[Reader Proposition: LORD & Taylor's]

Wikipedia says they did actually shoot a few scenes
on location in SF. Though maybe not this one...

After much ado about Ellen, once again, toying with the idea of flying out west for an SF Bay Corporette meetup, said meetup has taken place. And consistent with the regrets she posted in advance, Ellen did not attend. I was delighted to learn, however, that she was there in spirit--as, I venture to say, was I! In fact, karenpadi has submitted the following ELLENWatcher speculation--"moot" in the proper usage, meaning "for discussion."

karenpadi :

09/24/2012 at 2:58 pm

Ellen-watchers and Ellenwatch:

So at the Bay Area Meet-up on Saturday, we were talking about Ellen and all her shenanigans. I have a theory that I’d like to float by y’all:

Ellen is a highly sophisticated viral marketing campaign for Lord and Taylor.

Evidence:
-Ellen, since her Above the Law Days, has a 20% reimbursement from Lord and Taylor only via her managing partner (who else has this perk? why would it be store-specific?)
-Ellen moved from ATL to this site–where there are more women in her target demographic.
-Anyone who has ever tried to publicize anything knows that misspellings are the best way for people to remember your message–it’ll be annoying but it’ll be remembered.

Thoughts?

Read more: http://corporette.com/2012/09/24/coffee-break-commando-tights-2/#ixzz27R4lZVmq

For background: Ellen as some form of AI or automated marketing tool has been proposed before, but I don't gather that many people have been thinking about this possibility. Nobody argued that it should have been an option on either of the POLL'S I ran over the summer about who/what/how many posters Ellen might be. (Poll #1 here, Poll #2 here.) Also, for what it's worth, my ANALYTIC'S Dept. vehemently dismisses the idea every time it comes up, and that's the closest I come to any technical authority in this adventuring.

I don't want to discourage alternative Ellen theories, and I also have a healthy humility in acknowledgment that sometimes reader's catch things that I miss. That said, I don't think the above scenario is possible. Here are my reasons:

• The 20% reimbursement (recently increased to 30%) is actually not store-specific. Lord & Taylor happens to be a favorite haunt for our girl, but she has also used it (or planned to) at Nine West, Macy's, and Nordstrom. She has also mentioned purchases from The Gap and Zappos. Ellen seems open to additional online shopping, but for the fact almost everything is too revealing and too expensive.
• The content of many of Ellen's posts makes for bad publicity, and not even in a particularly edgy or funny way. I'm thinking in particular of humor about Jewish culture that could easily fall flat (at best) on the wrong audience, and the occasional dubiously racial comment. Lord and Taylor hardly seems to be going for sass, but even if they were, I don't think any advertising consultant or PR Dept. would have signed off on this stuff.
• Ellen continues to post on other sites, without any discernible pattern, that have no real commercial value along the lines karenpadi suggests. Examples: Bitter Lawyer (repeat performances), and random legal or industry blogs (see here for a roundup, albeit incomplete). 
• Her posts consistently demonstrate that she has read the blog post and/or preceding comments on the thread. Kat has shared with ELLENWatch that even during a period of deleting everything from Ellen, this held true. Ellen has also been known to follow links posted by others and remark on them in comments on Corporette--again, like a real person. 

In sum, I believe this could only amount to a marketing campaign if Lord and Taylor was paying someone to be Ellen, in the fullest sense possible. As fabulous as this might be in our bizarro world, I just can't imagine it would ever happen. 

karenpadi added: I still want Ellen to come to the Bay Area so we can find matching billionaires! :-)  Do you think she'd really make an ideal wing-woman? Personally, I'd be concerned that next to Ellen's dazzling beauty and sizzling wit I'd have no chance whatsoever at catching the attention of some Silicon Valley guy like (Tennessee native) Justin Timberlake. At any rate, though I know I've been inviting myself everywhere lately, I'd like to volunteer--in Ellen's place--to promise a trip that may never happen as a person nobody would recognize regardless. In other words, karenpadi, if you let me come to your next meetup I'll settle for a millionaire and leave you the big bait. On?

Wrapping up: let me know if I've missed anything in the above discussion, or if anyone needs to protest. And for any reader's who have not seen The Room, whence the above picture comes, I highly recommend it! If you like Ellen, I believe you will understand the connection I have drawn here.

FREINDS ON THIS WEBSIGHT!!!!
ELLENWatch

UPDATE: Here was the response on Corporette. My own last word below.

mamabear :

10/01/2012 at 12:36 pm

And now I’ve gone down the ELLENwatch rabbit hole.

You guy’s. I need to WORK! FOOEY!

Reply

karenpadi :

10/01/2012 at 1:05 pm

Thank you! It was a far-fetched theory.

Sure, come on out to the Bay Area! Zora and I will show you a good time (I’m volunteering Zora here but I think she’d be game). You, me, Zora, and Ellen: The Fab Four!

Reply

• zora :
  10/01/2012 at 2:02 pm
  i am so game, you don’t even know how game i am ;o)
  Reply

zora :

10/01/2012 at 2:34 pm

also, EllenWatch, thanks for the breakdown, that was very interesting. It was a random thought, but I really wanted to know what you thought as a much more devoted Ellen-follower. And I think everything you said makes total sense.

Also, The Room reference is totally awesome, the little movie theater in my neighborhood has a midnight Saturday showing of it every week. You should totally come visit and we can take karenpadi to go see it ;o)

Reply

Read more: http://corporette.com/2012/10/01/roland-mouret-angel-two-tone-stretch-crepe-dress/#ixzz285UqvQS1

Always glad to be of assistance. And as for this Fab Four outing, I was wistfully joking...but when I actually thought about it I realized it isn't 100% out of the question! I do have reason to be in the SF Bay area every few years, and while I don't have any plans to go soon it's inevitable that I'll be back eventually. Meeting up with you guys as my blogger self would be one of the strangest things I've ever done, but perhaps second only to starting this sight! In other words, anything's possibel. Stay tuned xoxoxoxoxo