Under the Annoying Advertising category:
There’s a new tactic consultants and other corporations that sell products/services have adopted to get their foot in the door. The make this “personalize” glossy brochure “customized” for you company. It’s really just a “form brochure” with names strategically inserted and run off a good printer.
One of these arrived at work yesterday.
My first tip off was that they spelled the boss’s name wrong. How tacky.
And when you opened this glossy, multi-color brochure every other paragraph had a hard-sell reference to Sept 11 and how that tragedy made it imperative to buy their product.
Further reading made it clear that they thought we were involved in computer technology and data warehousing. We do medical research.
Let’s see… can’t get the boss’s name right, got our industry wrong, gross and gratuitous use of the deaths of thousands in the hopes of profit… what can I do to fuck with these assholes?
Well, right on the front cover of this slick brochure is my company’s trademark. That’s another gimmick I’ve been seeing. I have no clue what these people are thinking - “Look! We like-um you tradmark so much much we put pretty pickchure on us brochure!” Huh? Anyhow, my company is insanely protective of their trademark. Why not? It’s recognized world-wide. Our own marketing department claims it is the most recognizable trademark after Coca-Cola’s. It’s worth a lot of money. Amazing, but in our despised industry people actually trust stuff with our trademark on it.
And these yahoos have used it without permission.
Heh heh heh heh…
I donned the proper protective clothing and ventured into the Lawyer’s Den, aka the Legal Department. The salivating, teeth-gnashing lawyers snatched the offending brochure so fast I had to do a finger count. I left to the sound of knives and torture implements being sharpened. The head shyster had that gleam in his eyes that meant he’s going before a judge soon, he’s looking forward to it, and he’s planning to enjoy himself.
See you in court, suckers!