It’s hard to stand out in a crowded marketplace. That’s why the entire smart-beta phenomenon smacks of late-night commercials for a “New! And Improved!” exchange-traded fund. So perhaps it’s fitting that the latest ETF money grab follows a more contemporary marketing strategy: Be outrageous, embrace nonsense, get mocked on Twitter, and ride the notoriety as far as it will take you. Sound familiar?

The planned Quincy Jones Streaming Music, Media & Entertainment ETF claims, in its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, that it is “IconicBeta”. While FN's sister publication Barron’s will gladly acknowledge that Jones himself is an icon, the famed record producer merely licensed his name, and is not promoting or recommending the ETF. As for the strategy? It was put forth by Bean Markets, an unknown firm whose website has just one sentence: “Investing got good”.