• by Richard Whitman , Columnist, May 13, 2015

If you've ever attempted to get time in front of a big name marketing director, you know they can be a bit...unavailable. If you're an agency trying to pitch one of these marketing directors then you know what I'm talking about. But what if you were a "lowly" media outlet like JCDecaux Outoor? You can imagine just how frustrating scoring a meeting can be.

Well JCDecaux in Belgium had had enough of the brush off and decided to do something about it. The outdoor company posted photos of big name marketing directors from Coke, Mondelez, Brussels Airlines, Renault and others along with their name and an email address at JCDecaux.

After an hour or so, the marketing directors began hearing about these placements from their friends, family and business associates. Some of the marketing directors thought their friends were playing a joke on them. Others were simply angry. All came to the realization that, "Oh, hey. Outdoor advertising does actually work. Which is exactly what JCDecaux has been trying to tell these meeting-averse people all along.

JCDecaux responded to each and every one of the marketing directors who used the email on the billboard to reach out with an email which read, in part, "Our sincerest apologies if we scared you. We just wanted you to experience the effectiveness of outdoor advertising...As you said it yourself, you got so many reactions from only one billboard. Just imagine what our entire network could do for your brand."

The email contained a link to book a meeting with JCDecaux. Every single one of the marketing directors responded and booked a meeting.

Watch the case study video here .