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19 December 2007

Cocaine >> Censored >> No Name

Have u read of Las-Vegas-ian drinking Cocaine after busting themselves in the gym?
Ranked no.17 in The 101 Dumbest Moments in Business, 2007.

I imagine the conservation about deciding on a catchy name. It probably went like this:

Boss: Its an energy drink. What should we call it?
Marketeer: Hmm, Let's see... Does it put the customer into a state of euphoria, incresed blood pressure, increased heart rate and hyperactivity?
Boss: Yes, you idiot! Its an energy drink!
Marketeer: Lets call it Cocaine then.
Boss: Funny name... But it sounds good to me!

I wondered what happened in between. Apparently they changed the product name from Cocaine to Censored.

Boss: I consulted uncle Google! Cocaine is a drug! It was a mistake naming it to a Drug! Changed the name this instance!
Marketeer: Hey boss, lets expand our market! You know 'night activities' are vigorous and energy consuming?
Boss: Its true that everyone here in Las Vegas is looking for a good time! Go on...
Marketeer: Since sex is a taboo word, lets call it Censored then!

Strangely enough, FDA banned the name Censored. I mean, if the name Cocaine got approved, why can't they use names like Censored? I wonder whats wrong with the name.

Boss: Come to my office! I need to talk to you!
Marketeer: Sup' boss?
Boss: Cocaine and Censored doesn't work. Can you come up with any other fancy name?
Marketeer: I have no idea boss. Why not we just call it No Name and settle with it?
Boss: Sigh... I guess we have no choice!

So, yup. A No Name product.
According to this article, Cocaine goes no-name:
Redux will provide a line of stickers - with names such as are "Banned by the man," "Screwed" and "Censored" - in store displays, to encourage consumers to name the beverage themselves. "We saw this as an opportunity to put the name of the drink in the hands of the user," said Kirby. "Let them decide what they want to call it."

I'd say these people are very creative! Have you heard of any weird brand names recently?
[For those staying in msia, have you come across a mineral water called No Name?]

7 comments:

xniquet said...

it's just a name for crying out load, maybe it could be a placebo to help those who are really addicted to cocaine ..:P

Chee Ching said...

I drank this brand of mineral water before. Muahahha.

742 said...

Yeah... saw No Name before... Even a chinese singer used that name before (Yu Xian Zhong).

In sg u got "whatever" and "anything".

Katherine said...

Wah, cool marketing technique! This will create a buzz for the product, because of its uniqueness!

Johnny Ong said...

did blog abt this when the cocaine was first promoted

curryegg said...

haha.. I still remember about "No Name" mineral water... really no name.. keke..

3POINT8 said...

[x]
Hey, placebo works, u know.

[chingy]
Me too! but in las vegas, its an energy drink

[742]
Serious? a chinese singer named 'No name'? Sounds so cool!
Whatever and anything in sg? WoW...these ppl are freaking creative!

[宝茹]
Ya, i also agree that its a very cool marketing technique

[johnny ong]
haha, i guess i'm a lil bit outdated

[curryegg]
I remember there was once when my friend asked me whats the name of the mineral water, and I said 'No name'
Naturally, he didn't believe me until i showed him the label.