Commentary

The Mother of All Bad Ideas: Puzz Roulette

TV/SM tag

Call it edgy, call it innovative, call it forward-thinking, call it whatever you want -- I'm going to call it stupid. The French Connection has generated a lot of puzz (that's publicity + buzz, if you are not a regular reader) with a new promotion in the UK using Chatroulette, the site which randomly pairs video chat users, promising $375 worth of vouchers for whoever can set up a date on Chatroulette first.

In some ways the stunt makes sense as a promotion: the rationale is that the winner can use the vouchers to buy a new outfit to look fetching on their semi-blind date. Meanwhile French Connection, famed for its oh-so-clever FCUK acronym, has long sought publicity through controversy. This is certainly no exception: the original "challenge" issued to male users (the contest has since been expanded to include women) asked, "Can you prove yourself by venturing into the most terrifying terrain on the internet to seduce a woman?" The winner has to provide screen shots of their chats to prove their successful seduction.

In every practical promotional sense, it seems to me, this is just a really bad idea. I'm no prude, and I like "edgy" ideas -- in fact, I think controversy and risk-taking are the only way to save mainstream advertising, which is unforgivably dull. But not this way -- oh goodness no.

Addressing the biggest pitfalls first: what if somebody gets raped and/or murdered while vying for the prize? FCUK didn't get approval or oversight from Chatroullete for this promotion, so the legal liability is all on the retailer. Some may object such an event is unlikely, and it will probably go off without a hitch - but from a cost-benefit analysis, the risk incurred seems totally irrational. The British tabloids are already paying attention, so it's a fair guess all those Web-savvy serial killers and rapists are also aware of the promotion; previous experience with social networks shows, unfortunately, that criminals have realized their potential for choosing victims.

Meanwhile think about who is likely to participate in this promotion, i.e., the potential pool of victims: pretty much by definition it's someone with poor judgment, who is willing to further lower their defenses (not to mention standards) in the hope of winning a cash prize.

With this scenario on the table, everything else is just icing on the stupid cake, including the fact that there is no way to verify that the winner didn't manufacture the whole thing, and the chance that people who are "seduced" for a $375 gift certificate might not be so amused, especially if their identity is exposed.

1 comment about "The Mother of All Bad Ideas: Puzz Roulette".
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  1. Howie Goldfarb from Blue Star Strategic Marketing, March 12, 2010 at 10:54 a.m.

    Actually considering this brand is not on the radar and hasn't been for quit some time, look at all the publicity they have gotten in the news already. Also the French Connection tends to skew towards gay male and metrosexual customers so they are hitting the right segment who won't be offended.

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