Back in my marketing days in haircare, Peter, our hands-on sales director, always insisted on trying new product formulations personally, before signing off a brand for launch.
For those not yet into deep conditioning of the hair, the best treatment is a viscous waxy-like substance that needs to be liberally applied after a shampoo, and left in place for a couple of hours, ideally in warm steamy conditions.
Late one evening, having forgotten that he was due to report on the new formulation the next day, he hurriedly showered, shampooed and applied liberal quantities of deep conditioner before climbing into his pyjamas. Given that steam rooms were not a typical feature of even sales directors' homes at the time, Peter improvised by taking a Tesco plastic bag, wrapping it around his head and securing it firmly in place to accelerate the conditioning process.
By eleven he was settled by the fireside when his wife announced that having rained heavily all evening, the build-up of leaves on the flat roof of the garage had blocked the drain, causing floodwater to penetrate the upper floor. Peter hurriedly put on a raincoat over his pyjamas, donned his green wellies, grabbed a torch and climbed out onto the roof with a yard-brush, and began to rod the drain.
Not long after, a police car, silent and with blue light in off-mode, arrived in response to a report of an intruder by a concerned neighbour....
Peter's wife tried to explain, but the police decided that a personal account from Peter was necessary.
Eventually, having cleared the drain, Peter climbed back in the window onto the upper landing to be confronted by two bemused members of the local constabulary...
The next day, new product formulation sign-offs at Wella were henceforth delegated to the marketing department...
