Comments on: Marketing Without Meaning? http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com/2008/05/29/marketing-without-meaning/ The New Imperative to Add Value to Customers' Lives Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:37:05 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Jonathan Richman http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com/2008/05/29/marketing-without-meaning/comment-page-1/#comment-14 Jonathan Richman Thu, 12 Jun 2008 20:40:16 +0000 http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com/?p=15#comment-14 Great point, Joshua. I'd say the "Fire in the Hole" prank as it's called might qualify as a RAoC. Why not? If filling someone's car with Cheetos is, then this would be as well. I suppose to officially qualify, you'd have to fill the cup at least partially with Cheetos. In fact, the guys who threw the drink that became famous enough to put the victim on the Today show were sentenced in part to post a video apology on YouTube. I'm sure the judge thought this piece of irony would be especially damning to the teenagers. However, there was a great article posted on Salon about this issue. (http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/06/10/fire_on_the_hole/) The point of the article is that by requiring the apology and making a big deal out of it, you've actually encouraged more kids to try it and not less. The prank's popularity had basically died until the judge resurrected it. You can be sure that some kids saw the apology and decided it might be interesting to try. RAoCs are essentially the same thing. "Hey! Need a prank idea? We've got a ton. Come on in and find out how to commit a crime you might not have thought of." Thanks, but I don't think society needs that kind of help. Great point, Joshua. I’d say the “Fire in the Hole” prank as it’s called might qualify as a RAoC. Why not? If filling someone’s car with Cheetos is, then this would be as well. I suppose to officially qualify, you’d have to fill the cup at least partially with Cheetos.

In fact, the guys who threw the drink that became famous enough to put the victim on the Today show were sentenced in part to post a video apology on YouTube. I’m sure the judge thought this piece of irony would be especially damning to the teenagers. However, there was a great article posted on Salon about this issue. (http://machinist.salon.com/blog/2008/06/10/fire_on_the_hole/)
The point of the article is that by requiring the apology and making a big deal out of it, you’ve actually encouraged more kids to try it and not less. The prank’s popularity had basically died until the judge resurrected it. You can be sure that some kids saw the apology and decided it might be interesting to try.

RAoCs are essentially the same thing. “Hey! Need a prank idea? We’ve got a ton. Come on in and find out how to commit a crime you might not have thought of.”

Thanks, but I don’t think society needs that kind of help.

]]> By: Joshua http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com/2008/05/29/marketing-without-meaning/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Joshua Tue, 10 Jun 2008 13:16:37 +0000 http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com/?p=15#comment-13 MY wife likes watching Today, and Matt Lauer was doing a story on teenagers who are posting videos on YouTube of themselves ordering soda at drive-thru windows and then throwing the soda back at the employee when they hand it to them. I think Cheetos' marketing campaign wrongly tries to capture this teenage destructive bent. It might be effective, but it doesn't mean its ethical or acceptable marketing. MY wife likes watching Today, and Matt Lauer was doing a story on teenagers who are posting videos on YouTube of themselves ordering soda at drive-thru windows and then throwing the soda back at the employee when they hand it to them. I think Cheetos’ marketing campaign wrongly tries to capture this teenage destructive bent. It might be effective, but it doesn’t mean its ethical or acceptable marketing.

]]> By: zach @ Pennywise http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com/2008/05/29/marketing-without-meaning/comment-page-1/#comment-12 zach @ Pennywise Sat, 31 May 2008 00:07:20 +0000 http://www.marketingwithmeaning.com/?p=15#comment-12 Perhaps this form of marketing is coming about because cheetos is no longer a viable food product for people who are trying to kick the high fructose corn syrup-MSG-crap diet and marketing managers are desperately trying to find ways to get people to buy their product? Perhaps this form of marketing is coming about because cheetos is no longer a viable food product for people who are trying to kick the high fructose corn syrup-MSG-crap diet and marketing managers are desperately trying to find ways to get people to buy their product?

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