Laser Babies

New York, 2022

Twenty executives in identical charcoal-colored suits (including the lone woman in attendance) sit around a massive mahogany table. The view out the 143rd floor window is a staggering several hundred feet above the crusty-brown smog layer enveloping the city.

“How’s the new campaign going for Uranium Bites cereal?” Clarke Stomper, the Senior Vice-President for marketing looks directly at the newest ad executive, rising young star Newt Vorich. Newt stands six-foot-five although his natural height of five-foot-nine has been altered through a series of cosmetic operations. Considerably shorter, Clarke looks more like a middle linebacker than an executive. He loves the ad game, though, where words and images instead of just biceps are used to crush the opposition. And the nastier it gets the more he likes it.

“Fantastic,” Newt replies. “The FDA’s signed off on everything except final wording of the tag lines. We started negotiations with: ‘Uranium Bites—nuclear-powered goodness guaranteed to reduce your blood pressure by 50 points and your resting heart rate by half.’ But we knew they wouldn’t go for our opening ploy and after the dust settled they’re letting us say 35 points for the BP and 25 percent on the HR.” Clarke raises a beefy hand in the air signaling everyone to absolute silence while he thinks. It’s a trademark signal of his and if anyone feels a sneeze or cough coming on they’d better stuff their tie in their mouth. It’s either that or pack up and leave the building—on the double. Finally after

Impressum

Verlag: BookRix GmbH & Co. KG

Texte: Preston Randall
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 27.02.2012
ISBN: 978-3-7309-1475-5

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