MUST SELL IDIOCY

[from The Wall Street Journal, 6/9/98]

"NBC plans to use variations of 'Must See TV' in ways that have nothing at all to do with prime-time television. Look for 'Must Saw Logs' sheets, 'Must Char Dogs' barbecue equipment, 'Must Freak Cat' and 'Must Hog Sofa' dog dishes and collars - even 'Must Brown Nose' casual work clothes."

"Moving the slogan from tube to T-shirt carries big risks for NBC: If consumers view its merchandise as tacky or stupid, that would sully the brand image of TV's most-watched network."

"And some of the ideas, including 'Must Brown Nose' for work shirts and 'Must Pull Finger' for T-shirts, are of questionable taste."

"'The additional exposure ... can't be a bad thing,'" says John Miller, NBC's executive vice president of advertising and promotion, who helped come up with the slogan. 'If it makes a few bucks, great. If it breaks even - OK, well, we tried.'"

"'Look, we're trying new things,' Mr. [David] Eun, [vice president of NBC Enterprises] says. 'This is not just a way for us to get extra promotions and to make the equivalent of tchotchkes. We're trying to build a lifestyle.'"