e (79 page)

No it can’t. Which restaurant are they in? I’ll reach them there.

	Zoë Clarke – 1/13/00, 6:40pm
to:	Pinki Fallon
cc:
re:	urgent

Can’t remember. Sorry. I think it begins with P. Or is it V? I’m not sure, to be honest.

	[email protected] 1/13/00, 7:16pm
to:	[email protected]
cc:
re:	Cliffhanger II

She couldn’t get Crutton. He’s gone off to dinner with Harriet and the dork Zoë can’t remember which restaurant she booked them into. So she showed me Kitty and Jane’s 7UP campaign and asked me what I thought. The closet arse bandit is guilty as charged. Now she’s got
Lol to round up whoever is still here so she can brief them on a new Coke campaign. Looks like I won’t be tucked up at home tonight.

Sleep well, boys, content in the knowledge that you’ve just done a fucking superb day’s work.

	[email protected] 1/13/00, 7:21pm (11:21pm local)
to:	[email protected]
cc:
re:	Cliffhanger II

Sleep? You must be fucking joking. This is the best I’ve felt since I copped off with Delia Stubbs (year 2, Sacred Heart, Brighton). We’re gonna hit the Swaying Palms disco before all the underage French minxes are dragged off to bed by their mums. I feel lucky.

	Pinki Fallon – 1/13/00, 7:32pm
to:	Harriet Greenbaum David Crutton
cc:
re:	Coke

I’ve done my best to find you because you need to know what I’ve just discovered. If I haven’t managed to see you before you read this, I’m sorry, because it would have been better face to face.

Please don’t ask who told me, but I heard that our Coke campaign isn’t exactly original. “IT’S IN THE CAN” was actually done for 7UP by a student team from Watford College. They’re called Kitty Bates and Jane Backer. I did some checking this afternoon and apparently Simon was at Tavistock Hegg last week looking at books. One of them was theirs. That was the day he showed you “his” idea. I had the book sent over so I could see any similarities for myself. The two campaigns are virtually identical. This couldn’t possibly be put down to coincidence. The only differences are the things that we’ve added since Simon left.

I also have a couple of e-mails that I received from Simon this afternoon. Placed alongside the work, I think they are pretty self-incriminating.

I know you will want to see the evidence for yourselves before
you decide what to do. Personally, my mind is made up. I couldn’t possibly have anything more to do with this, and if it’s the agency’s decision to still present the work then I don’t think I could work here any more. Young teams have had their ideas ripped off for no reward for too long and this practise is sickening.

I know you might think that I’ve got an axe to grind and want to steal Simon’s job or something, but that isn’t the case. I feel gutted about this. I believed that Simon had a brilliant idea with “IT’S IN THE CAN” and it has been exciting to be part of its development this week.

For your information I am briefing the department to work through the night on a fallback. Given the hour, few people are around, so I’m not that hopeful of cracking it by the morning.

I’m sorry to be giving you such bad news. For the life of me, I wish I could spot a silver lining . . . 

	[email protected] 1/13/00, 7:35pm
to:	[email protected]
cc:
re:	Coke

I’ve looked at Kitty’s and Jane’s 7UP campaign and you were right. I’ve told David but he’s out and probably won’t respond until the morning. Whatever happens now, I want you to know that I wouldn’t be prepared to work for an agency that presented stolen work. If Simon keeps his job after this, I wouldn’t be prepared to work for a thief. Given how unscrupulous advertising is, I’ll probably be joining you in unemployment next week. Good luck with the shoot tomorrow . . . 

	[email protected] 1/13/00, 10:20pm (2:20am local)
to:	[email protected]
cc:
re:	night, night

Just back from getting jiggy with it. On the way we stopped by the Horne suite for a quick round of knock-down ginger. All we could
hear through the door were the muffled wails of a man watching his career flush down the Royal Doulton. There was a lobster salad under a silver dome outside his door – obviously not taking deliveries from room service. Vin is tucking into it now – consolation for choosing not to bring the gorgeous Françoise back from the discotheque. Well, she was eleven and even Vin draws the line at twelve.

Pinki sent us a sweet e. Tell her she can play her Leonard Cohen CDs as loud as she likes and we’ll never take the piss again.

Time for bed, said Zebedee.

	[email protected] 1/13/00, 10:31pm
to:	[email protected]
cc:
re:	night, night