DIARY: What some will do to win business ..

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

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