The Art of Killing Defenseless Bunnies
Before I get any hate mail, please know that I am not particularly for (nor against) the killing of defenseless bunnies. Now, if those bunnies happened to be armed…
Kidding, bad joke, sorry. Been spending too much time in Jersey.
Or on the web.
I came across a link on Bob Parsons’ website that linked to SaveToby.com. Old news to some of you (I apologize for the redundancy), the story behind this website is that a young man allegedly found a very sweet looking bunny, injured, beneath his porch. He then took pictures of it and created a crappy looking website (the URL was purchased and hosted on GoDaddy.com hence the Parsons connection) with a connection to PayPal and told the world if he didn’t receive $50k in donations (apparently the price to “keep” a bunny these days), he was going to eat Toby.
Pictures followed of an adorable Toby in a cooking pot. Recipes for Toby Stew were linked on the left. Articles and hate mail poured in and were posted for the general viewing public.
Pictures and “SaveToby” merchandise was sold… and eventually a book deal was made.
Now, let’s set aside the moral and ethical issues we may (or may not) have with the concept behind SaveToby. I personally have no qualms about eating a rabbit, although friends of mine have expressed dismay at the idea that “some guy could make fifty grand by playing off of people’s emotions!” Isn’t that how anyone makes money, though?
So, here are a few things that I’ve noticed on the SaveToby website that may (or may not) help you market yourself, your business, or your bunny. Use at your own risk:
1) There are basically only three reactions to the SaveToby website: disgust, horror or humor. If you wanted to save Toby, you might have sent in a “donation.” If you thought this was hilarious, you might have sent the site owner a dollar or bought some merchandise. Either way, people who visited this website hardly ever felt apathetic. A strong emotion is important in any story.
2) Hate this site? Love it? Think it’s stupid? The site is definitely not pandering to the fluffy-animal-lover in all of us. It may be in bad taste, but it’s refreshingly straightforward in its concept and on the stand it takes.
3) People will wear commercial material (i.e. walking billboard: branded icon t-shirts) if you a) give it to them for free and the rest of their wardrobe is dirty or if they somehow relate a part of their personality to the idea(ls) behind the shirt. That might sound weird, but someone who bought a Save Toby shirt obviously had to feel strong about the site in order to purchase (and wear) such a shirt. People bond with their possessions, sad but true – and the twelve year old, red haired kid I saw last week at the mall wearing a t-shirt that says, Trust Me, I’m a Doctor, obviously felt that message expressed a part of his personality.
4) Make a message worth spreading. Obviously it doesn’t have to be serious, or life-changing, it just has to be conversation-worthy.
5) Throw in a picture of a cute bunny. People like bunnies.
