re: what sells (hint: rarely a product)

[Joe Elliott <jee@domain.elided>]

Funny that this should come up again.  On my gag website, 
http://thedeuce.dhs.org, I occasionally run online polls, which 
usually involve off-color humor and/or inside jokes from high school, 
but this week it's "Pick your favorite 850," and despite the 
overwhelming cuteness of the FIAT, the BMW is not surprisingly 
leading the poll last time I checked, by virtue of its badge alone. 
See the results for yourself at 
http://www.webenalysis.com/votepoll.asp?pollID=6679.  Needless to 
say, most people taking my poll are my 17-22 year old peers, the 
people who would probably be buying 147's in the event that they 
actually show up here in 2006 or whenever.

What BMW has done with the Mini really impresses me.  A Union Jack 
painted on the roof is seemingly a factory option, and they feature 
British "bobbies" in the TV ads, but they sell it through BMW 
dealerships and have managed to convince most people that it's a BMW 
and that it's "made in Germany."  Testimony to the fact that most 
American consumers just don't think.

Joe Elliott
'82 GTV6
'73 Opel GT (I'll put a 3.2L Audi V8 in it if you give me one)

Disclaimer: Should you choose to visit thedeuce.dhs.org, please be 
aware that some material there is intentionally offensive, and is not 
meant to represent the opinions of myself or anyone else.  It does, 
however, claim to be the World's Least Powerful Server, so please be 
patient with it.
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