June 16, 2009

Cookie Monstrosity

TAC is on vacation. This post originally appeared on November 27, 2007

One thing you can say about the internet with absolute certainty -- there has never been another invention that has spawned more idiotic ideas.

The latest comes from Pepperidge Farm. From some retro universe they have launched a campaign called Connecting Through Cookies (I kid you not.) The centerpiece is a website called The Art of the Cookie.

You see, this website is going to be a social network (apparently there aren't enough online social networks) and lonely housewives are going to get together on line and talk about their cookies. And if you think I'm going to make a cheap joke here, I want to remind you that my daughter reads this blog.

Anyway, the marketing genius behind this had this to say...
...the company conducted ethnographic research by “going into our consumers’ homes, sitting down with them, talking to them about how they use our products.”
Hope you didn't pay too much for your ethnographic research, Mr. Pepperidge -- they use your products by eating them. No charge.

And, by the way, if there are any lonely housewives out there who want to connect through their cookies, I have a very nice single friend.

Follow-up...
When re-posting this, I went back and checked on the links. Apparently not very many women wanted to connect through their cookies. The "Art of the Cookie" is no longer anywhere to be found. The only thing left is a very ordinary website. Maybe this social media thing ain't all it's cracked up to be. Yes, that's sarcasm.

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