pynchon-l-digest V2 #2152

[Doug Millison]

I applaud the effort to educate kids and instill a humanitarian spirit.
But, in this press release Toys 'R' Us and APL seem to have forgotten to
mention the tax deductions they're getting; more important -- and a prime
driver behind this project, I expect -- they don't mention the goodwill and
future business that will accrue as they use this marketing project to
"brand" these little consumers and make them customers for life.  This is
almost but not quite as cynical as Bush's invitation to U.S. children to
donate $1 each  (Bush failed to make it  clear how that will help the
Afghani children who are dying because of the U.S. attack), although, as
far as I know, CARE is a reputable organization. Marketing to the "7 to 17"
demographic is big business, of course, and gathering customer information
and email addresses is a classic Internet marketing technique - -you could
read all about it in a book I co-wrote last year (don't worry, I got paid a
fee in advance for co-writing and editing the book, the other guy gets the
royalties), _Firebrands:  Building Brand Loyalty in the Internet Age_by
Michael Moon with Doug Millison.
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0072124490/qid=1003174501/sr=2-1/ref=sr_
2_11_1/107-8683292-4818144)


Who said big business isn't trying to capitalize on this war?


       10/15/01 2:14 PM
>
>    APL's 'Boomerang Box(R)' Educational Program Teams Up With Toys 'R' Us
>          And CARE to Launch Unique Worldwide Educational Challenge
>