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by The Newspup

on Oct 1

iSnack 2.0 a ploy?

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A marcomms agency is conducting an online survey to determine consensus on whether iSnack 2.0 was a PR ploy.

Agency BCM is conducting a survey on whether Australians believe that choosing iSnack 2.0 was simply ‘Step 2’ in a planned publicity stunt.

“It undoubtedly has been a tough week for Kraft in Australia. A decision to launch a new product under the iconic Vegemite brand would not have been taken lightly. Much has been speculated by industry insiders about whether the name was deliberately chosen as a short term stunt to generate marketing noise and community outrage, or whether it was nothing more than a massive error of judgement on the part of the US owned Kraft. We thought it would be interesting to know what the Australian public thought.” said Kevin Moreland, BCM partner.

If you'd like to cast your vote, click here.

Update:

Kraft has acknowledged the public outcry and is calling for an Australia and New Zealand wide vote. The six names consumers are able to choose from are: Cheesybite, Creamymate, Smooth, Snackmate, Vegemate and Vegemild.

Vote for the new name here.

7 Comments

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  • Wrote on 1 Oct, at 04:17PM
My thought exactly. But then, if the US had any input into the name odds are they seriously thought it was a great name!
Brian Monger
  • Wrote on 2 Oct, at 03:44PM
Given they have produced thousands of packs of this product, I suggest it was just a marketing goof. Tends to happen. Costly mistake which does not add any value to the brand. Why would anyone eriously think it was a crafty ploy?
Sue
  • Wrote on 2 Oct, at 04:23PM
There is no way that this isn't a marketing ploy - and a thinly veiled one at that. iSnack 2.0 is a woeful name and no one in their right mind would pick this unless they wanted to give the Australian public a good stir. As a marketer I'm actually a bit impressed. You can't buy this kind of publicity.
Rowdy
  • Wrote on 2 Oct, at 04:39PM
My four year old came up with "Mighty Mite" and "Vegemitier"!
Brian Monger
  • Wrote on 3 Oct, at 10:07AM
Of course it is a woeful name. Do you actually think marketers are always smart? Go back down the history of track and look at other woeful names, products and logos. Then explain to me how stuffing up this badly and making the brand and company look truly foolish is a great ploy. These guys didn't think it out. The name appealed to someone who persuaded others. They thought it was "edgy" and "out there" and would appeal to something they probably referred to as the "younger demographic". They almost certainly didn't do a lot of research. Looks more like not being knowledgable enough or focused on the target market. If I were senior management at Kraft, I would be at least giving them a thumping if not firing their asses. Perhaps it is thse folk who are putting out the concept that stuffing up like this was really a great idea - so they can find another job somewhere.
Siobhan
  • Wrote on 5 Oct, at 12:37PM
At the end of the day, their new product (cheese and vegemite combo), which I was unaware of previously, is now a household name.

I thought they handled the media sensationalism well. They threw the naming of the new product back to the Australian public, creating a brand interaction and they invited the original competition winner to have a say in the design of the new product packaging.

Isn't the saying 'any publicity is good publicity' :) Not always the case but apparently this was a product that sold well previous to this controversy and I think it will continue to do so unaffected. My thoughts for what they are worth.
jbewes
  • Wrote on 9 Oct, at 03:58PM
>>Why would anyone eriously think it was a crafty ploy?<<
Not a crafty ploy. Just a Krafty ploy. {Sorry}

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