DIARY: What some will do to win business ..

<p>In these harsh economic times, stories abound about agencies going </p><p>to extraordinary lengths to grab business from their rivals. But the </p><p>word on the street is that D'Arcy's effort to lure the Hong Kong iMail </p><p>away from McCann-Erickson takes the cake. If ever there was to be an </p><p>awards category for "well-crafted but unrequested pitches", D'Arcy would </p><p>win hands down. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>The Sing Tao-owned, English-language newspaper has been using McCann for </p><p>the past year and, apparently, there are no plans for an agency review </p><p>of any kind. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>But out of the blue recently, D'Arcy copywriter Sam Cope planted himself </p><p>at the entrance of the publication's building in a bid to get some </p><p>attention from senior iMail managers. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>Sandwiched between two boards, he carried a message from his </p><p>masters. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>"We're keen to get our hands on your paper," a poster announced. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>And just so that there is no misunderstanding about D'Arcy's intention, </p><p>the agency has also taken a full-page, full colour ad in the iMail to </p><p>mark the newspaper's first anniversary. </p><p><BR><BR> </p><p>To underline D'Arcy's seriousness, the agency has even gone the extra </p><p>mile outside the bounds of advertising and come up with a medical </p><p>solution - a bottle of "D'Arcy pills for better circulation". </p><p><BR><BR> </p>