As managing editor of The Kansas City Star's Web site today has a good feature story on Dollins Tool Inc., a medium-sized toolmaker in Independence, Mo. The company makes injection molds for thin-wall products like promotional cups. It's a nice story, and it does a pretty good job explaining exactly what Dollins does, which is not always the case with most daily newspapers.
But the story has a fatal flaw. It features a prominent reference to "The Graduate":
Dustin Hoffman’s character in the 1967 movie “The Graduate” was given one word of advice about his future: plastics.Long before that movie was made, Dollins Tool Inc. in Independence also saw a bright future in plastics. The company manufactures highly specialized injection molds, which do exactly what their name implies. Liquid plastic is poured into the molds to create any number of items.
Help! I guess news reporters of a certain age just can't help but think that references to "The Graduate" are clever. But this is the biggest cliché in the plastics industry. Please help put an end to this trend! Whenever a local news reporter visits to write a story about your company, please make them promise not to use "The Graduate" references in their story!