>Worst Marketing Strategy Ever
>From: Another Public Relations Company
Subject: Biggest Celebrity Weight Gainers of 2008 Announced
To: suburban.turmoil@yahoo.com
Date: Monday, January 12, 2009, 3:34 PM
Hi Lindsay, Hope you had a good weekend, and Happy New Year! Please let me know if you’ll be able to post the below—thought it might be of interest. I can also set up an interview with a Zone Delivery USA rep. Thanks!
Zone Delivery USA, a premier meal delivery service provider, has announced this year’s “Biggest Gainers of 2008”. While stars around them were cutting back, these five celebs packed on the pounds:
1. Joaquin Phoenix
2. Mariah Carey
3. Oprah Winfrey
4. Matthew Perry
5. Jennifer Love Hewitt
Joaquin Phoenix “walked the line” from gorgeous Golden Globe winner to Hollywood dropout deadbeat, clinging on to the coattails of his A-list friends. Now that he’s sworn-off acting, he’s sworn-on his refrigerator. Mariah Carey is no longer every man’s “fantasy”. As a married woman, the average weight gain is 6 pounds a year; soon she’ll be crushing Nick Cannon! The Queen of Talk Shows, Oprah Winfrey might be known for her grandiose audience giveaways, but looks like she’s keeping all the food for herself. Has Matthew Perry eaten one of his “Friends”? He’s kicked some bad habits, but may be replacing the butts for burgers. Party of Five? Jennifer Love Hewitt looked like she was eating for more than one when she was caught by the paparazzi over the summer in her teeny weenie bikini.
From: suburban.turmoil@yahoo.com
Subject: re: Biggest Celebrity Weight Gainers of 2008 Announced
To: Another Public Relations Company
Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2009, 7:51 AM
Hi!
I’d love to post this on my blog!
I think it’s so cool that a diet meal delivery service provider is making fun of people who’ve gained weight. Because that’s who Zone Delivery USA is trying to appeal to, right? People who’ve gained weight? What better way to reel them in than to make fat jokes in its outreach? Zone Delivery USA= BRILLIANT!
I will definitely encourage my readers to order from Zone Delivery USA the next time they want convenient diet meals delivered to their door by a company that makes fun of overweight people. How exciting it will be for them to wonder whether the person who sold them their diet meals thinks they’re “no longer every man’s fantasy” either! Or that they’ve “sworn on their refrigerator!” Or even that they “may have eaten one of their friends!” Ha ha! How did you guys come up with these zingers?
Zone Delivery USA deserves lots of attention for its fat jokes marketing strategy. I can’t “weight” to spread the word! Ha ha! See? You’ve inspired me!
Best,
Lindsay
>It is truly amazing how clueless some people are. Maybe they worked with the pain reliever people on this spiel.
>I never learned this type of PR strategy while in school or at work, but I think it is along the lines of the whole “how to sleep with beautiful women” theory by insulting them to make them more interested in your loser self. Here Zone Delivery USA=loser.
>As someone in marketing, I can hardly believe that’s real! That entire marketing department should be fired. That truly is HORRIBLE!!! Thank you for sharing how inconsiderate that company is. Ugh!
>I got this, too. Ugh. Ironically I had just posted about body image and the self esteem crisis in young girls today. Yeah fat jokes are NOT the way to win me over to a diet plan.
>So I’m thinking that must be the list of celebs that refused a deal with Zone and this is their way of extracting revenge. Bitter Much?
>Oh my heavens. Wow. I have no words.Your comeback was brilliant though.
>And let me point out that as far as the women go, when Mariah Carey and Jennifer Love Hewitt gain weight, they look pretty NORMAL and healthy for a change. And Oprah has a thyroid condition. It’s just so rude.
>Wow. Just wow.Write From Karen
>Seriously? I have no words.
>Nice reply Lindsey.
>I got the same email the other day and I was appalled. I replied to her by asking her why she thought that I would be interested in promoting something so incredibly offensive as that. Strangely, she never replied to that. I wonder why.
>Let me preface this by saying that I’m not condoning what they did.I do, however, think I see what their target audience was: women, aged 18-40 – the crowd that subscribes to (or thumbs through in the checkout line) the celebrity magazines like Us Weekly, People, or any other magazine that does the same thing on their covers. By mentioning famous and successful people that have gained weight, they’re trying to be a Hollywood gossip mag without photographic proof. If they included pictures of Mariah Carey’s weight gain, it might be a little more believable, but otherwise, it is just drivel to appeal to those that just have to know what is happening in the celebrity world.
>They did include pictures, but I doubt they had legal right to use them so I opted not to include them.I understand what they were trying to do- I just think they TOTALLY missed the mark. Who on earth is going to read that and then think, “Oh now I want to order meals from these people!”
>Score one for a mindless marketing android somewhere. Good reply.
>Wow. That is really unbelievable!!
>I have no interest in delivery meal services (although I think they can be VERY beneficial!) But I can guarantee that if I ever do, or if someone I know wanted me to recommend one; Zone Delivery USA would not be given a recommendation by me!
>oh. mai. gawd. what a bunch of asshats!
>Great comeback! Some people just have no respect for themselves or others. I hope whoever the genius is that wrote that gem gets noticed by the boss.Thanks for defending us “big girls”!
>You. Rock. Period.
>Wow. Just wow. I’m totally offended, and not just because I’m fat.
>First off – remind me never to piss you off LOL. And second, I get so annoyed at people that do that. Haters!
>Ha Ha – what a great response to an idiotic email, I wish I could have been as witty when I got some similar emails. Great post – did they respond to your email?
>Soon as I put down the drumstick, I’m gonna waddle over and jackslap those Zone ninnies 😉
>Their product must really suck. After all, they resort to making fun of people vs. the clever marketing of those that say “lose 30 pounds in two weeks”! Yeah, those are so much better…
>Disgusting, simply disgusting. Whoever came up with that crap needs to be fired!
>dicks!!!
>Wow – it never ceases to amaze me how clueless marketing / PR people can be. This is one for the books.
>Lindsay’s sarcasm wins. 🙂
>What is wrong with people? Bunch of assclowns. Have they never heard of anorexia? GAWD.
>Clearly, they couldn’t find a celebrity to sing their praises. With an attitude like that, no surprise there.Great work in sharing this.