The joke was on me
I was the last one to know. By the time I discovered my by-lined post (ghost-written by someone funnier than I) nearly all of my co-workers had seen it. Having gone most of the day without time for Twitter, I’d missed the fact that my doppelganger had, in a matter of hours, amassed 1250 followers and even caught the attention of Digiday editor Brian Morrissey.
The prank was brilliantly conceived and executed by some of the TNGGers at Mullen: twenty-somethings brimming with irreverence, fearlessness and no sense of corporate protocol whatsoever. Good thing they work in advertising.
Thirty-plus years ago when I was starting in the business I worked for an entrepreneurial computer company, Data General. As the company reporter and photographer I covered an employee celebration of DG’s 10th anniversary. One of the founders cut the cake and jokingly I suggested he feed it to the CEO for a little photo-op. The request was met with stunned silence. And three months later my boss actually brought it up as the reason why my performance review wasn’t perfect. That’s when I realized I needed to get out.
I like the fact that the new generation feels less intimidated than previous generations. And, I guess, I’m flattered that they think I can take it. Even in a forum as public as the world wide web.
