![\"Zombie](\"http:\/\/www.shadowmanor.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/zombiedefense.jpg\" "\\"Zombie")
I’d like to shake the hands of the marketing team who convinced a mainstream hardware chain to launch a major promotion around zombies.<\/p>\nI’d like to shake the hands of the marketing team who convinced a mainstream hardware chain to launch a major promotion around zombies.<\/p>\n
Westlake Ace Hardware has an extremely elaborate campaign, both in-store and online, touting their products to zombies and humans alike. Their Zombie Preparedness Center<\/a> lets humans browse through items for zombie defense and zombie-proofing the home, plus products for removing carpet stains and patching walls. Zombies can choose tools for bodily repairs (caulk, duct tape) and items for home and lifestyle (“Just because you’re rotting doesn’t mean your home has to smell like it”).<\/p>\n The sidebars in both sections are full of help content like, “Since I became a zombie, flying insects continue to swarm around me. Do you have anything that can clear an outside area of flying insects?” and “What types of locks are best for keeping zombies from entering my home?”<\/p>\n There’s also a social media component, with the company’s Facebook page<\/a> offering tools to “zombie-proof” your page and Twitter feed<\/a> reminding users to be mindful of the undead.<\/p>\n The zombies also have a platform. They initially staged a protest over Westlake’s one-sided zombie defense advertising:<\/p>\n