Bad idea or publicity stunt?

With the echoes of outrage reverberating across the Australian landscape, Kraft yesterday announced they were pulling the name iSnack 2.0.

So, should we chalk this up to a doozey of a marketing mistake or is there something a bit more unsavoury at play?

Certainly Kraft has had a PR boon in coverage of the epic awfulness of the name. Blogs, Twitter and the media have been alight with discussion, and discussion about the discussion. Which certainly begs the question – did they do it all on purpose?

The super cynic in me certainly considers the possibility, but realistically, just as there is no way to really predict what will go viral in a good way, it is pretty had to determine what will work in the opposite direction. And even if they did have an incling (focus groups anyone), the potential damage to the Vegemite product brand of such a cavalier ploy would have been a serious gamble.

Trust is a hard thing to earn, and generations of goodwill can evaporate in an instant. Consider the following quote in the comments section of an article on the dumping of the name:

“Kraft has blown it in this household, all their products have already been dumped, NO MORE Kraft products in my house, ever.”

Anecdotal certainly, but I suspect this person is hardly alone in their disgust.

If it was deliberate then I am left wondering about the state of an organisation that has so little respect and honour for the history of such a storied brand that they would willing open it up to ridicule for the sake of a bit of PR mileage.

But, sadly I see that happen only too often as brands are treated as marketing opportunities instead of valuable assets.

So we are left to await the next move by Kraft. Might I suggest something a bit more intuitive, if not quite so controversial… Cheesymite anyone?

Michel Hogan is a Brand Advocate. Through her work with Brandology here in Australia and in the United States, she helps organisations recognise who they are and align that with what they do and say, to build more authentic and sustainable brands. She also publishes the Brand thought leadership blog – Brand Alignment.