To attract the demo of domestically challenged young man who live and do laundry alone and who ignore TV ads (me! me!), Electrolux commissioned a novel "Men in Aprons", "the story of a twentysomething Londoner named Dan who is "the envy of his friends" but is lost when it comes to laundry. While the Electrolux name doesn't appear in the narrative itself, the story line is built around the benefits of good housekeeping. Buy the right appliances and follow a few simple tips, it suggests, and you too can get the girl of your dreams, and a lasagna." The company hopes to sell 4,000 copies that go for about $12 and is already working on a Russian translation (why Russian?). An audiobook version is also available. Read the IHT article here and Trashionista's review here.
By the way, you can now take laundry lessons from your washing machine, courtesy of Electrolux (see press release). It cooks, too: "Electrolux has launched its Communication washing machine, an appliance that helps users by confirming their actions vocally. This latest innovation from Electrolux actually tells the user how to use the appliance and makes laundry a piece of cake.
And speaking of books, the Guardian says publishers now are beginning to promote books just like movies, with trailers. (via AdJab).
