| June 30, 2003 |
An anonymous official said marketing executives at the Commission have gone so far as to suggest a special Finalist Scratcher whereby agencies would learn of their fate by matching three "You Win" logos. The Scratchers of those who were not invited to the finals would reveal the words “You're Fucked.”
“The other day, I overheard a conference call with one agency,” said the anonymous insider. “Our marketing executives gave this agency a list of phone booths throughout the city. They told them that if they are not at the phone booth when they called, they'd be out of the pitch. When they hung up, they just laughed and laughed.”
Agency new-business people relate similar stories of humiliation by the Lottery Commission. Said one senior new business executive who did not want to be identified, “They go to elaborate lengths to screw with you. I got a call from them telling us that we've won the account and to expect a package that day. When I opened the package, there was just a note that said, ‘Not really.’”
“You'd think that agencies would catch on and refuse participate in the review, but they just keep coming," he added. "In my opinion, they’re just asking for it.”
When asked if the Lottery Commission had any real plans to actually award the account, the insider said, “No. In fact at this moment, they're working on a round-robin agency receptionist Jell-O wrestling tournament to determine a list of contenders.
“I’d say something like that probably pushes the limits of dignity to which an agency would subject themselves, but then again, new business people at agencies seem to be whores for any account win, so I suspect we’ll see a dozen or so half-naked receptionists wallowing in gelatin sometime soon,” he concluded.
