Wednesday, December 31, 2025

PART VIII: BIGFIX really helpled me in my novel DADDY'S LITTLE FELONS


 

Back in 2009, I was well into writing my cybercrime/cyberprivateering novel DADDY'S LITTLE FELONS (https://lnkd.in/gPivdAuK).

I thought for sure we'd wise up in how to end cybercrime. Well, as Mom always said, "Rick, you're frequently wrong but never in doubt." Sigh.

Readers universally agreed that this would make a good movie. When the book came out in 2013, one documentary filmmaker posted this review:

Jeffrey C. Hays
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read
Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2013
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
I was familiar with Rick Bennett's advertising writing, which mixes intelligence, wit, and "stick your finger in the eye of the biggest guy on the field" ballsy-ness. So, I hoped his fiction would live up to his 9 to 5 writing. With Daddy's Little Felons, Bennett delivers. I like my heroes a little larger than life, (think Jack Reacher) and DLF's protagonist satisfies. As a documentary filmmaker, I'm never asked about casting decision in narratives (their loss!) but it's easy to see Jason Stratham in the lead role. A fast paced page turner, kudos to Rick Bennett on his new book.

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
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Tuesday, December 30, 2025

Part VII: Gartner gave BIGFIX another excuse to blast the competition.


 

I couldn't resist usint the Gartner "magic quadrant" to hammer the competition. Yeah, I'm a one-trick pony.

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
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Monday, December 29, 2025

Part 666: Hollywood chooses BIGFIX as their official HELLBOY II partner


 

I don't know how this happened, but Hollywood wanted to be the official partner of BIGFIX. Maybe they liked the sci-fi ad themes and figured they'd found a…um…kindred spirit?

This was fun copy to write: BEFORE ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE.

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
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Saturday, December 27, 2025

Part V: BIGFIX called out their competition in detail


 

In THE MUSIC MAN, a salesman said, "Ya gotta know the territory!" I've always loved a competitive matrix. It squarely put BIGFIX in the driver's seat.

Hollywood paid attention to BIGFIX. On Monday, I'll show you how they became the spokescompany for the movie HELLBOY.

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
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Friday, December 26, 2025

Part IV: BIGFIX Superheroes Still Wield the Former BFG


 

And not to be sexist, I opted for a female agent. She had the doomed competition on her leg as she opens yet another can of whup-ass.

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
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Thursday, December 25, 2025

We said goodbye to our precious dog 3 days before Christmas and a month shy of her 19th birthday.


 

Merry Christmas and condolences to any who have cause to mourn. Our little Chenoa couldn't quite make it to her 19th birthday. One of our neighbors called her "The dog of a lifetime." Everyone knew she was special.

Talk about mellow! She only barked when the doorbell rang, making sure we knew someone had come to say hello. And when other neighborhood dogs barked and got aggressive, she just looked at them with a curious expression on her face.

Three years ago in October, she had a herniated disc in her spine, and the vet said we should consider putting her down. My sports chiropractor Russ Harward came to the resuce. Utah is only one of five states where a chiropractor can work on an animal without a referral from a vet. Russ adjusted her spine and bought us over three more years.

So today, Rita and I are having a mellow but heartfelt Christmas.

Wednesday, December 24, 2025

Part III: BigFix Gets a "Cease and Desist" from a Game Manufacturer


 

Who would have thought that the term "BFG" was copyrighted/trademarked?

So instead of continuing to run this ad with "BFG" on the gun, we wrote "BIGFIX" on the gun. Sigh.

Sincerely,
Rick Bennett
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Tuesday, December 23, 2025

Part 2: Big Fix Continues to Pound the Competition


 

Between their patents and killing all the competition in a particularly snarky way, Big Fix quickly took over the end-to-end/single-console security business.

Sincerly yours,
Rick Bennett
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Monday, December 22, 2025

Part I: Getting Big Fix on the Map

If you're wondering why I write sci-fi novels, Big Fix is a prime case in point. This is the start of a campaign that eventually saw computer-security client Big Fix acquired by IBM.


I found a sci-fi artist in Canada named Daryl Mandryk, and this is the start of a wonderful campaign that shook up the world.

Stay tuned.

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
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Saturday, December 20, 2025

Me and Artist Peter Max, making a $25K investment turn into $500K in gifts to the Data General sales force.

After I ran for the US Congress (and lost), Data General hired me to do advertising and "special projects." My literary agent also represented famous artist Peter Max, and we did a $25,000 deal with him.

He delivered an original piece of artwork, with 250 signed and numbered prints for awards to the Data General sales force. I told the recipients that they could hold the art prints for one year, and then donate them to schools and libraries after getting them appraised. The art prints appraised at over $2000 each, and that gave the sales guys (all high-income/high-tax-bracket people) a great tax write-off. The company had the option of donating the original at a much higher price, getting the same tax write-off.

I say "To heck with gold pens and special wristwatches. Give your high-performing salespeople something of REAL value."

As I was exiting Data General and heading to Silicon Valley, I did another art deal with Peter Max. The first year went over really well with people.

Sincerely yours,
Rick Bennett
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