This album has all of Blandor’s most forgetable tunes, including, “Is That A Merkin On Your Shoulder?”, “Uniqa!, Uniqa!” and the timeless, “‘Avlimil’ is derived from the Latin av, meaning ‘ear’ and limi, meaning ‘waxy’. An added bonus is mil, Latin for ‘a whole bunch’, which suggests that the pill will appeal to many women the world over.” ]]> http://www.snarkhunting.com/2006/04/the-best-of-blandor/feed/ 0 http://www.snarkhunting.com/2005/08/the-return-of-blandor/ http://www.snarkhunting.com/2005/08/the-return-of-blandor/#comments Thu, 11 Aug 2005 17:04:04 +0000 Steve http://www.snarkhunting.com/2005/08/the-return-of-blandor/ Under increasing pressure from our loyal reader, we have launched a search for one-time Snark Hunting commentator “Blandor the Imponderable”. Last seen on these virtual pages more than two years ago, we agree that Blandor must return and currently have agents scouring all the methadone clinics and binjo ditches on the south side of town, so he’s bound to turn up soon.

In the meantime, cast a bleary eye back on Blandor’s last guest appearances, where he prognosticated profoundly on the color scheme of Aeroflot and the naming and branding genius of Avlimil.

Send us any tips or sightings you have. We need him back pdq, as he alone is qualified to comment on the news that WebMD has changed its name. Via The Street.com:

“In choosing the name, we looked for a name that we could own and to which we could assign our own meaning and vision,” the company says. “Our new name, Emdeon, references our history as WebMD and formerly, Healtheon. It also suggests our grounding in e-healthcare.”

But now there’s is a new girl in town, and she is taking a far more clinical approach to seduction. Her come-hither moniker? Avlimil. Sure it’s cold, inhuman and unmemorable, but then we’ve all “dated” someone like that.

Actually it’s part of a unique strategy erected to whet your appetite for Avlimil and elevate it above the others vying for your attention.

You see, Niagara and Avlimil are both herbal remedies. But while Niagara is proud and confident of who it is, Avlimil is trying to sound like “serious” prescription medicine. And it’s not just the name. In the TV commercial the fidgety female spokesperson – in a clear reference to Viagra – says, “Men have their little blue pill, and now we have ours.” The illusion is furthered in the packaging:

And what does the mysterious descriptor “(salvia rubus) tablets” mean? Salvia comes from the Latin salveo, meaning “I am well,” and an herb, Salvia, used for healing, while rubus is Latin for bramble or berry. It’s apothecary-speak for sage and raspberry leaf, Avlimil’s main ingredients. The whole campaign is well thought out and deftly executed to fully leverage the success and mind-share of Viagra.

Says Blandor the Imponderable: “‘Avlimil’ is derived from the Latin av, meaning ‘ear’ and limi, meaning ‘waxy’. An added bonus is mil, Latin for ‘a whole bunch’, which suggests that the pill will appeal to many women the world over.”