I’m writing this up because of how delightfully ham-handed it is, which suggests their tactic worked. Basically, some “gadget matchmaker” service called Retrevo ran a study asking newlyweds what gadgets they wanted as wedding gifts. 38% wanted a camcorder, 24% wanted a digitial camera, and 2% wanted an MP3 player. I suspect thats because anyone at marriageable age right now – including those weird states where you can marry your cousin at 16 (looking at you, Delaware!) – already has an MP3 player.
Note there is no sample size mentioned so they probably asked their immediate family, making the entire process slightly statistically unsavory.
“Director of Content” Andrew Eisner writes:
“In the traditional sense, wedding gifts are practical, coveted, or sentimental items that the couple can share,” says Eisner. “Wedding gifts are intended to help the couple in this new phase of their life. Not only do most newlyweds already have an MP3 player, but it’s a gadget that tends to isolate the recipients rather than bring them together. The bottom line; if you’re going to give someone a wedding gift, get them a camcorder, not an iPod.”
Then he plugs the heck out of his weird gadget referral service. Oh well. Now I know what not to buy Dad when he weds his 24-year-old fifth wife in Reno.