Hey, anyone notice that marketing campaigns stink? Who can smell them the most? Do they work? Do people care?

I don’t watch the OC on FOX. But I’m around it when it’s on; call it osmosis.

The trailer for “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith” played during a commercial break on the March 10 episode. This week, the main characters (I don’t even know their names) were playing the new PS2 starwars game, it’s not even out yet! They were acting all suave and cool:

“Hey, you just threw your lightsaber.”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know you could throw lightsabers.”

This is roughly equivalent to:

“Hey, this game has lots of gameplay features.”
“Yeah.”
“I didn’t know that this game has lots of gameplay features.”

So of course I’m googling this whole scene and I find this gem.

George Lucas will guest-star as himself on “The O.C.” on Thursday, May 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX.

During the episode, Summer makes Zach and Seth decide which one of them is going to take her to Harbor High’s “The O.Sea” prom. But, after George Lucas expresses interest in Seth’s graphic novel, Seth is forced to make the most difficult decision of his life — take Summer to the prom or have dinner with George Lucas.

I know business is business. But … who’s not going to see episode 3? Fans are going to see it, old people won’t. The sales are already set in stone. Look at Matrix1. Very little promotion, lots of word of mouth advertising.

If episode3 has real content, real substance, then you don’t even have to spend a dime to advertise it. Put it in the theaters, have it rule and we’ll all buy the video game.

Hell, it seems that the whole galactic empire is selling out. Is Lucas trying to fund 15 more years of spinoffs? Is this some kind of product placement strikes back? Starwars M&M’s?

‘Darth mix’ colors
As for the M&M’s themselves, the special edition “Darth Mix” features the following new colors: black, maroon, purple, dark blue and silver. The classic milk chocolate flavor is found in the “Jedi Mix” with its new colors: beige, cream, pastel green, gold and “light-saber blue” M&M’s.

Wow great!

I really need to eat starwars.

I need more! What about a breakfast cereal?

“There is a tremendous amount of excitement for both our product line and the release of the final movie in the Star Wars saga,” Eric Nyman, director of marketing for Hasbro’s Star Wars brand said. “This movie answers the questions people have been waiting for and also gave us the opportunity to create some outstanding product…the best Star Wars line yet.”

More stuff!! Where are my Sith condoms? oh, well … um … that didn’t have much market potential.. Oh, come on! High school kids are having sex right? What not force our brand into their premature sex lives! It’d be great! You could impant a little chip that would make the vooom vooom light saber sound when their pre-marital copulating! What better advertising than that!

You’ve gone too far.

This kind of branding and mass expulsion of ad materials reminds me of the Hulk movie marketing fest. Is this what’s going to go in the land fills? Hulk green milk, Hulk piņatas, Hulk candy, Hulk gloves.

I saw Star Wars posters at Wegmans. What does that have to do with Groceries?

If bad taste sells so well, we all live in a bad tasting world, no?