Storyboard Read Online Free Page B

Sophia had a momentary wild mental image of the soap field, neatly hedged with chlorophyll toothpaste, light green andshiny with wax and smelling of rose bouquet, while at the gate the Outsiders battered to get in. But already P.A. had become the marshal of his army, and it was up to Sophia to appear an intelligent staff officer. P.A.’s skin took on the tan of a desert sun, and he moved his head from side to side like a lizard as he included them all in his appreciation of the situation. “It’s a battle,” he said. “We’ve got to make a killing, and we’ve got to make it quick if we don’t want the other boys to come in.”
    “Have we actually got a product yet?”
    “Keith!”
    “This is it,” Keith Bates said. He took five pieces of soap from a plain cardboard box, and handed them round. “They look rather like Foundation Soap actually ,” he said. “Of course, that’s because we’re using the same formula, as far as the people in Chemicals have been able to break it down, and the same tints, and the same scents.”
    “Looks like a flatter bar to me,” Fidge Randolph said.
    “Well, yes, it is a bit flatter. It’s a sort of more modern shape really, they think in Luton.”
    “I didn’t say more modern. I said flatter.”
    Donald said, “How does it measure up weightwise?”
    “Weightwise it’s the same.”
    “And scentwise the same, you say?”
    “Yes, it’s exactly the same scentwise.”
    Hugh moved in his seat like a cat thinking of the sandbox . “Keith, do you mean that our U.S.P. is that this product is flatter than the competition? Is that what you’re saying?”
    Sophia said, “Made To Fit Your Soap-Dish.”
    “Well….”
    “The Unique Sales Point for this product is what the advertising can give it,” P.A. said. “That too difficult for you, Hugh?”
    There was a silence. If Hugh were not going to reply to this, nor was anybody else. “Hoppness didn’t have to choose this Agency,” P.A. said. “And I didn’t have to choose this Group. If you don’t think you can do the job, say so.”
    “Oh, I wouldn’t say——” Desmond Bart said quickly, and Fidge said, “Do it if we have to.” Media was silent, and so was Marketing; creative problems didn’t concern them. Keith rubbed a piece of tissue paper from the cardboard box quickly over the palms of his hands to mop up the sweat, which had begun to combine with the new product to form a light lather. Hugh sat there, a gray cat, which is used to kicks, but goes on eating. He said, “I’m sorry, P.A. We were just feeling round the problem.” He gave the little ingratiating simper he only made when he was ill at ease. “We’re all supposed to do it, I believe. One of the messenger boys goes to I.P.A. classes in the evenings, and he was telling me——”
    “All right, Hugh.”
    “Is there a name yet?”
    Keith said, “We’re supposed to advise them.”
    “They haven’t got a wrapper then, if they haven’t got a name?”
    Fidge Randolph said, “Now, there we can do something modern. With shapes. Modern shapes. I see it as a kind of——”
    “There is some research on colours,” Keith said.
    “—kind of——”
    “In fact, Packaging Section did a test——”
    “You mean there is a wrapper?”
    “Five,” Keith said. “Packaging Section tested five.
    *
    But we don’t have to accept any of them, provided we can persuade Hoppness ours is better. We’d have to be sure of that, of course.”
    “But if the product hasn’t got a name——”
    “They left it blank on the wrappers they tested.”
    Desmond Bast said, “I’ve always wanted to do something about soap. Something atmospheric. Mood. There’s a man in France I want to use. He does marvellous things with silhouettes to music. Very sensual things.”
    “Silhouettes?”
    “Very dark dream-figures. I’ve been wanting to use him for ages.”
    P.A. said, “Perhaps we could leave the creative people to talk this out later. You know what’s