Just who is this ‘Smith’, anyway?

Now the Diary’s boss, Mr Stuart Smith, is an open-minded fellow, but it seems he’s been taking things to extremes lately. As Marketing Week’s editorial assistant has been on holiday, the Diary has got its mitts on the office mail – and creaming off the best freebies. When a Harvey Nichols bag arrived, marked “Stuart Smith”, the Diary scuttled off into a corner and tore open the seal, to reveal the following note: “As the Harvey Nichols’ girl about town, I thought it only right that you be the first to wear HN. ‘If a man in the street suddenly buys you flowers… you know why!!’ Richard X”. Enclosed was a sample bottle of Harvey Nichols’ new perfume. The Diary can only hope that there has been a mix-up at the shop, and that Mr Smith actually ordered a bottle of Old Spice.

It seems, though, that Harvey Nicks’ marketing staff aren’t the only people with targeting problems. A charming letter, addressed to “Mr Stuart Smith, Editor, Marketing Week” has also found its way onto the Diary’s desk. The letter details the fact that one Miss Denise Blackburn, a graduate student at South Bank University, has won the Worshipful Company of Marketors’ [sic] Award for the best marketing dissertation in her Masters’ course. Miss Blackburn, the first student to be awarded a distinction for the course – in international marketing – would like her achievement to be featured in the October edition of Marketing Business. The Diary wishes her the best of luck and hopes that a mention here will suffice in the interim.