April 24 2008
Anzac’s Not A Marketing Tool and Other Choice Links
posted by Ana Samways at 4:40 pm
What’s in a name? If it’s your bread and butter, a lot. Onehunga-based Indian restaurant “Stomach Takeaways” is certainly memorable, but does it bring punters in the door? Mish Mash has an excellent gallery of strange names people have bestowed on their livelihoods.
When marketing and the real world collide: The New Zealand Wine Society was quick to apologise to customers after sending out a newsletter plugging their Anzac Day specials. “Honour the Anzacs – Big-gun wines with medals on their chests,” read the subject line:
“Kiwis first learned to wear medals with pride during World War One – now we proudly put them on our wine bottles. So in honour of the Anzacs, and because trans-Tasman camaraderie is (usually) stronger than rivalry, we have two medal-winning antipodeans for you. As any good representative should be, they’re both big guns and super popular. Stepping up for NZ is a gold-wearing Sauvignon Blanc superstar from Villa Maria… and straight from the Aussie trenches is a classic blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot with a shiny silver.”
The misplaced attempt at a thematic tie-in went down like a corked shiraz and the wine club followed up with an apology, saying it would donate “all profit resulting from sales of that offer, to the Royal New Zealand Returned & Services’ Association”.
Dumbest Trade Me Auction: This guy is selling this classy number plate because of “excessive unwanted (and wanted) female attention”.
There are e-cards for every occasion: Here’s one you wouldn’t want to receive (or have to send)…
Food News: The head of the UN’s World Food Programme explains that usually a food crisis is local and caused by a failed harvest or war, but this is different, because it’s happening across the world and in countries not usually affected by famines.
“For the middle classes it means cutting out medical care. For those on $2 a day, it means cutting out meat and taking the children out of school. For those on $1 a day, it means cutting out meat and vegetables and eating only cereals. And for those on 50 cents a day, it means total disaster.”
The Economist story here.
Video link: F*ck Earth Day is sarcasm at its best. (NSFW language)
Video: Models falling over to a cracker camp soundtrack.