"Mr. Fuchs, allow me to introduce our first supernatural spokesmodel, Bloody Mary." Ned Coulter waved his hand at the antique silver-framed mirror on a tripod in the middle of the lab.
"This is unbelievable." Bernard Fuchs, VP of Advertising Technology Development, unbuttoned his jacket and slowly circled the mirror, fascinated but unwilling to get closer. The gruesome figure within the silvered glass watched him with just as much interest. "I just heard of this and here it is."
Ned moved to his computer. "Yes sir, it is very new. I think we have an advantage here, one we act quickly to exploit
The phantasm had a woman's face with black pits for eyes and mouth, outdated clothing that shifted style over time. Blood coated the chin and streaked the cheeks like tears. It watched Bernard, hands coyly behind its back, until he moved behind the mirror, and was still watching when he stepped around to the front again.
Trading sports coat for lab coat, Ned also watched his boss, gauging the man's reaction to the presentation. "Believe it, Mr. Fuchs," he said. "And it gets better." A few keystrokes at his computer dimmed the overhead lights in the laboratory and spot-lit other reflective surfaces.
At Ned's nod the apparition faded, then reappeared on every reflective surface in the lab. No matter the angle, every one was looking straight at Bernard. The man was chilled but impressed.
"And, uhm, she can do this anywhere?" Bernard tore his eyes from the ghostly images to look at Ned. "Great," he replied to Ned's positive nod. "What kind of technology do we need to field?"
"That's the real beauty, Mr. Fuchs," said Ned in his best power-sell voice. "Every home in America already has everything we need. Our client's television advertisements will contain a subliminal component for the invocation. Every time one of those ads play, bang, we're on everything shiny in the house."
"Excellent," Bernard said, pushing back his thinning hair. He glanced at the nearest apparition and it winked at him. He quickly looked back at Ned. "Did you call Legal?"
"Yes, sir." Ned was glad he'd prepared. "They assured me it would be years before this technology could be regulated."
"Actually, I meant possible liability," he said, beginning to sweat from the effort of not looking at those frightening eyes.
"Right. Well, The research that originally confirmed the existence of supernatural persons also proved they are everywhere and unable to harm anyone. That makes privacy a non-issue because the SP's are already there."
"Clear enough." Bernard fought the strong urge to leave the lab. "What about labelling?"
"That's why I asked you to come down, sir." Ned raised the lights. "She's done it!" He motioned to the old mirror, where Bloody Mary was flashing a series of iconic logos in front of itself. It even toned down the disturbing facial features.
"Brilliant," said Bernard happily, concerns forgotten. "I'm blown away, Ned. Let's go run this by Accounts and maybe Production. I'd love to get this up and running by the holidays."
Ned turned off the lights and the two men left, happily discussing ways to integrate Bloody Mary into advertising schemes. In the tiny illumination of LEDs glowing from various machines around the lab, Bloody Mary stretched clawed hands and bared ranks of fangs, then laughed silently as it waited to be released on a target audience.
The End
No comments:
Post a Comment