Thursday, July 2, 2009

Do the Marketing People Laugh to Themselves When They Come Up With This Stuff?

So, I was at Target the other night because I needed to pick up a couple of prescriptions. Hubby was kind enough to keep the kids at home so I just had to walk the aisles – I couldn’t help myself. Sad, that I see going to Target without kids as an escape, a luxury, if you will.

Once I got home and unloaded my purchases, I observed the following oddball information on the product tags:


  • I got an awesome insulated bag. It’s just the right size to lay at least six bottles of beer on their side & zip it up. This is important because we live in a community where people regularly carouse the streets & impromptu gatherings occur. You need the bag just in case. Of course it would be better if I could find one where the bottles (we don’t do cans, we’re bottle snobs) stood upright, but this will do.

    Here’s the tag on the outside of the bag. I didn’t actually read the tag at the store. I saw the size & that it was insulated. I didn’t care what it was intended for.



    Since I already had beer on my mind, I thought the fact that I could have a lunch of eight beers was very intriguing. Really, how many times have you thought, “I need a drink” at lunch time? While eight beers might be excessive for one (depends on how badly the day was going), you could find some other poor soul & share.


  • Still on the bag. Check out the tag on the inside.



    California Innovations, based in Toronto Canada, but made in China. I just found this to be quite humorous. I wonder what the guy developing the tag thought.

    Hmmm, I’m representing three countries on this tag. I wonder how many more I can get. [imagine phone dialing] Hey, Tom, are you sure this 8 Can Lunch Bag was exclusively made in China? Were there any other countries involved? Did it stop in Australia when it was shipped over here? [pause] It has an Arctic Zone tag on it. How about the Arctic, did it go there at all? [more pausing] OK, thanks (in a deflated tone). [phone hangs up] Darn it, I’ll just have to leave all this extra white space. Would have been cool to include Australia.


  • Then, there was the toilet bowl cleaner.



    Huh? Kills the flu virus?

    I’m sorry, I never thought about catching the flu from a toilet bowl. Does the flu virus travel via human waste? I’m not touching, let alone drinking toilet water so why should this be of importance? I guess if you flush while still sitting, some vapor water could splash up onto your butt. Does the flu some how work its way in from there? After you flush, are you rubbing your butt? Aren’t you washing your hands?

    I think “Kills the flu virus” is a stupid claim.


  • Finally, I went to McDonald’s before shopping.



    Iced Mocha – served hot or cold. Wouldn’t it just be a mocha if it were served hot? Enough said.
Silver Lining:

  1. Shopping alone – definitely nice.

  2. Along with all the other stuff I bought, I managed to remember the original purpose of the trip (prescriptions). I hate it when I leave a store, get half way home, & then remember that I was supposed to get X, which is why I made the trek out of “the compound” – Pleasantville has almost everything you need on a given day including entertainment so you generally don’t have to leave except for that whole work thing and the occasional trip to Target.

  3. I’m not going to get the flu from my toilet anytime soon.

9 People Laughed Along With Me, Won't You?:

Lillian Robinson said...

Thank goodness my toilet bowl is safe. What can I catch from the shower?

Pollyanna said...

I guess that depends on whether or not you use toilet bowl cleaner to clean your shower. If so, you should be safe from the flu there as well.

SquirrelQueen said...

Having worked as a sales rep for two very large manufacturers I can tell you they are trying to get the latest catch phrase or public concern on their label before their competition. In this case the fear over the swine flu virus. Eventually it will disappear from the label only to be replaced with the next new concern.

The iced mocha hot or cold reminds me of a phrase we all use. Hot water heater! If the water is already hot why do I need to heat it?

Pollyanna said...

Ha, ha - you're right!

It amazes me how many people use "The ATM Machine". I don't know about you, but I use the Automatic Teller Machine, not the Automatic Teller Machine Machine :)

Anonymous said...

you crack me up! you have several valid points!

Unknown said...

HA! I love the tag!

TLP said...

Very funny...never thought of the flu/toilet bowl thing before!!

Unknown said...

I never noticed that before, that's really funny!

BTW: I came over from Confessions of a Depsperate Housewife.

Anonymous said...

Thank goodness you are out there watching out for us non attentive shoppers - I do agree about the "toilet bowl cleaner" - the bag and the Mocha. What are people thinking or are they? Sadly those people get paid more than you and I most likely to come up with dumbs things - I am pretty sure I could come up with some dumb things of my own - for the right price anyway - LOL. After a week of being sick I needed a laugh! Thanks-Danny

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