-
Opinion
What's in a name?
In this guest post, Moensie Rossier wonders about the power of names for brands and marketers.
Brands have been having a bit of fun with names lately, not to mention a fair bit of success. Interbrand just named a headhunting firm Cloak & Dagger. And ‘Share a Coke’ showed how much power there is in a name.
The Coke campaign effectively short-circuited the usual mechanics of communication. It undoubtedly stroked people’s egos. But, I believe, its success stems from the fact that it directly and automatically affected people’s behaviour, rather than doing so indirectly by shaping attitudes.
Best ads from Super Bowl 2012
The Super Bowl is all done and a team from North America won. But as well as some sort of sporting event, it’s the world’s biggest advertising showcase. See the best of them right here… and please tell us what you think.
How to debunk media myths
In this post, UWS’s Ullrich Ecker, John Cook and Stephen Lewandowsky argue that cognitive science can help PRs form strategies in managing media misreporting.
A growing cohort of commentators has bemoaned the descent of contemporary political “debate” into a largely fact-free zone.
How about simply focusing on what consumers want?
In this guest post, Peter Mountford argues that brands should think more about what is really going on for consumers
Who here is hoping their favourite brand of toilet paper is going to be organizing a flash mob on their way home from work today?
What the Optus web copyright victory means
In this analysis first published on The Conversation, RMIT’s Marita Shelly examines the implications of Telstra’s defeat over the online rights to the AFL broadcast deal
This week’s Federal Court ruling that Optus customers are able to view sporting matches minutes after they are streamed live without breaching copyright is a landmark decision that alters our understanding of copyright law, and has significant implications for the AFL’s broadcasting rights deal.
Does Gina Rinehart’s bite of a chunk of Fairfax make her an oligarch?
In an article that first appeared in The Conversation, Mark Rolfe wonders whether the mining magnate’s move could turn Fairfax into something resembling America’s Fox network.
Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart has moved to increase her stake in Fairfax Media, owner of The Age, Sydney Morning Herald and a number of radio stations. Rinehart has already shown her desire to play a role in public life, campaigning against former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s aborted mining tax. She has also demonstrated a willingness to make media investments to ensure her pro-business worldview is promulgated.
What does this latest move by Rinehart mean?
Gillard's Australia Day crisis
PM Julia Gillard’s media adviser Tony Hodges has been forced to resign over the Australia Day tent embassy debacle.
It came after it emerged he had revealed opposition leader Tony Abbott’s whereabouts, leading to both politicians being rescued by police in ugly scenes.
Mumbrella editor Tim Burrowes and advertising practitioner Jane Caro debate the topic on Weekend Sunrise’s masters of Spin segment:
The biggest cock-up I made in business
In this guest post, Chris Savage urges agency staff to live the brand.I still shudder when I think about how incredibly stupid I was when I made the biggest stuff up of my career. And then, 18 years later, I did it again. Do not make this mistake with your clients. Ever.
Hey Groupon. Thanks for fucking up email
In this guest post, Daniel Monheit warns that group deal overload is devaluing email marketingEmail marketing used to be fabulous. Back in the heady days of 2010, brands would work hard to build up well qualified databases, upon which they’d bestow carefully crafted correspondence filled with information, offers and incentives. The recipients, of course would be delighted: “Oh look! An email! From one of my favourite brands! And it’s 40 cents off at Woolies this week!”.
The staggering sway of Harold Mitchell
The Power Index today names Aegis Media chairman Harold Mitchell as the most powerful person in Melbourne. Andrew Crook profiles him.
Harold Mitchell takes pride in dispensing with the niceties. When The Power Index visited his South Melbourne private office before Christmas, fresh remains were scattered all over the boardroom table.
Share a Coke with… the moronic masses
The most-read story on Mumbrella last year, with not far off 100,000 page views, was a fairly humdrum yarn about the launch of Coca-Cola’s name-on-a-bottle campaign.The headline, “Coca-Cola puts people’s names on bottles in ‘Share a Coke’ campaign”, though hated by any self-respecting sub-editor, was loved by Google. And in rushed what can be politely described as the public.
Assumptions kill creativity
In this guest post, Gual Barwell disagrees that the sales success of the Old Spice social media campaign was overstated.Yesterday’s post from Cathie McGinn suggested the Old Spice campaign failed to connect with consumers. Based on the facts and figures, I disagree.
What Old Spice and Wieden + Kennedy has done and done phenomenally well is to create a franchise.
The SMH's readers (are wrong) editor
We are now about five months into the reign of Australia’s first readers’ editor. And I don’t think it is working.
It struck me at the time of Judy Prisk’s appointment to the Sydney Morning Herald that the fact that her boss was editor-in-chief Peter Fray was not going to be ideal if she was going to be the independent voice of the reader.
The emperor's new fragrance: Old Spice’s campaign failure
In this guest post, Cathie McGinn slays a sacred cow of 21st century marketing – the highly awarded Old Spice campaign.One of the biggest myths of recent times (by which I mean a story of great heroism and triumph we’d all like to believe but deep down know to be untrue) is the Old Spice social media campaign. It’s been much lauded and awarded as an example of outstanding content, a creative and collaborative way of connecting with consumers and driving a record increase in sales.
How reliable are radio ratings?

In this guest posting, Jason ‘Jabba’ Davis wonders how accurate radio ratings can be, since the data is collated from handwritten diaries.
So, the radio ratings season gets underway tomorrow. After a well-earned break, Australia’s commercial radio stations will renew their obsession with figures to see how many of us are listening. Are they winning or losing the ratings war?
The much feared radio survey is the only way to measure the success or failure of a station’s playlist, talent, promotions or even good old Black Thunder crosses. With six-figure salaries riding on the make-or-break nature of ratings, just how accurate are Australia’s radio survey results?
How Vegemite blew it
I was going to write a long rant about the defeat-from-the-jaws-of victory PR disaster that Vegemite has pulled off with it’s name me competition.
(iSnack 2.0 – really?)
But Crikey’s Ruth Brown has put it much better.
For what’s worth, the best suggestion I heard was Cheeseymite.
What on earth were they thinking? The name is so rubbish that although I quite like the product I’ll actually be embarrassed to buy it.
(Hat-tip @clembastow for this:)
Tim Burrowes
Dr Mumbo
Latest Comments
- Andrew Bolt & Gina Reinharts Love Child on Marketers told: Watch the briefs 22-year-olds at your media agencies are sending on your behalf
- Zombie1 on Caged zombies in Martin Place
- Buddha on STVDIO rebrands to Studio to help viewers understand how to pronounce it
- Doughboy on Kruger with a C
- Jonson on Host bags first win of the year – Patak’s
- Smithy on Leggo’s sends Valentine’s Day love songs in Facebook campaign
- Rebecca on Leggo’s sends Valentine’s Day love songs in Facebook campaign
- pretty pictures on STVDIO rebrands to Studio to help viewers understand how to pronounce it
Latest Jobs- Online Business Operations and Community Coordinator - Ultimo, Sydney
- Project Managers - Sydney & Perth
- Account Manager - Online Display - Sydney
- Senior Account Manager - Online - Melbourne
- Senior Digital Project Manager - Sydney
- Digital Marketing & Sales Manager - Ultimo, Sydney
- Front End Developer - Sydney
- Front End Developer - Large eCommerce Company! - Sydney
- Digital Account Executive - Sydney, NSW
- Social Media Content Manager - O/S Posting - Ho Chi Minh City, VIETNAM
F.Y.I.
- The Playroom launches transmedia division, makes hires
- Media Monitors Group rebrands as Sentia Media
- Circus announces second round of speakers
- Prada to launch new phone in Australia in April
- Chambord and the Melbourne Fashion Festival partner for live blogging
- MCN Melbourne restructures
- Richard Wilkins to become face of Ticketek
- SMG Red appoints new sales manager NSW
Most Discussed
- Marketers told: Watch the briefs 22-year-olds at your media agencies are sending on your behalf
With 82 comments - Hey Groupon. Thanks for fucking up email
With 74 comments - Jenny Craig cancels Kyle & Jackie O sponsorship: 'We badly misjudged public perception of Sandilands'
With 68 comments - Boating industry calls agency pitch for pro-bono work
With 65 comments - Jeep erects a car on a pole
With 47 comments - Australian Ethical: we don't invest in guns, tobacco or pollution
With 46 comments - The biggest cock-up I made in business
With 45 comments - The emperor's new fragrance: Old Spice’s campaign failure
With 42 comments
- Marketers told: Watch the briefs 22-year-olds at your media agencies are sending on your behalf



Comments
28 Sep 09
11:11 am
Baker’s Delight might have had an issue with “Cheeseymite”
28 Sep 09
11:12 am
i thought Cheeseymite too, but Baker’s Delight have that one cornered (a cheese and vegemite scroll)
28 Sep 09
11:12 am
should of been called chesseymite its simple
28 Sep 09
11:15 am
I agree – Cheeseymite is certainly what it is. Perhaps they felt it was too obvious? I just struggle thinking that when asked ‘What do you want on your toast?’, people will respond ‘Oh, some iSnack 2.0 please’. You put cheeseymite on your bread, not something that sounds like an edible MP3 player.
Marketing doesn’t really help itself when it puts out official releases to support the naming that go along the lines of “The name Vegemite iSnack2.0 was chosen based on its personal call to action, relevance to snacking and clear identification of a new and different Vegemite to the original. We believe these three components completely encapsulate the new brand.”
Come on Kraft – do you really think this is what Mrs Smith will be thinking when little Johhny is asking for something to have for brekkie?
28 Sep 09
11:15 am
Surely The Gruen Transfer needs to do a special episode so that we can all understand why this isn’t the dumbest name ever.
Either that or just enjoy the panel sinking the slipper into this ridiculous name for an hour or two.
28 Sep 09
11:17 am
Surely this is a badly timed April Fool or a PR stunt that is about to move to the next phase (“we were only joking etc etc, here is the real name…”)
Please tell me this isn’t for real.
Crisis team must be in full swing.
I’m so embarrased for them right now.
28 Sep 09
11:19 am
I heard fridgemite was in the running – vegemite for the fridge.
The summary from the Vegemite Marketing Director included a comment that the name “has a personal call to action and is relevant to snacking” – oh, that makes it better..
28 Sep 09
11:26 am
This has to be a stunt of some sort – it seems impossible that something this goddamn atrocious could not have been deliberate. No one eff’s it up this badly, do they?
28 Sep 09
11:26 am
Hold your horses folks – maybe an undercurrent of PR genius is at work here?!
They are getting the brand talked about in a diverse range of communities …
At some point I reckon they’ll discontinue “iSnack 2.0″ and introduce “Spread 3.0″ and the process starts all over again.
C’mon guys – it’s better than “Dead Sea Paste”
Mr Marmite
28 Sep 09
11:26 am
This will go down in history as one of the worst branding disasters of all time. I can’t imagine what they were thinking.
Tip for Kraft’s marketing team: next time you’re looking for a new product name, call FutureBrand rather than some punk web designer from WA. You’ll save yourself a lot of embarrassment.
The whole thing is so stupid I can’t help but wonder whether it is a PR stunt. If so then it has been very effective – although probably not achieving the objective they wanted.
28 Sep 09
11:28 am
I suggested the one-step removed Vegemice, though I couldn’t enter officially, of course, and anyway, I figure the Kraft execs wouldn’t see the funny side of having rodents associated with their product, even though I reckon the punters would. Imagine the cute cartoon mascot, Ratatouille style!
28 Sep 09
11:31 am
Baker’s Delight do indeed appear to have some sort of trademark/patent/legal doo-dah/clearly-I-don’t-under-stand-anything-about-legal-matters thing on Cheesymite: http://www.ipaustralia.gov.au/.....search.pdf (PDF)
Still, given how much it probably cost to run the whole competition and marketing drive, they may have been able to come to some financial arrangement with them for the name.
28 Sep 09
11:32 am
It’s such a stupid name. If Baker’s Delight could legally stop Kraft using Cheesymite why not something like Vegelite? Or Litemite? Or something that actually suggests “this is sort of like Vegemite but not as strong so if you don’t like the full-flavoured version you might like this”?
What’s the bet that before the end of the week a Kraft executive will say “Well our goal was to get people talking, and we certainly succeeded in that!!”?
28 Sep 09
11:35 am
Oh, and let’s remember that the iPod didn’t stand alone as a name: remember the slogan “Ten Thousand Songs In Your Pocket”?
I’m keen to learn where the call to action and relevance to snacking is in the new name.
28 Sep 09
11:37 am
David, it’s far from Vegemite Lite. As I wrote, iSnack 2.0 has more fat (17% vs <1%), more sugar and more sodium. The only things it's light on are taste and Vitamin B.
28 Sep 09
11:45 am
Hmm iSnack 2.0? Will it also require software updates? So will we soon be buying iSnack 2.0.1 – with all the bugs taken out of it? Lame.
28 Sep 09
12:01 pm
Stolen from a twitter feed :
“I said, “Do you speak-a my language?”
He just smiled and gave me a iSnack 2.0 sandwich”
. . doesn’t exactly roll off the tongue.
A terrible, terrible name. Twitter is bubbling over with negative feedback but as someone said earlier, is this a PR stunt by Kraft ?
28 Sep 09
12:10 pm
Can i go out on a limb here and say this is potentially a great marketing move? Or bold at least. Reason being is i’m going to give them credit and say that it is all a big joke (surely, no marketing person in their right mind calls an FMCG product ‘isnack 2.0′, it is just too ludicrous to be true), in which case they are generating a lot of brand awareness for when they rename it to something more appropriate. I’m interested to see how they think this negative publicity will help though…
Tim how’s about doing the reporter thing and getting some comments from the ppl over at Kraft?
28 Sep 09
12:20 pm
Have we seen this product on shelves? I wondered if it was a get-people-talking stunt that would lead to people finding a regularly-named product on the shelves when they visited a store.
28 Sep 09
12:20 pm
I like vegemate. Sounded Aussie and friendly. Two things Kraft is not
28 Sep 09
12:31 pm
Totally agree with all said here – I saw the advert on TV last night and actually said “Oh my god” out loud… What fool agreed to this? It’s either a joke, as some have suggested and a very clever marketing strategy or it will be the subject of many classroom and boadroom sessions of how to totally stuff up your brand.
As if it’s not bad enough that Vegemite isn’t Australian any more, we get this rubbish. I’m sorry to see that the guy who came up with the name is a West Aussie.
28 Sep 09
12:39 pm
Great finally Lloyd has brought it back to marketing!
I think the original brief was looking for a brand shift so forget your cheesymite and imagine associations with spreadable cheese aren’t popular with the kids. So we are getting passionate about a name when we don’t fall within the target market.
They are looking for something new & different and whilst I don’t like the name I am not the main household grocery buyer. So the online world feels they have hijacked their space whilst mothers with children 3-10 are trying to deal with the changing tastes of children who have so much choice in the [Snack] category.
I don’t agree with the viral points in the below blog but at least some discussion is happening around the brand and marketing FMCG.
http://joidesign.com/BlogRetri.....stID=45539
28 Sep 09
1:34 pm
The reason iSnack 2.0 is wrong (and it’s not just the name)
The idea this is a deliberate name choice to create PR interest makes me think the marketing team (I’ll use the team advisedly) at Kraft don’t realise there is such a thing as bad publicity- you are your reputation in the world of internet ratings.
However, this product has been so wrong from the start; I believe they are just incompetent (or accountants). Their list of crimes includes:
1) Mixing two products together (Philly and Vegemite) that nobody in their right minds would do if they didn’t work for Kraft (who own both products)
2) Use a “Name-It” strategy which is lazy and unoriginal (does anybody think the “Backyard Burger” that won the McDonald’s Name it competition last year will ever be heard of again?)
3) Crowd sourcing names like this is pretending to connect to the community. If Kraft listened to their consumers they might know how much Australians hate it when (American) businesses mess with their icons.
4) The people who you are going to annoy most are your loyalists, the same ones who guarantee your future by inducting their kids into eating something that is a hugely acquired taste
5) Does not address Vegemite’s perennial problem: 100% household distribution, declining usage. What was wrong with continuing the “how do you eat it?” campaign celebrating Vegemite’s uniqueness from earlier in the year?
6) Finally do not make a TVC about the marketing process- just because you are in marketing and advertising does not mean Australian’s care about what you do- anyone who has done an NPD process knows they aren’t fun, glamorous or necessarily worth marking an ad about (unless you are so disconnected from your users that you think they care- whoops, that right, see point 3)
The name- even if it is a stunt- is the culmination of a marketing train wreck
28 Sep 09
1:38 pm
we can just rename it … VEGESHITE …
28 Sep 09
1:40 pm
cheesymite was my thought too – I wonder how many entries they had with cheesy mite ;p
what drugs were they on when they chose iSnack 2.0
28 Sep 09
1:44 pm
If i saw that on the shelves I’d be thinking vegemightnot..
However I’m not gen y or /Z.. and the PR Can’t halm…
28 Sep 09
1:45 pm
PR Stunt? Consumers don’t care about PR, it’s just everyone above whose in the media that will keep this going round and round – the MGB in their local IGA won’t care if this is a PR Stunt or an ill-advised mistake signed off by the Head of Marketing on a bad day…consumers don’t care…if home-brand is 50c cheaper they’ll pick that up instead !!
28 Sep 09
1:57 pm
@Ollie
Agree… Remember ‘Whooper Discontinued’. It was HUGE!
See: http://illuminea.com/marketing.....deo-stunt/
28 Sep 09
2:00 pm
I quite like “shitemite”, it really rolls off the tongue.
28 Sep 09
2:21 pm
Pathetic attempt by such a behemoth like Kraft with all their marketing, advertising & PR muscle …
28 Sep 09
2:31 pm
Kraft could have at least allowed consumers to vote for the final name rather than choose it themselves. Their customers would have surely voted for something much better than iSnack 2.0. What were they thinking???
28 Sep 09
2:48 pm
New Coke made more sense.
28 Sep 09
3:04 pm
iBoycott….
28 Sep 09
3:13 pm
I was only going to try in once the name was revealed. Now I couldn’t give a toss. iSnack 2.0. Shit – my four year old nephew could do better than that. Plan B, Kraft.
28 Sep 09
4:19 pm
Is this going to be another fake campaign like Witchery Man etc? Could you possibly harass the Australian psyche more? Certainly is getting some social chat, might be brilliant, would surely hope so #vegefail. Also fits quite well with the TVCs leading up to this. Anyway and if it true at least they can say it was a joke and do it properly.
28 Sep 09
4:20 pm
Obviously it’s a PR stunt – unless Kraft are so out of touch that they actually thought the “kids” would be “down” with such a 2.0 name. But having people “talk about your brand” in this manner clearly isn’t a win for Kraft or the agency who sold in the idea. This kind of talk won’t prompt the action (sales) Kraft are no doubt after. World’s longest scroll down on the vegimite site to read the runner up names is rather clunky to boot – not a very 2.0 experience in itself!
28 Sep 09
4:30 pm
I liked ’2rightmite’. Very Aussie and a bit clever. But the stuff’s disgusting! and a cynical attempt to reduce the shelflife from ‘infinity’ (even cockraches dont touch the stuff, it will still be around long after the apocalypse), to 6 weeks, so you have to chuck it out after you havnt eaten it. And its yet more clutter for the fridge.
28 Sep 09
4:30 pm
The most bizarre name for a food I have ever heard … and that includes “I hate peas”.
28 Sep 09
4:34 pm
@Tony Richardson “I can’t believe it’s not Butter”?
How about “Not Vegemite”.. or “Vegemite NOOOOT” and get Borat to front the ads.
Everyone’s a winner…
28 Sep 09
4:34 pm
Vegemite is an iconic brand with loads of Aussie heritage and cred. Just about every Aussie loves it and loves the fact that people from other places just don’t seem to get it. People really do give a shit about their Vegemite,but when consumers feel ownership and connection to a brand it’s important to tread carefully.
So it’s not surprising that a hate site has already emerged, “Names that are better than “iSnack 2.0″, complete with a widget which has a live twitter feed, confidently named “see everyone hates isnack 2.0”. It’s a bit of a laugh. Mind you I doubt the folks at Kraft find it all that amusing.
So what’s the lesson here? I reckon the idea of crowd sourcing a name is great. But if you’re going to get the crowd to help name it then get the crowd to help judge the names too. There are stacks of case studies about brands that engage in co-creation (Dell Ideastorm and My Starbucks Idea come immediately to mind as two terrific examples of brands that do a great job). The difference is both of these examples entrust the wisdom of the crowd to not just come up with ideas but to also rank and rate their worth.
I dunno perhaps if you’re a middle aged marketer, isnack 2.0 sounds really cool and very GenY. But if you’re a cool GenYer (or Xer for that matter) it seems it rates as lame and try-hard.
I’ve got to wonder if the pressure keeps up, how long before Kraft crafts a response to explain that isnack 2.0 is the beta version and a name upgrade is due for release soon.
28 Sep 09
4:43 pm
I’m not sure, you can’t imagine that they’d possibly choose such a terrible name.
You can see they haven’t responded on Twitter in 3 days…
Last Tweet
“The name will be announced at tomorrow’s AFL GF. Watch “Before the Game” tonight on Channel 10 for more information” 12:00 AM Sep 25th
http://twitter.com/vegemite_kraft
28 Sep 09
4:46 pm
Not all publicity is good publicity, and this example of the negative PR from the choice of name is NOT going to help Kraft.
In fact, if the recent figures that one in four people stop buying a product from negative comments via social media, then isnack 2.0 will not going to fly off the shelves!
What I’m interested in is the lack of response from Kraft. PR 101… never not comment…
28 Sep 09
4:48 pm
Ooh – so much tweeting followed by an eerie silence post announcement. Good point. Likely that they are in lockdown working out what to do(or say) next!
28 Sep 09
4:49 pm
How many in the ‘general public’ would even get the isnack 2.0 reference? It’s only ‘outraged blogosphere’ that care…
Mum’s (and Dads) doing the weekly shop wont even get it.
My bet is this is a stunt to get more attention for that other brand… ‘Vegemite’… Expect something soon with messaging along the lines of ‘why mess with something that works… Trusty vegemite’ etc…
28 Sep 09
5:00 pm
From today’s AdNews email:
“Kraft Foods head of corporate affairs Simon Talbot … added that the new blend had already sold 2.8 million units since its launch, with minimal cannibalisation of the original Vegemite product, and confirmed that iSnack2.0 will be a permanent addition to the Vegemite brand”.
Hmmm … nobody here seems to be giving much thought to good old-fashioned fmcg sales results. It’s a bit like mocking those Brand Power ads without being aware of the powerful Millward Brown results highlighting their impact.
What I’d like to know is which consumer segments the new version has appealed to most so far i.e. the people behind those 2.8m unit sales.
28 Sep 09
5:00 pm
What’s wrong with: “Brewing waste product plus artery-hardening sodium… now with added dairy fat!”
28 Sep 09
5:04 pm
Will there be a Mac version?
28 Sep 09
5:06 pm
Adam, the 2.8m sales units appealed to the consumer segment that hadn’t been exposed to the ‘iSnack2.0′ name!
28 Sep 09
5:09 pm
Agree that Cheesymite is the most correct description for it..I was thinking “Blandymite” (a more boring version of Vegemite) but not sure my suggestion would have made it to the shortlist…although judging by the negative response from everywhere, maybe it could have been up there!
28 Sep 09
5:35 pm
obese-u-mite – 17% fat! They should be ashamed of themselves.
28 Sep 09
5:41 pm
17% Fat, more sugar, more salt, less vitamin B…Yankmite? Americanmite? Soonthekidswhoaren’tfatyetsoonwillbemite? Although I really do like Shitemite also.
28 Sep 09
5:45 pm
It was a simple vegemite / cream cheese spread… good ol’ fashioned “spreadgemite” would’ve done the trick.
28 Sep 09
5:47 pm
It’s almost bringing back the ancient art of Google-bombing for this.
I read that in France recently, Googling “trou du cul du web” (The Asshole of the Internet) returned the official website of President Sarkozy.
I wonder what phrase could direct Googlers to Kraft’s iSnack 2.0 page?
28 Sep 09
5:51 pm
@Paul Dovas – LOL! That’s just silly, but I like it.
28 Sep 09
5:54 pm
Sounds like trial of the unnamed product has been strong. Would be interested to know what repeat purchase is like and whether the sales momentum continues now we have a (IMHO crapola) brand name.
Having said that….about 1 million years BC I worked on “Project Ralph” i.e. the launch of a new men’s magazine with the idea being that the name of the new mag would only be known once it was on the stands. When we realised that we had known the name of the mag all along, we were all pretty horrified. Someone way smarter than me obviously knew what they were doing then. I can only hope so now!
28 Sep 09
5:59 pm
The jingle “We are happy little iSnack2.0′s, as bright as bright can be, we all enjoy our iSnack2.0′s for breakfast, lunch and tea….” doesnt quite work.
28 Sep 09
6:16 pm
wilhaus – you got it right… are the yanks trying to make it more palatable for themselves since they bought the brand and probably are trying to sell it in to their market… and shitemite sounds great!
28 Sep 09
6:20 pm
What about: “CheeseyMATE’ …. brings a little bit of the Aussie back into the product and it is a MATE for its brother Vegemite. Oops too late KRAFT. Will ‘I’ go the distance???
28 Sep 09
6:24 pm
Crazy PR stunt or not, it’s scary to think how little respect the local Kraft management have for their target audience let alone their own product.
Surely this isn’t what they had in mind? http://twitter.com/isnack20
28 Sep 09
6:28 pm
If the name was chosen by a ordinary punter out there who was it and what else did they win? Will we get to throw rotten tomatos at them in stocks in Martin Place or Fed Square for coming up the the dumbest, lamest product name ever?
And lastly who were the judges – baby boomers who thought they were being groovy and were down with it? What were the other popular names (Cheesymite aside)?
Any investigative journalists out there with some time on their hands – there are your first few questions.
28 Sep 09
6:29 pm
I always thought Vagina-Mite cute.
28 Sep 09
7:26 pm
p.s. Brand borrowing for the youth market is okay so long as the brand you’re borrowing from doesn’t get into any nasty PR event that brings it and you into disrepute hence independence is sooo much safer.
28 Sep 09
9:10 pm
definitely a stunt and MARMITE is actually far better than vegemite anyway
28 Sep 09
9:46 pm
Didn’t they try blending Vegemite with Kraft cheese singles over a decade ago and it bombed? I remember a supermarket manager giving us packets and packets of stock that they simply couldn’t sell.
29 Sep 09
1:05 am
everyone seems to be hating the name it seems but noboy is keeping silence. isnack 2.0 has become the talk of the town. Intense publicity for sure.
When will it be believed that any publicity is no good publicity. You need to have strong strategy supporting your every move.
29 Sep 09
3:21 am
Apparently Kraft was almost going to go with “I Can’t Believe it’s not Better”
29 Sep 09
8:07 am
Tasted it and made me retch…I am sure after the “buzz” of the shite name dies down..people will go back to their normal ‘mite
Issac, you are right – they made Kraft Cheese Singles blended with vegemite…EPIC FAIL!
29 Sep 09
8:26 am
Vegenot
29 Sep 09
8:32 am
I think Dick Smith should combine Dick Mite with Dick Cheese….
29 Sep 09
8:47 am
Wow! Kraft’s boasting 2.8m sales already! That’s huge! And also begs the question – why (then) name it at all? Seems ‘no name’ was working wonders. Be interesting to see what happens next … I reckon there’ll be loads of shoppers fronting at Officeworks or Dick Smith trying to buy the stuff the kids have added to the shopping list.
29 Sep 09
9:10 am
I wonder how true those sales figures really are…has there been lots of giveaways/samples of the product?
29 Sep 09
9:51 am
Just received Trevor Choy’s ‘Protecting Brands’ newsletter that indicates Kraft are more clueless than we first thought :
“I’m not sure that’s a great idea, because Breville already own isnack as a trade mark for snack makers and sandwich toasters (although they’re not currently using it). It doesn’t necessarily stop Kraft from registering isnack 2.0, but it could get a little confusing – for the consumer, is isnack a toaster or a spread?”
29 Sep 09
10:36 am
iMdone 3.0 ……….
29 Sep 09
10:58 am
How about a bit of RESPECT please for the company and in particular for the man who would have been stoked at winning the competition, bet he doesn’t feel like that now!!!!! In fact he has probably gone into hiding after being rubbished so publicly, so you don’t like it well try forwarding your suggestions in a positive manner to the company.
29 Sep 09
10:59 am
Say it with me people… CHEDDAMITE!!!!!
or
Vegedda, Cheesy V, poo in a fkn jar. Anything would have been better than bloody iSnack2.0. Sheesh.
29 Sep 09
11:09 am
What about chunkymite? You might get chunky if you eat too much!
29 Sep 09
11:10 am
Unhappy little Vegemites vent their fury over iSnack 2.0
http://www.smh.com.au/business.....-g997.html
29 Sep 09
1:05 pm
I think the real issue is that Vegemite was reasonably healthy for kids – but shitemite is 17% fat – maybe obesemite or fattymite or lardarsemite are also more appropriate options….
29 Sep 09
1:11 pm
Who gives a shit anyway? I eat Promite and love it.
29 Sep 09
1:28 pm
we are not meant to take consumers ideas literally but use feedback and insight to do something creative. Listen to consumers but don’t follow. A name that will be obsolete and irrelevant any minute.
29 Sep 09
1:36 pm
Wow… If we didn’t already know that Vegemite had a new product out, we all do now!
The awareness this name has created has been huge – i just hope people don’t boycott the product in despite of the name…. that would be mean!
I like the name. It’s a snack, my snack and its Vegemite’s second product… isnack 2.0.
29 Sep 09
1:41 pm
I would hate to think what iSnack 1.0 and iSnack beta would have been like
29 Sep 09
5:39 pm
Seems the majority of ppl aren’t a fan of the product/taste either >>> whilst walking along the MCG concourse 2 hours after the Pies v Cats Preliminary Final, i noticed the ground was littered with free samples that had barely been touched.
29 Sep 09
5:51 pm
Always avoid v1.0 of any product. Everyone knows that wait till 1.3 at least.
29 Sep 09
8:41 pm
Don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Laugh at the thought that this name didn’t get tested or cry that its another half assed pr stunt to get ‘people talking’. Either way its a sad state of affairs for marketing in Australia.
29 Sep 09
10:36 pm
Oh yeah, people will talk alright.
Once the chatter fades though, all they’ll be left with is shit sandwich.
30 Sep 09
4:31 am
there’s another great take on the new product by the kraft brand over at the naming & branding blog “on the button.” worth a look: http://translate.google.com/tr.....rro.com%2F
30 Sep 09
6:59 am
iDaft.2.0.P/L
30 Sep 09
7:55 am
Jules, interesting that you say about the samples at the footy…I think they did something like that again for the Grand Final…also they had Lehmo (Wil & Lehmo that used to be on MMM) announcing the name during the Grand Final TV broadcast…
Free samples like that remind me of when they release “Mother”…boy did that suck big time…awful stuff
30 Sep 09
12:23 pm
Surprise, surprise. Kraft ready to consider renaming the new product :
http://www.smh.com.au/business.....-gbwt.html
30 Sep 09
12:32 pm
Two months supply ready with the iSnack name will become collectables before the new name is launched.
30 Sep 09
1:59 pm
For all those hating on iSnack 2.0 – check out our site: http://epicfailstore.com
We’ve dedicate an EPIC FAIL t-shirt to the new brand : )
30 Sep 09
2:42 pm
iLols2.0 – secret Vegemite market research video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DlyX3PL82xM
30 Sep 09
3:02 pm
A very cynical attempt at “targeting young”! Hope someone gets fired for that…
30 Sep 09
3:11 pm
Hi Tim and others,
Vegemite: The Movie (the background to the iSnack launch.) http://bit.ly/w6uyO
Hope you like it.
bret
Trackbacks/Pingbacks