Category: Business & Advertising

The Audacity of Dope

Category : Business & Advertising
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I shamelessly pulled this headline from The Smoking Gun because I couldn’t do any better. Apparently drug dealers in New York were selling Obama brand Heroin. Other brands were “bin Laden heroin,” “Harry Potter Ecstasy,” and “green tinted crack for St. Patrick’s Day.”

Like I said in my previous post, its too bad that these guys’ creativity isn’t being put to better use. Imagine what they could do with a 30 second spot for the Superbowl…

Would you Delete 10 Facebook Friends For a Free Whopper?

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While I probably haven’t eaten fast food in at least six months, Burger King is my favorite burger chain solely based on its innovative marketing.

They are at it again with their Facebook application Whopper Sacrifice.  WhopperSacrifice.com says:

What would you do for a free WHOPPER?  Now is the time to put your fair-weather web friendships to the test.  Install WHOPPER Sacrifice on your Facebook profile and we will reward you with a free flame-broiled WHOPPER when you sacrifice 10 of your friends.

When a Facebook user defriends someone, Whopper Sacrifice notifies the defriended person with a notice that the person likes Whoppers more than them.
This is by far my favorite Facebook Application so far.  It fulfils an actual need, food, and makes fun of all of the quasi-friends that everyone has on Facebook.  It’s incredibly sticky and extremely viral: one user turns into at least 10 users very quickly.
As of today, over 30250 people have been defriended in favor of the Whopper and it is going up fast.  I am surprised that Facebook has allowed this app to continue, as it eats away (pun intended) at its user base.  Even if the Facebook team decides that this app violates the terms of service, it is a publicity coup for Burger King and a strategy that other web companies should emulate.

What is G?

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These commercials have been on during the latest bowl games including tonight’s Tostitos Fiesta Bowl (or Chip Bowl for those so inclined).

I assume they are for Gatorade, but many people have been complaining that they do not mention the product at all.  These complaints are the exact point that the ads are going for.  If it just said “Gatorade” at the end, nobody would remember the ad and I wouldn’t be writing this blog post.
I like commercials that make people think, as they are stickier, so this one gets my thumbs up.  The music gets a little annoying after awhile, though.

What’s the Difference Between Bookies and Finance?

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I’ve always wondered why it was ok for a person to make a “bet” in the form of a put or a call in financial markets, but not ok for someone to bet on a similar event from a private service. Freaknomics blogged about this same issue the other day.

It will be interesting to see if there is any backlash against financial “gambling” if the economy continues to struggle.