Less than the sum of their parts

[Dadeo]

This happened a few years ago but some shopping triggered the memory. (Not Black Friday, I swear)

When I was freelancing, I was hired to do a campaign for a very large electronics manufacturer for the launch of their new line of graphics cards. I pitched three campaigns to them and after some deliberation, they decided the didn't like any of them. Cut to a couple of months later and I'm reading one of the computer mags and I see a horrendously ugly but strangely familiar ad. It was nasty. It was badly written, poorly composed and uninformative. And it was mine. Well, three of mine to be precise. See, the client didn't like any of my individual ideas but put them all together and Hey Presto! Magic!

I got on the phone to the agency who got in touch with the company who said "Well, we changed it so it's not the same." Sorry, that's not the way it works. I wasn't there for the conversation but the agency got me the full payout for the campaign and an apology from the marketing manager.

[Moosenogger]

Glad you caught it. Apparently, companies like to try this. They figure if it's changed a little, it's not stealing.

[Hanzoku]

This is what happens when someone with no marketing experience and limited grasp of English decides to do the work themselves?

Glad it turned out well for you in the end, but it does suck when a company thinks they can steal your work and profit from it.

[manybellsdown]

Should've paid you 3 times the price for using all of them.

[Mr Hero]

Sounds like you got one of Seraph's customers.

[Eevie]

Idiots. Glad you caught it though, nice job!

[Cat Herder]

Quoth Mr Hero

Sounds like you got one of Seraph's customers.

I was just thinking the same thing!