Chapter 58: Time Cigarettes

Ethan was currently sitting in a meeting room with Jimmy discussing a new project.

"Look at these! These are all the new clients' information! Wow! It's exciting that we've become famous in one fell swoop!"

Jimmy could hardly sit still, perched on Ethan's desk, his shirt button undone, eagerly showing Ethan the brand companies that had contacted them in the past few days.

"Yeah, they're all big names."

Ethan raised an eyebrow, surprised to see Coca-Cola among them. It seemed that the advertisement for Kerr's had indeed sparked interest from many large companies.

Unfortunately, they were only inquiring and hadn't finalized any collaborations.

But it didn't matter; they had used this creative idea to prove one thing: as their company slogan suggested, they indeed provided top-notch creativity in America.

So other companies wanted to see if supreme creativity could save their underperforming products.

However, Ethan wasn't blinded by these superficial inquiries and documents. He tossed aside a large portion of the papers in front of him, keeping only one.

Contrary to what Jimmy expected, Ethan chose a cigarette brand this time!

"Why, Ethan? Why don't we continue in the food industry?" Jimmy was completely taken aback by Ethan's choice. Although this Time brand of cigarettes held a significant market share, the industry had been under tighter regulation ever since the 1964 report in the U.S. about the dangers of smoking, which led to penalties of over $360 billion against the tobacco industry.

Moreover, in 1970, the United States had already banned tobacco advertisements on screen, so any ads from tobacco companies were completely devoid of tobacco imagery and focused solely on brand promotion. They were also very cautious, maintaining stable relationships with advertising agencies and unlikely to switch easily.

However, Time was an exception because their advertising contract with their agency was nearing expiration, which led to this advertising competition.

Yet, Jimmy felt this was just a ruse; the advertising agency must have coordinated with the higher-ups at the tobacco company. If the creative ideas weren't significantly different, they would likely continue with their existing three-year advertising contract.

Seeing Jimmy's confusion, Ethan picked up the paper and explained, "Because we need to expand our business. Jimmy, do you know why companies from other industries don't come to us?"

"Why?"

"Because they think our expertise is limited to food," Ethan said, locking eyes with Jimmy. "But that's not true. We just happened to land the Kerr's account."

"So we need to break that impression?" Jimmy frowned, deep in thought.

"Exactly. We need to send a message to the outside world that Supreme Creativity excels not only in food but in other categories as well. As for why we chose a tobacco company—do you think the advertising in this market is easy?"

"Of course not! Every time I see an advertisement, it reminds me of my health!" Jimmy immediately understood, voicing the downside of advertising such products.

"Right. Tobacco advertising is tough to pull off, which is exactly why we want to do it!" Ethan slammed the paper on the table. "That aligns perfectly with Supreme Creativity's philosophy, doesn't it?"

"The top creative provider in America?" Jimmy repeated the slogan.

Ethan smiled. "Exactly. We dare to venture into industries others avoid, and we'll do it better than anyone else. Isn't that the best advertisement?"

"Yeah! You're right, Ethan! I get it now!" Jimmy perked up again. "You must already have an idea in mind!"

Unexpectedly, Ethan shook his head. "No."

"What? This isn't like you, Ethan!" Jimmy's mouth dropped open.

"Hey, buddy, don't rush," Ethan said, standing up and patting Jimmy's shoulder. "Although I don't have a concrete idea yet, I've got some thoughts brewing in my mind. Inspiration takes time."

Ethan twirled his finger at his temple, then turned to walk toward the door.

As he reached the door, he suddenly turned back and asked, "By the way, Jimmy, who is the old advertising agency for Time?"

"IPG, our old rival." Jimmy thought it was odd to encounter the same company for three consecutive advertising competitions, almost like a grudge.

But Ethan didn't care. He opened the door and said while walking out, "IPG, looks like they're out of luck."

"Exactly, it's bad luck to run into a company like yours," Jimmy laughed in agreement.

After Ethan left the company, he headed to the customer service area to mingle with the girls. What he enjoyed most was listening to the young women chat with him in sweet, soft voices, occasionally sharing risqué jokes that made them laugh, allowing him to glance at their animated figures.

Ethan, on the other hand, went directly to a bar after leaving the company.

The reason for coming here was, of course, to meet a lovely lady.

"Ding ding ding!"

As he pushed open the bar door, the first thing that caught his eye was the dimly lit bar counter and the soft yellow lights. It was still early, and the bar had just begun to open for the night.

Ethan walked a few steps inside and spotted the golden long straight hair at the bar counter.

"Avery."

He greeted her and sat down beside her. The bartender, polishing a glass, immediately asked, "Sir, what would you like to drink?"

"Give me your specialty."

"Sure."

Avery turned to Ethan. "You're late."

"Why? Does waiting for a handsome guy make the time drag?"

Avery laughed at his comment. "Bullshit, Ethan, you're so thick-skinned."

"Am I not handsome?" Ethan leaned closer to Avery, and she didn't shy away but stared straight back at him.

The closeness allowed them to smell each other's scent.

It was still lavender, strong yet not overly seductive.

They fell into a brief silence until the bartender brought Ethan his drink.

Ethan picked up the glass, took a sip, then raised an eyebrow. "This drink is good. What's it called?"

"Passionate Roast," the bartender replied with a smile before tactfully moving to another part of the bar.

"Passionate Roast…" Ethan muttered the name of the drink, feeling a spark of inspiration flash through his mind.

Seeing this, Avery didn't interrupt Ethan but quietly enjoyed her drink, knowing that he was deep in thought. She remembered how she used to think this way in school.

Her classmates would say she looked foolish, but she was simply pondering how to write her lyrics.

Fortunately, Ethan's silence didn't last long. After a minute, he returned to the present.

"Did you think of something?" Avery asked, a bit curious. She found Ethan mysterious, with an aura that wasn't particularly inviting, just like when he was on set.

But that only made her want to explore further because rebellious people didn't follow rules.

She liked Ethan's boldness, his uniqueness, and the way he cursed. It felt authentic and made her feel that she and Ethan were kindred spirits.

"Nothing much, just thought of a really good idea."

Before leaving, he had told Jimmy to let inspiration brew for a bit longer, and now, the bartender's words had brought that inspiration down to earth.

He figured out what Time should focus on as their selling point.

....

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