A New Frontier: a story in 60 seconds

"A good advertisement is one which sells the product without drawing attention to itself." ---David Ogilvy

A dozen junior account executives sat in anxious silence around the conference table. A guy glanced at his watch. A young lady scratched something on her legal pad. Everyone tried to appear unnerved.

Then Mr. Plumb entered the room.

He sat at the head of the table and immediately appeared displeased.

“You all read the brief,” he began. “Our client is launching a new energy drink, and they want their holiday campaign to be ‘out of this world’: that means no celebrities, no goofball influencers, no senseless Gen Z jargon. Got it?”

Everyone nodded in unison.

Mr. Plumb glanced back down at the stack of printouts. “Alright, my gifted visionaries. It’s time to pitch.”

A young man with round spectacles cleared his throat. “We can do a pop-up,” he suggested confidently. “Something 4D, experiential, like kayaking through white water or bungee jumping off the Empire State Building.”

“That’d be a great idea—for grand-nephews Bar Mitzvah.”

The young exec shrunk back into his seat.

“Anyone else?”

Others cautiously offered ideas, but Mr. Plumb quickly dismissed them. After fifteen minutes, he was fed up with the process.

A woman wearing a purple blazer raised her hand.

“Mr. Plumb,” she said coolly. “I admit that what I’m about to suggest is pie-in-the-sky, but I’ve been in discussion with the necessary regulators, attorneys, and aerospace engineers, and I think we can pull it off.”

After explaining her vision, Mr. Plumb sat in contemplative silence. He opened his mouth but closed it quickly.

“How long do you need?” he finally asked.

“If the licensors and regulators play ball…maybe six weeks.”

Mr. Plumb stood up abruptly. “Everybody out,” he commanded. “Except you,” pointing at the young woman in purple.

Two months later, they were both standing in Mr. Plumb’s office, clinking Champagne flutes. The sun had recently set, and the room was dim.

“Are you ready for the dramatic unveiling,” Mr. Plumb asked.

“I can’t believe it,” the woman said excitedly. “I mean, who would’ve thought it was even possible.”

Mr. Plumb snickered. “Apparently, you did.”

She blushed.

“Alright, I’m going to roll up the blinds. Then together, we can marvel at our collective genius.”

As the blinds slowly lifted, they both gazed out into the clear night sky.

“There it is,” she murmured, staring through the window. “It’s breathtaking.”

“The client wanted something out of this world,” Mr. Plumb said. “And I’d say we delivered.”

For a moment, they stood in silence, quietly admiring their masterpiece. Mr. Plumb spoke first.

“On July 16, 1969, we put the first man on the moon. Fifty-five years later, we put our first advertisement.”

***Thanks for reading. What do you envision will be the future of advertising? Subliminal messaging? Dream imaging? Birds chirping your favorite jingle? Let me know, and please like, restack, and subscribe if you’re a fan of this 60-second story.***