Andy Jaeger social media and social change

Dwarf-sploitation

This week's Marketing Week reports that Pot Noodle will give consumer the change to duel with dwarves.

The activity, which also includes sampling, will launch at the Southend Airshow this month and will run throughout the summer... The Gladiator-style duels between consumers and dwarves on giant Pot Noodle containers will last 30 seconds. Consumers will be e-mailed film footage of their fight immediately after taking to the ring.

Recounting this story to friends yesterday prompted a random outpouring of dwarf-related entertainment stories. The oddest was from the recent Internet World, where an exhibitor had a dwarf painted blue in a cage on his stand. The blue dwarf apparently rattled the bars of his cage in the morning, and in the afternoon was running around handing out leaflets. It was something to do with document management apparently. If only document management were so exciting. Still, what with casino advertising featuring dwarves too, it seems dwarves are the new black. I can't help but feel a little uneasy that it's a very postmodern freak show, perhaps even dwarf-sploitation.