The expression originated in America

And still the "project" is not finished!

Terry, the agency MD, rang me at home this morning with some “extras” he wants to go into the report (it’s too late to put them into the presentation, which has already been rehearsed). Luckily I was able to do them by remote connection to my agency PC, without going into the office. And I suppose it is reassuring that the MD is so dependent upon me that he doesn’t trust anyone else to do the work.

“I want you to apply the SFW test at every stage” Terry told me superfluously (I had already been doing this, as he well knew).

“Apply the SFW test” is a favourite mantra of Terry’s. He regards the phrase as an essential part of the agency’s philosophy. The expression originated in America, and basically means that every time you make a claim for a product you look at it from the customer’s point of view and ask “so what?”

SFW was recently shouted across the floor of the House of Commons by government minister Ed Balls, in an attempt to destabilise David Cameron. To be fair to Ed Balls, he left off the “F” bit. Later, in a brazen denial, he said he had actually shouted “So weak”.

More on SFW: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SFW

More on the Ed Balls incident: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=532989&in_page_id=1770