Thanks to the folks over at TortsProf Blog for bringing this to my attention this morning.
Kumho Tire (yes, that Kumho Tire, of Daubert Trilogy fame) has announced a new product launch: scented tires. Scented. Tires. Chocolate and peanut butter, I get. Honda and XM Satellite Radio, I get. This? Not so much.
Neighbor: Yeeeeeeeeah. I just went out am dropped p-retty penny on summa them there scented tires. A p-retty penny. [note that it is important to make "pretty" into 3 syllables]
Me: Hmm.
Neighbor: Yup. My tires smell. And I don't mean stink. They're all pretty and what not.
Me: May I...smell...your tires, John?
And right then. At that exact moment. Hell freezes over.
Here is the press release at Kumho's website. Kumho are going after women car drivers. Umm. Women do not smell tires. Men do not smell tires. Oh, but I know every red-blooded American is just aching to get on their hands and knees and take a real long, deep whiff of their tires. If only they did not reek of galvanized rubber. The picture is so refreshing.
But, one marketing exec to another, I got an idea for ya, Mr. Scented Tire Marketing Guy. <que the Bud Light commercial voice over: "Mr Scented Tire Marketing Guy!"> Scented toilet plungers. Not than anyone is going to stick their face anywhere near a toilet plunger and take a whiff, but I tell ya: I do not like having my water closet reeking of galvanized rubber. Which it does. If you are looking for an idea to save your career once this idea flops, patent the process for adding scent to your rubber processing and license it to the good people who make those big honkin' toilet plungers. The big black galvanized rubber ones.
Scented tires. Really.
(Oh, and this whole issue is really challenging my belief that there is "no bad press.")
