A New Low for TRF- Tacky "Name Your Baby" Marketing Ploy

[Rani Zemirah]

I'm not even going to take the time to voice all of the reasons why I think this is a very negative sort of promotion... mainly because many of them have already been posted here, but also because it would end up being a far more lengthy post than I want to make at this late hour.  Suffice it to say, Terre, that the sort of people who would do this sort of thing to a child who had absolutely no choice in the matter are not likely to be the sort of people who will bring positive attention to your business establishment.  This sort of cheap attention grabbing will quite likely end up reflecting negatively on TRF, itself, at a time when people are choosing very carefully where and how to spend their hard earned money. 

As bawdy and uninhibited as many aspects of Faire can be, there is still a certain... refined charm... that many who attend not only expect, but also look forward to as an escape from the often base and tawdry events of everyday life... and if Faire becomes too interchangeable with mundane existence then it will simply cease to exist, because no one is going to be drawn to another venue that offers more of the same thing they see everywhere else they look.  Faire is supposed to be a place out of time, where magic reigns and fantasy comes to life, even if only for a few hours or days at a time... please don't take that away. 

If you are looking for promotions that will catch the imagination of not only loyal patrons, but also those who might someday become such, perhaps you could ask some of those same people what sort of contests they would like to see, and/or participate in.  I do understand that for something as grand as a lifetime pass, and savings bonds, or other such things, the contest would have to be pretty unusual... but right here we have some of the most unusual imaginations that you will find anywhere!  You have already been given several suggestion on how you could modify this promotion to lessen the personal impact on an innocent life... and I'm sure if you asked there would be an almost unending supply of suggestions from both this venue and the FB page, as well. 

One more point, and then I will finish...  The public at large tends to have a soft spot for companies who admit when something they've done wasn't completely thought out, and asks for their help to fix the issue.  I believe it could likely be a HUGE marketing tool to come out with some humorous statement to that effect, and then ask for suggestions as to what sort of changes TRF might make to turn this contest into something that will appeal to a wider audience, and generate more positive response. 

As a marketing and graphics designer specializing in corporate branding I speak with some experience... and I hope you will consider carefully everything that has been said in this thread, and in other public venues, as well.  The people who have commented here have done so because they care about Faire, in general, and about TRF in particular, and they want to be able to point to it and say to others, proudly... "this is MY place... this is where I call home".  Please, Terre... help us to continue to do so without reservation.  You have listened many times in the recent past, and made numerous changes that have been beneficial for patrons and business, alike, and no one here wishes anything but the best for TRF.  We all want to think of it as home, and want it to shine... not only in our own eyes, but to the rest of the world, as well. 

[Merlin the Elder]

As Dracconia stated, names are sacred...more sacred in some cultures than in others. Making a child go through life with a joke name is, in my humble opinion, terribly cruel. Breandan makes a very valid point: it's not an easy thing to change later.  I think you could come up with a better contest than saddling a child with a stupid name for part of their life.  Making a child the butt of cruel jokes can have some serious repercussions. There is already enough bad juju in the world. We just saw some of it in Aurora the other day. Rani has made some excellent points that should be taken into consideration.

[KeeperoftheBar]

I wonder if horses are eligible.  I'd gladly change my steed's name to "StudMuffin Tex Renn" for lifetime tickets.
How about it Terre? 

[Rowan MacD]

  Ooh, oooh!  *hand in the air*

Can you change the horn on the steed to play 'Greensleeves'? 

[KeeperoftheBar]

  Ooh, oooh!  *hand in the air*

Can you change the horn on the steed to play 'Greensleeves'? 

It probably could be done but I don't know how.  Besides, I kind of like the hooves clopping and the whinny.

[maeven]

Keeper's right: the whinny and clip-clops sound awesome.

[Breandan]

Is there any update as to whether this contest is still ongoing, or did it just disappear quietly? Haven't seen anything on it since the 17th, and comments on it seem to be going *POOF!* on the TRF FB.

[DonaCatalina]

http://www.texrenfest.com/heirtothethrone

[raevyncait]

in the print at the bottom of the page:

"By accepting the lifetime passes, the winners agree not to sue the Texas Renaissance Festival for any damages as a result of the name."

[lys1022]

in the print at the bottom of the page:

"By accepting the lifetime passes, the winners agree not to sue the Texas Renaissance Festival for any damages as a result of the name."

That's amusing because while the parents can sign their own right to sue away, I don't believe that they can sign their child's right to sue away.  Especially a child too young to give informed consent.  An attorney would have to verify that, of course, but I can't imagine any Court in the country supporting the decision stating that a child too young to give informed consent can be entered into a contractual agreement like that.

I'd be curious to see if there were any cases of children suing to fight contractual terms that their parents entered them into.

[raevyncait]

in the print at the bottom of the page:

"By accepting the lifetime passes, the winners agree not to sue the Texas Renaissance Festival for any damages as a result of the name."

That's amusing because while the parents can sign their own right to sue away, I don't believe that they can sign their child's right to sue away.  Especially a child too young to give informed consent.  An attorney would have to verify that, of course, but I can't imagine any Court in the country supporting the decision stating that a child too young to give informed consent can be entered into a contractual agreement like that.

I'd be curious to see if there were any cases of children suing to fight contractual terms that their parents entered them into.

Exactly my point Lys.

[DonaCatalina]

In the State of Texas no one can sign their rights away. The Thirteenth District Court of Texas has ruled that any waivers are invalid under the express negligence doctrine if the party requiring the waiver knows that harm or damage is inevitable within reasonable parameters.

i.e. having been apprised of opinions by recognized experts that such actions will lead to irreparable harm or damage; sad waiver is considered null and void.

[Breandan]

Another defense of this I keep hearing is that people name their kids strange things all the time, thus there is no expectation of harm. Just because some people do it doesn't make it right. A lot of parents smoke and drink while pregnant or around their infants and toddlers, doesn't mean it is right nor that it should be advocated. Its one thing to have a cultural name that is strange to American ears- as it is part of tradition, and is normal within the culture of origin- and another entirely to be named after a business. Additionally, when people name their kids after idiotic things like have been mentioned on the FB page, I question the judgement of the parents, but write it off as stupidity courtesy of the current ongoing societal degeneration. When a business does it, knowing and willfully, I see it as a tacky cheap ploy to drum up attention. I expected better of TRF than the same kind of behaviour I would see from a sleazy beer company or shock-jocks like Stern. Additionally, as has been pointed out, that waiver will collapse like a deck of cards in a high wind in court if the kid- later in life- sues because of abuse, bullying, ostracization, or discrimination due to the name. I deal with lawyers regularly, I know how some of them can be DAMNED good at convincing a jury to shovel out a HUGE reward from EvilBigCorporation to PoorInnocentVictim, especially when said corporation has had the kind of dodgy history and public relations with the local community that TRF has had. It is neither wise nor was this stunt properly researched or thought out before someone in marketing said "Yeah, go for it!"

[Merlin the Elder]

(** looking for "like" button **)

[KeeperoftheBar]

I'm going to try to express an oposing view one last time.  Then I will just sadly shake my head in confusion.

It was a great marketing ploy that got TRF mentioned in many different venues.  However, I do not believe that anyone at TRF seriously thought someone would actually try and win the contest.  Maybe I am naive but people are generally not THAT stupid.

Lawsuits.  Anyone  who had been on this forum for long, knows my opinion of the legal profession, but the contract is between TRF and  the parents, not the child.  Children's rights are somewhat limited until they become of age.  If the child wants to sue, they should sue their parents, not TRF.  Alas the legal profession seems to go out of its way to reward stupidity.  And one of the biggest farces of all is their hallowed "DEEP POCKETS DOCTRINE"

Lastly, people have the right to be stupid and it is not our duty to constantly protect them from themselves.  Parents have the right to name their children whatever they want as long as fraud is not involved (no Bill Gates Jr.).  However they need to live with the consequences.  It is one of the joys of a free society.   I may not agree with them, but I will defend their rights to do so.  And that includes being stupid.

Maybe I am also being stupid so I shall get off the soapbox and let this be my last comment on the matter.