And by the early '80s, costs were being scrutinized closely. Many companieswere beginning to thin out their workforces as the phrase "downsizing" entered the lexicon. "Lean and mean" was the battle cry, as corporations tried to dodge a new breed of Wall Street predator who sought out lumbering underperforming" prey for their next meal.

By 1983, Phillips' public relations staff growth had stopped and the new slogan became "do more with less." It was echoed throughout industry. Travel was curtailed and some public relations programs began to shrink or disappear. Yet the worst was to come following the Pickens-Icahn battles during the Winter of 1984-85. And it was during this lean-down time that thoughts of how to retain a campus presence manifested themselves in the Phillips Video Case Study Series, aimed at filling that "void" mentioned by Smith.

Using Phillips' internal production center, within which employee videos and a company video newsmagazine were produced, public relations staffers began working on what they envisioned would be an ongoing series of video cases for colleges and university classroom use.

In a cover letter from the company, educators receiving the videos were told:
...Phillips is developing a unique series of public relations case studies -perhaps the first ever presented using the video medium. We hope to offer students timely and meaningful challenges in a fact-filled and realistic presentation. The series offers techniques and materials not often available to educators in the fields of journalism, public relations and communications. Supplemental and research materials are included to ensure academic quality.