Say what you might about the quality of his products, but Australian entrepreneur Ruslan Kogan certainly knows how to court controversy and create headlines -- and that's certainly the plan surrounding his latest product - the Kevin Rudd inspired KEVIN37 HD television.
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| Not quite what the Prime Minister intended? Or is it? |
On the surface, a 37" HD LCD "HDTV" might not be that thrilling -- especially when you realise that with a resolution of only 1366x768 it's not even 1080p -- but when it's priced at exactly the value of the Federal Government's $900 stimulus package, and called the "KEVIN37"? That's pure marketing, right there. Throw in a promotional T-Shirt and you're in pure gimmick territory.
The official release quotes Kogan as saying that "The government bonus is intended for local spending, which will in turn stimulate economic growth. The KEVIN37 is designed specifically for this stimulus package".
Then again, the initial official release sent to PC Authority is also at pains to point out that it's not affiliated with or endorsed by Kevin Rudd or the (and we're quoting directly here) "Australian Labour Party" -- although that spelling's now been corrected on Kogan's Web site to the more accurate Labor Party.