After reading an article in Time magazine that described how many advertising companies are using more and more guerilla marketing tactics, I came accross this story. The story describes how Starburst has recorded a hot new single that is currently number 28 on the record charts in Australia. The article in Time described Red Bull putting empty cans of the drink in trash cans and on pub tables before the drink was released in London. Other stories included people acting like tourists asking you to take their picture with the latest digital camera or cute girls in bars asking you to by them namebrand drinks (ie. “How about you buy me a refreshing Mike’s Hard Lemonade”). One exec describes it as “real life product placement.” Scary.

It’s been one year since the 9/11 attacks. I’m trying to not watch TV or find programming that does not involve the horrific images of 9/11. On CCN.com they are taking proposals from any and all on what should be done with the 16 acres where the WTC once stood. In my opinion we should replace it with what was once there. How better to show the world we will not back down than to build what once stood? If it were up to me we would build them even bigger than before.

The marketroids have finally gone too far. They some how suckered 5 people into legally changing their names to Turok in anticipation of the new XBox game of the same name. The 5, who were chosen out of over 10,000 applications from mynameisturok.com, will recieve an XBox and 500 pounds. A particularily scary quote from the article quotes one marketroid as saying, “The five Turoks will no doubt speak to and meet tens of thousands of people between them over the next year and will be walking, talking adverts for the Turok video game.”

This weekend I read an article about making reparations to African Americans for the injustices of slavery. I have a few problems with this. Other than the obvious point that many Americans had nothing to do with this (my ancestors came over around the turn of the century), I have problems with how they want the money. Some want each and every African American to get a check, others want a trust fund set up. I say if one dollar goes towards such a settlement I’ll be moving. Since when does the US government not have soviernty?