Why Not Have It All?

For a price — or a click — today’s consumer can have it all.

At the Chicago Association of Direct Marketing’s recent IMX08 event, Yankelovich Inc. president J. Walker Smith shared some of his favorite places where people can fill their needs, both practical and superficial.

At Meijer.com for example, drivers can sign up to get a text alert before prices go up at Meijer gas stations, so they can fill up their tanks and beat the increase. Of course, if you’re really concerned about what your carbon footprint is doing to the planet, you might want to consider moving to Dockside Green in Victoria, British Columbia. The development will be the first in Canada to provide residents with in-suite and online access to real-time information about their personal energy and water consumption.

Then again, maybe you feel your global footprint isn’t big (or well known) enough. That, said Smith, is when you call on a DIY paparazzi service like Celeb4ADay.com. Yes, if you’re in Austin, TX, Los Angeles or San Francisco, the company will provide, for a fee, your own personal pack of pushy photographers to hound you as you arrive at an event. Your name will be shouted and your picture snapped endlessly. The $2,499.99 premium package also includes a limo, publicist and bodyguard.

“It’s the serious stuff and the silly stuff, and it’s all about the consumer being in control,” Smith said.