Just now reading my monthly copy of ArcNews and noticed an ad for a company that "provides innovative decision support tools that make the land-use planning process more visual, more collaborative and more effective." As Motivational Speaker Matt Foley might intone, "WELL, LAH-DEE-FREAKIN'-DAH!" Anyway, aside from the amateur marketing consultant gobbledygook, what I was more struck by was the ad itself. 1/3 of a page, one side with tiny white text on a cherry-red background, the other half a photograph of a kid's sled. The headline reads:

IT’S A SLED.

IT’S ALSO A SYMBOL OF
SPEED, GRACE AND EASY NAVIGATION.

On what planet?

Here on Earth, it is rare for anyone to use a crappy old wooden sled when they want someone to think "speed".

Grace?! You ever seen someone ride a sled? It ain't like watching Baryshnikov.

And the real kicker--easy navigation!?! Mmmyeah, sure. That's why Columbus brought one with him to America, you know. And it's why the Space Shuttle has a sled strapped to the nose.

Yes. I am jealous that people get paid good money to write junk like this. I mean, everyone knows the symbol of speed, grace and easy navigation is the possum.
posted by Terry at 2:06:00 PM