Kraft's Vegemite iSnack 2.0

While in Australia, I saw a familiar jar in the grocery store. The label had the look of Vegemite spread, but when I looked closely, it said, "Name me!"

I soon learned that this was a new spread conceived by Kraft made creamer and tangier than the original Vegemite by the introduction of cream cheese. It was launched in July 2009 with no name because to drum up publicity for the product, Kraft held a nationwide contest in Australia to find a name for this "deliciously different Vegemite experience."

When I arrived in Australia, the new name had just been picked and announced. They named it iSnack 2.0. I don't believe there was any voting involved--I think the crowd just submitted names and the executives at Kraft picked one they felt best suited the product.

Simon Talbot from Kraft Foods said: "The name Vegemite iSnack2.0 was chosen based on its personal call to action, relevance to snacking and clear identification of a new and different Vegemite to the original. We believe these three components completely encapsulate the new brand."

That's an interesting viewpoint, but the public hated the name, absolutely hated it, and it's easy to see why--Vegemite is a nearly hundred-old, beloved Australian food product, and just because it's been mixed with some cream cheese doesn't mean it needs to be completely severed from its origins with a name like iSnack 2.0. I mean, iPod... iTunes...these refer to new, trendy technologies, not classic food products, and for iSnack 2.0 to refer to a Vegemite variant is just really odd and completely irrelevant. Besides, the whole ieverything thing is tired, boring, and is starting to get annoying.

So it's funny that the Kraft executives chose the name. But the Kraft executives can't be stupid; I'm sure they had a team of marketing experts carefully analyzing which name would be the right one to represent the product. Instead, they seem to have picked the name that would most outrageously misrepresent the product, inspiring public rage.

Smart! You should have seen all the newspaper articles and people on TV talking about how terrible the name iSnack 2.0 is. People talked about it much more than they would have talked about a nice name. The marketing team at Kraft must have known it would have been much more sensational to pick the wrong name for their beloved Vegemite than the right one.

Kraft let the drama fester for a short while, and then decided to dump the name. I haven't heard what the new one is. Meanwhile, the new Vegemite spread has sold more than 3 million jars in Australia, which is impressive for a country with a population of only about 20 million.

Anyway, I like the spread--the jar I brought back from Australia has lasted me less than a month. It's creamy and savory and a bit cheesy, and I really like a thin layer on a bagel in the morning.

Oh, and here's a fun website dedicated to iSnack 2.0 that I believe truly exhibits the level of public interest surrounding this whole ordeal:
http://isnack2.com/