May the farce be with you

I don't know what planet George Lucas is from.

I bought my son a Star Wars action figure the other day. On the box read this promotion: "FREE Boba Fett with purchase of 5 action figures."

Well, if you were a kid in the 80s, you have fond memories of these mail-in toy promotions. Whether it was The Fridge, Seargent Slaughter or even old-man Anakin Skywalker, they were super awesome and "not sold in stores!" And if you were diligent, or nerdy enough, to clip the UPCs, you not only scored a toy, but some much-needed bragging rights with the fellas.

So when I saw a chance to get a FREE Boba Fett, I had to get it. For my son, of course.

I opened the box and read the fine print: "Send 5 UPC codes, along with a check for $6.99 to receive your FREE Boba Fett."

Uh, huh?

I guess George had altered the deal. There was no mention of shipping and handling. Just "hey, send us $6.99." ($8.99 Canadian).

So, $6.99 gets me - sorry - my son, a "FREE" action figure? Hey, I don't mind paying $7 bucks for Boba Fett. Lord Vader knows I've spent a lot more than that over the years.

Just don't call it "FREE." Say "SPECIAL." Or "OFFER USELESS TO RESIST." Or "FREE - FROM A CERTAIN POINT OF VIEW." I'll chuckle, shake my head and whip out the wallet.

Only a fool would call something free, and then charge people $7. But I remember a wise man once said: "Who's the more foolish: The fool, or the fool who follows him?" Of course, that same man also said, "I don't remember ever owning a droid." So perhaps I shouldn't follow his advice.

So then I wondered, maybe they didn't mean "Free Boba Fett," but FREE Boba Fett. As in, set him free! That's one explanation. And one that made me feel better. Like I was helping Boba Fett bust out of the clutches of some horrible warehouse in China. I couldn't be sure. But I was sure of one thing - I was getting that toy.

For my son, I mean.

Ebony and irony

The truth doesn't require retouching.

Trust falls

If you haven't checked out the 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer study, we've got it here for you. An interesting read - a lot of what you might expect: Trust in corporations is at a 10-year low; however, consumers do put credence in the employees who advocate for their companies. So put a face (or at least a name) with your logo in your social networking endeavors. It'll go a long way to building your brand. Trust us.

You'll also note that the above study is brought to you via Scribd. This YouTube of the written word is a smart way to give your printed pieces, transcriptions and PDFs a place in the Web canon.

Lessons from a dope-smokin' dolphin

You know Michael Phelps - the golden boy who could do no wrong in the pool and a seemingly safe (to the point of boring) bet to endorse dozens of products. And then we find him again barely coming up for air, this time his head buried in a bong at a college party.

It is fascinating when icons (particularly with lucrative endorsement deals) taint their public image. But what is even better is that Phelps' sponsors all stand behind him. No one yet has yanked a deal from him, even though several of those contracts explicitly state that he needs to keep out of trouble. more

It is a common dilemma in advertising when you are looking for that one famous person to stand up and say "Nothing is better than Brand X. I love it." Do you look for a real person that fits, but is human and can screw things up? Or do you go the route of other brands and create a fictional character whose persona is under your complete control, like the King of Burger King?

It seems that there is room for both. The whole Phelps' thing will blow over. After all, most people don't even realize he also has a DUI on his record. Not to condone such repeated stupidity of anyone, let alone one making millions as a role model to kids, but people do like their flawed heroes.

Maybe the King can take a few cues from his real-life spokesperson brethren. CPB, if you're listening, have the King go berserk on the set of his next commercial (or movie?), dropping enough F-bombs to make Christian Bale blush. Or have him get into a fight in the alley over the superiority of democracy over constitutional monarchy as a political theory. Or just release some underground photos of him cavorting with Amy Winehouse for a spell.

We like our stars flawed and flayed. And the stars surely do, too. It keeps them (and the products they endorse) relevant and part of the conversation.

Good thing we're not corporate

A new study came out from Forrester Research showing that only 16% of consumers trust what they read on a brand's blog -- that's dead last for you playing at home. The corporate blog was followed closely by another hot, must-have media trend -- the social media page (18%).

The study offered this reasoning: Many brands too often blog about (ding, ding, ding) themselves. But there is hope. Josh Bernoff, the study's author, explains that companies need to focus more on the customer and his/her pains, thereby becoming more of a resource and a refuge.

To paraphrase: Nobody cares about your product. They care about how your product makes them feel.

You can download the whole study here. They'll only want a little bit of personal information in exchange, which according to a different study, nearly 60% of you are willing to provide if you think it will get you something of value.