ALL THAT GLITTERS IS NOT NECESSARILY GOOD BUSINESS
By Adnews Staff
Dun & Bradstreet Canada began running a newspaper ad last week that has readers playing around with the page to drive home the message that things aren't always what they seem. Aimed at small and mid-sized businesses, the ad promotes D&B Express, a service that allows someone thinking of doing business with a company to get the goods on that firm. The person doing the checking dials a 1-800 number to reach a D&B employee, who pulls up the information on the company in question from the D&B database of more than 39 million businesses worldwide. The D&B ad has the reader transform an angelic customer into a sinister image by folding up the bottom corner of the page. "We want to open eyes and tell businesses to look at their customers and prospects more deeply," says D&B vice-president Zeev Landesberg in a release. "Sometimes issues that can seriously affect cash flow are visible, but aren't seen." The ad is the first in a series. It appeared in Halifax, Winnipeg and London, Ont. last week. D&B will decide within the next couple of months if it will go national with the campaign, created by KaganDay Advertising Plus of Toronto.