Jeff and Martinez polished the presentation until it was time.

There were three women and three men in the delegation, largely from Buenos Aires. Most spoke English but with another forty or so on the video link from the other Latin American offices, Slaughter wanted Martinez to provide translation, which the delegation accepted.

The group was from Globo Aedifico, a Latin American–based construction conglomerate seeking to establish a positive brand in order to compete around the globe. They’d already seen presentations by top agencies in New York and Los Angeles.

After introductions and checks that all links to the cities online were clear, Jeff commenced his slide and video presentation.

“In order to best tell the story of Globo Aedifico, we propose you tell a story—a truthful, honest story—but not what Globo Aedifico is. No. You don’t create a brand that people will respect by promoting yourself. Never.”

Jeff paused for effect. Some of the delegation looked puzzled. Jeff was certain Fred Bonner winced.

“You tell the story of how Globo Aedifico makes the lives of people in need better. Not who you are but what you do.”

Jeff’s presentation started by showing that most of the world’s poorest people don’t have access to hygienic toilets and often suffer from poor health, outbreaks and higher mortality rates as a result. He noted that several companies under Globo Aedifico were currently using their clean-water technology to address the issue in remote areas, but no one knew about the work they were doing in this regard.

He then outlined a campaign that would bring the effort to the attention of international media, buy strategic ad space, and employ social-media influencers to spread the word, while also reaching out to the United Nations, the World Health Organization and expert NGOs, to make public-service videos with them.

The campaign would be framed as a humanitarian effort and would set Globo Aedifico apart from other corporations, branding it with the highest order of social awareness.

When his presentation ended, Jeff, Slaughter, Bonner and Martinez took questions and made notes before the delegation left, genuinely impressed.

“You hit it out of the park.” Slaughter slapped Jeff on the back. “One of the best presentations I’ve seen in a long time. Their reactions were heartfelt, emotional. I got a good feeling.”

“I agree.” Bonner slapped Jeff’s back, too. “Excellent job.”

After accepting praise, Jeff stole away to the bathroom, splashed water on his face and texted Lisa.

How’s it going on the home front, honey?

Still good. How’d it go?

Great, and I owe it to you. It was the tie.

Ha. Glad it went well.

Want to go out for dinner tonight?

Love to.

On his way to his office, Jeff saw Vanessa at reception holding the phone receiver and giving him a little wave. “Excuse me, Jeff. I have a call for you.”

“Who?”

“Vida Warren.”