Maybe I’m typing too fast or thinking too quick, but a few people have written in re the Livestrong post below.

Here’s one quote:

Maybe people want to participate in the trend but don’t like the message on Armstrong’s bracelets.  Maybe friendship is more important than cancer to some people.  Maybe part of the proceeds for the friendship bracelet are also donated.  Did you look into that?

…

In all honesty, your most recent post lacks more decency than the guys making friendship bracelets.  Even Nike is cashing in on the trend, as they should.  I’d be more ashamed of all these guys for not taking advantage of an opportunity. 

The others also took the position that if a marketer CAN make a buck and it’s not against the law, then he SHOULD make a buck. They also seem to feel that it’s not okay for me to call em on doing so.

Are there grey areas? Sure there are. This is not one of them.

1. it’s a cheap bracelet and no knock off is going to make a lot of money
2. it’s enough to poison the well for the foundation
3. it’s such an atrociously similar knockoff that there’s no issue here of fairplay or dubious intellectual property protection. It’s a rip off, plain and simple.

My point in the original post? Marketers need to stop trying quite so hard to exploit every possible nook and cranny, damning the consequences. There are consequences, and you are responsible for what you market and what you sell. It’s not the market, it’s you.

There. Thanks for listening. Send future mail to Donald Trump or someone else.