“You like saying Gore-Tex, don’t you?”
Received this nugget of information in my In Box today:
Hi Matthew,
I thought you and your readers would like to help us congratulate James Peters, a Thousand Oaks, CA, resident who recently won the ‘GORE-TEX® Footwear Diamond in the Rough’ contest by finding a hidden GORE-TEX® brand logo in Ventura, CA.
James Peters will receive $500 in GORE-TEX® gear for his next vacation.
…
W.L. GORE & ASSOCIATES NAMES FIRST WINNERS IN ‘GORE-TEX® FOOTWEAR DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH’ CONTEST
– Game Pieces Found in New York and California; Contest Continues in International Destinations —
Elkton, MD – April 30, 2008 – W.L. Gore & Associates, a leading manufacturer of advanced technology products including the GORE-TEX® brand, today announced that two hidden GORE-TEX® brand game pieces have been found in Ithaca, New York and Ventura, California, within one week after the launch of the ‘GORE-TEX® Footwear Diamond in the Rough’ contest. The ‘GORE-TEX® Footwear Diamond in the Rough’ contest challenges U.S. travelers to uncover a hidden GORE-TEX® brand game piece in eight of the 10 destinations selected as Top 10 GORE-TEX® Footwear Summer Travel Destinations for 2008. Each winner will receive $500 in GORE-TEX® gear.
…
Ventura, California
On April 18, 2008, avid rock climber, James Peters, learned about the ‘GORE-TEX® Footwear Diamond in the Rough’ contest and decided that he would make the trip to Ventura, CA to join in the fun. Peters traveled 30 miles from Thousand Oaks, CA and found the hidden game piece at Ventura Visitors and Convention Bureau.
“I am an avid and frequent traveler, so when I learned about the ‘GORE-TEX® Footwear Diamond in the Rough Contest, I could not resist making the trip to Ventura. Not only did I find the game piece, but I was able to enjoy the charming downtown and the cool coastal weather of this Southern California beach town. I am very excited to be the winner for California and I am eager to get and use some new GORE-TEX® gear,” commented James Peters.
First off, I like the insinuation that this “avid rock climber” made some sort of daring trek — possibly across a jagged, unforgiving landscape, fighting off giant scorpions and dysentery — from Thousand Oaks to Ventura in order to win this prize. And I especially enjoyed his “comment” on “the cool coastal weather of this Southern California beach town.” C’mon, did he really say that? As if this guy who lives in 20 minutes away just happened to stumble upon some quaint oceanside oasis in his quest for free GORE-TEX. This is why I chose not to go into the PR wing of journalism, even though all my self-loathing college professors insisted that’s where all the money is.
And am I the only person who thought GORE-TEX was something Seinfeld made up?
May 1, 2008 at 8:26 pm
Shame on W.L. Gore – an otherwise great company and bona fide innovation powerhouse. This latest example shows that they start to act in a deceiving and desperate ways, employing lame marketing tricks over the methods of integrity. It’s yet another example that makes me think that they start to ossify in their famed innovation, too.
Besides, any journalist of decent talent can make more money by being a person of integrity rather than a mere PR prostitute. But only when he or she learns to ask more and better questions in more and better places. Refuse to be “reasonable” in questioning why the world is run the way it is run, and there will be no limit to your growth, both professionally and money-wise. After all, the same method is what brings great ideas to entrepreneurs seeking big bucks.