. But still . . .” I trailed off.
“Is there another problem with the script?”
“Well, Permezzo is not the only card I carry when I travel. I would rather not say that it is.”
Robin laughed. “Jessica, I have never seen you so unsure of yourself.”
“It’s not that I’m unsure of myself,” I said, getting up to turn off the stove when the whistle on the kettle began to sing. “But my name is going to be out there. I don’t want to make a statement about a product if I don’t believe in it.” I opened a cupboard and took down two mugs and the box of tea bags.
“If you don’t believe in Permezzo, why did you agree to do the commercial in the first place?”
I sighed and gave Robin a sideways look.
“Okay, don’t tell me. Grady, right?”
“I couldn’t let him down,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s doing well in this job and I wanted to help him. And it’s not that I don’t believe in Permezzo. I’ve been using the card for years, before I ever heard about the commercial.”
“Well, let’s talk about that. That can help you with your motivation. If you don’t know why you’re saying something, you’ll never be able to pull off the line. A good actress believes what she says. When the camera zooms in on you, we’ll know by looking in your eyes if you’re speaking from the heart. So, tell me in your own words: What do you like about Permezzo?”
“They have a very attentive and efficient concierge service,” I said, smiling at a thought.
“Why are you smiling?” Robin asked.
“You’ll probably think I’m old-fashioned,” I said, setting our mugs on the table next to a plate of sugar cookies I’d baked that morning. “What I like best is that their telephones are always answered by real live people. I prefer to talk to a person without having to wade through multiple voice prompts and menu choices delivered electronically.”
“You mean a person actually picks up the phone when you call Permezzo?”
“Yes.”
“That’s certainly unusual,” Robin said, dunking a cookie into her tea.
“It is. And there’s another thing. When you’re traveling overseas on business, you need someone who can serve as a travel agent to help you rearrange your plans when something unforeseen comes up. Permezzo does that.”
“I thought you had a travel agent.”
“I do. Susan Shevlin, the mayor’s wife, has been my travel agent for years.”
“Can’t she help you when you’re on the road?”
“She often does,” I said. “It was Susan who suggested I get the Permezzo card. While I would hesitate to call and wake her up in the middle of the night to reticket me if I missed a connection in Tokyo—which happened once—I have no such compunctions when it comes to calling Permezzo. They’re open twenty-four hours a day. And I’m assured of getting someone who will be able to understand my problem, and work with me to fix it.”
“Why don’t you rewrite the commercial to say just that?”
“I don’t think that would make me very popular with Betsy Archibald.”
“Who’s she?”
“The creative director. Besides, I’m not even sure I could say all that in sixty seconds. That’s a special skill, fitting a lot of
“Jessica, this is a commercial,” she said, circling the problem copy. “No one expects you to have done comparative research on the veracity of the client’s claims.”
“I understand that,” I said, “but the agency must believe that people will trust what I say—or else why would they want me to make their commercial?”
“Exactly! I’ll bet they were thrilled when Grady suggested you. I doubt he could have talked them into it if they’d been resistant. Not that Grady isn’t persuasive, but these are advertising professionals, Jessica. Mindbenders is an established agency. You have to assume they know their business. You have to trust them.”
“I do. But still . . .” I trailed off.
“Is there another problem with the script?”
“Well, Permezzo is not the only card I carry when I travel. I would rather not say that it is.”
Robin laughed. “Jessica, I have never seen you so unsure of yourself.”
“It’s not that I’m unsure of myself,” I said, getting up to turn off the stove when the whistle on the kettle began to sing. “But my name is going to be out there. I don’t want to make a statement about a product if I don’t believe in it.” I opened a cupboard and took down two mugs and the box of tea bags.
“If you don’t believe in Permezzo, why did you agree to do the commercial in the first place?”
I sighed and gave Robin a sideways look.
“Okay, don’t tell me. Grady, right?”
“I couldn’t let him down,” I said, shaking my head. “He’s doing well in this job and I wanted to help him. And it’s not that I don’t believe in Permezzo. I’ve been using the card for years, before I ever heard about the commercial.”
“Well, let’s talk about that. That can help you with your motivation. If you don’t know why you’re saying something, you’ll never be able to pull off the line. A good actress believes what she says. When the camera zooms in on you, we’ll know by looking in your eyes if you’re speaking from the heart. So, tell me in your own words: What do you like about Permezzo?”
“They have a very attentive and efficient concierge service,” I said, smiling at a thought.
“Why are you smiling?” Robin asked.
“You’ll probably think I’m old-fashioned,” I said, setting our mugs on the table next to a plate of sugar cookies I’d baked that morning. “What I like best is that their telephones are always answered by real live people. I prefer to talk to a person without having to wade through multiple voice prompts and menu choices delivered electronically.”
“You mean a person actually picks up the phone when you call Permezzo?”
“Yes.”
“That’s certainly unusual,” Robin said, dunking a cookie into her tea.
“It is. And there’s another thing. When you’re traveling overseas on business, you need someone who can serve as a travel agent to help you rearrange your plans when something unforeseen comes up. Permezzo does that.”
“I thought you had a travel agent.”
“I do. Susan Shevlin, the mayor’s wife, has been my travel agent for years.”
“Can’t she help you when you’re on the road?”
“She often does,” I said. “It was Susan who suggested I get the Permezzo card. While I would hesitate to call and wake her up in the middle of the night to reticket me if I missed a connection in Tokyo—which happened once—I have no such compunctions when it comes to calling Permezzo. They’re open twenty-four hours a day. And I’m assured of getting someone who will be able to understand my problem, and work with me to fix it.”
“Why don’t you rewrite the commercial to say just that?”
“I don’t think that would make me very popular with Betsy Archibald.”
“Who’s she?”
“The creative director. Besides, I’m not even sure I could say all that in sixty seconds. That’s a special skill, fitting a lot of
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