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How much is publicity worth?
Feb. 4th, 2009 12:48 amWhen told by Michelle Obama that she didn't appreciate their company attempting to profit from her children's images, Ty denied that their most recent dolls - 'Sweet Sasha' and 'Marvelous Malia' - were named after the Obama daughters, wrapping their responses in an utterly shameless banner of arrogant legal horsehockey.
"There’s nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls," spokeswoman Tania Lundeen said. "It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not."
However, when CNN asked a Ty executive whether the Obama girls were the inspiration for the dolls, she hesitated several seconds before answering.
"Information concerning the development of our products and how we come up with names, how we select them, how we trademark -- that's considered as proprietary," Ty Senior Vice President of Sales Tania Lundeen said. "I can't go any further with that question."
Ty has now announced that they are renaming their 'Marvelous Malia,' and 'Sweet Sasha' dolls. The dolls have been renamed "Marvelous Mariah" and "Sweet Sydney," Chief Executive Ty Warner of Oak Brook-based Ty Inc. said in a statement Tuesday.
Ty knew full well what they were doing. First, they hoped the dolls would sell a million. Second, they knew the controversy would get their names in additional millions of faces. This kind of disingenuousness may be being celebrated at corporate headquarters as a 'win', but they have tarnished their image in the views of many consumers, including mine. At this point I'm not likely to buy a Ty product, ever again.
I hate corporate dishonesty.
"There’s nothing on the dolls that refers to the Obama girls," spokeswoman Tania Lundeen said. "It would not be fair to say they are exact replications of these girls. They are not."
However, when CNN asked a Ty executive whether the Obama girls were the inspiration for the dolls, she hesitated several seconds before answering.
"Information concerning the development of our products and how we come up with names, how we select them, how we trademark -- that's considered as proprietary," Ty Senior Vice President of Sales Tania Lundeen said. "I can't go any further with that question."
Ty has now announced that they are renaming their 'Marvelous Malia,' and 'Sweet Sasha' dolls. The dolls have been renamed "Marvelous Mariah" and "Sweet Sydney," Chief Executive Ty Warner of Oak Brook-based Ty Inc. said in a statement Tuesday.
Ty knew full well what they were doing. First, they hoped the dolls would sell a million. Second, they knew the controversy would get their names in additional millions of faces. This kind of disingenuousness may be being celebrated at corporate headquarters as a 'win', but they have tarnished their image in the views of many consumers, including mine. At this point I'm not likely to buy a Ty product, ever again.
I hate corporate dishonesty.
