h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

now to find it

I'm sure you will be persuasive, Prof.

if you've got it, flaunt it

nearly doneand going in to production, as expecting good sales

I've even bought one myself

leaflets and "submissions" posting shortly via normal routes

done and gone to the printers

I know how you can get flatulence, but not how to make it sell-able...

I used to sell Eau de Toilette named essence of giraffe
smells like it - made you feel 10 foot tall though

it didn't catch on

More ads. We need more ads.

This will make the site even more attractive to future owners...

had Had had an ad', he could have had a good sales ad', as his ad' was an ad' for half a Haddock. So Had would have had an ad' for a hadd'

The question is - what haven't people tried to sell?

You might say that you can't sell love, but there are plenty of people who try to buy it.

There's a story of a man who tried to sell his soul on e-bay, but I haven't heard if the buyer had horns and a tail.

I've heard it used to be possible to sell bottles of London fog. Until they realised that other cities were foggier.

How true that is. In the US, we have a recurring joke about immigrants who 'bought' the Brooklyn Bridge.

My point with the challenge is: Advertisers try to sell commodities by linking them to intangibles.

If you buy acne cream, you're buying popularity.

If you buy antibacterial soap, you're buying security from disease.

If you buy a car, you're buying status and privilege...etc, etc, with whipped cream on top.

I thought, why not cut out the middle-man, and sell the intangible?

Of course, that's not happening with all the 'products' so far. As usual, authors have different ideas. That's fine - let's have fun with it.

Elektra and I used to compare ice cream ads. From what we saw, in the US, ice cream was sold in the spirit of childhood, summer, and fun.

In other countries, they used sex.

Here's one from Romania, so not having sound is actually a plus:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N_GFSuZG9Lk

you used to be able to buy, canned London fog, Scotch mist and fresh airdon't know about the first 2 now, but you CAN get the fresh air one

Hah!

Erm. That's the sound of my brain taking in this conversation. . I wish this challenge would let me go. heheh. Set me free! ye challenge.

The intangible, the intangible ...... ah yes yes yes .... that which cannot be bought or sold ..... but the essence of which can be somehow expressed, even though it defies definition.

Yes! !!! sort of ......not.

(heads off to check photo file, via coffee and the I-Ching)

http://www.google.co.uk/#q=invisible+dog+leads&hl=en&prmd=ivns&source=univ&tbm=shop&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=KZyhTemxN4ig8QOb__ynAw&sqi=2&ved=0CEgQrQQ&biw=1152&bih=750&fp=2751b2e67443e89f

above, ha! amateurs at selling useless stuff. If I had the money, I'd market a real useless stuff! my pets

http://www.flickr.com/photos/brickyard13/sets/72157602203668095/

It's dawned on me that there is a genre, or maybe a black art that regularly offers peace, freedom and cheaper parking.

Not the advertising jingle, but the political speech.

Now I've realised that, I know where I'm going with this challenge.

go for it and SELL that vote

So far, we have some superb ads here. I am having illegal amounts of fun being (part of) the art department...

Keep 'em coming, folks - this is a wonderful challenge response.

pity the Beeb didn't ask us to do a hootoo sell off advert