If Ludo Cremers topples over in the Jamaican forest, does he make a sound?

Checked my Blogpatrol, and the Hayley McQueen search hits don't surprise me, but why the spike in searches for Ludo Cremers? And why is the word "arrest" associated with some of them?

If you don't remember Ludo Cremers, he's the (former?) Kool marketing guy who said stuff like this:

"Kool understands the vibrant urban world of the trendsetting, multicultural smoker....Kool is the menthol authority. At the same time, Kool keeps it real and remains linked to the latest urban trends."

"Flavored products are a trend in many categories....From beverages to chewing gums, this is a universal trend with broad interest."

"KOOL is truly on the cutting edge of menthol technology....KOOL established the menthol category and continues to reinvent it to give consumers a product that fits the lifestyle of today's urban, multicultural smokers. The new KOOL Smooth Fusions cigarettes are perfectly balanced, yet deliver intriguing refreshment with a taste that bonds with any special occasion....Each style evidences KOOL expertise in menthol and its ability to masterfully craft perfectly balanced, unique and distinct menthol experiences....The Smooth Fusions styles each provide a truly extraordinary and innovative menthol smoking experience demanded by the leading edge lifestyle of today's menthol smoker."

"The new packaging provides our first invitation for competitive smokers to step into the new house of menthol....Results of our extensive research demonstrate how well we are embracing our consumers....KOOL has always been the cornerstone of the menthol category and 'The House of Menthol' advertising campaign reinforces KOOL as the menthol leader....The House of Menthol campaign puts KOOL back into the consumer's world and has great appeal among competitive smokers. It uses their language. The campaign provides a great opportunity toward reestablishing KOOL's menthol leadership and authority."

Don't know if Ludo Cremers was responsible for Canadian marketing of Kool:

KOOL cigarettes were launched by Imperial Tobacco with a website (www.theicebox.ca, now defunct) promoting nightclub events and a contest (for smokers only) to attend the events....

KOOL cigarettes are a flagship brand for BAT’s U.S. subsidiary, Brown and Williamson. KOOL is one of the more heavily advertised youth brands in the United States and is heavily promoted in popular youth magazines – like Rolling Stone, Maxim and Sports Illustrated.

The Canadian cigarette is made from different tobacco and has a different taste, but BAT is able to use the same name and marketing....

BAT was able to create lifestyle imagery for this brand through through the staging of nightclub events, and by circulating images of the event. Pictures mounted on the web-site show that the KOOL logo, colours and imagery is displayed without any indication that these cigarettes are both lethal and addictive....

Canadian marketing firm "the Studio Upstairs" developed Nbox promotions for KOOL in bathrooms. These DVD quality audio and video flat-screen monitors are placed in washrooms in the United States (and Canada?. As a customer approaches, they begin playing a high-energy rave-style promotion for KOOL cigarettes....

BAT's Jamaican subsidiary Cigarette Company of Jamaica's, or CCJ, recently launched KOOL cigarettes in Kingston Jamaica using similarly styled parties.

The Jamaican Observer reported that the night-club launch attracted Olympic athletes Sandy Richards (right) and Juliet Cuthbert (second left) - pictured here with Kool Menthol green-clad CCJ executive David Magnus (second right).

But who's cooler - Ludo Cremers, or David Magnus? Hard to tell, since the only reference I could find to David Magnus was in the Jamaica Observer article cited above. But boy, was it a party:

FROM beautiful women in bodysuits, to booming, happening music delivered by the slew of disc jocks on hand at the Asylum Nightclub (make that the House of Menthol) on Saturday night, the Cigarette Company of Jamaica's (CCJ's) latest products to be offerred on the Jamaican market, KOOL menthol brand cigarettes, two types, were launched in fine style.

It was a classy affair, where much attention was paid to detail. The invitations took the form of an enhanced mini CD and upon arrival, the persons on the near 1,000-strong guest list might have caught sight of themselves on the giant television screen erected on Knutsford Boulevard, just before they entered the club, going up the stairs through a green-coloured 'tunnel'.

Patrons were given neon-green 'necklaces' before going through the doors and the dozens and dozens of green, KOOL double-zero logo or brand name-stamped 'necklaces' made for a superbly lurid sight on the dance floor. Inside, a complimentary (sic) bar, decorated by a variety of KOOL-branded accessories, waitresses and bar staff in KOOL-branded shirts seemingly endless quantities of delicious hors d'oeuvres and non-stop music courtesy of the Asylum's disc jocks complemented by Zip 103 FM jock, DJ Ice, kept people on the dance floor until the wee hours of Sunday morning.

And the green theme, as well as the KOOL logo and name were in evidence everywhere, from the plastic martini glasses with the blinking stems to faux 'ice cubes' imprinted with the KOOL name and logo served up in some drinks, to the pens with the blinking lights inbuilt, which the deejays frequently urged patrons to wave, creating an effect much like a large swarm of fireflies, under the club's lights.

CCJ spokesman David Magnus told the Observer that the new menthol brands were a part of the company's British American portfolio.

"Cigarette Company is a member of British American worldwide and so we're bringing KOOL to this market, so tonight is a party for our consumers, really. As you know, we don't advertise through mass media so this event is an opportunity for us to communicate with our consumers that this is a new brand that we have available in Jamaica," Magnus said.

He noted that for consumers who preferred a menthol brand cigarette, KOOL would provide an option and added that the party was also to thank the company's customers for their support.

One highpoint of the night was a demonstration of 'scratching' and other turntable techniques by DJ OB from Atlanta and by Philadelphia's DJ Trevor, whose remarkable skill earned him many 'forwards' and cheers from the enthralled crowd....

So the urban multicultural smokers - uh, tobacco smokers - of Jamaica were happy, but CCJ also goes out into the woods:

The collaboration between the Cigarette Company of Jamaica (CCJ) and the Forestry Department in the reforestation of the Wallenford area began in 2001. CCJ expressed an interest in participating in a long-term environmental project where "the benefits … redound to the citizens of Jamaica" and the FD responded with a proposal to reforest the Wallenford Forest Reserve.

The 172 hectare (420 acres) Forest Reserve was gazetted in 1964 and forms part of the Blue Mountain Forest Reserve. It is located some 35 km from Kingston and lies at an altitude of 1067 metres. The Reserve was leased to the Coffee Industry Board in 1982 for coffee cultivation however the fields were abandoned in the early 1990s after several years of decline worldwide in the price of coffee. Following discussions with the Coffee Industry Board, the Forestry Department received permission to replant a 25 hectare parcel and submitted a project proposal to CCJ to reforest 10 hectares.

The project, valued at $1,284,075, was approved by CCJ in July 2002 and an agreement was signed between CCJ and the FD to implement a collaborative effort to reforest sections of the Wallenford Forest Reserve. CCJ would provide the operational cost for the project while the Forestry Department would provide technical and administrative support; operation management; prepare progress and financial reports; and identify the required labour, equipment, seedlings and logistics.

Well, I can't find any evidence that our Ludo Cremers has been arrested. But I did find one person who was arrested for some interesting marketing:

TBI agents rolled into a small town in White County Wednesday morning to arrest a 78-year-old hardware store owner.

Undercover officers said the owner set aside an entire aisle to display ingredients used to make meth.

Everett Rowland ran the hardware store and faces two felony counts for promoting the manufacture of methamphetamine.

According to officials, Rowland has a clean history, but they said he knew exactly what he was doing by selling ingredients to meth users.

“All these items, if you were to find them separately in a hardware store, would be completely legal to sell. The problem here is that he was almost marketing them to people who were trying to make meth,” TBI Spokeswoman Jennifer Johnson said.

TBI agents said this was the first time they've arrested someone for selling individual ingredients for making meth.

A law passed last year made it a Class D felony.

I have to wonder about the legality of that law, and whether Rowland can be prosecuted. Does this mean that head shop owners...and, eventually, fertilizer salespeople (don't forget terrorist Timothy McVeigh)...will be subject to arrest?