The Internet is exciting because a nighttime musing can become a full-fledged product, a quirky idea a million-dollar company. But when people start selling random trophies for $34.00 and claiming it’s funny and/or creative, and those people want $20,000 for the whole whimsical endeavor, it’s hard to stifle a huge yawn.
Alon Seifert, senior creative director at McCann Erickson, poses in various compromising positions for the Trophy Buffet’s Kickstarter video. Apparently he used to give his wife an annual trophy for putting up with him, and realized that the whole world could celebrate various occasions in the same manner. They’ve got an “I apologize for my future messups” trophy, a “Thanks for loving me just the way I am” trophy, and a “You’re the best baby we’ve ever had,” trophy. If you find one that would be perfect for your spouse, friend, or child, too bad: they’re all somehow sold out.
I’m all for encouragement, but Trophy Buffet seems too snide and kitsch to mean anything. The project has no illusions of grandeur, but the fact that it even exists is a waste of both creative energy and the Internet’s already very short attention span.