Marketing 50 Fifty Sharp Ideas and the Visionaries Who Saw Them Through Stephanie Thompson Apparently what works to reach college students today is to not make any sense. Nonsensical marketing -- what has been dubbed "Moosejaw Madness" -- has helped build outdoor-equipment and -apparel retailer Moosejaw Mountaineering's sales 60% annually over the past five years. "It is that idiocy in marketing that resonates with our consumers," says Moosejaw founder Robert Wolfe, 37. Moosejaw entreats consumers to "Love the Madness" through a blog, Daily Remark, on moosejaw.com and random text messages sent often to customers who've signed up to receive e-mail marketing. Quirky questions such as "What was Vince Vaughn's character in 'Anchorman'?" and "Does Moosejaw's founder bear a resemblance to Ben Stiller?" along with games such as rock paper scissors have response rates from a minimum of 20% of the list to as high as 70%, "a ridiculous number," Mr. Wolfe says.

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