“Remember, it’s not a TiVo unless it’s a TiVo.”

So says the woman on the radio commercial selling that brand of digital video recorder.

I wonder if her script was Xeroxed on a Toshiba copier, or if she refreshed her throat with a cold glass of something from her GE Frigadaire. Maybe she brought her lunch in one of those new Glad-brand Tupperware containers.

All of the italicised brands had their names turned into commodities - because everyone else sold the same thing!

If a product is not a TiVo unless it’s got certain exclusive features, then every DVR becomes a TiVo. The line should be: “Remember if it’s not a TiVo it doesn’t have Feature-X”.

When product design is lame, the lameness flows through to their marketing. This type of advertising is, well, a Band-Aid.

There are many messages out there telling you to click for a prize. They’re digital Ed McMahon’s. You don’t believe them, and you wouldn’t share them with friends. Here’s an e-mail that’s different:

Dear all:

In honor of World AIDS Day, Bristol-Myers will donate one dollar to the National AIDS Fund for every person who clicks the link below and moves the match to light the candle. There is no cost to you in doing this, other than the brief amount of time it takes.

https://www.lighttounite.org/

I hope you will take a moment to light one, and pass the word on.

Thanks for your time,