The Food Scout

Life imitates art far more than art imitates Life. -Oscar Wilde Perhaps you’ve come in contact with the little electronic pushpins that show up on various mapping programs on the Web (e.g., Google Earth) to designate a specific location that has been tagged to bring attention to it or make it easier to locate. Well, that same technique has been borrowed from the two-dimensional electronic world and brought to life in our 3D world in the form of giant pushpins. Unsuspecting Seattleites driving in various neighborhoods of Seattle lately may be a little surprised to see dozens of these giant pushpins stuck into the sides of buildings around town, particularly on “dive” restaurants that may otherwise go unnoticed.

In the 1990s, it was nearly impossible to keep track of all the food company mergers that were blending and combining top brands in an elaborate shell game of consolidation and buy-outs designed to offset shrinking margins and increasingly modest stock growth. Now America’s most prominent food companies are cleaning house en masse. And when it comes to keeping the ship on course these days, it is clear that nothing is sacred anymore, not even flagship brands or categories. Sluggish category? Toss it out! Unhealthy image? Off with her head! Increased competition? Sell the whole company!

Back on March 9, I wrote a blog on the perky Rachel Ray and how she was stretching her “brand” too far, too fast, to ANYTHING. Well, I think Homer Simpson et al. have crossed over to the Dark Side of marketing as well, becoming the latest uber-licensed brand to be stamped ruthlessly on any product or promotion that is interested in shelling out some cash. The Simpsons’ presence in marketing vehicles of late has quickly passed by my “clever” and “ubiquitous” checkpoints, and is now sprinting beyond “tasteless” to achieve the “cram it down their throats” milestone.

In decades past, the media was the preferred filter that industry and consumers relied upon to communicate between them. Reporters were granted interviews, sent press releases, or even wined and dined by Corporate America in the hopes of getting good “press.” Likewise, consumers who felt powerless or shunned called on reporters to make their grievances known in the hopes of getting their stories out to the world (via TV or print circulation) and gaining support.

Just as I am a sucker for all-you-can-eat buffets, I can’t resist free food giveaways. I’m not talking about those club-store smorgasbords where people make a meal out of sampling little cups of cocktail weenies, energy bars, and processed cheese. I’m talking about