"Criminal Kudos" is a new advertising concept that states that a softening in public attitudes to immoral behaviour can be used to promote brands to a younger audience by associating them with crime. The reasoning is that criminals have become cult figures - think of the films and books about the Krays and others, the fact that convictions do little to dent the popularity of people like Eminem or Mike Tyson - so hinting that criminal activity can be a badge of pride. The brand consultancy involved charge up to £10,000 a time (and how mature are we to resist the obvious joke about that? Not mature enough I'm afraid - what a rip off!) to tell clients how to use the glamour of crime to their advantage. The thinking is that we live in a criminalised society where, for example, the widespread use of soft drugs means a lifestyle which frequently involves breaking the law, so there is a whole generation likely to identify criminals or even see them as role models.
Interestingly, back in the real world, Thomas Pink, retailers of traditional shirts, have used British gangsters Freddie Forman and Tony Lambrinaou in their ads and have had huge success in attracting a younger audience - "It gave us an edge and prompted younger, hipper customers… it definitely produced a change in customer profile"
So expect "Make my day" instead of "Make a difference" anytime now.
