Get money for your monicker

Direct mail, ambient media, television, newspapers, posters… you lot will try anything to get people to buy things! Well, the Diary bets you haven’t thought of this little trick – identity marketing.

To promote the launch of a computer game, Acclaim Entertainment chose five people, from more than 10,000 entries, and got them to change their name.

For one year – in exchange for £500 (that’s less than a tenner a week) and a Microsoft Xbox – Ross Davidson, Paul Codling, Matthew Grist, Andrew Boughflower and Lheila Oberman will be known simply as “Turok”. Their lives will change overnight – everything from phone bills to passports will carry their new nomenclature. In addition to the Xbox, the five fools will receive a copy of the game they’re promoting – Turok Evolution.

Now the Diary can’t see identity marketing working for any old product – could you imagine changing your name to “I can’t believe its not butter” or “Durex Featherlite”? – but it is definitely a cost-effective way to create walking, talking ads for your brand.