In the eulogy for Yafit Greenberg on Tuesday, they did not stop praising the successful advertiser and media woman.
Among the superlatives that have been repeated quite a bit on social media: "Breakthrough Advertiser," "Gifted Businesswoman," "Authority," and more.
To be honest, everything is true.
The late Greenberg, known of course as G. Yafit, managed to turn even her banal name into a successful creative. In fact, she invented a genre.
She bought herself screen time and matched the content to those who paid.
There was no special copywriting, the commercials were pretty boring and outdated, and despite everything - in the few seconds she recommended a product - after testing, of course - made viewers purchase it.
Greenberg was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago.
She underwent prolonged treatments and disappeared from the radar.
The first time I heard about her health was in August 2020. I sent her a message, and she wrote me in reply: "Call now."
This is never a pleasant conversation.
I gently said that I had heard that she was in a challenging time, and that if she felt she wanted to share, I would be happy.
The word "cancer" was not mentioned.
She denied.
In fact, she pretended she did not know what I was talking about, and reiterated: "Everything is fine with me, everything is normal."
Occasionally I gently groped in front of her if she wanted to be interviewed, but she was consistent and determined.
Once, in January 2021, she agreed to meet and talk, but the conversation was pre-defined as "off the record".
The day before the meeting, I received a message from her: 'Dear Eran, you have to postpone our meeting.
Keep in touch.
May it be only good. '
And added a flower emoji.
Later I tried again, several times.
"Let's think about it together," she wrote to me.
Bottom line, we did not meet, nor did we talk about the issue.
The news of her death caught many unprepared, both in and out of the industry.
In fact, the largest advertiser in Israel has managed to hide its most private and personal thing, and this is an ability reserved for the best advertisers.
To be a good publicist is also to know how to hide what you do not want to show, and in an age where every blogger is a journalist, every talkbackist is a publicist, and everyone has the opportunity to be a paparazzi photographer - there is almost no stopping rumors from the moment they start rolling.
She succeeded.
Erans@israelhayom.co.il
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