IdeaFarm Promotion Blamed for Bay Area Traffic Snarl
July 19, 2007 by Sean Kelly
Filed under Business
My meteoric rise to fame as one of the leading franchise bloggers who lives in Amish country and owns a Big Boy statue has not come without a steep price. Don’t get me wrong. The perks (wealth, cars, jewels, priority seating at Joe’s Wings & Weiners) that come with fame at this level are certainly worth the inconveniences I and my family must suffer. Having the ability to touch the lives of a loyal readership that’s rapidly approaching double digits is priceless to me. But the Internet can also be a cold and heartless place. And when anonymous emailers resort to attacks on the integrity of my award-winning marketing firm IdeaFarm, I must cry Foul Ball!
Yesterday, I received the following email from someone cryptically named zeptember. I warn you, some of the language is not-safe-for-work:
Hello,
I wanted to know if the marketing campaign which features a guy atop a pickup truck waving a giant replica of a baseball mitt at the foot of the Dumbarton Bridge in the California Bay Area is from your company.
If it is, I want to let you know that this slowed traffic on the bridge to 20MPH all the way across the bridge due to rubbernecking assholes, and caused countless people to be late for work, myself included. Traffic picked up immediately to freeway speeds as soon as people passed the asshat on the truck.
If this was your company, I want to let you know that your company sucks.
I hope the police were called and that guy hauled away, and that the company was fined.If this was not your company that did this, now you know what not to do.
Thanks.
My mind is reeling with possible responses.
Should I take credit for this obviously successful promotion?
Should I tell Zeptember that he needs to slow down, that no one on their deathbed wishes they had gotten to work earlier, that he needs to stop and smell the linseed oil from time to time?
Should I defend the honor of rubberneckers in a bid to gain some rubbernecking readers?
Should I ask “What’s an asshat?” and “What colors are available?”
Should I suggest that if the offender was arrested, he should point out the mitt-igating circumstances?
Or should I face the possibility that Zeptember could be some Arian baseball-hating blogger-stalker and just let the whole thing drop?
Yeah. That’s probably the smart thing to do.
WHAT DO YOU THINK. LEAVE A COMMENT. MAKE A DIFFERENCE.
Did this actually happen? :p I want to see a picture of the distraction in question.
Yes, there’s a picture. Note the right side description. It notes traffic speed westbound was actually 16MPH.
http://www.geocities.com/zeptember/7.18.2007latedumbo.gif
If you were facing work discrimination and threats to be fired due to a health condition, and got to work late on account of some dickweed waving a giant baseball mitt, which generated another warning towards impending firing, you’d be a bit pissed off, too.
Doug: I haven’t been able to find a pic or reference to this promotion online. Could zeptember have imagined it?
zeptember: I’m sorry to hear about your health condition. However, have you considered what a great story you’d have if you got fired because of a dickweed waving a giant baseball mitt, and you ended up having to take the job sitting on the pick-up truck waving the giant baseball mitt? I bet they’d make a movie about you. And how would they promote the movie’s launch: dickweeds from coast to coast, sitting on pick-up trucks waving giant baseball mitts! You’ll be rich!
By the way, how’d you know, I mean, why’d you think it was IdeaFarm’s promotion?
I see this post has made everyone real liberal with their language. At the very least, you’ve proven that sexy pictures aren’t the only effective way of slowing down traffic!
“… a guy atop a pickup truck waving a giant replica of a baseball mitt at the foot of the Dumbarton Bridge ”
Dum Bart on Bridge??
Sounds like FranchisePick is one heck of a marketer for the Simpson’s movie franchise. Don’t be so humble. You should take a bow for not only marketing for the big guys but also a marketing job well done! And good timing.
Mr. Blue MauMau
http://www.bluemaumau.org
Mr. Blue Mau Mau:
Once again, you are the only one smart enough to appreciate my marketing powers. My subliminal advertising is so subliminal, even I’M not aware I’m doing it!
Dum Bart on Bridge!
Good one!
[One free link awarded for saying nice things about us: visit BlueMauMau.org and all your wildest dreams will come true.)
Wow, you guys are pretty dumb. There’s actually a Dumbarton bridge in California and the Zeptember guy messed it up. It’s IdeaFarm.COM not .NET. I see their truck all the time in El Camino.