The story you are about to read is true. One name has been withheld to protect the innocent (sort of)—that of a major manufacturer of roofing materials, whose employee played a role in the chain of events described in this article. The company is not much of a villain, however, so rather than drag its name through the mud, we’ll just refer to it as “Brand X.”
This story was related by a friend of mine who works as a marketing consultant in the construction industry. The story is told in his words, as follows.