Doggy Designers falling prey to marketing?

Of sure, fifty shades of gray puts your mind in the gutter. But to those who walk alongside the gutter, and spend most of their time understanding that graphic design is a dog's life, fifty shades of gray is their Panbone palette. But has Panbone's annual Gray of the Year announcement become a cheap ploy to hype their countless books and systems? A dalmatian I spoke to, who wishes to remain nameless, said: "In the old days, it was just the swatch books and I'd chew them up fairly quickly. You'd think Panbone would be happy with me just re-ordering more. But no, they came out with hundreds of variations of that book, and they even license dog dishes in all sorts of shades of grey. Enough is enough. Who cares which arbitrary gray they choose each year? I simply want to know if my master is putting together a stocking for me this Christmas." Is Panbone a shady marketer? Lift your voice, or perhaps just lift your leg, and let me know how you feel.