Friday, April 23, 2010

Speaking of Death, How About Some Advertising?

Heard a story on the way to dropping my kid off at school--that a guy is trying to exchange advertising space on his URN in exchange for some cash to help pay for the cremation.  There has been much talk about the new futures markets that will involve betting on how movies do, but this is an entirely different futures market.  You have to figure out: a) when is the person likely to do; and b) who popular will they be in the future.  Depending on the company's time horizon, one could emphasize one or the other, but this could be the future of Death.  One might want to invest in a prominent burial plot with a big gravestone or, even better yet, crypt (apparently Nic Cage has already purchased a pyramidal crypt) to maximize space and visibility. 

What kinds of companies would/should advertise on urns/graves/crypts?  Cialis and viagra come to mind.  Other pharmaceutical products for folks closer to the end also make sense.  What else?  Sky-diving?  Um, no, that would not just be inappropriate but also probably would serve to deter business.  Higher education?  Perhaps as the folks attending a funeral might have more cash to spend after the reading of the will. 

Any other ideas?

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