Annals of Questionable Brand Extension

And you thought that using sheep and cows as billboards was a bit over-the-top.

The latest chapter in the annals of strange brand extension comes from this year’s valedictorian address at Alexander Hamilton High School in Los Angeles. The Wall Street Journal reports that Ms. Kenya Mejia used her speech as a chance to proclaim her love for a classmate, intoning “I love you, Jake Minor!” The line was a play on the recently released comedy “I love you, Beth Cooper,” wherein a character uses a commencement address for a similar stunt.

The Journal reports that this is only half of the story – the other being a check made out to Ms. Mejia by Twentieth Century Fox consultants for $1,800 for the “viral-marketing” plug. More here. Was Ms. Mejia right to take this branding assignment?