LISTENING 06 - LEVEL 06 - Meeting with the client

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Preparation Activity

Listening File

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MARKETING MEETING

Nathalie: Good morning, everyone. Thank you for coming to Fortier & Associates. I trust you’ve all reviewed the documents that were sent before today’s meeting… because I certainly hope we won’t be explaining them again.

Helen Brooks: Thank you for having us. As you already know, our previous campaign did not perform as expected.

André Jean-Baptiste: According to the report, the campaign generated considerable exposure, but website traffic, customer engagement and online sales all declined.

Helen Brooks: Exactly. People saw the advertisements… but they didn’t connect with them. Many customers described the campaign as cold…

clinical… and even embarrassing.

Dr Daniel Foster: The product itself performs extremely well. It has been clinically tested. Excellent results have been reported by patients.

The problem isn’t the cream. It’s the way people feel about buying it.

Nathalie: So… medically successful... commercially disastrous. Wonderful.

Helen Brooks: That’s a fair summary. We’re looking for a campaign that makes people feel understood… without making them feel embarrassed.

Emilia Cubero: May I ask something? Would you like customers to trust the product because it’s medically effective… or because they emotionally relate to it?

Helen Brooks: Ideally… both.

Emilia Cubero: May I try something? Imagine you’re scrolling through Instagram. You stop because you see someone laughing with friends at a restaurant. The caption simply says…

“Comfort shouldn’t be something you have to think about.”

Then…

“When life feels comfortable, you forget everything else.” HemorrhoEase Premium. “Feel relief. Live freely.”

André Jean-Baptiste: …

I wasn’t expecting that.

Helen Brooks: That’s…

actually brilliant. You didn’t sell a cream. You sold a feeling.

Dr Daniel Foster: Exactly. The treatment became secondary. The patient became the focus.

Nathalie: Interesting. Please… continue.

Emilia Cubero: People don’t wake up wanting to buy haemorrhoid cream. They wake up wanting to sit comfortably. To enjoy dinner.

To travel. To work without pain. Maybe that’s what we should advertise.

Not the product… The life people get back.

Helen Brooks: I love that. That’s exactly the direction we’ve been struggling to find.

Dr Daniel Foster: I completely agree. For the first time today… I’m imagining the campaign instead of the product.

Nathalie: Well… I suppose that’s why we hired you. Now…let’s discuss the actual project.

André Jean-Baptiste: What decisions have already been made regarding the campaign?

Helen Brooks: The packaging will remain unchanged. However… the visual identity… the digital campaign... the slogan… and the social media strategy… are all open for discussion.

Emilia Cubero: According to the market research… one of the biggest barriers isn’t pain. It’s embarrassment. Would you say reducing that embarrassment is our main objective?

Dr Daniel Foster: Absolutely. Many patients wait weeks… sometimes months…

before seeking treatment. Not because they’re in denial… but because they’re uncomfortable talking about it.

André Jean-Baptiste: Would you consider using real customer stories?

Helen Brooks: Yes. Provided people’s privacy is respected. Authenticity is something we’ve been missing.

Nathalie: Budget. Timeline. Deliverables.

Helen Brooks: The first creative proposal is expected to be presented next Friday. The campaign is expected to launch within two months. Our total media budget is approximately two million dollars.

Nathalie: A generous budget. Let’s try not to waste it this time.

Helen Brooks: That’s exactly why we’re here.

Nathalie: Emilia… You’ll lead the creative concept. André… You’ll oversee strategy and campaign performance. I expect the first proposal on my desk by Friday morning. No surprises. Preferably no miracles either.

Emilia Cubero: Understood. We’ll prepare several creative directions and present our strongest proposal.

Helen Brooks: Wonderful. I’m genuinely excited to see what your team comes up with.

Nathalie: Excellent. Unless anyone has anything intelligent to add…

I believe we’re finished.

Dr Daniel Foster: Thank you for your time.

Helen Brooks: Thank you, everyone. Especially you, Emilia. That idea gave us a lot of hope.

Nathalie: Enjoy the compliment. Now comes the difficult part… making it work.

André Jean-Baptiste: Congratulations. You impressed the client… and almost impressed Nathalie. That’s practically impossible.

Emilia Cubero: Great… No pressure, then.

Comprehension Activity 01

Discussion

1. 💬 If you were André, how would you delegate these tasks to Emilia? What would you say first, and why?

   
   

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