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So many contenders, so little time. The Nuancing®
Group, San Diego, must have thought when mulling the possibilities
of its first Duh! Marketing Awards, which are bestowed on those
whoíve made the monthís mega marketing mistakes. Among Februaryís
big winners:
Help! Iím trapped in homonym hell - Honorably awarded
to Cingular, formerly Pacific Bell Wireless, for selecting a common
word and intentionally misspelling it. And, for not emphasizing
that it is spelled with a ìcî throughout any of its marketing communication.
Irate on-hold customers are verbally directed to its website, yet
are typing in and visiting singular.com, an information technology
provider. Or even worse, are misspelling it singulair.com and arriving
at Merckís new asthma medication!
Iím a Looza baby, now why donít you buy me- Belgium
imported Looza garnered the worst named product distinction. Apparently
the company neglected to check out local culture before marketing
it the pear nectar concoction to American consumers. Saying the
name out loud is the verbal equivalent of placing oneís thumb and
forefinger in an L configuration and holding it against the forehand,
which translates to ìloserî in any language.
Mascot/menudo of the month ñ The prizes goes to
Prevacid, which thought a walking, talking stomach was a tasteful
way of explaining acid and other gastrointestinal disorders. The
Nuancing®
Group indigestion. Runner up: Procter & Gambleís go-go dancing tampon.
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