Following Nicole's advice Alec becomes the acknowledged rainmaker as Ad Director of LIFE magazine. Twenty-two years have passed. Alec is unmarried and 44-years old is a fatal age on Madison Avenue. LIFE begins to stumble and Alec takes the only open ad sales position: to promote the relaunch of fictitious Sound Advice--a venerable magazine with a history of refusing advertising because it might compromise editorial integrity.
The scrawny Sound Advice, in the age of glitz, glitter and sex, offered the layout excitement of a dead squirrel. The successful executives of Madison Avenue dressed in designer clothing, drank their branded booze out of Waterford crystal glasses, and displayed the products they advertised prominently where they lived. Alec knew it might take divine intervention to place S.A.in the living room of their posh residences.
On the plus side, the editorial product was unabashedly pristine. Also, the S.A.subscribers filled out direct response coupons in avalanche numbers, but no one cared. Ad agencies tried to convince Alec that selling Sound Advicewas an unsound move!
The competition, Money magazine, with their young, affluent yuppie readers, was every advertiser's darling. To exist, Sound Advice, had to convince advertisers that older, wealthier readers with zero kids in college and big portfolios were the better buy.
To do this Alec had the nearly one million S.A subscribers, the slick new graphics, the lousy age numbers, the zero readers per copy, and a brand new audited rate card.
A triumph of clever, original and inventive ideas! S.A.knew success had arrived when they received a crate of bananas from a major ad agency to show their excitement.
Soon Alec is called to an appointment with the CEO of the world's fifth-largest advertising agency (French owned). The door opens, and Alec faces Nicole Bocart. After 22-years, this is their final chance to reignite the love of a lifetime.
Kirkus Discoveries states "Bennis tempts and tantalizes...this narrative has enough twists and turns to satisfy a mystery lover, and the characters are endearing." http://www.cmichaelbennis.com/
Rules of Engagement, honored with the NABE Pinnacle Achievement Award, is available online at Amazon.com and through wholesale and retail channels worldwide. http://www.cmichaelbennis.com/
About the Author: C. Michael Bennis is a toy and advertising industry executive.
MEDIA CONTACT:C. Michael Bennis Email: cmichaelbennis@yahoo.com Phone: (520) 444-3964 http://www.cmichaelbennis.com/
REVIEW COPIES AND INTERVIEWS AVAILABLE
###