Monday 7 July 2008

Hole In Shoe And Reasoning

I have discovered, thanks to today's frankly inclement weather, that, while there is not really a good time to find out one has a hole in one's shoe, some times are markedly worse than others.

On the subject of shoes and that, I had occasion to visit a shoe shop last week. I saw a box of special socks to be used to protect ladies from other people's verrucas when they are trying on shoes. What an excellent idea, but I wonder if it is slightly let down by the marketing.

I can imagine the scene when the chaps at product development were pitching this to their bosses. And here I am, imagining it ...


BOSSES:
So, chaps in product development, what do you have for us today?


CHAP IN PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT (hereafter known as CPD):
Socks.


BOSSES:
Socks? I think we've done those.

CPD:
Ah, but not these. These are disposable socks.


BOSSES:
Disposable? What, may we ask, is the chuffing point of those? Are we to market these to people with particularly rank feet?


CPD:
No, no, Bosses. These are protection from those with particularly rank feet. To be used in shoe shops.


BOSSES:
Now that is an excellent idea. Well done, Chaps in Product Development. Now, as usual, marketing is the key. You'll have to be careful to distinguish them from ordinary, everyday socks.


CPD:
No problem, Bosses. We've just the name. Something so utterly distinctive that there can be no confusion between the use of these socks and what we will call normal socks.


BOSSES:
Excellent, carry on...



And so was launched ...

3 comments:

xxNapoleonSolo said...

I don't know what I am enjoying most - the fact that someone thought foot socks was a good name, or the image of you taking a picture of a box of foot socks in the shoe shop.

Rachel Noy said...

Hah. You took a picture!?! That entry forced a bit of Jaffa Cake down the wrong way.
What's even worse is when they have ONE sock that everyone shares. Surely that defeats the object.

Dave Thackeray said...

What would be even funnier than a picture of foot socks box (have tissue manufacturers, specifically those supplying Wilko's own-brand, probably, discovered a surplus of containers in the back room?) is to have Graham say "And here I am, IMAGING it", as opposed to the other way.

That would be the funniest thing I saw all day. That said, I am an obit writer.