Popular Board Game Adds Product Placements
MONOPOLY purists may be dismayed by the just-released "Here & Now" edition of the popular board game. Virtually everything has changed. As reported by the New York Times, Boardwalk has been replaced by Times Square; the railroads have been replaced by airports; and the reward for passing "Go" has zoomed from $200 to $2 million. But the biggest change is the introduction of branded game pieces. The vintage racecar has been replaced by a Toyota Prius; the old shoe has been replaced by a New Balance running shoe. And there are three other branded pieces: an order of McDonald's French Fries, a Starbucks coffee cup, and a Motorola RAZR cell phone. A spokesperson for Hasbro, which makes MONOPOLY, says the brands did not buy their way into the game; they were chosen because they represent American culture. However, at least some of the brands have other business deals with Hasbro.
Matt's View
I'll leave the kicking and screaming to Commercial Alert, a non-profit organization dedicated to "protecting communities from commercialism." Jonathan Rowe, issues director for the group, suggested that Hasbro really should have called the new edition 'Huckster Haven.'
For my part, I prefer the peaceful protest of refusing to do business with companies that use what I consider aggressive marketing tactics aimed at children in the same vein that I try to avoid buying products made in China. Marketers would have us believe that our identity is based on what we buy. Wise money managers know that sometimes the most powerful way to express who we are is choosing what not to buy.
Managing Money by The Book
- "To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.'" - 2 Corinthians 12:7-9
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