The last thing you probably ever thought before you began watching that made for TV lifetime original movie, “Tall Hot Blond!” Was that you were also going to uncover an extremely powerful marketing lesson, right?
Go figure! Who starts watching a lifetime original movie expecting to uncover an extremely powerful marketing concept? Still in all cadets, this one is definitely worth paying close attention to!
A Powerful Marketing Lesson Contained In The Lifetime Original TV Movie Tall Hot Blond!
For those of you who haven’t seen the Lifetime Television original movie, “Tal Hot Blond.” Which (sadly) is based on a rather bizarre true story!Here’s the entire (2 hour) scenario, minus all the drama!
Thomas Montgomery played by actor (Garrett Dillahunt) is your typical happily married -although bored as hell- middle aged father of two young daughters and occasional Sunday school teacher.He works as a machinist and resides in upstate New York.
He starts out (innocently enough) occasionally gambling online, that is until he ventures into (of all unlikely places) an online chat room, that’s frequented by teenagers!! There he ultimately befriends, what he thinks is a sweet, but attractive 18 year old girl, named “Jessi” , but in the chat room, she goes by the moniker “Tal hot blond!’
In reality, she’s actually a middle aged married mom named Mary Shieler, living in Oak Hill, W. Virginia, with her husband and teenage daughter named “Jessi.” The two strike up an online friendships that quickly leads to a sort of steamy virtual online romance of the sorts! (Yea, told ya it was sort of bizarre!) Anyway….
Thomas “believing” that “Jessi” is really this gorgeous 18 year old girl that sent him this picture of herself, in turn pretends to be a handsome, young 18 year old marine, about to be sent to Iraq!
So his online chat name becomes “MarineSniper.” And the picture he sends “Jessi” of this handsome young marine, is really a picture of himself, taken some thirty plus years ago!
(Hold it cadets! We’re not to the bad part yet!)
The Ultimate Tragedy Of Innocent Misrepresentation!
After Thomas receives this picture of “Jessi”, the two really begin to dial up their virtual online romance! In reality, the picture of the girl is really Mary’s teenage daughter! Whose real name of course is “Jessi.”
And their virtual online romance has the two of them promising to actually meet and at some point (believe it or not), get married!
But things quickly go south when Thomas’s wife “Carol” played by actress Laura San Giacomo, discovers the pictures and some of the steamy love letters (and other rather personal items) that Mary (aka) “Jessi” sent him!
Carol in turn sends “Jessi” an actual photo of Thomas and his family! Meaning- a picture of this slightly balding middle aged man, his wife and two young daughters!
Potentially Profitable Marketing Lessons Can and Do Come From Many Sources!
Now (finally cadets!), we’re getting to the good stuff! Jessi, of course is totally devastated that her online fantasy lover Thomas (aka) “MarineSniper” is a complete phony! Can you believe this! And she immediately breaks it off with him!
Only to befriend one of Thomas’s real life co-workers! A 22 year old named Brian.
And the two of them immediately become hot & heavy cyber pals! This new budding online relationship of course is an extremely hard blow to Thomas’s ego! And virtually impossible for him to swallow! So much so that….
Ultimately Thomas becomes so enraged with jealousy, that he murders Brian (in cold blood!)
There Are Always Potentially Valuable Marketing Lessons To Be Learned!
And it’s not until he’s being interrogated in the police station, that he discovers the real truth! That “Jessi” (aka) “talhotblond!” was really a bored middle aged married mom,named Mary who was also misrepresenting herself online as well!
This misrepresentation, ultimately cost Thomas his freedom, because was sentenced to twenty years in prison!
It cost an innocent young man his life, plus Thomas lost his family as well! And Mary’s husband filed for divorce also! So what’s the obvious marketing lesson, you ask?
Two things; first and foremost! Is your current attempt at social interaction, masquerading as a marketing plan? If it is!……
Ladies & gentlemen, be extremely careful, “how & what” you represent on or offline.Meaning – your brand! Because sometimes, the unintended consequences, can be deadly! Don’t you agree? (Professionally speaking of course!)
Please list at least two simple spin off concepts (in the comments section below) that you can apply to your business, product or service in the next 30 days or less!
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