High Tech is a strange and exotic field, replete with scientific esoterica and Dilbert-like engineers. When the Quadtree company decided to advertise their breakthrough simulation software (also called "modeling" software) I suggested they use a symbol that I knew software engineers would relate to - the classic "bathtub" Porsche.

This model was so popular, there were replicas all over the place. We found one in great shape, shot it alongside the real thing, then challenged readers to tell us which was which. In the first paragraph of the somewhat dense copy, we offered a large poster of the cars to anyone who responded. Thousands did, many of them non-engineers. I like to think this ad was a prime driver of the product's success.