iMarketing2.0

So the new Vegemite spread has finally been named. And what a hum dinger it is.

iSnack2.0

Anyone else feeling a little overwhelmed and annoyed by products starting with i and ending with a decimal number? It means nothing. The idea of putting words together it to communicate a message, but all I can hear is "I'm not creative enough to think of something original, so I'll piggyback on the success of another company." The worst part is, from an entry pool of almost 50,000, this was the best Australia could come up with. A 27-year old daddy from WA received nothing for winning a competition that offered 50 pounds in 1923, according to an article on 7 News. With 85 years of inflation, that figure might have become a hefty prize today.

I'll give Kraft the benefit of the doubt for coming up with the idea to have a new and improved Vegemite, because as a non-Vegemite eater, I'm now hooked on this new product. So from a marketing standpoint, they have clawed their way into a new niche of money spenders, who were originally disgusted by the taste, smell and idea of their salty spread.

What is even more disheartening to me, however, is that when I went to Google to research further about this historic event, not one article could give me any new information. These articles gave me word for word the same story: The Age, The Sydney Morning Herald (both owned by Fairfax digital to be fair, The Western Australian, iPrime Newcastle (this one in particular should have done SOMETHING creative!), NewsTin, just to name a few.

I'll blame that on our reliance on media releases in journalism today. This can be attributed to the increase in technology which has led to a decrease in employees in the business. And this I find ironic when considering the topic of the articles.

There have been some severe reactions to not only the new name, but Vegemite and its little brother on this LiveLeak blog. A prime example of poor blogging etiquette toward the middle of the page. At least the blogs give a different opinion than the news sites. Maybe this is another contributing factor to the downfall of traditional news.

Another blog, itpints, has a collection of tweets of fairly humorous reactions to Kraft's announcement. Apparently it got more attention than the grand final today? I find that hard to believe. And to be honest, I dont know which is worse, tweeting about Geelong beating St Kilda or iSnack2.0?

Coming soon: iCrap and Crap 2.0