(Four women are in an office. They are all dressed in white – no gowns, just your basic white dress shirts, blouses, whatever. The leader is Angela, who is standing by a flip chart, with some markers. Angel is at the table; Angelita might be perched on a chair somewhere. Angelica is pacing back and forth.)

ANGELA: So, what other ideas do we have to put up here?

ANGELICA: Fireworks! That’s it. We have a giant fireworks display!

ANGELA: Angel, what do you think?

ANGEL: Well, gee, I don’t know, uh –

ANGELICA: Or a light show. You know, with lasers sort of criss-crossing the night sky.

ANGEL: I thought we were just supposed to write up a press release, call a press conference, that sort of thing.

ANGELA: Well, I think we want to do more than send out a press kit. I think they want us to do something, you know, special.

ANGELITA: Well, usually when you do a new product roll-out, you want to have some kind of gimmick, right? Some kind of promotional trick?

ANGELICA: Exactly! That’s exactly what I was saying, Angelita. We could do sky-writing.

ANGEL: Skywriting?

ANGELICA: Yeah, you know, one of those guys in an airplane who flies around and –

ANGEL: I know what skywriting is, Angelica.

ANGELA: I think the question Angel’s trying to ask is: Why skywriting?

ANGELICA: Well, I figure we’ve got this whole sky thing going for us, right? You know, up in the heavens? So I figure anything we can do in the sky plays to our strengths – fireworks, lasers, skywriting, whatever.

ANGELITA: You won’t be able to read skywriting at night, though.

ANGELICA: Is that a problem?

ANGELITA: I don’t know. Is it? Angela?

ANGELA: I think they wanted to do this at night.

ANGELICA: At night.

ANGELA: Yeah, you know. Prime time.

ANGELICA: OK, so that rules out the skywriting.

ANGELITA: Are you going to capture the other things Angelica said, though? I thought there were some good ideas in there.

ANGELICA: Thank you.

ANGELA: OK.

(She writes "fireworks" and "light show" on the flip chart.)

Fireworks. Light show. So what else?

ANGELITA: Well, the other thing with a new product roll-out is you want repetition. You really need to drum your message into consumers. And you need to do it across multiple platforms – print, broadcast, direct mail pieces, you name it.

ANGELA: OK, repetition.

(She writes the word "repetition" on the flip chart.)

ANGEL: So is that how we should be thinking of this?

ANGELITA: What do you mean?

ANGELA: Say a bit more, Angel.

ANGEL: A new product roll-out. Is that how we should think of this?

ANGELICA: I’ve got it! We do a rainbow! No, wait, we’ve done that. And you couldn’t see it at night anyway. OK, never mind the rainbow.

ANGELITA: So what’s your problem with thinking about this as a new product roll-out?

ANGEL: Well, I don’t know. That just seems a little – cheap, don’t you think?

ANGELA: Well, it is a new product in a way, isn’t it?

ANGEL: It’s not like we’re pushing soda pop here.

ANGELITA: Don’t get hung up on the product part. It’s a new message in the marketplace. Same thing.

ANGEL: Is it? A new message, I mean.

ANGELITA: Well, sure.

ANGEL: Hasn’t this always been our message, though?

ANGELA: Well, this is sort of a "new and improved" kind of message, I suppose.

ANGELICA: We release some doves. Or maybe just a single dove, in a sort of understated kind of way. Maybe with an olive branch. No, wait, we did that, too. Never mind.

ANGELITA: Whatever we do we need repetition to cut through the clutter.

ANGEL: I’ll admit there’s a lot of clutter out there.

ANGELICA: A bonfire! We could build a bonfire. You know – burning bushes. A whole field full of them. That would sure get attention. And it plays on brand loyalty.

ANGELITA: Too many complications. Safety issues. Environmental permits. I’d stay away from the whole fire thing. Wrong image. This needs to be more upbeat.

ANGELA: Angel, you seem quiet. How would you recommend we handle this?

ANGEL: I still think I’d be very low-key about it all – above the fray. I’d call a press conference, put out a press release, go around to talk to newspaper editorial boards. The written word’s always been very big for us.

ANGELITA: Angel’s very old school.

ANGEL: I could see maybe doing some TV talk shows.

ANGELITA: Which ones?

ANGEL: Well, you know, important ones. Like the Sunday morning news programs.

ANGELITA: Not Lettermen? Not Leno?

ANGEL: Uh-uh. I think it cheapens the message.

ANGELA: What about the morning news shows?

ANGEL: Well, those might be OK. The "Today" show is OK. But I was really thinking something more like NPR.

ANGELA: What do you think, Angelita?

ANGELITA: Too much narrow-casting. We’re not just trying to reach decision-makers and opinion leaders here. This needs to be a mass market kind of message. We need to employ the full range of marketing tools.

ANGELICA: Cereal boxes!

ANGEL: Cereal boxes?

ANGELICA: And fast food tie-ins. You know, with kid’s meals. We have toys to give away. Action figures. Posters.

ANGEL: Action figures? What kind of action figures?

ANGELICA: Well, I don’t know. It’s a concept, OK? I haven’t fleshed it out yet.

ANGEL: It’s a baby! We don’t have any action figures!

ANGELITA: No, but you two may have just hit on something there, though. We need to play up the whole mother-child angle. The female demographic could be very important for us. (Optional trim begins.) We ought to negotiate for cover stories in the women’s magazines at the grocery store check-out. Those are often real impulse buys. (End trim.)

(Gabriel/Gabriella enters.)

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: OK, folks, listen up.

ANGELA: Hey, Gabriel/Gabriella, we were just brainstorming some ideas for the announcement.

ANGEL: We’re sort of hung up on whether this is a promotional campaign or a new policy statement.

ANGELITA: We were looking at some possible promotional tie-ins.

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: Well, don’t get too far ahead. I just got through talking with Michael, and he says the Man Upstairs wants it done a certain way.

ANGELA: What way is that?

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: First of all, no press conference.

ANGEL: Oh.

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: He says no big booming voice this time around. And he wants to start small.

ANGELITA: What? Why? I thought the whole idea was to get the world’s attention.

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: He’s got his reasons, I guess. Anyway, he wants to do this out in the country. Maybe start with some kind of photo-op thing with some shepherds.

ANGELITA: Shepherds? But sheep farmers aren’t part of our target market are they?

That’s so retro.

ANGELA: Maybe that’s what he’s aiming for?

ANGEL: Well, I could see that.

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: And he’s got some kind of ideas about a star. I’ve got the specs right here.

ANGELICA: See! I told you the light show was the way to go.

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: So could you put something together by, say, the 25th?

ANGELA: Let me check my calendar. Yeah, we could do the 25th.

GABRIEL/GABRIELLA: Good. I’ll tell him the marketing department is a go. He’s taking a real personal interest in this project, you know.

ANGELA: Well, that’s understandable.

ANGELITA: So, uh, should we consider this like a soft launch or is this the actual roll-out?

------ THE END -------

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Angela, the leader/moderator of the brainstorming group.

Angel, who is quiet, reserved, wants to do things more conservatively

Angelita, the know-it-all marketer

Angelica, who is brainstorming ideas

Gabriel/Gabriella, their boss

PROPS

Flip chart and markers

Angela, Angel, Angelita and Angelica should all wear white. No gowns, but white blouses, skirts, suits, etc.

Gabriel/Gabriella might be in white if female, or a gray business suit if a male.

• December 12, 2003 - No Shame Roanoke
  

  Angela: Trina Yancey
  Angel: Kris Sorsensen
  Angelita: Marycatherine Smith
  Angelica: Laura Tuggle Anderson
  Gabriel: Ross Laguzza
  

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