Well it could have been any kind of salute. Many of the men who built the sub-culture of Madison Avenue were veterans of the Second World War, and well drilled in saluting the flag when it was run up in the morning, folded at the end of a day, or most hauntingly, squared and folded during funeral services. They all called for a sharp, snap-and-pop salute (of the hand to the peak of the cap).

It was not a metaphor for institutional ritual ( such a volley of gunfire) but for seeing if a given scheme or theme or concept would inspire recognition and response (as in an individual salute).

That's my SWAG o' the day, anyway.

A