Stick to the Core—or Go for More?
“Cut!” Spike Sanchez stomped toward the stage, his arms waving the music to a stop. Wearing black from head to toe, sporting dark glasses, and sweating under the heat of the lights, he was losing his patience. A highly respected music video director, Sanchez was starting to wonder if taking on this advertising gig was such a great idea. “How many times do I have to tell you to point the logo on the can toward the camera during that move?”
On stage was Maygan M, a pop singer whose star had risen in the months since she’d agreed to do this ad. She was a sweet-faced, 18-year-old beauty, dressed in a sequined, midriff-baring halter top, a skintight leopard microskirt, and platform shoes that had already tripped her up twice. She sheltered her eyes from the lights and glared at Sanchez. “Like I can even see the stupid logo,” she whined. “Maybe you could fix it on a computer or something?”
“Or maybe you should just do what I say,” Sanchez shot back. “Then we might have some hope of airing this 30-second spot before your 15 minutes of fame are up!” He turned abruptly, strode off the stage, and dropped back into his director’s chair. “Let’s try it again from the top.” Maygan pouted at him for a moment and then flipped her long hair, spun around, and went back to her starting position.
Sitting next to Sanchez was Ian Rafferty, cofounder and head of creative services for Advaark, a New York–based advertising agency. “Pretty tough to work with, isn’t she?” he whispered.
“This?” Sanchez waved his hand dismissively. “This is nothing! Try working with some rock ‘n’ roll dinosaur strung out on crank and wanting to make a comeback!”
In the back of the studio, Rafferty’s partner and fellow founder George Caldwell was deep in conversation with John McWilliams, the CEO of GlobalBev. Both men were oblivious to the antics onstage. One of