DIARY: A downwardly mobile call that failed to tell of a supermarket sweep

The pitch for the supermarket chain, Morrisons, was protracted,

particularly for the Leeds shop, Poulters, which made its initial

credentials presentation in June and its final presentation in July.

Gloomy echoes of ‘Well, I think it’s staying with BDH, don’t you?’ were

ringing round the agency.

Until a few Fridays ago when at 6.45pm Richard Lewis, the Poulters

managing director, took a call from Morrisons’ marketing director who

was on a mobile phone on the Leeds to London rail link.

The conversation went something like this: ‘.....ich.....d,......er

inb.....s!.....@%^? GBJ^&*^.’ Then silence.

On Monday morning Poulters had a proper call saying they’d won the work.

Insiders tell us they more than made up for missing out on a weekend’s

celebrations.