MURKETING

Fact or George Saunders story?

For Scott and Katie Keppler of Rye, N.Y., the decision to seek help stemmed from a fundamental disagreement. With their second child on the way, Mrs. Keppler, 40, an accountant, wanted [to name the child] something traditional to match their first son’s name, Liam. Her husband, a software salesman, preferred unique names like Jolt for a boy or Jilly for a girl. “He was harassing me with some really strange names,” Mrs. Keppler says.

To break the deadlock, Mr. Keppler, 40, decided to spend $25 for a service on BabyNames.com that provides six options based on everything from a couple’s mothers’ maiden names to their general taste preferences (traditional, biblical, trendy, unique, ethnic and wild, among others). When their son was born in March, they tapped their favorite name from the list: Max Phillip. The Web site was a truly impartial third-party, Mr. Keppler says.

Fact of course. This is one of several highly entertaining bits from a WSJ today (here’s the link, but I believe it’s subsribers-only) on “unprecedented levels of angst among parents trying to choose names for their children.” I think this couple should have just cut to the chase and named the kid Proprietary Algorithm.

Another surprising detail from the piece: “Sweden and Denmark forbid names that officials think might subject a child to ridicule. Swedish authorities have rejected such names as Veranda, Ikea and Metallica.”

Phad watch: “Ecosexual”

Somebody used this term, “ecosexual,” in a pitch I got the other day. It’s a “new trend,” of course.

So what’s an ecosexual? Someone who could pass for gay, straight, or a bamboo-cutting-board fetishist?

Or does ecosexuality involve carbon-neutral porn, organic cotton lingerie, sex with the compact flourescent lights on, or sustainable — oh, never mind.

According to Wired an ecosexual is: “A person who’s into hybrid cars, low-energy lightbulbs, and recycling.”

Really, really, disturbingly into those things, I guess.

Um, what?

Dr Pepper is branding an entertainment event that puts a musical band in a bubble as they cut a new album.

In a partnership with MTV, and Epic recording artist Cartel, people will get the chance to watch for 23 days as the band make its new album while sealed inside a “huge transparent bubble,” the companies said.

All the details here. No, it’s not The Onion.
Also: DrPepperBubble.com.

Consumed, “Consumed”

So I finally get noticed by the mainstream media. Devastating takedown? Or yet more proof that “Gawker has become almost impossible to read“?

Who cares. It’s just another disappointment: No link to this site at all! Thanks for nothing. Gwankers.

Religion/marketing news

KFC has a fish sandwich. So what? Well, according to KFC:

The company has asked the Pope himself for his blessing, with KFC President Gregg Dedrick sending a personal letter to the Vatican.

[The fish sandwich] is ideal for American Catholics who want to observe Lenten season traditions while still leading their busy, modern lifestyles. The company has turned to Pope Benedict XVI, beseeching him to bestow his Papal blessing for this innovative new menu item. Vatican officials confirmed they received KFC’s request, and the company is hopeful to get the Pope’s blessing this Lenten season.

Via SuperMarketGuru.com.

More progress

Press release highlights:

KFC Corporation today became the world’s first brand visible from outer space by unveiling a record-breaking 87,500 square feet, updated Colonel Sanders logo in the Area 51 desert. The event marks the official debut of a massive global re-image campaign that will contemporize 14,000-plus KFC restaurants in over 80 countries over the next few years.

The new logo depicts Colonel Sanders with his signature string tie, but for the first time, replaces his classic white, double-breasted suit with a red apron.

“The Colonel is truly a global icon and we want everyone in the universe to see KFC’s new look of the future,” said Gregg Dedrick, president of KFC Corp.

It took a team of nearly 50 designers, engineers, scientists (including astrophysicists), architects and other professionals working nearly three months to conceive, create and execute building the world’s largest logo.

Via this guy; thanks Paul!

Research reveals tech lets men behave as idiots in new ways

According to Cellular News:

Research by Sheffield Hallam University and Virgin Mobile is reporting that British men consider their mobile phone an important status symbol — particularly in helping to attract the opposite sex. The research reveals that in an age when technology is king, and competition is rife, men see their phones as a tool to help them impress women. The study observed men and women in various different public locations including: restaurants, bars, coffee shops, shopping centres and pubs.

It revealed that many men believe that ‘Bond-esque’ phones with gadgets including video cameras and mp3 players will make them more desirable to females.

Furthermore, the research which also included focus groups and questionnaire surveys, found that in social situations men actively display their phones and its capabilities in a bid to look important and popular. The research suggests that this is done primarily to attract females but also used to show off and gain status with other men in their peer group.

Via Textually.

Exploding? Inevitable? Plastic?

So according to this USA Today story, Edie Sedgwick is hot hot hot. Evidence? Well there’s the book Edie: Girl On Fire, co-written by David Weisman and Melissa Painter. “Weisman was co-director of the underground cult classic Ciao! Manhattan starring Sedgwick and other Factory celebs,” USA Today notes. Speaking of which, Urban Outfitters is selling Ciao! Manhattan T-shirts. More evidence!

Of course really all of this is just evidence of supply, not demand. Where is the grass-roots side of Edie-mania? “Edie is an online phenom,” USA Today claims. The paper then quotes Ben Allgood, 22, who is identified as “creative director for Edienation.com. He says: “A lot of kids are finding her, and a lot of people are creating online communities.”

No other examples of online communities or phenom-ness are offered. So I went to Edienation.com, which bills itself as “the ultimate insider guide to Edie Sedgwick,” but is basically a promo site for … the book Edie: Girl On Fire. (A quick whois.com check confirms that it’s registered to Weisman.)

I hope Weisman’s PR team got a bonus for this one.

Packing Detail of the Day

This weekend I happened to need a long extension cord to do something outside. E picked up what I needed: One of those long, orange cords. You know the ones. I was amused to see that such an item is longer a “cord” — it is now a “Do It Yourself Cord.” So now I’m all DIY! I’m so on-trend!

Dept. of Hollow Pronouncements

“Everyone has the right to have great stuff.”

— John Remington, VP-Marketing, Target

Get Your Reek On

As a brief follow-up to yesterday’s column, some highlights from an Unforgivable press release:

To celebrate the success of Sean Diddy Combs’ Unforgivable Fragrance in North America and the UK, Estee Lauder and the international pop icon hosted a private, celebrity-filled dinner in St. Tropez aboard the Unforgivable Yacht …

The dinner, held on an extravagant 300-foot private yacht, the R.M. Elegant, was an ultra-exclusive affair for 50 of the most Unforgivable people in the world, hand-picked by Mr. Combs. …

To recuperate after a long night of partying, Diddy hosted his White Party at Nikki Beach in St. Tropez. Here guests relaxed and soaked in the St. Tropez sun while sitting atop their limited-edition Unforgivable towels and indulging in all-American BBQ fare and ice cream….

Targèt (without the irony)

So, if you want to, you can pay $50 for a “Targèt Couture Distressed Logo Tee.” This is part of a project involving a boutique called Intuition, in Los Angeles (I’m not familiar with it), selling a new line of Targèt Couture products. Which you can’t, by the by, actually purchase at Target.

“Our own Jaye Hersh collaborated with some of LA’s hottest designers to launch this fun, fashion-forward product line,” the boutique’s website explains. There’s also a $140 pair of jeans, with a Target logo on the ass.

“You won’t find any bargains here,” MSNBC reports. “The high-end clothing, handbags and jewelry range from $25 into the thousands. The new line launched on May 11, and already Intuition has sold more than 3,000 items and is quickly becoming a huge hit among Hollywood’s trendsetters.” Want to see more? Knock yourself out.

Bread & Sneakers

I love the Wonder Bread logo. (See?) So I guess I’m slightly impressed that somebody at Pro Keds also recognizes its graphic beauty. And I would love to know the deal-making back story on this particular “collabo” (as the kids say). Who paid whom, and how much? The entity that makes Wonder Bread (and Twinkies, as it happens) is in bad shape these days, and has been operating under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection for more than a year. These items, according to Josh Spear, are “part of the company’s newest campaign … a series of food-based sneakers that are pretty tasty looking.” He points to this HypeBeast post on the Oreo-like Pro-Keds Milk & Cookies.

I don’t really see the point of “food-based sneakers” in general, but the Wonder hookup seems particularly odd: What does Pro-Keds, not exactly a vibrant brand, despite the fact that Damon Dash is now running the show, see in an association with Wonder? Is it ironic? Or does Wonder Bread speak to the sneakerhead in some way that I don’t understand? (As a contrast, the recent New Era/Gabriel Urist collaboration addressed recently in Consumed is an example of a collaboration that seems less forced.) Maybe they liked the same thing I did: the excellent logo. Too bad, in that case, that the actual shoes are so hideous.

For Suckers

Today’s evidence of societal decay comes by way of Babygadget, which points out a solid white gold pacifier decorated with 278 diamonds, available (for online purchase, no less) for $17,000. The sales copy explains:

We’re pleased to introduce our exclusive line of custom Diamond Pacifiers, the newest trend in celebrity baby gifting … Though we do not recommend actual use, the Diamond pacifier makes a fabulous, upscale keepsake and will become a new classic … !

Babygadget, which generally seems to have a fairly high tolerance for spending money on “contemporary finds for modern tots,” finds this a bit much, commenting: “Yeouch!” Fair enough.

This item inaugurates a new category on this site: Foolhunting. I think that’s self-explanatory. Nominations for future Foolhunting topics are welcome.