Daily deals site Groupon will relieve new parents “of the burden of naming” their baby by bestowing their infant with the name Clembough for a US$1,000 fee in what some are deeming a PR stunt centred around Father’s Day.
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason posted the offer on Sunday on Twitter, The Chicago Sun-Times reported. On Monday, one person bid to on the offer, but the company has kept mum on the person’s identity.
A Groupon spokesperson confirmed to the newspaper on Monday that the deal is legitimate. It reads, “All too often, the importance of a child’s name takes a backseat to other ‘needs’ such as food, shelter, and clothing.
“Upon your child’s birth, Groupon will relieve you of the burden of naming your baby by bestowing a specially selected, custom first name upon your infant son or daughter.”
The deal also mentions a limit of one per parent, “unless you have twins, triplets or quadruplets, in which case you can buy one per child.
“Groupon, the official World’s Foremost Authority in Baby Naming™, will name your child or children ‘Clembough’. No substitutes or modifications. Spelling non-negotiable.”
A review on the deal’s site quotes a Donald Clunch, father of Clembough Clunch, as saying, “I had Groupon name my son because I wanted him to be proud of his future tombstone.”
As Business Insider says, the offer appears to be a PR stunt. After all, why would parents shell out US$1,000 to a company to name their baby when they could name the baby themselves, for free?
Father’s Day is Sunday, 17 June.
