Jesus, Is This Tacky....

Galloping around Manhattan in slow cabs during Christmas time, you see brands treating it like a mini-Olympics. They want to be “the official” Christmas sponsor of every move we make. It’s a little much. With that in mind, the Bad Pitch Award for Tackiest Sponsorship:

At Radio City Music Hall, the Rockettes are singing and dancing and kicking and generally making the audience feel Decemberish all over. Radio City Christmas Spectacular has been running for 75 esteemed years. And this year it’s sponsored by the ever-growing North Fork Bank, whose logo is—yes—a brightly-colored star.

During the most crucial seconds of the show, in the Nativity Scene, a pine appears that eventually becomes a Christmas Tree specimen. Wouldn’t you know it? The Star Of Bethlehem on top is none other than that of the North Fork logo.

Wouldn’t you think NFB would worry about the (now occurring) backlash such an Xmas mockery would hand them? How about just be happy to have their corporate moniker on the marquee outside, which is legendary in itself and is passed by millions for months - not to mention a name on the ducats themselves? Oh no. They had to take it to the furthest degree. Shocking to me was that no “major media” noted it –and there have been a lot of critics sitting there doe-eyed during the last few weeks.

It’s not bad to sponsor programming or halls or anything, really. On Thursday I went to Carnegie Hall, a little wistfully, to witness Philip Glass and his Ensemble recreate the noisy and challenging Einstein on the Beach, the opera I sat through with a now-deceased pal some 25 years ago at BAM. As I slowly made my way in, I noticed that a sponsorship had been created by Ricola "original herb" cough drop brand.

Hmm. Think about it: you cough at Carnegie (take no practice) and ruin it for everyone. So I looked around and, sure enough, outside each door were gorgeous urns spitting out the cough drops in plentiful supply.

A pretty cool moment for attendees--and a Hail Mary for the brilliant Ricola marketing folks.

In the end it comes down to thinking things through. I hope Santa drops a few thoughtless coals in the stockings of the No Fo execs who thought of desecrating that fabulous moment for audience members who care about trees and Christmas and what matters most.

I wonder, too: Is the stagehand who put that star up STILL shaking his head.