Read The Crunch Campaign for Free Online

have raised enough money to put our little ad on TV. It went great guns on the net.’
    â€˜Cool.’ Katie grinned. It was nice to have a happy client. ‘Do they need anything else?’
    â€˜Andy thinks a radio campaign would be good. He wants to use the song from the ad.’
    â€˜That shouldn’t be a problem,’ said Katie. ‘Can you ask Jasmine’s brothers? They might want some pocket money.’
    â€˜Yeah, right. They’ll be down to their last million.’ Their friend Jasmine’s brothers were The Flying Foxes, one of Australia’s most successful bands. Lorraine beamed – she loved celebrities. ‘Okey dokey. I’ll email them now.’
    â€˜The next thing we need to think of is a name and a slogan for this Christmas line.’ Katie tapped her pen on the pad balanced on her knees.
    â€˜How about “Parflop”?’ suggested Joel. ‘The slogan can be Ho Ho Hope we’re still around next Christmas .’
    Katie ignored him. Joel had to get his attitude out of his system.
    â€˜Can we taste it?’ said Dominic. ‘That might get us thinking.’
    â€˜Mum said she’d have samples soon. I think they’re still tweaking the formula.’
    â€˜They’re going to ban it anyway, so they could put dishwashing liquid in it and it wouldn’t matter.’ Joel was flying. ‘New Parfitt’s apple and detergent flavour.’
    â€˜They’re not banning the drink, just the ads, you turkey, and even that isn’t final yet.’ Katie could feel her irritation turning to anger.
    â€˜Of course it’s final,’ he said. ‘The prime minister said it on national television. Do you think she’s going to change her mind?’
    Katie struggled for a response.
    â€˜I know she might,’ Lorraine shouted from the computer. ‘Check this out. There’s an email from the prime minister!’
    â€˜What?’ Katie jumped to her feet.
    â€˜Look.’ Lorraine rolled her chair back so the others could see the screen.
    Dear Katie,
    Thanks for your email. As you say, tackling childhood obesity is a complicated challenge. I am always interested to hear about any new strategy – especially yours. I will be in Brisbane Wednesday next week. I wonder if you would be able to meet with me. After school would be best, wouldn’t it? I will be at Government House for a dinner that evening. I could meet you just before – could you be there at 6pm? You bring the Parfizz and I’ll make sure there are carrot sticks!
    Yours truly,
    The Honourable Clara Whiting
    Prime Minister of Australia
    â€˜That’s got to be a joke,’ said Joel.
    â€˜Doesn’t look like it.’ Dominic turned to Katie. ‘When did you contact her?’
    â€˜Last night,’ she whispered. ‘I didn’t know what I was doing. I was jetlagged!’
    â€˜What’s your idea, though?’ Clementine tilted her head to one side. ‘How come you didn’t tell us?’ There was no accusation in her voice; she sounded impressed.
    Katie backed away from the computer as if it was an unexploded bomb and stumbled onto a bean bag. ‘I don’t have one. I literally have no idea.’
    In her office at the Parfitt Family Soft Drink Company, Vanessa Crisp stared at the piles of papers on her desk and wondered why, with computers, there was still so much paper around. Weren’t they meant to do away with paperwork? Parfitt’s was still an old-fashioned company, though. More than sixty people worked for them, but there were only three computers in the place – hers, Liam Parfitt’s and Marjorie’s. She ran despatch.
    It was harder to be the general manager of a small company than a big one, she thought. Not that she’d know – she’d never worked anywhere but Parfitt’s. Lovely old Pat Parfitt had offered her a job when she’d dropped out of university