Ed @ Work

Worst Product Placement Ever

So Karla Homolka is out today - about 50 years early in my opinion and the opinion of so many other Canadians.

But I'm not here to talk about her. We know she will be relentlessly tracked by people who believe there has been a miscarriage of justice. She deserves a media circus in her yard at least. Private anonymous citizenship is for people who aren't, well, YOU.

No what I'm here to write about is the worst product placement / endorsement I've ever heard.

"It sounds stupid but I want an Iced Cappuccino from Tim Hortons."


I'd hate to be a marketing exec for Timmie's at the moment. To spin it or to ignore it?

I'd choose ignore - the hubub will die down eventually. If it were someone with a more benign past, a political pisoner whose imprisonment became unfashionable as times changed I'd latch on. if Nelson Mandela came out of prison saying "Man I want a can of coke" it would be a marketer's dream. I'd take that momentum and run with it.

But Karla, no no no. Better to ignore it, hope too many people like me don't bring attention to it, and let it quietly fade into history. There's no real association there - she's just a nut who likes creamy frozen beverages. Just because they sell a delicious alternative... I mean, no reasonable people would see a failure to discontinue the Iced Cap line just to punish Karla Homolka as supporting her upon release.

Would they?

posted by Eddie @ 6:08 AM