Serendipity or nefariousness?

[shakin318]

Point man on a major rebranding initiative for my company. Two creative teams working separately but parallel to each other (one internal - mine, one external - outside agency). Both teams delivering creative solution based on reasearch findings/value proposition outline that I put together. Present objective is a company tagline that effectively expresses value prop, and establishes a flexible/powerful creative platform upon which to build out messaging that works equally well for various diverse divisions of the company (no easy task). Blah blah blah....so anyway, the outside agency is presenting to us, and their proposed tagline is identical to the one my team was to present. Word for word, letter for letter. Never seen anything like it happen in 25 years in the business. We had a good laugh, and agreed "it must be right if we both came up with it," but in the back of my mind I'm like "what's up with these dooshes?"


Insert cool story bro meme here.

[Bonhomme Richard]

You have a traitor in your midst... Sort of like Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy; or Thirteen Going on Thirty.

[RaoulDuke]

if it smells like a rat..

[RaoulDuke]

Would it be out of the ordinary for these people to have met or know each other?

In my job everyone's worked for the competition, directly or as a consultant so it wouldn't be that far fetched that someone spilled the beans.

[Bonhomme Richard]

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke

if it smells like a rat..

The Frenchman knows the score.

Btw, Raoul, the NY Times did a feature profile on an author of French spy novels, something de Villiers. Apparently he's written over 150 novels filled with espionage and sex and has real contacts within the intelligence community. Sounds like interesting books but they are only published in French. You ever hear of him?

[RaoulDuke]

Originally Posted by Bonhomme Richard

The Frenchman knows the score.

The only thing that sounds fishy is that if contact was made between the 2 sides why have it be so visible? It’s like copying an essay word for word off the guy next you.

Originally Posted by Bonhomme Richard

Btw, Raoul, the NY Times did a feature profile on an author of French spy novels, something de Villiers. Apparently he's written over 150 novels filled with espionage and sex and has real contacts within the intelligence community. Sounds like interesting books but they are only published in French. You ever hear of him?

Yes

He's written a ton of books part of the 'SAS' collection which is a sort brand (Kind of like 007). Tons of sex, swearing, espionnage, written very loosely, airport litterature. Generally seen as 'litterature' for old perverts (my dad's read them all)

All the covers are sexy

[shakin318]

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke

Would it be out of the ordinary for these people to have met or know each other?

In my job everyone's worked for the competition, directly or as a consultant so it wouldn't be that far fetched that someone spilled the beans.

It's weird because I personally hired the outside agency and they report to me. They were presenting to me -- I have the final say in what we bring up the ladder to the board (a dozen octogenarians who come in twice a year to scare the crap out of the lifers here...I couldn't care less about them, I'm a hired-gun job-hopper). Frankly, if the agency's solution was better than mine, I'd be the first to tell them. My internal team had a different line we were going to go with for a couple of weeks -- I came up with the new one literally the day before the meeting, and changed my presentation to reflect it. My team was aware of it...maybe someone spilled the beans and the agency thought their line sucked in comparison? Just odd...

[Bonhomme Richard]

Originally Posted by RaoulDuke

Yes

He's written a ton of books part of the 'SAS' collection which is a sort brand (Kind of like 007). Tons of sex, swearing, espionnage, written very loosely, airport litterature. Generally seen as 'litterature' for old perverts (my dad's read them all)

All the covers are sexy

Lol, sweet

[RaoulDuke]

Originally Posted by shakin318

It's weird because I personally hired the outside agency and they report to me. They were presenting to me -- I have the final say in what we bring up the ladder to the board (a dozen octogenarians who come in twice a year to scare the crap out of the lifers here...I couldn't care less about them, I'm a hired-gun job-hopper). Frankly, if the agency's solution was better than mine, I'd be the first to tell them. My internal team had a different line we were going to go with for a couple of weeks -- I came up with the new one literally the day before the meeting, and changed my presentation to reflect it. My team was aware of it...maybe someone spilled the beans and the agency thought their line sucked in comparison? Just odd...

Now that I think about it, it screams "I'm not creative" if they did indeed get the info of your slogan, and changed it. No?

I'd be ashamed to do it if I was in their shoes.

[Fishooked]

Originally Posted by shakin318

It's weird because I personally hired the outside agency and they report to me.

Did they bring multiple copies of their resumes at the time?

[Carlton]

Must be a coincidence. I seriously doubt anyone would copy your work on purpose.

[RaoulDuke]

Originally Posted by Fishooked

Did they bring multiple copies of their resumes at the time?

LOL

At the end one of the guys from the agency stands up and says "Well that has to be 2nd toughest challenge I've ever had."

Winks, exits stage left.

[Timmy®]

Originally Posted by shakin318

Point man on a major rebranding initiative for my company. Two creative teams working separately but parallel to each other (one internal - mine, one external - outside agency). Both teams delivering creative solution based on reasearch findings/value proposition outline that I put together. Present objective is a company tagline that effectively expresses value prop, and establishes a flexible/powerful creative platform upon which to build out messaging that works equally well for various diverse divisions of the company (no easy task). Blah blah blah....so anyway, the outside agency is presenting to us, and their proposed tagline is identical to the one my team was to present. Word for word, letter for letter. Never seen anything like it happen in 25 years in the business. We had a good laugh, and agreed "it must be right if we both came up with it," but in the back of my mind I'm like "what's up with these dooshes?"


Insert cool story bro meme here.

while we're ok with you, we hate commercials, ads of all kinds, and the people that make that garbage. we're glad when marketing people get f*ed over - I even laughed and said "good!" out loud.

[Fishooked]

Originally Posted by Timmy®

while we're ok with you, we hate commercials, ads of all kinds, and the people that make that garbage. we're glad when marketing people get f*ed over - I even laughed and said "good!" out loud.

shakin was behind the 'Saved by Zero' Nissan campaign

[shakin318]

I'm going to chalk it up to serendipity. Basically because I like saying "serendipity." And because there's a smoking hot Jr. Writer on the agency team, and she's always hitting me up for career advice.

You should see her in her new black jeans.

[32green]

You should have answered your phone.


-

[Timmy®]

a slogan was clearly stolen, a hampur guy in the mix, and no one suspects him?
this reminds me of the time ex-hampur genius Lister got caught cheating on a college assignment and claimed he was framed.

[shakin318]

Originally Posted by Timmy®

a slogan was clearly stolen, a hampur guy in the mix, and no one suspects him?
this reminds me of the time ex-hampur genius Lister got caught cheating on a college assignment and claimed he was framed.

This guy gets it. I stole their line to impress....myself.

[Bonhomme Richard]

Originally Posted by Fishooked

shakin was behind the 'Saved by Zero' Nissan campaign

Uhhh... Douche chills

Originally Posted by shakin318

This guy gets it. I stole their line to impress....myself.

Shakin you diabolical....

[JetPotato]

Serendipity was only a watchable film due to the presence of Kate Beckinsale. Only reason to even glance at it really.

I had hopes for this thread. How disappointing. It's like only watching the Cusack scenes.