If you are like me, you received a large four-page insert from Wal-Mart in the newspaper last Sunday. And, it was all Hannah Montana goodies – 39, to be exact. I know she is ‘happening’ right now, because I’ve been reading about the price escalation on tickets to her touring show. So, I guess I shouldn’t be amazed at the volume of Hannah Montana merchandise that is available for adoring fans to buy.
Some of the items reminded me of similar stuff available to Elvis fans. Trading cards, for example. Or monogrammed baseball caps. But, what about some of the products she has that the Elvis marketers haven’t tried yet? Let’s look at a few and consider if they might work for Elvis.
One item is a poster called the Best of Both Worlds, and it shows both Miley Cyrus, the actress, and Hannah Montana, the character. With the exception of their hair-colors, they both look the same. However, all the other Hannah Montana goodies show a blond girl, so Miley must be the brunette.
Anyway, the concept would work for Elvis – even better, because many of Elvis’ movie characters are recognizable in their wardrobe from the film. You could have a whole series of posters with Elvis matched with his more distinctive movie characters. There could be cowboy Clint Reno from Love Me Tender. Or prisoner Vince Everett from Jailhouse Rock. Or soldier Tulsa McLean from G.I. Blues. Or Chad Gates, wearing the white swim trunks, from Blue Hawaii. Or blond-haired Jodie Tatum from Kissin’ Cousins. Or Johnny Tyrone masquerading as an Arab in Harum Scarum. Collect the whole set. Yeah. This is a merchandising concept that would work for Elvis.
On the other hand, the Hannah Montana sleeping bag in its own handy tote bag might not transfer to Elvis. A sleeping bag may be useful for teenybopper sleepovers, but it’s hard to imagine us grown-ups rolling out an Elvis sleeping bag on our next camping trip. I suppose there is one small potential market – the Elvis fan that has everything – so maybe some entrepreneur might consider it.
For only $3.94 each, you can buy any of four Hannah Montana paperback books. One title is “Nightmare on Hanna Street.” An obvious parallel would be an Elvis book titled “Nightmare on Lonely Street.” Of course, there are a number of Elvis fiction books out there already, but none of them are priced anywhere near $3.94. If Elvis books could be offered at that price, tons of them would sell each year at Elvis Week. I can see huge stacks of $4 Elvis books zipping off a sales table at Graceland Crossing. They would be such short stories that you could probably finish reading one on the shuttle ride to-and-from the mansion.
Another $4 product in the Hannah Montana flyer is a three-pack of girls’ underwear. That probably wouldn’t be such a good idea for an Elvis tie-in. But adult women might go for white cotton panties with the right Elvis graphics on them. You know, that might be available already. I need to check it out on www.shopelvis.com.
The most promising Hannah Montana item that hasn’t already seen an Elvis connection is the “Tooth Tunes” electric toothbrush. That’s right, a toothbrush that plays two minutes of music while you brush your teeth. Why not one that plays an Elvis song? We already have cookie jars and key chains that play Elvis songs, so why not a toothbrush? The packaging on the Hannah Montana toothbrush says, “Pumpin’ Up The Party” and “Music in Your Mouth.” That would need to be changed. How about this: “Your Mouth Will Gyrate With Elvis While You Brush Your Teeth.” That would be a winner.
© 2008 Philip R Arnold All Rights Reserved www.elvisblog.net