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June 9, 2010
More Men Getting Iced Every Day, Smirnoff Claims It Has Nothing to Do With Their Naming and Branding Promotion
Yesterday The New York Times picked up on the new drinking game called "icing." It's full name is "Bros Icing Bros."
You can read the rules for yourself, suffice to say that this is a game aimed at the college age demographic and requires players to drink copious amounts of Smirnoff Ice, hence the name "icing." This game has spread out of the frat house to the world of Goldman Sachs and elsewhere. The word "Bros" and "Bro" has been given new life by this game.
Ironically, the Village Voice reports that the entire game is based on how awful the drink is. The blogosphere is full of contempt for the game and the people who play it.
And Smirnoff has denied involvement in the game, and one blogger claims that it was created by two frat guys. The problem is that the game is gaining traction, as one expert is quoted saying "We're gonna see more of this. Now that everything can be delivered through digital media, what's the last authentic thing? Spontaneous experience."
This might be an example of a frat prank gone haywire. Or viral marketing gone wrong. Or right. The fact is, the "Ice" name is now in front of a perfect demographic. Guys who hate the stuff are buying Smirnoff Ice so they will not get "iced" (see the rules).
But, we must repeat, because this game promotes the idea of underage drinking and irresponsible drinking and drinking in public places, of course Smirnoff claims that it has nothing to do with it.
Never mind the Twitter feed, the Facebook group or the many pictures and videos that have cropped up almost instantly. This just sort of... happened. The name Ice has gone into the newspapers and across the Internet. Just by accident?
Maybe so. But I also am starting to think that viral branding and social networking continue to demonstrate a great deal of power.
Technorati Tags: Smirnoff Ice, Bros Icing Bros, Icing, Drinking Game, Alcohol, Malt Beverage, Frat Game
Posted by William Lozito at June 9, 2010 8:46 AM
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