I gotta say it, Spling isn’t far off the mark with their observation of SA’s top online shopping destination, Kalahari.net – stating “Kalahari Gets a Whiff of The 2OceansVibe.”

Spling asks the question : When was the last time you spotted a gorgeous woman wearing nothing but cut-off jeans? I don’t think I ever have… that’s until today when I received this weekend marketing HTML email from Kalahari.net.

He makes a good point:

Okay, I know that sex sells – but this is ridiculous… this tanned beauty is not only topless, but looks as though her shorts have been painted on. Now I get the weekend vibe with palm trees in the background and maybe they only intended for males between 16-35 to receive this sassy little mailer, but come on… is this barely legal teen stuff really going to make me want to buy bestselling books, jewelery, watches, pens, electronics, DVDs, music and games up to 35% off?

Especially when what they’re selling is predominantly intended for indoor entertainment… see the connection? I’m actually sensing a strong 2OceansVibe breeze in this email, Tuesday Tabs… the palm trees… the weekend vibe. The only thing that doesn’t match up is the fact that this mailer was sent on a Saturday – which does not gel with the “work is a sideline” protocol. Don’t get me wrong, I love Kalahari.net... but this just came across as distinctly different to their usual marketing slant and I just had to say something. We’ll probably hear that a mailer advertising Kalahari.net’s “Spice” Shop got mixed up with the generic mailer stock photos or maybe they were just feeling naughty? Either way… I’m looking forward to what they come up with for next weekend – a guy in a g-string or maybe a nip slip? Eye-catching… yes, cheeky… yes, hard-sell… I’ll leave that for you to decide.

More from Spling here.

So let me get this straight… you’re saying that they’re using palm trees, suntans and beautiful topless women to sell their products?

That is RIDICULOUS! It’ll never work!

Funny, it reminds me of a professional jerk-off who emailed me three years ago saying, “fuck you, Seth – this won’t last forever – people will get tired of the fast cars and the beautiful women and the palm trees and the sunsets and the champagne.”

I’m sure they will. Eventually.