Good Grief!

Sunday’s Philadelphia Inquirer contained a story about three advertising agencies that were asked to bring Benjamin Franklin into the 21st century. The first effort, by Gyro Worldwide Advertising, is a sad attempt to highlight Franklin’s “bad-boy side:”

So, if [Franklin] were around today, he’d plow all that cash he made from inventing stuff into his true passion - the ladies. We think he’d have his own bawdy men’s magazine, called Franklin, complete with curvey photo spreads such as “Hotties of the Revolution,” and articles on “How to be a Playa at the French Court.”

Please. For once, Philebrity’s wrath has a well-deserved target.

Another firm created FISH, a Franklin-Is-Still-Here secret society complete with faux street art and a forum: FishAndVisitors.com. Members have spotted Franklin all over the city, from the basement of Drexel’s library to the Standard Tap. Sure, the whole thing is just for shits and giggles, but considering the recent bad press around Sony’s fake graffiti ads and Coke Zero’s phoney blog, I’m not sure I’d hire this agency.